By Tasha Greer Rhode Island Reds, referred to as RIRs for brevity, are an American class chicken with a strong affiliation with the free range, homesteading lifestyle. These large, lovely, and active birds are the perfect choice for protected pasture. … Read More
By Tasha Greer When Mrs. Nettie Metcalf started raising chickens for extra spending money, she never imagined she’d become the first American woman to enter a new breed of chickens into the poultry standards. But when this unique breed, once … Read More
By Tasha Greer Why did the Orpington chicken cross the ocean to Australia? To become an Australorp, of course! Australorp is a contraction of Australian Orpington. But this chook breed is no mere contraction. It’s a distinctly Australian layer with … Read More
We got our first bantam chickens in 2002 entirely by accident. I had ordered turkeys from a hatchery, and the box included 15 tiny chicks! We already had Buff Orpingtons and Silver-Laced Wyandottes, so I knew immediately that these were … Read More
By Tasha Greer Looking for an old-world chicken with modern appeal? The Sussex is the perfect choice. Rumor has it this breed’s ancient roots go back to when Phoenician traders introduced the British to the benefits of chicken breeding for … Read More
Before getting chickens, a lot of people wonder what kind of commitment they are making when they bring personal egg layers into their lives. In other words, how long do chickens live? Since most chickens are in commercial egg production … Read More
By Tasha Greer Before the Cornish Cross, the Delaware was the meat chicken of choice. Fast to feather, four months to fatten, and incomparable flavor made this breed the perfect pasture-raised poultry option. Then, as industrialization turned away from free-range … Read More
By Sue Senger If you are searching for the best chickens to add to your small flock, then look no further than the Plymouth Rock chicken. In the early 1900’s, the Plymouth Rock (also known as the Barred Rock or … Read More
By Ed Haworth Bare neck chickens are known by many names, but “Naked Neck” is the official name of the breed as recognized by the American Poultry Association (APA) and the American Bantam Association (ABA). Although crossbred chickens with bare … Read More
By Tasha Greer Jersey Giants aren’t your average chicken. They’re the largest non-hybrid chickens in existence! However, it’s not just size that makes them stand out. Their gentle natures and keen foraging abilities enable them to live large on slow … Read More
Thrifty Homesteader is about creating a more sustainable life, but what exactly does that mean? It means making choices that will make you healthier...
