After years of practice, Andrea has become a master at egg collection.![]()
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Learn about her special technique at www.happywifeacres.com/egg-collection/
These cute chicks hatched on Sunday, and many of them will be going home with families participating in the Rent-a-Chick program. ![]()
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There are still slots available for Rent-a-Chick on 29 May, and Rent-a-Chick Hatch on 29 April. See more at www.happywifeacres.com/rent-a-chick-rent-a-chick-hatch-programs/
Bees are kind of like humans. They don’t like to get up until the sun is up, and they don’t like going outside unless the temperature is above 50 degrees. So when you see bees doing bee stuff, you know spring is here. And the pollen on their back legs confirms that the earth is waking up from its winter break. ![]()
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By the way, we are out of honey until July when we harvest. If bees interest you and you’d like to learn more or participate in our honey harvest this summer, check out our bee classes at www.happywifeacres.com/classes/
We held a workshop today to build a chick brooder, which also includes a heat lamp, incubator, hygrometer, candler, feeder, and waterer. ![]()
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Even though the workshop is over, you can still purchase the assembled kit. It’s all the equipment you will need to hatch eggs and raise the chicks for the first few weeks of their life. Learn more and order at www.happywifeacres.com/buy-hatch-kit/
Candling eggs never gets old. It’s fascinating to see future life growing inside. These eggs are for our Rent-a-Chick program and are due to hatch on Sunday.
Update: this opening is sold, but there are future openings available at www.happywifeacres.com/rent-a-chick-rent-a-chick-hatch-programs/ ![]()
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Due to a last minute cancelation, we have one slot open for the next Rent-a-Chick program. Pickup date is next Thursday, 3 April, returning on or before 30 April. ![]()
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Rent-a-Chick is a fun program where you get to take home 4 to 6 newly hatched chicks, along with everything you need to raise them, including a feeder, waterer, heat lamp, brooder, feed, and bedding. Raise them, hold them, love on them. Then, after 4 weeks, bring everything back and the chicks will continue to grow up on the farm. ![]()
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Kits must be picked up and returned at Happy Wife Acres (8600 Haddix Rd, Fairborn Ohio). Register at the link below.
A Few Minutes on the Homestead - 28 March 2025![]()
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Spring is here and we've already had our first chicks hatch. A few days ago we posted about the hen who snuck through the netting and hid up in the barn loft to start her family. Well mom and babies are all doing well. Her 4 chicks are 4 different colors, so mama was playing the field, so to speak. We also still have some Rex bunny babies. ![]()
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A Few Minutes on the Homestead - 28 March 2025
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Spring is here and we've already had our first baby chicks hatch! We're teaching every weekend, and we have so much to do to get ready for summer. And ther...
Operating a poultry farm can be enjoyable, frustrating, exciting, intense, and sometimes a little bit frightening. Every day brings something new. If you remember our post from January, we had to cover the loft with a net because chickens were laying eggs up there. ![]()
Did we do a good job? Not so much! ![]()
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We open the barn to find a hen on the floor with a chick. Where did you come from? Then we hear cheeping from the loft and see two fuzzy chicks peering down at us. Those two were easy to get, but a third required an Army-crawl rescue mission to retrieve it. The hen had 9 eggs total, 3 of which still might hatch. ![]()
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So the loft is sealed up again (better), mama and babies are in a brooder, and calm is restored on the farm. We need another cup of coffee!
Chicken Health Day is an annual spring event at Happy Wife Acres. Within a few hours, we physically hold, inspect, treat, and count every hen and rooster in our flock. We estimate our flock is somewhere in the 350's.![]()
This year's Chicken Health Day is on Saturday, 12 April, starting at 7am. To make it successful, we need about 10 volunteers, ages 12 and up. Volunteers catch and shuttle chickens to Andrea and John for inspection, while other volunteers record the numbers. ![]()
By participating, you will learn about the signs of a healthy chicken, what we look for when we inspect them, how to treat for parasites, how to remove rooster spurs, and how to spot older hens that will be processed in the coming months. We will have a wrap-up afterwards to answer questions about the chicken issues that we saw. We usually finish before noon. Stick around and we will feed you!![]()
Please use the form at the link to register.
