Roots, Roost & Rafter

06/02/2026

Another evening of getting eaten alive by blackflies while I supervise goose grazing time. It'd be relaxing if I wasn't so busy swatting at flies. 😩😅

The lawn REALLY needs mowing. Maybe tomorrow I'll get to that.

06/02/2026

Do you have too many roosters in the coop? It's a pretty common challenge in the chicken world if, like me, you're just not cut out for culling them.

As promised, here is a blog post filled with resources and information on what to do with your "extra" roosters. There is information about The Rooster Registry, of course, but you'll also find a couple of places who might take your rooster, a list of people who will take extra roosters to process as food, information on keeping a bachelor flock, and the reasons why dumping roosters is such a bad idea.

Learn what to do with extra roosters in Nova Scotia, from re-homing and rescue options to bachelor flocks and humane, responsible management choices.

06/02/2026

IMPORTANT LINKS: I’ve got a lot going on around here to say the least. 😅 In this post you will find a collection of links to my (many) side projects as well as blog posts filled with helpful information. I will keep it pinned to the top of my page and update it with new links as time goes on.

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ROOTS, ROOST & RAFTER PROJECTS:
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Feathered Fundamentals:
In-person workshops designed to help new and aspiring chicken keepers start strong and avoid some of the most common early mistakes. In it, we’ll walk through the basics of chicken keeping in a way that’s practical, approachable, and grounded in real-life experience.
Visit: https://featheredfundamentals.com

❤︎

The Rooster Registry
A community matchmaking platform for roosters and other feathered gentlemen across Nova Scotia – drakes, ganders, jakes/toms, and quail roos are welcome too! Find a beautiful boy for your flock or find a home for one you can't keep.
Visit: https://theroosterregistry.com

❤︎

Rafter Forge (coming fall 2026)
Simple, handcrafted WordPress websites for homesteads and small farms - just add your story.
Visit: https://rafterforge.com

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The Roost Report (coming summer 2026)
A community bulletin for backyard poultry keepers across our local area. Part newspaper, part noticeboard, part seasonal check-in from the coop. You’ll find stories from local flocks, practical chicken keeping notes, breeder spotlights, and upcoming events – among other useful things.
Visit: https://theroostreport.com

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HELPFUL BLOG POSTS
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Nova Scotia Chicken Breeders Directory:
If you're looking for a specific breed of chicken, here's a good place to look for it. The list is organized by county so you can easily search close to home.
Visit: https://featheredfundamentals.com/nova-scotia-chicken-breeder-directory/
** If you'd like to be added to the list as a breeder, just send me a message.

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Rooster Resources:
Not every rooster can stay in the flock he hatched into, but every rooster deserves a humane outcome. Learn about local re-homing resources, bachelor flock management, rescue options, and other responsible ways to handle extra roosters in Nova Scotia.
Visit: https://featheredfundamentals.com/managing-extra-roosters-in-nova-scotia/
** If you'd like to added to the list either as a home for surplus roosters or as someone who will give them a purpose as food, just send me a message.

❤︎

Biosecurity At Poultry Events & Sales:
Poultry sales, swaps, and shows are a fun way to meet other chicken keepers and maybe bring home a few new feathered additions, but they also come with increased biosecurity risks. In this post I’m sharing some simple, practical habits that can help protect your flock both during and after poultry events.
Visit: https://featheredfundamentals.com/biosecurity-at-poultry-sales-swaps-and-shows/

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How to Vet a Breeder:
Learn how to evaluate a breeder, what questions to ask, and how to protect your birds with smart biosecurity.
Visit: https://featheredfundamentals.com/how-to-evaluate-a-chicken-breeder-without-overwhelming-them/

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JUST FOR FUN
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Limited Edition Wattlesford Collector Cards:
The Wattlesford Collector Cards are my extremely silly (and hopefully humorous) Pokémon-style tribute to everyone who lives in the little village we call Wattlesford. Every resident – yes, even the dog – will get their own card, tailored to their unique personality. New cards are currently on pause while I work on other projects but I will likely resume posting them this fall (once things slow down again).
Visit: https://rootsroostandrafter.com/wattlesford-collector-cards/

06/01/2026

I think Laurel (front) and Ruby are finally friends. We just need Pippa to get on board the friendship train now and we will be all set for these three to finally live together.

