Backyard Chickens News | Prism Hobbies

University of Minnesota guide helps backyard chicken keepers plan for eggs

Eggs can be rewarding, but UMN’s guide says the real decision starts with zoning, feed bills, coop plans, and whether your birds match your space.

Jamie Taylor•5 min read•08:51 AM

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Updates

Penn State warns backyard chickens can contaminate home gardens

Penn State’s garden food-safety update put backyard hens in the contamination picture, warning that roaming birds can spread Salmonella into produce beds and compost.

Jamie Taylor2m read

Updates

CDC links backyard poultry to 8 Salmonella outbreaks, 513 illnesses

Eight backyard-poultry Salmonella outbreaks sickened 513 people, and a quarter of cases were children under 5. Ducks were a major signal, putting coop hygiene in sharp focus.

Nina Kowalski2m read

Updates

Solana Beach weighs looser rules for backyard chickens and beehives

Solana Beach is weighing chicken and beehive changes that could open low-medium density neighborhoods, replacing a 20,000-square-foot lot rule and a total bee ban.

Jamie Taylor2m read

Community

UF/IFAS offers beginner backyard chicken class for urban keepers

A $5 UF/IFAS class sat between curiosity and a backyard flock in Orange County, where training now comes before permits, hens and coop plans.

Nina Kowalski2m read

Updates

Penn State updates backyard poultry deworming guidance for worm signs

Penn State’s new poultry guide says don’t dose on autopilot: confirm worm burdens with fecal testing, because the wrong sign can lead to the wrong treatment.

Sam Ortega5m read

News

JD Vance installs chicken coop with dozen chicks at Naval Observatory

JD Vance’s new coop at the Naval Observatory arrived with 12 chicks, a turret and faux slate roof, turning a vice-presidential lawn into a backyard-chicken talking point.

Jamie Taylor2m read

News

Rising egg prices drive more families to raise backyard chickens

Eggs hit $6.23 a dozen in March 2025, and some families answered with hens, rentals and a hard reality check about costs, disease and theft.

Sam Ortega2m read

Analysis

Penn State updates chick brooding guide for healthier backyard flocks

Penn State’s updated brooding advice warns that chicks outgrow starter spaces fast, and crowding can trigger piling, pecking and stress if you do not expand early enough.

Nina Kowalski5m read

Releases

Costco sells farmhouse-style chicken coop as backyard flocks surge

Costco was selling a cedar coop for 4 to 6 hens, with a solar door and 24-square-foot run. The real test was whether the pretty package fit actual flock needs.

Jamie Taylor3m read

Community

University of Minnesota Extension helps 4-H youth practice poultry showmanship

St. Louis County 4-H youth got hands-on bird-handling drills in Chisholm, turning showmanship into calm, practical flock care before fair season.

Sam Ortega2m read

Analysis

When can chicks go outside? Timing depends on feathering and weather

The calendar is the wrong cue. Feathering, nighttime lows, and a simple readiness checklist tell you when chicks can safely leave the brooder.

Nina Kowalski6m read

Updates

Maryland avian flu persists, backyard flocks face highest risk

Dead black vultures near Conowingo Dam closed trails and tested positive, a sign Maryland’s bird flu pressure is still hitting backyard coops closest to wild birds.

Nina Kowalski2m read

Analysis

Mississippi State warns backyard chicken owners about deadly heat stress

Mississippi State Extension warned that overheated hens can stop laying for a month and, in severe cases, die. Panting and drooping wings are the first red flags.

Sam Ortega2m read

Updates

Stuart advances proposal to allow residents to keep four backyard hens

Stuart moved closer to legal backyard hens, with a four-bird cap and no roosters, as the ordinance headed for a June 22 final reading.

Nina Kowalski2m read

Analysis

Can ducks and chickens live together peacefully in a mixed flock?

Ducks and chickens can share a yard, but only if you manage space, feed, water, and biosecurity like a hawk.

Sam Ortega5m read

Analysis

Bob Vila updates chicken coop plans for safer backyard flocks

Bob Vila’s updated coop roundup turns chicken housing into a buildable plan, with layouts that balance space, access, and predator protection.

Nina Kowalski4m read

Analysis

Delaware chickens win praise for calm temperaments and steady eggs

Delawares bring a rare mix of calm behavior, weather hardiness, and 200 to 280 eggs a year, making them a smart fit for small flocks.

Jamie Taylor5m read

Updates

Rhode Island bird flu case prompts euthanasia of 445 poultry, market closure

A Providence live-bird market tested positive for H5N1, and 445 chickens and ducks were euthanized the same day. The case puts backyard coops on the same risk map.

Sam Ortega2m read

Analysis

Backyard chicken costs add up before the first chick arrives

The cheap-egg dream gets pricey fast. A real flock budget starts with the coop, fencing, and gear, then keeps going with feed, bedding, and health costs.

Sam Ortega6m read

Analysis

Why some hens lay blue eggs, the genetics behind the color

Blue eggs are genetics in plain sight: breed choice, not feed, determines the color, and that changes how you buy chicks and plan hatches.

Nina Kowalski5m read

Analysis

How to tell if an egg is fertilized by candling

You can’t see fertility from the shell alone. Candling after a few days is where the clues appear: blastoderm, tiny veins, or a blood ring.

Sam Ortega5m read

Analysis

How long duck eggs take to hatch, timing matters for incubators

Duck eggs usually need 28 days, not 21, so incubator timing, humidity, and the last turn all have to be set for ducks, not chickens.

Jamie Taylor5m read