Daniel Foster

I still remember the day I brought home my first guinea pig, Pip. I’d read three books and bookmarked a dozen forum threads, but nothing prepared me for the moment I realized the “starter cage” I’d bought was barely big enough for one pig, let alone the two I should have adopted together. That expensive … Read more

My umbrella cockatoo, Olive, started plucking chest feathers every winter until I added a real avian light. After 90 days of careful testing with eight fixtures, this guide is what I wish I had on day one. Here are the eight best full-spectrum lighting for indoor birds setups our team recommends in , from no-UV … Read more

Last spring, I watched a red-tailed hawk swoop into my backyard chicken run and take one of my hens in broad daylight. The flock was devastated, and I was furious. That afternoon, I started researching the best netting for aerial predator protection I could get my hands on. Three months, eight products, and many late … Read more

Keeping ducks in your backyard is one of the most rewarding experiences you can have, but finding the right shelter for them makes all the difference. After spending months researching and comparing the best duck coops and houses for backyard ducks, I put together this guide to help you avoid the costly mistakes I see … Read more

Wet bedding in a duck coop is one of the most frustrating problems I have faced as a backyard poultry keeper. Ducks love to splash, dunk, and play in water, and the moment you set down an open bowl or a standard chicken waterer, that clean straw turns into a swamp within hours. I have … Read more

If you have ever watched a flock of ducks at feeding time, you know the scene. Feed gets flung everywhere, water bowls get tipped over in seconds, and the bedding turns into a soggy swamp within minutes. Our team has been raising ducks for years, and we have tested more feeders and waterers than we … Read more

I watched my first batch of Pekin ducklings wobble around the brooder and never gave a second thought to what was in their feed. Three weeks later, two of them were walking on their hocks with legs bowing outward. That was my introduction to niacin deficiency, and it’s why I’m obsessed with finding the right … Read more

Last spring, my Khaki Campbell hens went from laying 4 eggs a week to barely 1. The cause wasn’t disease or stress; it was nutrition. I had been feeding them generic chicken scratch because duck-specific feed was hard to find at my local co-op. Once I switched to a proper layer feed for ducks, egg … Read more

Last summer, I watched a duckling paddle frantically around my friend’s stock tank for almost an hour before she finally lifted it out by hand. The poor thing kept trying to scale the slick metal sides with its tiny feet and slipping back into the water. That single afternoon convinced me that duck ramps for … Read more

Goats are notorious for being picky about what they eat, but they are surprisingly good at self-regulating their mineral intake when given the chance. I learned this the hard way after losing a doe to copper deficiency that could have been prevented with the right setup. After that experience, I went deep on free choice … Read more