Balancing Corporate & Homesteading Lifestyles
Behind the Wire with the New Flock on the Block
🕵️♂️ Cluck Kent: The Quarantine Chronicles
Something’s clucking in the holding pen, and Cluck Kent is on the case.
This week, whispers echoed through the coop—word had spread that three new pullets were moving in.
“Refugees from a farm upstate,” muttered Goldie, who hasn’t trusted an outsider since the 2021 molt incident. But what raised feathers wasn’t who the newcomers were—it was where they weren’t.
“They were let right in,” said a wide-eyed Australorp. “No buffer zone. No health checks. Not even a courtesy dust bath.”
That’s when Cluck Kent knew: it was time to talk quarantine.
Why Quarantine Matters (According to Science and Chickens)
Adding new birds to your flock without a quarantine period is like inviting a stranger to dinner and letting them cough into your soup. You wouldn’t do it—so why do it to your flock?
Quarantine isn’t punishment—it’s protection.
New birds, no matter how healthy they look, can carry:
- Respiratory illnesses (Mycoplasma, Infectious Bronchitis)
- External parasites (mites, lice)
- Internal parasites (worms galore)
- Viruses like Marek’s that can lurk quietly for weeks
Cluck Kent’s Official 30-Day Quarantine Checklist:
Location, Location, Location
Set up a secure pen at least 30 feet away from your main coop. No shared air space if you can help it.
Separate Gear
Use different feeders, waterers, gloves, and boots for your quarantine area. Cross-contamination is sneaky.
Observe Daily
Keep a quarantine log. Watch for sneezing, runny eyes, odd droppings, or sluggish behavior. (Bonus: it builds trust with the new birds.)
Prevent Parasites
Do a preventive mite/lice treatment during this time and run a fecal check if possible.
Slow Integration
After 30 days symptom-free, introduce the newcomers slowly, with a visual barrier for the first week. Think meet-and-cluck, not full-on mixer.
🐔 “Quarantine is love with a fence around it,” Cluck Kent reports. “Protecting the flock means playing it smart—not playing chicken with disease.”
🪶 Bonus Scratch: Introducing New Birds Without Coop Drama
Your Post-Quarantine Integration Plan
You've made it through the full 30-day quarantine—well done! But before you open the gates and let your new gals free-range with the old crew, follow this step-by-step guide to keep the pecking order from becoming a pecking disaster.
🧱 Step 1: Look, Don’t Touch
Place the new flock in a secure enclosure next to your existing coop/run. They should see, hear, and smell each other—but not have contact—for at least 5–7 days.
🐓 "We call this the Chicken Tinder phase—just swiping eyes at each other,” says Coop Counselor Ruby the Sussex.
🍽️ Step 2: Distract with Snacks
Introduce high-value treats (think watermelon, cabbage heads, or scrambled eggs) during these side-by-side sessions. Everyone focuses on the food, not the new faces.
💤 Step 3: First Sleepover
After a week of peaceful visual contact, move the new hens into the coop at night. Chickens are calmer in the dark and less likely to fight when they wake up together.
⏳ Step 4: Supervised Free Ranging
Let the whole flock free-range in a larger space together under supervision. Space diffuses tension, and you'll be able to intervene if things get spicy.
🛑 Watch for Bullying
A little pecking is normal—establishing hierarchy is a chicken pastime—but if blood is drawn or one bird is consistently chased away from food or water, you may need to separate and retry in a few days.
🧠 Cluck Kent’s Final Word:
“Slow and steady wins the pecking order. Patience now means fewer feathers flying later.”
Why the Little Chick Inn University?
As the backyard chicken movement continues to grow, more and more people are bringing chicks home—some for the first time ever. It’s exciting to see so many new chick tenders joining the community, but with that excitement comes a big responsibility: giving these little lives the best possible start.
