I enjoy every aspect of chicken keeping. Even the poop! You can use that in your garden to make the most magnificent compost. Watching baby chicks grow into laying hens is incredible. When you raise chickens you become excellent at problem solving. The pecking order and chicken antics can be a real problem for chicken keepers but I love to figure out what they are trying to tell me. A lot of times unwanted chicken behavior is a result of something we as humans may have introduced to their environment. Is the coop too small? Are they bored? Is there something I can do as a chicken owner to restore harmony in the flock? A lot of times there is and I love figuring that piece of the puzzle out.

"There are more chickens in the world than any other kind of bird.” –Rachel Smith

Chickens outnumber people 3-to-1, but I’ll bet that most people would think I’m a birdbrain if I mentioned that I think chickens make good therapists! Over five years ago, my youngest (a first grader at the time) wanted chicks for his birthday. I hesitated because I thought that the chicks would end up like so many new things do – being tossed aside and ignored after a month.

We did not buy any chicks immediately but long story short, we eventually gave in and purchased four from a local boutique-style farm store.  Not only did the kids love them, but we started loving them too. Each chick was immediately named, and each son claimed certain ones as his own. The entire family couldn’t stop looking at them and hanging out with them. Not only were they a joy to watch, but they were friendly and engaging.

These chicks were so cute and the kids enjoyed them so much that we got four more. They came in so many colors and varieties that we got four more. “Chicken math” is real because four soon became 12. The kids were busy all day and everyday hanging out with their new chicks.

These chicks were also amazing to me in so many unexpected ways that I began to think of chickens differently; they were like little feathered therapists.  I could see how they were helping my children - both of whom have...

Let’s talk about rainbows! We all love a good rainbow. I'm not just talking about any rainbows, or birds that look like rainbows, I am talking about the rainbows chickens will give you if you have the right breeds! If you want to collect the egg rainbow in your own backyard, then this is for you!

It all started with chickens. Or the egg, who knows which came first 😂 . Ok for us it was baby chickens from the feed store my husband came home with and surprised me. All 9 of them. I didn’t know which breed was which until I looked so many up and narrowed down my search. When I learned about these breeds and their differences of the egg colors they lay, it fascinated me. Now to be very detailed in genetics, you never really know what your chicken was crossed with different breeds unless you have a very careful breeder of chickens. So I did the best I could at first just learning. Once my chickens began to lay their first eggs I was getting big beautiful brown double yolker eggs, pink eggs, white eggs, and gorgeous blue eggs. Those blue eggs were stunning and I had never had a chicken lay eggs like this before. I quickly , very quickly fell in love with these colorful baskets coming from my very own backyard.

I really enjoy taking photos of these rainbows, I love sharing them, and wanting more and more colorful eggs added to my baskets. Last year I discovered, there is such a thing as a green egg and I couldn’t stop myself from learning what breed lays them and how can I add some to my flock. This is when I felt I was able to really expand the colors of my baskets with just a few new breeds added to my flock. So let’s begin to find out which chickens lays which egg color.

Let’s start off with my blue eggs. Those are the ones that really opened my heart to the colorful rainbow of fresh eggs. These wonderful blue eggs come from chicken breed called Ameraucana , and also sometimes known as Easter eggers. With these breeds, they may have mixes of other genetics, but if you do get one of them, both can lay a beautiful blue egg or a green hued egg. You know you have the right breed when they have those fluffy feathered cheeks. These chickens are definitely adorable with those fluffy faces. The exact egg color will depend truly on what breeds they were crossed with. The world of genetics and breeding for a pure exact breed can be a serious mission for some , and some enjoy all the barnyard mixes the same.