Instead of making excuses for the fact that I have not made the tiniest appearance here at The Tangled Nest for, um, five months, I’m just going to jump right in with this: Ophelia, one of my beautiful Buff Orpingtons, is broody. She’s been sitting stubbornly in the nest box for …
CAUTION: This is an update to this post added on January 11, 2017. After writing this opossum-friendly post, I have heard from several chicken keepers who have in fact had chickens killed by opossums (you can find their stories in the comments below). I was going to delete the post …
Thank you Marigold, Ophelia, and Ethel for the beautiful eggs. And happy spring to everyone! I heard the neighborhood flickers drumming in earnest on my early morning walk today. Let the wild rumpus begin! You may also like:Baby Crows In Our Midst “Crow Divebombing Help” – A crow aggression …
I am flattered that the author of a new chicken book called Henhouse has turned my humble coop-building instructions into this amazing infographic and posted it on Visual.ly. This is a slightly simplified version of our coop, with no “chicken Guantanamo” cage underneath, or aviary around it. But after many …
Happy Friday! I’m trying a new feature where I share a roundup of links at the end of each week, for your weekend perusal. Let me know what you think. Beekeeping Donkey: I love this story from Brazil about Boneco the beekeper’s donkey, and his custom-made donkey-sized beekeeper’s suit. The …
Last Saturday I was delighted to welcome the good folks from Deconstructing Dinner for an afternoon at The Tangled Nest. Until a couple of years ago, Deconstructing Dinner was an internationally syndicated radio show covering food and the emerging food culture, with a focus on the relationship between our food …
It’s actually hot in Seattle! Yes, I know that you folks in other parts of the country have had many 90+ days, but for us Pacific Northwesterners, it’s rare–our bodies aren’t used to it, and neither are our chickens! I’ve noticed the girls are panting a little, and seeking shade. …
Y’all may have seen these photos when they were in the news last month, but they have taken on practical significance for us lately. Our chickens get to roam free all winter, but now that the garden in our little urban backyard farm is tender and tasty, they are supposed …
It’s urban chick season once again, and past Tangled Nest posts on chickens, coops, and chick-rearing are getting a lot of readers. We thought we’d make things convenient by gathering our most salient “chicken wisdom” in one place. Here is advice gleaned from our twelve years of backyard chicken-keeping, taking …
In France, farm eggs at the market are stamped with two dates: “Fresh until,” and “Extra-fresh until…” You can actually request extra-fresh eggs from your fromager/egg-monger! Eggs are extra-fresh until they are about 7 days old, and during this time are best for coddling, poaching, mayonnaise, aioli, mousse, or a …