Short of building fences around every garden bed or patio, what’s a gardener and pro-foraging chicken-keeper to do to prevent your flock from wreaking havoc in your carefully planted plots? The answer: Install a simple chicken corral where your hens can forage without destroying your … Read More

In this crazy time with the coronavirus forcing us to shelter in place, we do have ever-loyal health allies in our homes: our pets. But there are countless dogs and cats and other companion animals in animal shelters all over who could benefit by being … Read More

Dogs are born pleasers. They live for our approval. They are motivated to learn when the training is fun and when the trainer — you — is being friendly and patient. Animal behaviorists have proven that dogs learn best with positive reinforcement. That … Read More

Welcoming a kitten or cat into your home is a big deal and a major responsibility. Cats are not toys that can be turned on whenever you want to play or ignored when you don’t feel like taking care of them. Your cat depends on … Read More

The question of where to site your hives has a different answer for every yard or home, but here are some basic guidelines: Set the hives on a surface that is level side to side. A slight tilt forward is okay and can even help … Read More

Many chicken-keepers mount nest boxes inside the coop, either set on the floor or attached to an inside wall. This is one valid option, with at least three downsides. The top of the nest box offers a surface on which chickens can roost and deposit … Read More

The factory-farm sector has been guilty of trying to make of the hog a creature that nature never intended it to be: lapdog docile for a life in crates and crowded compounds, with a fat rind that’s potato-chip thin, bred to the uniformity of a … Read More

Be careful what you wish for. You might get it. You might even like it. That's the case for Storey’s Guide to Raising Rabbits, a book now in its fifth edition. As a kid, I liked rabbits and writing. While … Read More

Newly hatched chicks are not entirely helpless, but until they grow a full complement of feathers, you’ll need to keep them warm, dry, and safe. Like any other babies, they must also be kept clean and well fed. Here are a few dos and don’ts … Read More

Our flagship series of books on animal husbandry — Storey’s Guides to Raising — was born in 1975, during the Back to the Land movement. It began with a book on raising poultry, another on dairy goats, and a … Read More