My Pet Chicken Blog

Biosecurity for your flock means both cleaning AND sanitizing. But a lot of people don’t necessarily realize there’s a difference, or why you should be doing both. So let’s talk the basics of biosecurity. CLEANING is simply removing the gunk. When your chickens kick up dirt, bedding or other detritus into their waterers or feeders,  you clean […]

We have always advised practicing good biosecurity with your birds. When you handle them, make sure to wash your hands—make especially sure your children wash their hands. Baby chicks look like adorable, kissable little fluff balls. But of course they’re walking and pecking around in poopy litter. Erg. That’s a salmonella danger. While backyard pet […]

“Free Range Eggs!” Before having chickens of my own I though this was the gold standard of eggs and what I should look for.  You don’t want eggs from chickens that are confined, right? Well, when looking into the horror that is factory egg production I realized that a “Free Range” stamp was not all […]

This winter I finally decided it was time–and I beautified my coop–for next to nothing! Now it’s a bright, cheery spot in the brown winter landscape. Don’t get me wrong; I love winter! I love all seasons, but the magic in a newly fallen snow-covered landscape is especially appealing. Sadly, I live in the warmer south […]

Feather foot chickens: there’s just something about the magnificent feathered legs of breeds like cochins or silkies. Fancy feathered chickens in general—including those with crests, beards, tufts and/or muffs—can be fun to keep as pets, simply because they’re so showy and spectacular. Many people have never seen feather footed chickens before. Sometimes even the chickens […]

Chicken stocking stuffers: this has a double meaning, if you keep pet chickens! Firstly, it refers to what chicken-related things go into your stocking. And it also refers to the things that go into your chickens’ stockings. Yeah, you heard me. CHICKENS’ STOCKINGS. That’s how we roll around here. We, er, chicken roll so hard […]

I loved seeing all the coop decorations from my colleagues for the Coop Giveaway with Fresh Eggs Daily. I didn’t submit a coop photo, though. I confess that while I go a little mad with inside winter decorations, I don’t decorate outside for winter. For other seasons, I do! For fall, I like mums, and […]

The lights are shining, and the garland is being hung. At My Pet Chicken, we’re all definitely getting into the holiday spirit, whatever holiday you celebrate with your loved ones. I’m MPC’s Shannon. At our place, we always get the house all done up and shiny for all to see, but this year, our chickens […]

Let’s talk luxury. After all, there are chicken needs, and there is chicken indulgence. I’ll be the first to admit that most people view a second coop as an indulgence, not a need. But there are certain circumstances where the second coop can quite literally be a lifesaver for your flock. Update: Right now (July 2017), we […]

On a snow covered winter morning, to my surprise, I found a wonderful but unexpected coop visitor in my coop’s window. This darling little red cardinal, in all his genius, found his way into our silkies’ coop through an opening in the run wire. Our unexpected coop visitor then came in an open door in the floor to […]