Author: Tanner Barnsley
Tanner Barnsley is the pen name on Chicken Rise's backyard chicken guides: what is safe to feed a flock, breeds, coops and chicks. Chicken Rise is written by a small team under pen names; we are not vets, and if a bird is unwell, call an avian vet.
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Can Chickens Eat Cereal? Which Kinds Are Fine and Which Are Junk
Yes, chickens can eat cereal. Plain stuff like rolled oats or original Cheerios is a fine treat in small amounts. The frosted…
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Chick Pen Ideas: Where Chicks Go After the Brooder
A chick pen is the in-between home for birds that have outgrown the brooder but are still too small to live with…
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Chicken Garden: Grow Greens Your Hens Can Graze Without Wrecking Them
A chicken garden is a patch of greens your hens can eat from but can’t dig up. That’s the whole idea. You…
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Walk-In Chicken Coop Ideas You Can Stand Up and Clean In
A walk-in coop is a shed you can stand up and clean in. An 8×8 holds 21 hens with a run, and…
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Can a Small Flock of Laying Hens Pay for Itself? Costs Per Dozen and Selling Eggs
Short answer: a small flock can cover its own feed, and it can come close to paying for itself if you sell…
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Deep Litter Method for Chickens: How Deep, What Bedding and When It Fails
The deep litter method is simple. You start the coop floor with about 6 inches of pine shavings or straw, you add…
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What to Feed Chickens in Winter: Layer Feed, Scratch and Grit
Keep hens on regular layer feed all winter, free choice, with a small handful of scratch at dusk. Grit and oyster shell…
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Why Your Chickens Stopped Laying in Winter, and What to Check
Short days are the usual reason hens quit in fall, and the molt often lands then too. If it’s one hen, check…
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How to Keep Chicken Water From Freezing Without Risking the Coop
Two waterers, or a heated base on a stand, keep chicken water liquid all winter. Skip the heat lamp: it’s the one…
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DIY Chick Brooder Ideas From a Tote, a Box or a Stock Tank
You don’t need a $90 kit to raise chicks. A plastic tote, a big cardboard box, a galvanized stock tank or the…
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Nesting Box Ideas: How Many Your Hens Need and Where to Put Them
A flock of 12 hens needs 3 nesting boxes: one for every 4 hens, never fewer than 2, in a dim, quiet…
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DIY Chicken Feeder Ideas That Cut Waste and Slow Down Rats
The best DIY chicken feeder for most backyard flocks is a lidded tub with PVC elbows through the side, because a hen…
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Speckled Sussex Chicken: Temperament, Eggs and Cold Hardiness
A calm, curious old English hen that lays a fair number of light brown eggs, handles cold well and needs real shade…
