Mixing your own feed ration, rather than buying prepared feed, is one of the best ways to save money if you raise chickens (or any animal). You can also be certain about the quality and origin of what …
Chicken Runs
Despite the misleading title and the plot of a 2000 movie, a chicken run is intended to let chickens out as well as keep them in. A run is an outdoor enclosure that chickens or other animals can get …
Homemade Pet Food
One day, I realized that the pre-packaged food I was giving my pets wasn't healthy for them. I took the time to consider what they would be eating in the wild, and it definitely wasn't …
Chicken Diseases
When you are raising animals, it is always stressful and frightening when they get sick. Here are some common ailments that can strike backyard chickens, and tips for prevention and care. Not all …
Bald Eagle Attacks Chicken
Reddit user mvar posted this near death experience for one of his chickens. The lesson, as always, is to have surveillance video covering your entire homestead so you don't miss amazing stuff …
How To Humanely Kill A Chicken
People learn to kill chickens for many reasons. As interest in local and ethical food increases, many meat-eaters have challenged themselves to raise and slaughter their own meat. People who keep …
How Long Do Chickens Live?
When you pick up half a dozen fluffy, charming little chicks from the feed store and bring them home, it can be hard to remember—or to explain to your kids—that backyard chickens, like all creatures, …
How To Rent Out Your Goats
Thinking about renting out your goats? You should understand both the good and the baaaahd of this possible revenue source. My husband and I ran a goat rental business from our farm, The …
Lambing: Shed or Pasture—Which Is Best?
Months of work goes into the planning of the arrival of lambs. You must be as prepared as possible to ensure success. I have been raising lambs for over 20 years. I have shed-lambed in January and …
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How To Breed Berkshire Pigs
Berkshire pigs are a heritage breed valued for the flavor of their meat. We raise Berkies to sell as breeding pigs. We had thrown the idea around for years of raising pigs. We first talked …
My Goat Is Pregnant, Now What?
I was so excited. It was a complete surprise. That little goat wasn’t supposed to be pregnant. The fat round goat over there was supposed to be. Not this tiny girl! (The round goat turned out not to …
Growing Fodder
Most people feed their animals commercial feed. But I’m not like most people. I know that our diets play a huge role in determining our health and wellness. The same is true for animals. So instead …
Best Chicken Breeds For City Living
By the time neighbors acknowledge that you grow the most vigorous tomatoes and bake the tastiest bread around, you’ve probably thought more than once that raising chickens might be for you. Having …
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How To Make Goat Cheese
At our goat dairy, we run summer workshops on making cheese. We like these cheeses because they don't require rennet or even aging. In this article we'll go through everything from getting the milk to …
Raising Goats
Goats are sweet, social, mischievous and stubborn. They are a favorite of urban homesteaders who want fresh milk but can’t keep a cow. Homesteaders favor milking goats as a food source because of …
Where Do Chickens Come From?
Do you know where your chickens come from? Not the store, or the farm, or even the breeder, but where the species first arose? Until fairly recently, neither did scientists. The chicken, so …
How To Raise Pigs
Pigs are by far my favorite homestead animal. They are curious, affectionate, and incredibly smart. Those are also the characteristics that make them uniquely challenging. The first time I ever saw …
Beekeeping For Beginners
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know that our honeybees are in trouble these days. That should have everyone concerned seeing as how they play a vital role in the pollination of many of …
The Brave Chickens Who Protect Us From Viral Epidemics
A slightly battered chicken coop underneath a shade tree a few miles south of the Columbia River is a barracks for soldiers in the war against communicable disease. The coop houses the Western …
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Why Bill Gates Would Raise Chickens
What's the best way to get a poor family in the developing world on the road to self-sufficiency? Cash? Education? Internet access? Tech industry pioneer Bill Gates has a decidedly low-tech …
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Pollinators
This spring, my partner and I planted a small orchard on our new property. We ran into some confusion when deciding how far apart to plant our chestnut trees. Turns out there isn’t a simple answer, …
Raising Baby Chicks: A Helpful Guide For First-Time “Parents”
My first baby chicks were an impulse buy. We had an empty chicken coop in the backyard and my roommate and I got over-excited. A week after moving into that house we were in the car with a heat …
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Praying Mantis
The word “mantis” is from the Greek word μάντις for prophet. Praying Mantis Photography By Tustel Ico Praying Mantis 'Rate my Bike' by Tustel Ico. 500px.com/dolphino Please 'like' Tustel's image …
Baby Marlins And Sailfish
The term “Billfish” refers to certain predatory fish species belonging to the family Istiophoridae. Their characteristics include a spear-like rostrum or “bill,” which is used for slashing at and …
Worm Bin Essentials: Getting Started with Vermiculture
Starting a worm bin can feel overwhelming - where do I keep it? What kind of worms do I need? What if it smells awful? What if I kill my worms? Not to worry! Humans have been throwing food scraps in …
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DIY Tip: Turn an Old China Cabinet into a Fresh Egg Apartment
We all love the idea of growing our own. Sometimes that's vegetables or microgreens, sometimes it's rabbits, and- on rare occasions- that can even mean grubs and maggots. When it comes to poultry …
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The DIY Aquaponics System: 6 Plans for Bringing Fish and Plants Together to Grow Food
Aquaponics is one of those concepts that I've known of peripherally for years, but didn't really give much thought to until I came across plans for The Plant in Chicago. Putting fish and plants …
Concerns With Urban Animal Slaughter
Photo Credit by VeryGeeky. This article is a response to a Slate.com piece published by James McWilliams on June 6th, 2012. The article, titled "The Butcher Next Door: Why the rise of DIY urban …
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Beekeeping as a business
Beekeeping is a hobby that you can easily turn into a side-business no matter where you live. Keeping bees requires a relatively small monetary investment to get started and can turn a profit within a …