Mandelyn Royal

My name is Mandelyn Royal, and if there’s one thing I’ve learned from a life steeped in soil, feathers, and human connection—it’s that purpose is found where passion and practicality meet.
Before I was a co-host of the Poultry Keepers Podcast, I spent years navigating retail floors and salon chairs, managing everything from inventory and client expectations to corporate relationships and plant diseases. From department stores to beauty counters, I built teams, drove sales, solved problems, and learned to see potential in people the way I now see it in soil, seeds, and breeds.
But that life, bustling and relentless, eventually gave way to something slower, wilder, and far more intentional: homesteading. These days, I’m a stay-at-home farmer, tending to chickens, ducks, and a garden that’s equal parts survival, science experiment, and love letter to the land. I’m not just growing food—I’m selectively breeding forward better poultry and crops, fueled by a deep belief that food systems can and should be more sustainable, accessible, and regenerative.
My work is rooted in ethics, education, and empowerment. I’ve been told I’m “too cheap” for what I offer, but I’d rather be accessible than exclusive. I love teaching—whether it’s guiding someone through poultry management or troubleshooting a homestead pest outbreak. I believe in passing on knowledge like seeds: scatter some, plant some with intention, and let others surprise you by taking root where you least expect.
As a voice on the Poultry Keepers Podcast, I bring not just facts but lived experience. I bring the messy middle, the lessons learned the hard way, and a healthy sense of humor about everything that can—and will—go sideways when you’re chasing chickens through the mud or battling squash bugs in June.
This is more than a lifestyle. It’s a calling. And I’m here to share, learn, laugh, and sometimes rage quietly at the sky with everyone else trying to make a meaningful life outside the systems that forgot about us.
Whether you know me from the podcast, my plants, or my birds—just know this: I’m in it for the long haul. And I’m bringing others with me.