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Countryside Magazine Contributor
Articles by Countryside Magazine Contributor
Weasels Killing Chickens is Common, but Preventable
By Cheryl K. Smith, Oregon – Shortly after I moved to my homesteading land 15 years ago, I found a desiccated weasel in the barn. It was a long-tailed weasel (Mustela frenata), …
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Ask the Expert: Chicks
Do you have a question about chicks? You’re not alone! Look inside for questions and answers from other poultry owners.
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Chicken Behavior Shows Your Birds May be Smarter Than You Think
By Christine Heinrichs – As your chickens scratch for food and jockey for position in the social order, you can see that chicken behavior is purposeful. They respond to changing conditions, …
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Cannibalism And Chickens Pecking Each Other
By Cynthia Smith – It’s happened to all of us who raise poultry: chickens pecking each other and feather picking. One day you look at the chicks in the brooder …
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Raising Geese and Ducks on Pasture
By Steve Edwards – The term “pastured poultry” usually brings to mind some type of free-range chicken enterprise. Chickens can be free-ranged for meat or egg production, but you can also …
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Gardening with Guinea Fowl
By Jeannette S. Ferguson – Moving to a home with some land in the country has its advantages. It is quieter, peaceful, no fumes from cars, buses or trucks, no smog, …
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How to Keep Rats Away From Your Urban Chicken Coop
By Maureen Mackey, Oregon – Knowing how to keep rats away is a growing concern for some chicken owners. Keeping chickens provides so many benefits, it’s no wonder many city-dwellers have installed …
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Emus: Alternative Agriculture
By Kenny Coogan A few weeks into my five-and-a-half month study abroad experience near Brisbane, Australia, I visited an emu farm. Sprinkled through the precipitous landscape, these large flightless birds epitomized …
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8 Simple Boredom Busters for Urban Chickens
By Jodi Helmer – Robert Litt makes sure the six hens foraging, roosting, and scratching in the backyard coop and run of his Portland, Oregon home are never bored. In urban …
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Starting Off Right With Chickens
By Alexis Griffee, New Mexico As winter begins to draw to a close, our thoughts shift to spring and the new possibilities for our homestead. The seed and poultry magazines …
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