How to Speak Chicken Book Review

 How to Speak Chicken

I’ve never felt emotionally closer to my flock than after reading Melissa’s book;

I had the pleasure of meeting Melissa Caughey at the 2015 Mother Earth News Fair in Wisconsin. At the fair, we naturally found ourselves discussing our flocks. I can say that Melissa truly loves her chickens. She speaks about them as though they are old friends. If anyone knows how to speak chicken, it’s Melissa!

Most books about chickens are about necessities. They cover the basics of raising healthy birds. This is the first book I’ve come across that delves into the true personalities of chickens.

Melissa speaks to the fact that chickens are not simple egg laying machines, but rather are capable of a wide range of emotions, communication skills and complicated thought processes. Chickens not only have complicated relationships with each other, but are capable of connecting to humans with a deep and compassionate bond.

One of my favorite sections of this book begins on page 34; Chicken Language Explained. It serves as a field guide to the language of chickens. So many of these chicken phrases are familiar to me, and I couldn’t help but laugh as I read aloud the bawking noises with the sound of my own chickens in my head.

I also love the section on page 60, the Positions within the Flock. Melissa uses the word “Sentinel” to describe the position of a hen that takes the lead in a rooster-less flock. I’ve been searching for this term since I started raising chickens. I love that Melissa breaks down the flock pecking order and names each position.  

I also love how she describes the relationship with roosters. I happen to love roosters and with the hen being so coveted , I find that there is a lack of recognition for the beautiful other-half of the chicken world. A flock with a rooster really is different than an all female flock.

The section on brain function is fascinating! Melissa shows how chickens are not only able to be trained, but are capable of math, problem solving, decision making and even physics!

Melissa shows that there is more to keeping chickens than simply feeding and egg collecting. It’s beautifully written, and full of gorgeous images, personal testimonies and most of all, chicken love. 

To purchase a copy click here: How to Speak Chicken by Melissa Caughey

Be sure to check out Melissa's other book: A Kid's Guide to Keeping Chickens by Meilssa Caughey

And her website: Tilly's Nest

Ohio National Poultry Shop Shopping Haul, CC Post

Check out all the goodies I got while we were visiting the Ohio National Poultry Show over at Community Chickens!

Attending the Ohio National Poultry Show, CC Post

Zach and I attended the Ohio National Poultry Show on the 11th and 12th of November. Check out my Community Chickens post to learn about this amazing experience!

Attending the Ohio National Poultry Show

My Book Epic Eggs is Available for Pre-Order!

I'm so excited to share that my book Epic Eggs is available on Amazon for per-order! It feels like a dream to finally be a published book author! This book is not a cook book, and not a "how to raise chickens" book (though, there is a chapter on that). Instead it focuses on eggs.

• Breeding for Egg color and quality eggs
• Increasing egg production in your backyard flock
• Sizing and grading your egg harvest
• Understanding the anatomy of an egg and the egg producing anatomy of a chicken.
• How to use this knowledge to raise a healthier flock and healthier eggs. 
• Raising other poultry for eggs

This book is great for beginners who are looking to start out with a great laying flock, but it also delves into the nitty-gritty of breeding which makes it appealing to seasoned chicken keepers looking to specialize in certain egg laying breeds.

Click here to order now. Publication is scheduled for November 1st! Just in time for the Holidays!   

 

Pecking Order Explained CC Post

Learn about the complex hierarchy of chickens in my latest Community Chickens Post

Pecking Order Explained

CC Expand Your Flock With Mail Order Hatching Eggs

Can't find a local breeder that raises the birds you want? Consider purchasing hatching eggs. Learn how in my latest Community Chickens post Expand Your Flock With Mail Order Hatching Eggs!

CC Post How Chickens Freshen My Life

Check out my latest Community Chickens post

How Chickens Freshen My Life

Wear Your Chicken Pride CC Post

Have a wedding or an elegant event to attend this summer? There's no reason why chickens can't be elegant, dress up your outfit with these chicken themed accessories! For him and her.

Wear Your Chicken Pride

Springtime at Iron Oak Farm

Everything is starting to blossom in the warmer weather.

