While there are many nutritious treats you can feed your chickens to keep them happy and healthy, mealworms are one of the best that you can provide your flock. Mealworms are extremely high in protein. Dried mealworms can contain as much as 53% protein. Mealworms are a really great treat to feed chickens, but they can
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Charred Wood
In the carpentry and remodel biz it’s not often one gets to burn something in order to make it more durable and fire resistant, but the centuries-old Japanese wood preserving practice known as Shou Sugi Ban does just that. If you’re looking for an immediate weathered look, or a dark natural finish to your cedar
Soil Testing
The gardener’s greatest asset is healthy soil. No matter where you are or what you are trying to grow, taking care of your soil will help your crops. Learning soil science can be overwhelming. It involves lots of chemistry, and you can easily get lost in technical details. We are here to help, with this
Barnevelder
Characteristics Very recently developed in Holland from mostly black chickens, the Barnevelder, or Barney, as it is sometimes affectionately known, is a gorgeous sight to behold in the chicken coop. With iridescent-green feathers striped with double layers of light lacing, they will certainly merit a double-take! In addition to their looks, they are also renowned
Faverolles
Characteristics If it’s a unique-looking bird you want, look no further! This portly chicken sports a beard that would make a hipster jealous, muffed cheeks, feathered feet, a fifth toe, and can be found in almost every color in chicken kind. Aside from their endearingly odd looks, one of the most notable traits of the
Malay
Characteristics To see a Malay chicken is to see its history as a fighting bird. With its muscled, powerful legs, strawberry comb, tightly-held, hard feathering, small wattles, angry-looking glare and curved, strong beak, it is not to be trifled with. Even the sounds they make are atypical! Rather than a gentle cluck, these birds make
Naked Neck
Characteristics Rising up from its seemingly normal body is the signature, red-skinned neck, totally devoid of feathers. Their disproportionately large-seeming head is topped with a large single comb and a comically small toupee of feathers. When the Naked Neck turns around, one might notice that it’s a little drafty around the vent as well! But
New Hampshire
Characteristics If you like the hardy and productive traits of the popular Rhode Island Red, consider the New Hampshire as an intensified option! Farmers and poultrymen are responsible for the creation of this breed, and the good sense of those practical-minded people seems to shine through in the birds’ attributes. To distinguish between the breeds
Orloff
Characteristics Orloff chickens aren’t your typical-looking chicken. They resemble game birds in their posture, with strong legs and a much more vertical orientation than the curvy Orpingtons or Rhode Island Reds that you may be used to. Their heads are set atop thickly feathered necks—often referred to as “bull necks”—and their eyes are surrounded by
Orpington
Characteristics With a single or rose comb – both are found in the breed – and thick, fluffy feathering, Orpingtons take cold winters in stride. They are decent at foraging, but they don’t roam very far in search of food. In addition, their heavy body keeps them from taking to the air, so you can be
Outdoor Sofa – Our Top 30, Including Sets And Sectionals
There’s nothing quite like coming home from work, kicking your shoes off, and relaxing with a good book on the couch. But when the weather is nice, of course, you want to spend a bit of time outside. Why not take the comfort of the indoors out?! With an outdoor sofa you can enjoy the
How To Build An Earthbag House For $6,164
In this post, guest author Jay Eisenberg details how he and his wife built their earthbag house for $6,164, completed on Oahu recently in 2017. For years I had dreamed of building my own home and not being enslaved with a mortgage. While living in New Zealand I was connected with Shaye Boddington of DIY
Tree Cookies
It may be difficult to find something to do with debris from a storm, but this simple project for creating art out of pine branches can help. Recently, a wet and blustery storm swept across the landscape near my home. The result of all this commotion led to a wet dog, several branches laden on the
How To Remove Bramble Bushes
What is a bramble? For me it’s that spiky annoyance that scratches your arms and grabs your pant legs unexpectedly when you’re trying to take a walk or weed your garden. It’s prickly, invasive, and quickly takes root anywhere, making it impossible to eradicate. Did I say impossible? Well almost. It’s certainly a battle I am
Pebble Mosaic Underfoot
Pebble Mosaics Underfoot
DECT Phone Safety
DECT Phone Safety, Dangers of DECT, low radiation dect phones
Eating Acorns: From Foraging To Cooking & Recipes
The first summer my family and I moved to our homestead, we were not able to get a garden into the rocky, wild ground, but somehow we had a fantastic fall harvest and started accumulating jars of dry goods from the plenty. How was this possible? One surprising word… acorns.