With the boom in backyard flocks, advice is everywhere—especially in Facebook groups and local forums. The photos and comments in this blog post are pulled directly from real posts on popular and local chicken pages. While most folks truly mean well, many of the tips being shared are misinformed, inhumane, or just not the best practice. Unfortunately, chicks are especially vulnerable to these missteps.
Raising chickens isn’t one-size-fits-all, but at Little Chick Inn, we believe the foundation should always be built on sustainable, compassionate care. Our chickens are more than just egg producers—they’re a vital part of our homestead, and they bring us daily joy, peace, and laughter.
We created Little Chick Inn University as a personalized resource for people purchasing our chicks—and for anyone who wants to raise their birds with intention and heart. Whether you're brand new or just looking to improve your approach, we’re here to help you navigate this rewarding journey with the knowledge, confidence, and care it truly deserves.
Let’s raise happy, healthy chicks—together.
Want to know more? Visit our Little Chick Inn University HERE.
Why Chicks Shouldn’t Be Placed on Their Backs
In the image, a baby chick is shown lying on its back in someone's hands, feet up and belly exposed. While it may seem cute or harmless, this is actually a dangerous position for chicks—and for all chickens.
Chickens have delicate respiratory systems that can be compromised when they’re placed on their backs. This position can cause stress, disorientation, and even difficulty breathing. In young chicks especially, it can interfere with normal development or lead to injury if they panic and struggle to flip over.
Always handle chicks gently and keep them upright to ensure their comfort, safety, and proper health. What looks innocent can actually be quite risky for these fragile little creatures.
(Below) Proper biosecurity might have prevented this.
Above: Do your research prior to hatching to prevent some common but unnecessary mistakes.
I am at a loss on this post. Someone asked for help with a chick that hatched with issues. The suggestions from the group are horrifying.
See above right for just a few.
This is a somewhat common problem (especially when chicks are incubated under less than favorable humidity conditions - BUT not always) - this is a relatively easy fix in many circumstances as long as it is discovered and corrected as soon as possible.
Learn more in the Little Chick Inn University.
Egg Weight During Incubation
🥚 What Is Egg Weight Loss During Incubation?
As an egg incubates, it naturally loses water through its porous shell. This water loss is essential — it allows the air cell to grow, which the chick needs for breathing just before hatching.
The egg’s total weight will gradually decrease over the 21-day incubation period.
📉 How Much Weight Should an Egg Lose?
A fertilized egg should lose approximately 12–14% of its original weight by day 18 (lockdown). Too little or too much weight loss can indicate humidity issues:
- Too little weight loss = humidity too high → small air cell → chick may drown
- Too much weight loss = humidity too low → large air cell → chick may be weak or stuck
🧪 How to Monitor Egg Weight Loss
- Weigh eggs before setting (Day 0)
- Weigh weekly (Day 7, 14, and 18) — or more often if needed
- Calculate percentage loss:
- Weight loss % = ((Start weight – Current weight) ÷ Start weight) × 100
- Adjust humidity based on results
💡 Quick Tips:
- Use a precision digital scale for best accuracy
- Track each egg or an average of several for batch hatching
Candle to monitor air cell size as a visual reference
Cluck Kent Investigates: The Case of the Invisible Invaders
It was a quiet morning at the coop. The sun was rising, the feeder was full, and the hens were already gossiping over scratch grains. Everything seemed fine... until Cluck Kent noticed something suspicious: a muddy bootprint by the gate.
“I knew something was off,” Cluck muttered, fluffing his feathers. “That boot didn’t belong to anyone from our flock.”
And just like that, Cluck Kent — top rooster, amateur detective, and protector of all things poultry — launched an investigation into one of the most overlooked threats in backyard flocks: biosecurity breaches.
🐾 The Clues: Tracked-In Trouble
Cluck followed the bootprints to the edge of the run. They’d been made by a visitor — a friendly one, sure, maybe even a neighbor — but still dangerous.