Purple Phlox

Dandelion gone to seed

The whole yard smells of sweet honeysuckle. This is the pink variety.

And here is the white variety of Honey Suckle.

Lilacs

The turkeys, chickens, geese, guineas and ducks enjoying the new run. We still have the other half to build.

We had a successful hatch of Buff Orpington chicks. 5 out of 7 eggs.

I can't believe how big these guys have grown! Khaki Campbell ducks

Little Man-Abrahm is also getting big. He's enjoying cuddles on the porch after his bottle while Oliver licks his face clean of milk.

The Year of the Chicken: Buff Eggs in the Incubator (Video)

Follow our Buff Orpington eggs on their next phase in The Year of the Chicken Series.

The Year of the Chicken: Buff Eggs in the Incubator (Video)

The Year of the Chicken: Collecting Hatching Eggs

I'm starting a new series over at Community Chickens called Year of the Chicken where I follow the life of a chicken from egg to laying hen. The posts will be listed in chronological order here on the Year of the Chicken Page, for your reference.  I hope to include videos and daily updates on the Facebook Page.

In this first post, I discuss Collecting Hatching Eggs. It includes information on how to tell when a hen is laying fertilized eggs, how to store eggs before placing in the incubator and much, much more.

To follow the series, be sure to subscribe to the Iron Oak Farm blog by entering your e-mail in the box at the upper right of this page. You can also subscribe to our Facebook Page and You Tube Channel, which will be featuring updates throughout the year. 

Can You Raise Chickens and Turkeys Together?

One of the most common questions I get is asking if chickens and turkeys can be raised together. Find out over at Community Chickens in my latest blog post. Click below.

Can You Raise Chickens and Turkeys Together?

Choosing the Good Chick CC Post

The feed stores are getting in spring chicks already!!! Check out my latest Community Chickens post for tips on how to choose healthy chicks.

Choosing the Good Chick

Photo Friday

It's been a busy week for us. We built a new manger for the goats with a shelf to catch fallen hay. Once hay hits the ground they won't eat it. We also reinforced the structure in every way we could so it will last. It holds a whole bale of hay, and then some so it's convenient and doesn't have to be filled everyday. A bale lasts the goats a few days. Now that we've seen this one in action, we're going to build two more for the fiber goats and the boys. 

Stacey came over the other day and we made a batch of soap. Lemon Balm, Lavender and Tea Tree. It is so creamy and luxurious!

We also dehydrated a bunch of garlic to make seasoning blends. I had pulled our seed garlic last fall and planted a new variety. The basket of garlic cloves was sitting in the backroom, so we decided to put it to good use.

We found that a great way to "shell" a lot of garlic at once is to rub the cloves between two Silpat sheets. It works similarly to those rubber garlic rollers but on a larger scale.

Zach got me a mushroom farm for Valentines Day. I'll show progress as it comes along.

And the girls are laying again! It's so nice to have a supply of fresh eggs coming in from the coop!

Tidbitting Rooster Video

Chickens display a great range of language and decipherable behavior. This video of our Buff Orpington Rooster shows a classic example of Tidbitting; when a rooster gets the attention of his hens by finding and moving tidbits of food around with his beak.

7 Criteria for a Good Nesting Box + Giveaway!

Head over to Community Chickens for a chance to win one of these Plastic Nesting Boxes by Free Range. Also, learn what makes a good nesting box with the 7 feature checklist.

Winter Feeding and SeaBuck 7 Product Review + Coupon Code

Learn how we're changing up our winter feeding routine with our flock by using a wonderful product called SeaBuck 7. I couldn't be more pleased with the results. Learn more over at my post for Community Chickens.

Raising Show-Quality Buff Orpingtons CC Post

Check out my latest Community Chickens post explaining the new plan with our Buff Orpington breed.

Raising Show-Quality Buff Orpingtons

Buff Orpington Video Coop Tour

We've been moving some of our flock around for up coming breeding season. Here's a video tour of the new Buff Orpington coop. It has some nice new features that help us take extra special care of this breed.

The Great Garlic Debate CC Post

Learn why we've chosen to add garlic to our chicken and duck feed in my latest Community Chickens post The Great Garlic Debate