Chicken Health Day Interest Form - Happy Wife Acres
www.happywifeacres.com
Would you like to learn about chickens and their health? Then Chicken Health Day is for you. We conduct Chicken Health Day each spring to count our flock and assess ... Continue reading "Chicken Healt...
“Why is my egg count down?” It could be because your birds are preparing to go broody and are hiding eggs in that special place they picked out to raise a family. Our Call Ducks had a drop in egg production, so we knew at least one wanted to be a mom. We moved the mobile duck cage and found two nests totaling 30 eggs. Sneaky kids. Maybe removing them will slow them down a bit!
We need some input from you. We recently taught a class at Sinclair Community College to a group of veterinarian tech students. We discussed the types of chicken health issues we see on the farm, and how we deal with them. We talked about spur removal, bumblefoot, mites and parasites, eye and throat infections, coccidiosis, mycoplasma, trimming nails, cross beak, egg bound, oviduct infection, peritonitis, signs of aging, and what we keep in our first aid kit. We brought chickens to the classroom and gave many demonstrations. The presentation went so well that we thought maybe we should make it into an educational class at the farm. ![]()
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So the question is, if a Chicken Health Care for Homesteaders class was available, would it interest you? Would it interest you enough to sign up and spend a Saturday morning learning about chicken health care? Chicken health issues are something we don't like to think about, but when they happen (and they will), we all wish we knew more. Then we run to the internet and take advice from the "Internet Doctors" who have 3 chickens (or none) and base their knowledge on something they read on the internet. ![]()
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Please let us know what you think in the comments.
Spring at Happy Wife Acres means teaching, and we're teaching nearly every weekend for the next 2 months. Here are some updates:![]()
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- We just added a second "Raising Quail for Food" class on 14 June. ![]()
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- We still have 2 slots left for the "Raising Quail for Food" class tomorrow, Saturday 22 March at 10am.![]()
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- We will be teaching our last "Raising Chickens" seminar at Rural King in Springfield (Ohio) on Sunday, 23 March at 1pm. There's no fee and no registration. ![]()
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- There are still slots available for our Honey Harvest classes on 28 & 29 June, and 5 & 6 July. In this very unique class, you put on a bee suit, harvest honey from the hive and take home a jar! ![]()
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To find out more, see our website Classes page at happywifeacres.com/classes
We got our first black Cayuga duck egg of the season. A regular duck egg is on the left. Cayuga ducks lay dark coated eggs in spring that gradually lighten throughout the summer. When we put them in a box for sale, we have to add a note so customers don’t think they’re rotten. There’s no difference in taste.
Our chickens are happy birds, but their face doesn’t always show it. This pic looks like it’s searching for a caption!
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When this happens, it's usually because the owner only shared it with a small group of people, changed who can see it or it's been deleted.
This is Propane. Like Tank, she asked for a photo shoot. She wouldn't be quiet or get down until the session was over. Then she strolled off to do chicken stuff.
“I WILL NEVER KILL MY CHICKENS. THEY WILL LIVE OUT THEIR NATURAL LIVES.” There is nothing wrong with this statement. You love your chickens and you value life. BUT, consider this:![]()
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1. Most of us have chickens specifically for eggs. Chickens live to an average age of 7, but by year 4, they lay half of what they did in their first year, and will stop laying completely from fall until early spring. But they eat the same amount. So if you bought chickens for eggs and they don’t lay eggs, you now have pets. Again, perfectly fine. Just be aware that you’ll be paying for their food, while probably eating eggs from the store. ![]()
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2. Like us humans, when a chicken is past half of its life expectancy, it begins to experience health issues. Chickens that are “over the hill” have lowered immunities, are less diligent about dustbathing and preening to control parasites, are less active, and are more prone to illnesses like oviduct infection, peritonitis, throat infection, and water belly (heart-lung failure). And chickens are masters at hiding their illness while silently suffering. When we don’t feel well, we go to the doctor. But chicken doctors are rare, and always expensive. The GRAPHIC picture in the comments was from an old hen who was processed. She acted fine but was not laying eggs. Internally, she was full of infection, probably from peritonitis. Her intestines were dark and hard. She was suffering, and a natural death would have been a torturous process. ![]()
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Whether you plan on replacing your flock with new layers, or letting them enjoy chicken retirement, have a plan for when their health declines. Be ready to dispatch them yourself, give them to someone who will do the job, pay a chicken vet to do it. Don’t let your chickens suffer.
