Funny chicken coop names

I may have several chicken coops but not all of them have names. Why, you ask? Well, I couldn't find anything that fit for 2 of them! So they shall remain nameless until I decide on something I think is fun enough to say everyday and fits the esthetic of said coop. I mean, naming your chicken coop should be as fun as raising chickens themselves!

While looking for a chuckle-inducing name for 2 of my coops I've come across a LOT of comical coop name ideas so I decided to pass them on to you! From clever wordplay to witty references, these coop monikers will make your chickens cluck with laughter. Of course some of the more punny names can be a little ridiculous, but that's part of the fun!

Related reading: Funny Chicken Jokes.

Funny chicken jokes

Years ago I used to write a weekly series of chicken & egg jokes, cartoons and funny stories called Friday Funnies. I would publish old jokes i knew, ones readers would send me etc. At the time blogs were more like online diaries, unlike today when they're more like information banks.

Anyway, somewhere along the line I was advised to remove all of these short posts because that's the way blogs were expected to be now. *rolls eyes* Obviously I believed it. Not really sure if it's true or not, but I digress.

Recently chicken jokes came up and a long time reader asked me about the joke series and the idea came up to consolidate them into one post. So basically that was a really long intro to say: here are all the chicken jokes that I published to the blog over 2 years. 

Related reading: Funny Chicken Coop Names!

So let's do things funny side up today!

How to become a crazy chicken lady

Chicken keeping has exploded in popularity lately It seems like everybody knows somebody who's raising backyard chickens for eggs! Most people are content to just have a few chickens, enjoy their eggs and that's it. Of course there's those of us that take it to extreme. Enter the crazy chicken lady! 

You would think to become a crazy chicken lady all you would have to do is raise a few chickens...but there's so much more to it than that! Just being a chicken lady isn't enough, you have to make sure everyone else knows it too! 

Kind of like the crazy cat lady of the chicken world. We go above and beyond in our chicken keeping obsession, but you too can become a crazy chicken lady in just six easy steps!

What does Freezer Camp mean?

I was discussing chickens with a friend other day and I made a comment about a few extra roosters that need to go to freezer camp. Well, even though this person has been around chickens quite a while, she was baffled by what I had said and she asked me...

What is freezer camp?

That's a legitimate question. I mean, I hadn't heard of it for most of my life! I think we sometimes use certain phrases to either be funny or to soften the blow of what they really mean. In this case freezer camp sounds a whole lot better than what I had to tell her I was going to do with these chickens.

How to take better pictures of your chickens

Confession time, I used to be a wedding photographer. I know you can't tell from looking at some of my pictures on here because I'm too lazy to haul a real camera out these days, but...photography used to be my thing. Chicken photography is a whole 'nother animal though! No pun intended!

Chickens are notoriously hard to photograph because they move a lot, and chicks move even  more! Hopefully these tips and tricks will help you get that perfect shot of your pets.

I know most of us have a cellphone in our pockets all the time so logically that's the camera we use the most. Many people will say you need a DSLR or a 'real camera' but that's simply not true anymore. 

Most newer cell phone cameras are really good these days, and they have some options that make taking pictures super simple. 

For instance, portrait mode on newer cell phones will focus on one spot while gently blurring the background. It creates a small depth of field.

This causes an effect called bokeh and can be used to keep distractions to a minimum, drawing your attention to the focused part of the image.

The rooster picture below was taken in portrait mode on a cell phone.

Now this is not quite the same as manual photography, but it's close. If you were to do this manually, everything closer to and further than the rooster in this picture would be out of focus. The rooster would be the only crisp part of this image.

Now look through the part of his tail closest to his back, the background is in focus. (click on the picture to expand it for a better view) Also the longest tail feather blurs at the end.

So not perfect, but still a pretty good shot for a cell phone! 

Cell phones use more of a focus area with no difference for distance, but it still gives a nice result! This is a really good mode to shoot in when there's stuff like poop in the background that we'd rather not see. Or just to kind of mute the distractions a little bit.

So yes, cell phones can take great pictures. Whether your using a point n shoot, DSLR or your cell phone, you can get great shots of your chicks by keeping a few things in mind.

Chickens in movies and television

It feels like backyard chickens are the newest thing and that suddenly everyone is raising them. Not only are our friends keeping chickens now, but we're seeing them in movies and on television more and more. However, chickens have been popping up in movies and on TV for years. In fact, they have been used as everything from background scenery, to the main actor!

