LAST UPDATED DECEMBER 1, 2024 First step: What do chicken lice look like? Below is a SEVERE case of chicken lice. Chicken lice eggs look like white mats usually near the vent and chin area feathers. The longer the chicken has had them, the larger the mats will become. The lice View Article
How to
3 Easy to ID Edible Maine Mushrooms
Once again, it’s mushroom season in Maine. Periods of rain, foggy mornings, early frosts and insulative leaf litter summon the mycelium to shoot forth great masses of fruiting bodies, known commonly as mushrooms. This post will lay a framework for teaching you the basics to easy to ID edible Maine mushrooms. View Article
How to calculate hatch rates: counting your chicks before they hatch
Count your chicks before they hatch by calculating the number of mature birds with this in-depth, situation-specific formula.
How to tell a hen from a rooster in 7 steps
LAST UPDATED SEPTEMBER 12, 2023 Let’s tease out the best ways for how to tell a hen from a rooster. The diagram below shows two very different looking chickens. Bu many breeds exhibit similar traits between hens and roosters. This includes breeds with short combs on both sexes, or on the View Article
Why do people put bands on their chickens?
So, why do people put bands on their chickens? Im not talking about the silly bracelets. Our bands are solid colors fro the time they are chicks to 14 weeks old. Having chickens from several lines in an undivided area can be tricky. Banding simply by color can keep originating View Article
How to Keep Chicken Water from Freezing in the Winter Without Electricity
Many opinions, odd antidotes, and myths surround the art of how to keep chicken water from freezing in the winter without electricity. We do it here at Hobbit Hill quite simply. It takes about ten minutes twice a day and involves either 5-gallon pails (or milk jugs depending on the size View Article
Raised Bed Garden Planning: Great for Cabin Fever!
Maine has a short growing season and there are many methods gardeners can use to extend the days to get the most of your hard gardening work. As a long-time small gardener and grandchild of Maine small farmers I have taken all these methods into consideration. With an eye on View Article