“Visitors can carry invisible invaders,” Cluck explained. “We’re talking disease-causing pathogens, like avian influenza, Marek’s, and coccidia — the kind of stuff that can wipe out a healthy flock faster than a fox in a henhouse.”
The worst part? These threats can arrive on boots, hands, tools, or even feed bags.
🚿 The Biosecurity Breakdown
Cluck took the case to his readers — the backyard chicken keepers.
“Want to be a hero? Here’s what you do:”
- 🥾 Dedicated footwear or shoe covers — Keep a pair of coop-only boots. It’s the easiest way to keep outside germs out.
- 🧼 Wash your hands before and after visiting the coop.
- 🚫 Limit visitors or ask them to follow your rules — even friendly neighbors can unknowingly bring disease.
- 🐣 Quarantine new birds for at least 30 days before mixing them with your flock.
- 📋 Track flock health — If someone gets sick, knowing the timeline helps figure out the cause.
“It’s not paranoia,” Cluck says. “It’s protection.”
💡 Feathers and Facts
Cluck wrapped up the case with one final reminder: “Biosecurity isn’t about fear. It’s about awareness and simple steps that can save your flock.”
Even if you free-range. Even if you’ve never had a problem before. Even if your chickens look perfectly healthy.
“Because the best biosecurity plan,” Cluck crowed, “is one you start before something goes wrong.”
Stay sharp, stay safe, and stay sanitary.
Until next time, this is Cluck Kent — signing off from the sunny side of the coop.
The Impact of Learning When a Rooster Is Alone vs. With Other Roosters
How Social Setting Shapes Behavior, Intelligence, and Confidence
Roosters, like people, learn not just from experience, but also from their environment — and especially from the company they keep. Whether raised alone or in the presence of other roosters, the way a rooster learns, adapts, and engages with the world around him can vary significantly. While each bird is unique, research and anecdotal evidence from backyard flocks and sanctuaries alike suggest that social context has a major influence on how roosters develop both cognitively and emotionally.
🐓 Roosters Learning Alone: The Independent Learner
When a rooster is raised or housed alone (without other roosters), he becomes the sole male influence in his environment. While this may reduce competition and stress in some situations, it also means he has no peer model to observe, mimic, or learn from. His learning is based mostly on:
- Human interaction
- Trial-and-error experiences
- Observing hens (if present)
Roosters raised alone often become very people-focused — they may bond closely with humans and respond strongly to routines, voice, and touch. Some even become unusually gentle or attentive to their hens, simply because they aren't distracted by male rivalry. But they can also lack certain social skills — especially when it comes to conflict resolution, communication, or cooperative behaviors with other roosters later in life.
In short: They figure things out on their own, but may be slower to pick up complex social cues or get overwhelmed when introduced to multi-rooster environments.
🐓 Roosters Learning With Other Roosters: The Social Learner
Roosters raised in a group setting — especially from a young age — often show a broader range of behaviors, thanks to the opportunity to observe and interact with peers. In this environment, they learn:
- Hierarchy and dominance behaviors
- Subtle body language and social spacing
- Food sharing, tidbitting, and mate-attracting strategies
- When to challenge, when to back off
Interestingly, studies and flock observations show that roosters learn faster in social settings, especially when it comes to recognizing threats, identifying resource locations, and understanding flock rhythm. They model behaviors from others — both good and bad — and learn how to “read the room,” which is crucial in complex flock dynamics.
This doesn’t mean there won’t be conflict — social learning includes trial by fire, like minor squabbles, posturing, or sparring — but those experiences help build confidence and emotional intelligence, especially when managed in a safe, enriched environment.
🔄 Solo Roosters Introduced to Other Roosters Later
This is where things get tricky. A rooster raised alone and later introduced to others may:
- Struggle to understand the rules of engagement
- Be overly dominant or overly submissive
- Miss subtle cues that would prevent a fight
- Have a harder time establishing or respecting a hierarchy
With time, space, and proper introductions, many do learn — but the adjustment can be harder, especially if the rooster wasn’t exposed to flock dynamics early on.
