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
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
By Tasha Greer Cochin chickens aren’t a typical choice for hardcore homesteaders. But perhaps they should be! Most chickens are too destructive to let in a vegetable garden to do pest control. Cochins, though, can be kept out of beds … Read More
By Tasha Greer If you’re looking for the Golden Retriever of chickens, think Orpingtons! The original Orpingtons were bred with black feathers that wouldn’t show soot during the industrial coal era in England. That made them an excellent urban meat … Read More
by Tammy Gallagher Who Doesn’t Love A Fluffy Purple Chicken That Lays Blue Eggs? That’s my favorite question to ask when talking about my frizzled Lavender Ameraucanas. I think they are just splendid!!! And they have quickly become a close … Read More
by Tammy Gallagher The Incredible Silkie Chicken! Just one glance and the average person is smitten with the Silkie chicken’s beautiful and unique appearance. There really is nothing quite as mesmerizing as a flock of snow white fuzzy Silkie chickens … Read More
If you want to add one or more solid black chickens to your flock you have a great variety from which to choose. Since many breeds have black feathers — and some even have black skin and meat — there … Read More
Thrifty Homesteader was created in 2012 after the publication of my second book, Ecothrifty. The name was coined by one of my followers because I said that I didn’t want anyone to think that they had to be rich to homestead or live a greener life....
