Online Chicken School Podcast

Don & Suzy share stories about extension cords and Dwayne caught in a net, discuss whether a cat could sleep in the coop with the chickens, and talk about getting the state to disease-test your birds for free, and discuss whether NPIP certification means birds are disease free.

Don & Suzy talk about their recent efforts two merge to flocks, discuss whether you should use pond water to ferment feed, share news of a recent salmonella outbreak, and talk about what causes hens to lay rubbery eggs.

Episode 73. Don & Suzy share a story of Della the Delaware becoming bold, discuss an article about a new strategy being used by vegan groups, and then share some strategies for helping your flock deal with gnats, flies, mosquitoes and the heat of summer.

Episode 72. Don & Suzy each share a story about chickens in the dark and then talk about the oldest person in the world and how she ate three eggs every day. Then we answer listener questions about keeping your flock out of your neighbor's yard, whether baby chicks try to crow, and if it is possible for chickens to get salmonella from dogs.

Episode 71. Don & Suzy talk about reasons a hen stops laying eggs and then get on their soapbox to talk about how Facebook's livestock ban might not be the best thing for animals.

Episode 70. Don & Suzy discover Don's love language, explore a new chicken business idea, and answer questions about whether store-bought eggs can become baby chicks, the medicated feed withdrawal time for meat birds, and whether eggs really are gluten free.

Episode 69. Don & Suzy talk about acquiring new breeds and hanging an xylophone in a coop, then discuss hi-tech chicken nuggets in the news, and answer questions about bedding material for chickens and whether chickens and ducks can live together.

Episode 68. Don & Suzy discuss Don's new chicken coop idea, talk about Avian influenza in Tennessee, try to figure out where all the medicated feed went, and answer a question about whether factory chickens lay three eggs a day.

Suzy may be going broody, we share a story of family visiting from up north, and we dedicate the full episode to one of the most common and misunderstood poultry diseases: Coccidiosis.

In a special Valentine's Day episode, Don shares a story about love. Then Don & Suzy talk about a man sailing the world with his pet chicken, discuss the issue of allowing sick birds back into the flock, and talk about when you can start free-ranging your chickens.

Episode 65. In this episode, Don & Suzy share why they have been away from the microphones so long, talk about Brooke becoming helpful with the chickens, discuss whether KFC marketing people are crazy, get philosophical about hatching eggs, and talk about mixing mature hens with pullets.

Episode 64. In this episode, Suzy tells a story about Gordo going after the chickens, we talk about a Japanese class who has cooler science projects than we did in school, we share the story of Perdue rethinking the use of the Cornish Cross, and we give some advice for helping a hen be less broody.

Episode 63: In this episode, Suzy shares her recipe for crepes, we talk about giving treats to baby chicks, discuss whether diatomaceous earth is a cure-all, and give some suggestions for helping your chickens deal with the heat of summer.

Episode 62. In this episode, we talk about how shockingly stubborn Gordo is, share the story of a hen who watches TV, ponder an alternative to pine shavings, and discuss how to help dogs get along with chickens.

Episode 61. In this episode, we figure out why our Wyandottes go through water so fast, talk about a new law for chicken-killing dogs in Virginia, brainstorm Don's new idea for truck-driving chicken keepers, and share a few ideas for getting rid of scaly leg mites. Oh yeah... and there's bloopers.

Episode 60. In this episode, we share the story of a young Barred Rock rooster who had his life flash before his eyes, ponder coping with scissor beak, wonder of chicken nipples freeze in cold winters, and then discuss whether city slickers should be allowed to raise chickens.

Episode 59. In this episode, we talk about Max the escape artist, share our thoughts about a new study that finds backyard chickens have more parasites, answer a listener's question about whether chickens are healthy and then discuss whether chickens belong in school.

Episode 58. In This episode, we help a listener figure out why her hens won't use nipple drinkers, and then discuss if it is possible to hatch only female chickens.

Episode 57. In this episode, we talk about a new chicken restaurant concept in the UK and share a costly lesson we learned last weekend.