🐔 Why It Matters in Sanctuary or Backyard Settings
Understanding the difference in how roosters learn alone vs. with peers helps us:
- Better design introduction plans
- Choose compatible flock mates
- Build enriched environments that support both solo learners and social birds
It also gives us deeper insight into their personalities. A confident, independent rooster may have grown up as a lone male. A cooperative, savvy roo likely learned through social trial and error.
Each approach to learning has value — but knowing the rooster’s history can help us provide the support they need to thrive.
💡 Final Thought
Roosters aren’t just reacting to instinct — they’re learning, adapting, and responding to the world around them in real time. Whether flying solo or growing up side-by-side with brothers, their experiences shape how they see the world… and how they interact with everyone in it.
Creating a Draft-Free, Enrichment Filled Brooder
🏡 Creating a Draft-Free, Enrichment-Filled Brooder
Raising healthy, happy chicks starts with a well-designed brooder. The two most overlooked — but most important — things for long-term success are:
- Preventing drafts (which can chill or stress chicks)
- Providing enrichment (to prevent boredom and promote healthy development)
Let’s dive into both:
🌬️ Step 1: Create a Draft-Free Brooder
Chicks are extremely sensitive to cold air and sudden temperature changes, especially in their first 2–3 weeks. A drafty brooder can cause stress, pasty butt, piling (which leads to injuries), and even death in severe cases.
✅ Tips for Making It Draft-Free:
- Choose the right container:
- Solid plastic totes, galvanized metal stock tanks, or wooden boxes all work well.
- Avoid open-sided wire cages or mesh walls in the first few weeks — they let in too much airflow.
- Keep it low to the ground, with high sides:
- Chicks don’t need vertical space at first — they need warm, protected space with no cross breeze.
- Use a draft shield if needed:
- Cardboard or plastic wrap around the sides can block drafts, especially if you’re using an open brooder in a garage or barn.
- Avoid placing near vents or windows:
- A brooder near a door, fan, or window can cause constant temperature fluctuations.
- Monitor temperature at chick level:
- Use a thermometer right where the chicks are — not above them. Keep the warm zone at 95°F during Week 1 and reduce by 5°F each week.
🧠 Step 2: Add Chick-Friendly Enrichment
Chicks are curious by nature — they peck, scratch, explore, and socialize. Without stimulation, they can become bored, anxious, or aggressive (pecking each other, huddling, or being noisy). Enrichment reduces stress, boosts development, and creates calmer, more social birds.
🐤 Simple Enrichment Ideas for Your Brooder:
- Mini perches (from Week 1–2):
Use a low wooden dowel or stick just off the ground. Even 2-week-old chicks will try roosting. - Herb bundles or foraging greens:
Hang or place bundles of chick-safe herbs (like parsley, mint, oregano) for them to peck and explore. Bonus: some herbs support immunity and gut health. - Mirror or shiny object:
A small mirror (secured safely) keeps solo or small-group chicks company and entertains them. - A feather duster or stuffed animal:
Especially helpful for lone chicks or small groups — gives them something soft to snuggle. - Shallow dust bath (from Week 2+):
Offer a shallow container of clean sand or fine dirt for them to explore and preen. Helps keep feathers clean and satisfies natural instincts. - Branches or cardboard tunnels:
Clean sticks, pieces of bark, or even a toilet paper roll can provide interest and places to hop, hide, or climb. - Rotating objects:
Switch items out every few days to keep the brooder interesting. Chicks love novelty — and it keeps them busy in healthy ways.
🔐 Bonus Tip: Watch Their Behavior
Your chicks will tell you if they’re too cold, hot, bored, or uncomfortable.
- Huddling together, loud peeping = too cold
- Spreading out and panting = too hot
- Pecking at each other or lethargy = too crowded or bored
- Active, pecking, scratching, and resting between = happy chicks!