Most recently chickens were introduced in an episode of The Conner's when Jackie wanted a chicken coop in the backyard for eggs. Young Sheldon is another recent series that has chickens. The neighbors keep them and they are often in scenes. Lost In Space has Debbie the chicken in their most recent season. There are even chickens in prison in Orange is the New Black! 

It's not just television. Movies have been seeing a surge of chicken actors too! Most recently there are chickens in the scene when Kevin James's character is learning to fight in Here Comes The Boom. Commercials are cashing in on the trend too. Who can forget the bobbing head chickens from the Mercedes commercial? As you can see, chickens are used in lots of media these days!

Christmas gifts for chickens

This post has been updated for the 2024 holiday season!

It seems like every year I put out a new gift guide for the holiday. Last year I made a list of really unique gifts for the crazy chicken lady. As far as crazy 'off the wall' gifts go, there were quite a few on that list....it was definitely not your typical chicken figurines and such! lol The Christmas before I found a bunch of really awesome gifts for the chicken lover. 

So this year I decided to write a gift guide for the chickens themselves! We don't forget our furry pets on important holidays, why forget our feathered friends?

Chickens are pretty easy to buy for, after all they're happy when they have a comfy dry coop, treats and some space to spread their wings. So what can you get to make your chickens feel extra loved during the holiday season? Well, yummy treats and fun things to do of course!

Train your chickens to come when called!

One of the first things I did when I got my first flock of chickens was to train them to come when I called them. I let my chickens free range and by training the chickens, I know that I will be able to call them back to their coop whenever I want to. It's truly a useful skill for them to learn ... besides it's utterly hilarious when they all come running at once!

Since then I've also trained chickens to walk on a harness and leash and trained roosters to be friendly but the 'trick' they use most often is coming when I call them. In fact, they do it daily! 

Luckily it only takes a few minutes a day and in a week or so, you can have your chickens trained to come when you call!

As we discussed last week, chickens are about as smart as a 4 year old child. They can remember things and recognize objects which are exactly the skills they need to train them to come when called! 

Chickens also understand the reward system, so they can grasp the idea of doing a certain action to receive a treat.

Unique chicken themed gifts for the crazy chicken lady

This post has been updated for the 2024 holiday season!

If there is one thing I get a lot of, it's chicken themed gifts. I'm pretty sure that when somebody decides to get me a gift for any occasion they just think "chickens" in a eureka sort of moment and that's how the gift is chosen. Either that or there's a backyard chicken farmer gift store somewhere that I don't know about!

I'm not complaining at all! I have some really great items in my chicken collection. I have chicken Christmas ornaments, chicken statues and a chicken jewelry box. I have an adorable chicken charm for my bracelet and several Murano glass chickens (that choice is kind of a twofer in my case!) 

I have accumulated chicken pictures and chicken pitchers. They really are different ya know? Stuffed chickens and rubber duckies in every shape and size. Funny chicken signs and coffee mugs. Clothing with chickens on it and dish towels with chickens on them too. 

I even have a crochet chicken oven mitt and a life size handmade crepe paper and burlap rooster from somewhere in South America. His name is Rodney, don't judge me!

Whew, that's a lot of chickens! It does bring me to my point though. If you or someone you know are a crazy chicken lady like me, you might need an appropriately themed gift. Whether you're celebrating Christmas in July or just have a birthday coming up you'll find unique chicken gifts on this list that are perfect for the  chicken farmer in your life!

Chickens have personalities!

I have learned so many things from having chickens. Some of them seem like 'duh...common sense' others are funny and some are just amazing facts. Oh, the things I didn't know! I learned that eggs aren't always egg shaped, a broody hen can poop a pile the same size as a dog does, and they eat just about anything with their favorite being Styrofoam. So weird. 

On of the things that really surprised me though, is that chickens have personalities. I really didn't expect this. I guess I thought they'd be boring. Cute, but just...boring. Boy was I wrong! Let me introduce you to a few of them:

Sally...the puppy dog. Sally is always right at your feet. Pet me! Pick me up! Feed me! She comes when called and will 'talk' to you with her little muttering noise she makes. Yes, she expects you to have a conversation with her! She also follows daddy around all the time, just like the dogs.