Episode 56. In this episode, we talk about sweaters for chickens, share a few ideas on the quest fake chicken meat, and explore a few more chicken myths.

In this episode, we talk about Gordo's recovery from getting spayed, giving first aid to General Tso, a new website that gives poultry brands an animal-welfare score, and we give seven tips for buying chickens from an online hatchery.

In this episode, we talk about Gordo getting ready to be fixed, share a recipe for chicken 'n' dumplings, talk about vaccinating for coccidiosis, and discuss what the float test really means about your eggs.

Episode 53 - We talk about Max's flea allergy, help a listener with a predator issue, discuss whether it is a bad idea to buy hatching eggs, and try to figure out if Don is a biosecurity hypocrite.

Episode 52 - We talk about a possible new logo design, our young and crazy Delaware flock, and give some advice on how to get rid of an unwanted cockerel or rooster without them ending up in the hands of slimy cock-fighters.

Episode 51. In this episode, we talk about what to do when your chickens won’t go to bed, answer whether you can ferment medicated feed, and look at simplifying their chicken ranch.  

Episode 50. In this episode we share the story of a young hen who is getting a prosthetic leg and then talk about saving eggs for winter. A Wet Month The rain presents some interesting challenges for us in August and September every year. For one thing, it rains daily… sometimes several times daily. The […]

Episode 49. In this episode we?talk about the extra care required for rescued battery hens and whether they have a place in your backyard flock. New Hen Apron Pippa, one of our Barred Rock hens, has been sporting a standard hen saddle for a little while now, but we noticed that her rooster is still […]

Episode 48. In this episode we discuss why it is important to quarantine new chickens, and then talk about how you evaluate a chicken coop before you buy it. Duck Emergency! Last weekend, I was working in my workshop in the back of our property when Suzy called me on the radio, shouting “Get up […]

Episode 47. In this episode we talk about the passing of our Australian Shepherd, Shep, and discuss whether it is a good idea to rent chickens.  

Episode 45 Show Notes Fermented Feed Update The fermented feed experiment is under way – at least partially. Our latest batch of baby chicks has been snacking on fermented feed for just over a week. We decided to delay the implementation with the adult birds, mostly out of my laziness. Fermenting the first batch was […]

Episode 43 Show Notes Shortage of Chicken Sexers The poultry industry in the United Kingdom announced that it has a critical shortage of chickens sexers, the people who separate male and female chicks at chicken hatcheries. Apparently, this is not an occupation that young people are considering for a career despite a nice pay rate […]

Episode 42 Show Notes Happy Eggs Benedict Day! Today is one of the most important, yet under-appreciated, holidays of the year. Yes my friends, it is Eggs Benedict Day. To celebrate, here is a link to the Eggs Benedict recipe Suzy uses. What Do You Do with an Egg Eater? Craig sent us a message […]

Episode 41 Show Notes Dealing With a Chicken’s Broken Leg One of our good hatchery customers had an incident last week when she was moving her chicken tractor. One of her hens got her leg caught under the tractor and her leg broke. A broken chicken leg can be reset and splinted, but he ability […]

Episode 40 Show Notes Okay.. We Are Lazy We have been pretty well knocked out with allergies and the flu for many weeks, which turned us into two very lazy podcasters. Fortunately, we are both on the mend and back into our normal workflow. Lots of Work to Do Outside Now that the time change […]

Episode 39 Show Notes Shep is Now One Year Old Our cute little Australian Shepherd / Catahoula mix, Shep (named for astronaut Alan Shepard), turned one year old the last weekend. We like talking about the dogs on the podcast because they are an important part of our predator protection plan. We just had an […]

[hr] Episode 38 Show Notes Our Second Chicken Emergency in Two Weeks Cluck Norris, our Rhode Island Red rooster, has a favorite hen. Her name is Scarlett Crowhansson and being the object of Chuck’s obsession is not easy. Recently, she began developing bald spots on her back where Chuck stands to do his business. Normally, […]