🌟 Final Thoughts
A draft-free, enriched brooder creates a calm, natural environment that helps chicks grow into healthy, confident birds. You don’t need to go overboard — just a few thoughtful additions can make a huge difference in how your chicks behave and thrive.
What to Plant in a Small Space
🌿 What to Plant in a Small Space: High-Yield Crops for Homesteaders
Even with just a few raised beds, containers, or tucked-away corners, you can grow a surprising amount of food — if you choose your crops wisely. The key is picking plants that are:
- Productive over time
- Grow vertically or compactly
- Quick to mature
- And/or can be harvested multiple times
Here’s what to plant if you want maximum harvest from minimal space:
🥬 1. Leafy Greens (Cut-and-Come-Again)
These are your MVPs — fast-growing, don’t take much room, and you can harvest them again and again.
Best picks:
- Lettuce (looseleaf types like Black Seeded Simpson, Red Sails)
- Spinach
- Swiss chard
- Kale
- Mustard greens
- Arugula
✅ Why they're great:
- Ready in 30–45 days
- Can be grown in tight rows or containers
- Perfect for succession planting (plant every 2–3 weeks for a continuous harvest)
🥒 2. Cucumbers (Trellised)
Cucumbers thrive when grown vertically, which saves ground space and boosts airflow to reduce disease.
Best picks:
- Pickling types (like Boston Pickling or National)
- Bush varieties for containers
✅ Why they're great:
- One plant can produce dozens of cucumbers
- Continuous harvest over many weeks
- Perfect for pickling, fresh eating, or sharing
🫑 3. Peppers (Sweet or Hot)
Peppers are compact and productive — especially in warm climates or greenhouses.
Best picks:
- Bell peppers
- Jalapeños
- Banana peppers
- Shishitos (very high-yield!)
✅ Why they're great:
- High yield per plant
- Can be grown in pots or tight rows
- Preserve well by freezing, fermenting, or drying
🫘 4. Pole Beans (Vertical Powerhouses)
Pole beans climb — which means they take up virtually no ground space and keep producing for weeks.
Best picks:
- Kentucky Wonder
- Blue Lake
- Rattlesnake beans
✅ Why they're great:
- Produce more than bush beans in the same footprint
- Just 4–6 plants can give you bowl after bowl of beans
- Nitrogen-fixing bonus: enriches your soil
🧅 5. Green Onions / Scallions
Scallions grow fast and don’t require full bulb development, so you can plant them close together.
✅ Why they're great:
- Harvest in 30–60 days
- Easy to regrow from kitchen scraps
- Great use of vertical planters or narrow garden edges
🥕 6. Root Veggies (Tight Spacing = Big Payoff)
Great for containers or deep raised beds. Use succession planting to keep roots coming.
Best picks:
- Carrots (Nantes or Chantenay types)
- Radishes (super fast: 20–30 days)
- Beets (plus, you get the greens!)
✅ Why they're great:
- Don’t take up much surface area
- Radishes can grow between slower crops like carrots or beets
- Beets give you a double harvest (roots + leaves)
🍅 7. Cherry or Grape Tomatoes (Trellised)
If you only grow one tomato in a small space — make it a cherry or grape variety. They produce like crazy and ripen faster than big slicers.
Best picks:
- Sungold
- Sweet 100
- Black Cherry
✅ Why they're great:
- Tons of fruit per plant
- Grow vertically in cages or on trellises
- Perfect for salads, roasting, or snacking
🌿 Bonus Picks:
- Zucchini (Bush type): Just one plant can feed your family — go with compact varieties like Bush Baby
- Herbs: Basil, parsley, thyme, cilantro — grow well in containers and keep producing
- Malabar spinach or New Zealand spinach: Heat-tolerant and grows vertically
👩🌾 Tips for Small-Space Success
- Use vertical space: Trellises, cages, or fences = more food, less sprawl
- Interplant strategically: Pair tall plants with low growers (e.g., lettuce under tomatoes)
- Succession plant: As soon as you harvest, replant with something else
- Grow in containers: Perfect for herbs, greens, or peppers — even on a patio or porch
Why Can’t I Get Hugs From Everyone?