Rusty...Mr Ornery. Cranky and a bit of a tiny little fluffy bully. He's also a butt biter. Do NOT bend down in front of his roost at night because your butt is right in front of him and he will bite it! (picture from when he was a scruffy little baby roo)

Original...Miss Jealous. When feeding the chickens treats, Original will go behind me and pull on my pants leg like she's saying "where's mine?" So of course I have to give her a special pile of treats. It's so darn cute! Every time someone gets a treat she's right there pulling on me, telling me "I want what she has"   

How to train a chicken to walk on a harness & leash

By now you've seen the picture. It's all over FB and every other social media site. The picture of those little pink chicken harnesses hanging on a display rack. How many people have tagged you in it? I have been linked to it quite a few times already!

It sounds like a simple idea. You put that cute little harness on your chicken, snap on the leash and take a walk down the block. Sadly, walking a chicken on a leash is not quite that simple.

I found out the hard way that it's more of a process then that. You can probably have your chicken walking on a leash in about a week though if you have the time. 

Think of it more like you would approach training a cat. First you need to get them used to the feel of the harness, before you actually use it. Don't worry....I'll explain how I got my pet chicken used to a harness and leash quickly.

Do your chickens do any tricks?

I've seen all types of different things people teach their chickens to do. Some are really clever, others are downright silly. I have one hen that jumps straight up into the air to grab a piece of bread from our hands. I also have a little roo that comes running whenever I yell the word "cookie" then snatches the cookie from my hand and runs away to eat it! (He only likes chocolate chip. No Oreos!)

I've seen lots of videos of funny chicken tricks so my question this week is....do your chickens do any tricks?

Chicken diapering adventures!

Diapers for chickens. Does that sound weird to you? I always thought dressing my cat was cute, and the dogs have coats and raincoats for bad weather. Dressing chickens though? I wasn't so sure of that. 

Then came the day I noticed the bald spots on the back of a few of my hens. Day after day the spots got bigger until eventually I broke down and bought some chicken saddles. Guess what? They worked! The girls feathers grew back and they looked really cute dressed up.

When I was sent a chicken diaper to try out I wasn't sure what to expect. I've had chickens in the house before. Sometimes sick ones would have a quarantine box in the house for a few days. Other times youngest son would just bring me one of his favorite chickens to visit with. 

It was nice having them sit there on my lap all cute and soft, just enjoying being petted. Unfortunately there was poop to deal with!   

Cute spring eggshell craft!

I've been working on my garden a lot lately of course...it is the season for it. Planning mostly, but I've started seeds for some of the smaller plants like herbs. I've been saving eggshells and using them to start seeds. They are perfect for herbs and look so much cuter on the windowsill then those nursery seed pods. 

The lavender started sprouting and the way it was growing almost made the eggshell look like...well, like it had hair! First I started laughing at it. Then I started thinking. Guess what happened next?

Yeah, I have wayyyy too much time on my hands right now! lol These are so easy I probably don't need to explain it, but I'll give you the abbreviated version anyway.

When using eggs for cooking I've been cracking them close to the top and pouring them out instead of cracking midway through the egg like I normally would. I rinse the eggshell in warm water and let dry upside down.

I used my hot glue gun to glue on plastic eyeballs. If the kids are helping then let them use Elmers glue. Draw on facial features using a Sharpie.

For these guys I just threw some soaked winter wheat inside and dampened slightly. You can add potting soil and seeds though, it just takes a little longer. Let it grow and voila...egg people!

18 Chicken facts you didn't know

A few years back I accumulated this list of interesting chicken trivia for my very first website. I'm rather fond of this list so I thought I would add it to the blog here for you all to read! This is a collection of random chicken facts that most people don't know. It includes everything from flying chickens to headless chickens.

Of course many chicken keepers will read the list and find that they do in fact, know some of these. However, I've been raising chickens for 4 years now and many of these came as a surprise to me! 

Here is the original list:

Amazing chicken facts

1) There are more chickens in the world than people. In fact, globally chickens outnumber people 3 to 1.

2) History indicates that fowl were domesticated as far back as 3200 B.C.

3) Chickens absorb vitamin-D through their combs from sunshine.

4) Shell color is determined by the breed of hen and has no effect on its quality, nutrients or flavor.

5) The longest recorded flight of a chicken is 13 seconds.

6) Hens take about 24-26 hours to produce one egg. Thirty minutes later they start the process all over again.

7) A fresh egg will sink in water, a stale one will float.

8) There are nearly 200 breeds and varieties of chickens worldwide.

9) The average hen will lay 227 eggs a year.

10) An egg shell has as many as 17,000 pores over its surface. 