06/01/2026

Does the tree pollen look like this in anyone else's yard or is it just a pollen wonderland here? I've never seen pollen like this before.

06/01/2026

Today is the last day to sign up for the next Feathered Fundamentals workshop on June 7th (next Sunday)! This will be the last workshop until late July or August ;)
Come learn all about keeping backyard chickens!

06/01/2026

After some late nights, way too many rounds of testing, and more troubleshooting than I’d like to admit, The Rooster Registry is ready for a soft launch and I figured I’d share it here first since you've all been so supportive.

The goal of the site is simple: give "extra" roosters (and other feathered gentlemen of different species - ducks, geese, turkeys and quail are welcome too! ) a dedicated place to be seen by people who are actively looking for them. This is not a site where you can pick up poultry to use as a food source. These boys are looking for a good home, not a trip to freezer camp. Right now listings are limited to Nova Scotia but, if interest is there, an expansion to neighbouring provinces could potentially be arranged. 😉

The site is live, listings are open, and a few bachelors have already settled into their profiles. That said, I'm definitely still in the polishing stage. If you decide to take a look, create an account, browse the listings, or add one of your own boys, I'd love to hear about anything that seems confusing, broken, or just plain weird. Right now I’m only mentioning that it's live on my page but, once a few more listings are added without issues, I’ll start advertising it more widely.

Whether you've got a handsome gentleman looking for a flock, a scrappy barnyard bachelor, or one of those "problem" boys, they're all welcome. Just be honest about what you're offering so your boy can find the right home - just because he's not a good fit in your flock doesn't mean he isn't exactly what someone else is looking for.

You can check out the site at https://theroosterregistry.com

Feel free to list your available roosters, drakes, ganders, quail roos, jakes and toms. If your boy's breed is missing from the list (I'm sure I missed some!), just let me know and I'll add it. If you have a need to list a different bird species, please also let me know.

Thanks to everyone who's encouraged this project, tested things, pointed out bugs, and helped get it this far. Now let's see if we can help some boys find the right home.

A community matchmaking registry for feathered gentlemen across Nova Scotia. Helping eligible bachelors find their flock.

05/31/2026

I went away for the afternoon and came home to find this guy (Junior) and his dad, Ted, absolutely covered in blood from fighting. The ridiculous part? These two aren't even in the same pen.

I'm assuming they spent the afternoon hurling themselves at fences trying to get to each other. Ted's fence is completely covered in his blood, Junior's head is pretty messed up, and Ted managed to cut his feet to pieces on top of ripping up his comb. 😩

This is actually the second fence-fighting incident this week. A few days ago, Junior and Lucky got into it through the fence and both ended up banged up. I moved their fencing farther apart and figured that would solve the problem.

Ted and Junior have about six feet between their runs and still beat the crap out of themselves trying to fight though so maybe moving the fencing apart isn't going to be enough.

I think it might be time for some housing rearrangements. I'm going to fence in a new area around the quarantine coop where Laurel is currently staying, and I suspect she may end up swapping houses with Junior's flock. Being stuck between two other roosters during his first spring might just be a bit much for Junior. He'll probably be happier on the other side of the village where he can't spend all day arguing with the neighbours.

Laurel shouldn't mind too much either. She'd actually be moving back into her old coop. With any luck, being closer to Ruby and Pippa might help move their relationship along. They're getting awfully close to becoming actual friends.

For now, everyone is blocked from being able to see each other while I rethink my village layout. 🤦🏼‍♀️

05/30/2026

Sandy flew over the fence to visit Gary and she looks like she's whispering in his ear.
"Pssst.... I have p**p on my foot." 🤣