What am I making for lunch today? Chicken and noodles! ![]()
We hate waste on the farm. Every month we process chickens on the farm. We always save our organ meats,necks and feet. We have a dedicated chicken feet buyer. And lots of people buy our livers and gizzards. But hardly anyone ever wants the necks or hearts. Meat that is on the bone has more flavor than meat without. ![]()
So this morning I put 3 gallon-sized bags of necks in the pressure cooker. When the meat was fully cooked,I picked it off the bone. Its not my favorite thing to do, but homesteading is not always easy or fun. I know that this will be the tastiest chicken and noodles. I might even have some for a casserole (one of my grandmother's recipes).![]()
If you want some organ meats or necks please fill out the form. $3.50 per pound. www.happywifeacres.com/organ-meat-order-form/
Rent-a-Chick Hatch kits ready for distribution on Tuesday. Four families will incubate 10 eggs, and in 21 days they will start caring for fuzzy little chicks. 🐣 ![]()
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www.happywifeacres.com/rent-a-chick-rent-a-chick-hatch-programs/
We’ve had some strange things happen on the farm but this one is on a new level. In front of the barn this morning, this crayfish was crawling along like he was late for work. We do not have any lakes or streams within a half mile. We put him in a shallow pond made from the rain last night, but the chickens or guineas found him and put an end to him. ![]()
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It’s like this creature just dropped out of the sky. And maybe he did, if a bird of prey had picked him up and dropped him in flight. It was certainly odd and unexpected, and we doubt we’ll ever see one here again.
Who needs a baby bunny?? These Rex babies are nearly weaned and will be ready for new homes on 22 March. We have 5 available.![]()
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What is special about a Rex rabbit? Their fur is the result of a specific genetic mutation where the hair protrudes outwards from the body instead of lying flat, and the usually longer outer hairs are shortened to the length of the undercoat. The short hair and density gives their fur a velvety feel. Rex rabbits are a medium size and make great pets.![]()
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We normally sell live rabbits for $25 each, but since this is the first Rex litter and rabbits make us smile, these are only $20. You can order at www.happywifeacres.com/rabbits/
WHO DA BABY DADDY? Since we don’t control mating, it’s nearly impossible to know the origin of the offspring. But occasionally it’s obvious. Mack Daddy is standing in the back, and it’s easy to recognize his daughter. Her name is MDD, short for Mack Daddy Daughter. 😝
It's incubator day! 132 quail eggs going in an incubator. 110 quail eggs going in the hatcher (hatching on Thursday). 30 chicken eggs going in an incubator for our Rent-a-Chick program and expected broody hens. Goodbye peaceful winter; hello hectic spring!![]()
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By the way, we still have Rent-a-Chick and Rent-a-Chick Hatch slots available. See www.happywifeacres.com/rent-a-chick-rent-a-chick-hatch-programs/ for more information.
A Few Minutes on the Homestead - 7 March 2025![]()
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Spring is almost here, and the animals know it! We have baby bunnies, and the chickens are laying again! Even the ducks are starting to lay. ![]()
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Reminder: We will be at the Rural King in Springfield this Saturday and Sunday (8-9 March) at 1pm to present a seminar on Raising Chickens. If you are new to chickens and need a crash course on how to raise them, join us this weekend. The seminar is free and there is no registration. Just show up. We'll be near the chick bins in the store.![]()
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Also, we have MANY other classes scheduled on the farm, and seminars in local libraries. Check them out at www.happywifeacres.com/classes. ![]()
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A Few Minutes on the Homestead - 7 March 2025
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Today we talk about baby bunnies and upcoming classes. The weather is warmer and the animals love it!