Question: Your most frustrating problem with raising chickens

Today I pose a question to you: What is your biggest frustration in chicken keeping? I ask for 2 reasons...mostly I'm just curious, but also maybe we can find solutions to our problems together! Sound good?

I'll start with my number 1 frustration: How do I get the chickens to stop pooping on the patio? It drives Mr Roboto nuts! The patio and the front walkway are the most bothersome. They know we come out those doors though and they wait for us to come out. They think we should give them treats every time we come outside. They don't always get treats, they just think they should!

My number 2 frustration: How to get the dog to quit eating the chicken feed? Why on earth does she want to? Her feed has pretty colors and 2 flavors with different shapes! Why layer pellets? They can't taste good, yet every time she walks down to the coop with me I find her face first in the feed trough *sigh*

The crowing contest, crowing at night and other facts about roosters

First let me say that if you don't have roosters you'll probably be amused by this post. If you do have roosters, you'll be happy that someone else is sympathetic to your plight! lol I think just about everyone who met a rooster for the first time was surprised to hear him crow in the middle of the day because as city slickers we are conditioned to think roosters only crow at sun-up. 

Every day.

Coffee commercials start with a sunrise and rooster crow. Farm movies do the same. When you don't actually live on a farm, you tend to believe these stereotypes.  Then you get your first rooster and cold hard reality sets in. The crow A LOT....and all day long!

Chicken walks on a leash

Since it's a boring rainy Sunday here I thought that I would post something to make you smile and shake your head at how odd I really am! lol Snowflake is a 1 year old Silkie Rooster that has been training to walk on a leash. He's been working on it for several weeks now.

Phase 1 was simply to get him used to the harness. Then we added the leash. Now he's walking with it. We're working on getting him to follow a bit better, but I think he's making great progress! We'd love for him to attend swaps and shows with us....but for now he's still in training. A few more weeks and he'll be a pro. Way to go Snowflake!

Update: After quite a bit of trial and error, we have figured out how to make the leash training much easier! Check it our new improved method here: How to train a chicken to walk on a leash. 

~L

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Strange places chickens lay eggs

Pullets can be funny. Some catch on with laying eggs right away, others take a bit longer. Such is the case with my blue pullet this year. She just doesn't seem to get the whole 'eggs go in nest boxes' thing. At first she did actually.....then suddenly I started finding eggs on the ground. One by the guinea house. One in the driveway. One on the ground cover in the daisy planter.

Where do chickens lay eggs?

Unfortunately I haven't caught her yet, so I can't try to catch her doing it and put her in the nest box....although she is a chicken so that might make it worse! This isn't like my other hens who just decided to start laying in other places. I posted about that HERE. 

I think this one just doesn't understand the 'I gotta lay an egg' feeling yet. Maybe she thinks she has to poop? Or maybe she's just too distracted by all the new bugs to chase around that she doesn't want to stop and go back to the coop? Teenagers...go figure! lol 

I made a video about the different places I've found my chickens laying eggs!



Hopefully she'll get it figured out soon, after all....laying eggs in the driveway isn't exactly a safe idea!

~L

Want information on raising chickens sent right to your email weekly? Click right here to join my list and get new posts sent directly to you the day they're published. You'll also get the free download 25 Ways to save money raising chickens.

I'm a bad chicken mommy

I'm such a bad mommy! I can't tell my kids apart. LOL We have had chickens for several years....and over the years we have added and removed chickens several times. As we add to our breeding groups each year, we aim for about 6 per breed. Then over the years as they leave us for various reasons those sets get smaller. 

Like Jessica...her sister was killed by a fox and her brother was sold. Sister came the same year with 2 brothers who have also moved on. This goes on for every year except this year is different. This year I can't tell them apart!

See what I mean? It's the 4 in the middle. They are identical! That's Sister in the front, she has a floppy comb. Original is the only Splash Marans left and Sally is the only Arcauna (Easter egger actually....Olive to be exact). The boy with the big tail is our main roo Mr Copper. King Tut has the tail feathers that stick straight up....he's only about 6 months old now, I'm sure that tail will grow in. They're easy to tell apart in other ways too. 

Those girls though....I just can't tell them apart, and believe me I have tried! Once they get their Dept of Ag bracelets their identities will be set. They're all from the same breeder/hatch so that kind of stuff is irrelevant. For personal information though....I can't even name them because I don't know who is who. *sigh*

So, tell me....am I the only one? Or do you have chickens you can't tella apart too?

~Lis