Neil Armitage (519)

I am an experienced poultry keeper who has been raising chickens for over 20 years in challenging conditions in Yorkshire, UK. I am passionate about helping people learn about and enjoy the benefits of keeping chickens. I love raising chickens because they are such friendly and productive animals, providing me with fresh eggs, meat, and fertiliser, and they are a lot of fun to watch.

A fuly grown Pekin bantam

How big do pekin bantams grow?

A broody barnevelder hen on a nest

7 ways to break broody hens and 6 ways to prevent broody hens.

Chicks are cute but get sick easily and die quickly

Whats wrong with baby chicks that are sick, unwell or dying?

What is the egg song and why do chickens cluck after laying an egg

Why do hens squawk and cluck after laying eggs?

A barnevelder rooster basking in the sunshine

How long do roosters live?

Looking after chicks is hard work and one of thre pros of chickens keeping

What are the Pros and Cons of raising backyard chickens?

A selection of chickens eggs

Do the hens mind you take their eggs?

A cuckoo Pekin Bantams perching .

Pekin Bantams.

A true bantam cockerel in a show cage

The True Bantams.

A broody Barnevelder hen sat on a clutch of eggs

What I learned hatching eggs naturally with a broody hen.

A selection of cream, brown, chocolate and green eggs from chickens.

Why do chickens lay different coloured eggs?

A nest with a fresh chickens egg.

Why do chickens lay eggs?

A selection of different coloured chickens eggs

How many eggs will my chickens lay?

A flock of chickens being scatter fed with corn

Scatter feeding chickens

A breeding flock of barnevelder chickens eating sprouted grains

Sprouted grains for chickens with 17 types tested

A small flock of my chickens eating sweetcorn

Can chickens eat corn, sweet corn and maize?

My chickens eating peas as a treat

Can chickens eat peas?

My chickens eating salad leaves and lettuce

Can chickens eat salad, lettuce and spinach leaves?

Can chickens eat cauliflower and greens.

My chickens eating some pasta leftovers.

Can chickens eat pasta or noodles?

A hatch of dry fluffy chicks ready to move to the brooder

When to move chicks to the brooder.

Red hens free ranging on grass

When is a pullet ready to lay eggs?

A chick hatching in an incubator

When is it safe to open the incubator?

A broody Silkie hen

Can you move a broody hen?

A classic blood ring inside an incubated chickens egg

Blood rings in incubated eggs and how to avoid them.

2 hens fighting while a cockerel watches them

Why chickens fight and how to stop it.

A mixed age flock of chickens basking in the sunshine

How do you tell the age of chickens?

dealing with and preventing bird flu

Bird Flu FAQ and some practical advice for Avian Influenza.

A stunning blue laced Wyandotte bantam at the national poultry show

The National Poultry Show UK - My Experiences

Mealworms just may well be illegal to feed to chickens

Why is it illegal to feed mealworms to chickens

A thief in the night

Stop chickens from being stolen

The answers to chicken related frequently asked questions

Chicken FAQ

A chicken with an encyclopedia

Dictionary of Poultry words and terminology (inclucing acronyms)

An incubator full of day old chicks

What percentage of chicken eggs will hatch

A stunning show quality cockerel

Roosters and cockerels everything you need to know

Well bred black breasted game chickens

Inbreeding in chickens.

Defining pure or heritage breed chickens

What is a pure or heritage breed chicken

All about the complex genes of chickens

Chicken genetics, gene table and breeding

A breeding group of brown barnevelders

The Brown Barnevelder

A barnevelder hen on green grass

The Barnevelder hen

A show quality barnevelder hen

Barnevelder Clubs and Breeders

good examples of Barnevelder hens

Barnevelder faults

A trio of autosexing barred barnevelders in a show cage

The Autosexing Barred Barnevelder

2 young barnevelder chicks growing up well.

Barnevelder Chicks

A blue laced barnevelder hen free ranging on grass

Blue Laced Barnevelder.

A chestnut barnevelder cockerel in the sunshine

The Chestnut Barnevelder

A selection of Barnevelder eggs at a poultry show

The Barnevelder egg.

The beautiful chocolate brown barnevelder hatching eggs we sell

Buy Barnevelder hatching eggs.

How much do barnevelder chickens cost and where can you get them

Where to get Barnevelders and how much to pay for them.

A double laced barnevelder cockerel

Sexing Barnevelders

A blue splash barnevelder hen free ranging on grass

The Splash Barnevelder

A beautiful example of a double laced barnevelder hen

The Double Laced Barnevelder

A show bantam barnevelder that scored 95 out of 100 points in judging.

Bantam Barnevelders

A show quality black barnevelder hen on display.

The Black Barnevelder

A show quality trio of white barnevelders

The White Barnevelder

My trio of partridge barnevelders

Partridge Barnevelder

An stunning silver laced barnevelder bantam

Silver Laced Barnevelder.

A show quality Barnevelder bantam at a poultry show.

Barnevelder characteristics.

Two young gold double laced barnevelder chicks free ranging on pasture

Types and colours of Barnevelders

A barnevelder hen sunning herself in the sunshine

Barnevelder image and video gallery

A selection of brown eggs from barnevelder hens

The history of the Barnevelder

A stunning show quality silver laced barnevelder hen

Barnevelder breed standard

A show quality blue splash barnevelder hen on pasture

Showing Barnevelders

A double laced barnevelder show quality hen

The Barnevelder breed profile

Pictures, video and measurements to show what is going on iside the egg during the 21 days of incubation

What is happening inside the egg during incubation?

A broody then that abandoned her nest.

Why do hens abandon their nests and eggs?

Hens can spot bad eggs quite well

Why do hens push eggs out of the nest?

An incubator in use hatching chicks

Why do incubators fail?

An incubator with an exterior water tank and humidity pump

Why do incubators need water?

One of my incubators showing eggs in a cradle

Why egg turning during incubation is so important and what the science says is best .

An rooster with his hackle feathers up attacking my foot.

Can hens lay eggs without a rooster or cockerel?

One of my flock of red sex link chickens.

Red sex-linked chickens and how to breed them.

Do you need to deal with broody hens or can you just leave them

Do you have to break a broody hen?

A young buff Sussex chicken foraging free range.

What to grow to help feed your chickens.

My egg flock eating windfall pears.

Can chickens eat pears?

A flock of chickens in a neighbours garden.

How to keep a neighbours chickens out of your yard or garden.

A young chick perching.

Do chicks and baby chickens roost and perch.

One of my Golden comet chickens.

The Golden Comet breed profile.

My flock of barnevelders eating nuts

Can chickens eat nuts? And which ones?

A chickens feet scratching in sawdust

What is wrong with my chickens feet?