Hello there, humans. It’s me, Cluck Kent, your friendly neighborhood roost reporter, perched on my favorite bale of straw. I’m watching visitors come and go from afar (with my super-vision, of course) and asking myself the burning question: “Why can’t I get hugs from everyone?” Trust me, I’m quite huggable. But it turns out there’s a big reason why my caretakers keep telling people to step back and scrub up.
The Visitor Conundrum
I’m a sociable bird—any chance to flex my feathers, I’m in. But apparently, flocks like mine are susceptible to all sorts of icky germs that visitors might bring with them from other farms, the feed store, or even their own backyards. Diseases and pests can hitchhike on people’s boots, clothes, hands… basically anywhere. And let me tell you, these uninvited “guests” can make a coop feel less like a peaceful fortress and more like a battleground.
Biosecurity 101 (A.K.A. “Why I Don’t Get a Hug”)
My caretaker calls it biosecurity, which is a fancy way of saying “keeping germs out.” Here are the basics they enforce whenever a visitor arrives:
Hand Washing
Before anyone even thinks about stepping into our domain, they get a good soap-and-water scrub. Hand sanitizer might be quicker, but a full wash gets rid of more bacteria and viruses. Turns out, squeaky-clean hands make for happy hens.
Protective Footwear (or Footbaths)
I used to think the caretaker was just making a fashion statement with all those plastic boot covers and foot dips. Nope! The idea is to prevent visitors from tracking in chicken diseases on their shoes. So, if you come strolling in with muck from your own coop or a public place, guess who’s at risk? Yours truly—and the entire flock.
Clean Clothes
If someone has been around other birds or livestock, my caretaker will suggest changing clothes before coming in. That might feel like an inconvenience, but hey, we’re worth it.
Limit Physical Contact
And here’s the heartbreak: no big group hugs. Believe me, I would love to show off my fluff and get some attention, but the risk of spreading germs is too high. So, for now, a friendly wave from a few feet away will have to do.
Why It Matters
You might think, “Oh, just one little friendly pat on the back can’t hurt.” But disease outbreaks can happen swiftly—things like avian influenza, Marek’s disease, or coccidiosis can rapidly spread through my flock if we’re not careful. Even something as simple as mites or lice can hop a ride on you and give me an itchy new roommate I never asked for.
I’m a superhero, sure—but I’m not invincible. My caretaker says prevention is the best superpower there is. Keeping a healthy distance and practicing good hygiene help ensure I can continue my heroic deeds (mostly involving saving my flock from boredom and championing free-range bug hunts).
My Hope for the Future
One day, maybe we’ll have advanced technology that zaps all germs instantly, and I’ll be able to greet visitors with a hearty flap and a friendly cluck—hugging included. Until then, my caretaker’s guidelines are in place to keep me and my flockmates healthy and disease-free.
It’s tough love, but trust me: those few precautions keep the fortress secure, and they keep me (your favorite roost reporter) alive and well. So next time you drop by, remember: wash up, gear up, and be kind to us from a distance. We’ll cluck our thanks in return, even if we can’t leap into your arms—yet!
Stay safe out there, humans, and thanks for looking out for me.
—Cluck Kent
Belgian d’Uccle Chickens: Everything You Need to Know
We are excited to be adding this breed to our flock!
Small in size but overflowing with charm, Belgian d'Uccles (pronounced "dew-clay") are beloved for their fluffy beards, feathery feet, and friendly personalities. These true bantams are not just beautiful—they are full of personality and make wonderful pets for backyard flocks!
In this guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know about these fancy little birds, from their history and genetics to egg production, breeding, and fun facts.