[hr] Episode 37 Show Notes Welcome to the World, Brody! Suzy’s youngest sister had a cute little boy named Brody. This is our second nephew, and this one lives not too far down the street, so we are pretty excited to put him to work on the chicken farm! Foul Prank Two college students in […]

[hr] Episode 36 Show Notes The Giants Aren’t Too Bright Last week, we came home a little later than expected and it was already dark. Earlier, we have allowed the Jersey Giants some free time out in the yard while we were away. Normally, chickens will march themselves back inside the coop when the sun […]

[hr] Episode 35 Show Notes Lt. Tso to the Rescue! Suzy was attacked by George, our Barred Rock rooster with an attitude problem, and Lt Tso, who is one of our Golden Laced Wyandotte Roosters, came to her rescue…. twice! Tips for Buying a Chicken Coop Online Owen sent us? message and asked if we […]

[hr] Episode 34 Show Notes 2014 Year in Review Don & Suzy take a look back at what happened on the little chicken ranch in 2014.

[hr] Episode 33 Show Notes Next Week is Christmas! Next week is Christmas, which means we will be starting our yearly ‘staycation,’ where we take the week off and just be in holiday mode around the ranch. We will take next week off from the podcast, but we will return the following week, just before […]

[hr] Episode 32 Show Notes Bird Flu is Back! Craig sent us a message with a link to a HobbyFarms.com article about how bird flu has been found in flocks across Asia and Europe. Craig wondered if we should be concerned here in the United States. This strain of bird flu does not cross over […]

[hr] Episode 31 Show Notes Meat Bird Update After processing The Colonel, our one-year old Light Sussex rooster, he let him rest in the refrigerator for five days and then Suzy used a pressure cooker to prepare him. Despite being a year old, he was very tender and extremely tasty. I sensed a slight aftertaste […]

[hr] Episode 30 Show Notes Email from Ryan in Texas Ryan sent us an email through our website, and he says: I’m looking to raise chickens for the first time. What is the recommended age to get them at and now that it’s November and winter is upon us, is my timing bad for buying […]

[hr] Episode 29 Show Notes Happy Veteran’s Day! This week is Veteran’s Day, so we offer a heartfelt thank you for every man and woman who has served out country in the military. e appreciate the sacrifices that you and your families have made. Chicken Processing Day is Coming This coming weekend, we are determined […]

[hr] Episode 28 Show Notes Crazy Week! It all started with the time change last weekend, which means that by the time I get home from work, it is already dark. Add in election day this week, which wasn’t strenuous but definitely throws a small wrinkle in our normal weekly work flow. And then, after […]

[hr] Episode 27 Show Notes We Are Back! Suzy and I are back from vacation, and sadly we were not able to put out an episode last week. Unfortunately, the reason for missing an episode is not because we were on vacation. No, we diligently produced an extra episode to be released while we were […]

[hr] Episode 26 Show Notes Happy Eggtoberfest! October means Octoberfest in our household, so this month Suzy will highlight German recipes that use eggs. This week we talk about my favorite noodle… Spaetzle! It’s basically a short stumpy egg noodle, but it is amazing! Check out the recipe here! What Happened to All the Eggs? […]

[hr] Episode 25 Show Notes Visiting the Dairy Farm This last weekend, Suzy and I visited an open house at a small local dairy farm… if 2,000 cows is a small farm. Interview with Joel Salatin Suzy and I welcome our very first guest ever on the podcast. Even if you haven’t heard of Polyface […]

[hr] Episode 24 Show Notes Special Announcement! If you have been listening to the show for a while, you may have noticed that we do not normally have guests. To be more accurate, we have never had a guest before. That, my friends, is about to change. Next week, on Episode 25, we will have […]

[hr] Episode 23 Show Notes Correction In Episode 22, we talked about sending baby chicks through the mail. I made the statement that you cannot send adult chickens via the post office. Turns out I was wrong! You can indeed ship adult chickens through the mail! I Learned that the Hard Way [06:20] The other […]