How To Get Rid Of Pests In Your Vegetable Garden
Pests can harm your garden, but there are natural solutions available. A new piece of property, fertile soil, and lots of sun and water is all you should need for a successful vegetable garden. However, there are the invasions that you probably didn’t consider. For instance, you have the blue jays that peck mercilessly at
Noise Pollution Alters Bird Behavior
It takes no observational feat to notice that people enjoy birds. As human developments dominate the landscape and evict so many of our wild neighbors, we spend a disproportionate amount of our energies coaxing the birds, specifically, back. Why else the feeders and birdhouses and baths so common to neighborhood backyards? Perhaps the exact reasoning
3 Alternatives to Plastic Produce Bags
Are you trying to shop waste-free but aren’t sure what to do about produce and bulk items? Here are some alternatives to plastic produce bags!
Companion Planting For Broccoli
Experienced organic gardeners bring diversity and balance to the garden with the age-old wisdom of companion planting, a time-tested method of close planting specific species based on their propensity to enhance each other’s growth and quality. Companion planting can help you grow a thriving crop of delicious, healthy broccoli. Companion plants offer shade or shelter,
Masonry Heaters: Benefits, How They Work, And Photos
When you think of heating with fire, the first image that might leap to your mind is a crackling wood stove, the mainstay of cozy homesteading living rooms everywhere. But despite it’s current ubiquity in back-to-the-land imagery, the wood stove is a relatively recent invention, having been invented by Benjamin Franklin in 1742. If you
DIY Biomass: Briquettes, Presses, Logs, and More
“Biomass” is one of those terms like “alternative energy”: it could be a sustainable approach to energy generation, but isn’t always. I once sat through a talk by an energy services company executive in which he argued that forest biomass (think trees, undergrowth, etc., cut for burning) was carbon-neutral because “the plants could grow back.”
Algae Streetlight
Microalgae Street Lamps (in prototype stage). French biochemist Pierre Calleja has invented a streetlight that is powered by algae AND which absorbs CO2 from the air. Pierre reports that one lamp can take 1 ton of CO2 out of the atmosphere per year. This is as much CO2 as an average tree absorbs during its
Flatpack Urban Farm Grows 6.6 Tons of Food in 538 Square Feet
This flatpack urban farm only takes up 538 square feet, but its creators say that it can yield as much as 6 tonnes (6.6 tons) of fresh produce per year.
Grow Healthy, Flavorful Fruit With The Best Fertilizer For Tomatoes
“You get your tomatoes in yet?” My neighbor smiled with his usual good-natured grin, but there was no denying the competitive edge to his voice. This was no mere neighborly exchange. It was the opening to a summer-long challenge where plants were pawns and bragging rights, the prize. As a newcomer to the Ozarks, I
Could You Make All Your Clothes For An Entire Year?
An artist from Vancouver challenged herself to just such a task, and discovered that sustainable clothing about more than just what you wear.
Homestead Stories: Swaddled Babies Or Baby In The Cradle?
“I have a swaddled baby to show you,” a friend said over the phone. “Like a baby in the cradle. Want to come over and see?” The words caught my curiosity. My friend was too old to have a baby in her arms — at least, not one of her own. And since she never
Corrugated Metal Ideas For The Home
Corrugated Metal
BPA Free Cans
List of cans with and without BPA
Chicken Mites
Like many animals, chickens can play host to parasites that live on skin, in feathers, and around their living spaces. One such parasite is Dermanyssus gallinae, the chicken mite, a tiny pest found worldwide, that stresses chickens, reduces egg production, and can also transmit diseases. Finding parasite infestations in your birds is always scary, but
Introduction to Agroforestry: What It Is and How to Successfully Implement It on Your Homestead
As a recently graduated wildlife major, I was a little out of my general comfort and knowledge range when I was accepted into the Peace Corps as an agroforestry volunteer. It was a challenging situation, and a serious one. It would soon become my job to teach locals about agroforestry farms and share different practices
Growing Spinach
Originally hailing from 4th-century Persia, Spinacia Oleracea or spinach has a long and storied past as a health tonic, a poor man’s food, a favorite of big-forearmed sailor men, and a choice food of health gurus. We are constantly hearing about how important it is to eat your leafy greens, and for good reason—they’re fantastic
Storage Benches
Storage benches may be one of the most versatile pieces of furniture we can own. For anyone needing to maximize space, they’re the answer to solving storage and seating problems. They can also serve as a beautiful piece of home décor. The options for storage benches are endless. We’re using them in our living rooms,
Barbed Wire And Galvanized Wire Sculptures
At least you know it’s sturdy—barbed wire was the first manufactured fence able to restrain cattle. The Barbed Wire Sculpture Of David Oliviera Wire Sculpture by David Oliviera of Portugal. www.davidmigueloliveira.blogspot.pt Wire Sculpture by David Oliviera. www.davidmigueloliveira.blogspot.pt Wire Wolves bounding down a stair by David Oliviera. www.davidmigueloliveira.blogspot.pt Wire Sculpture (Imoto, 2012) by David Oliviera. www.davidmigueloliveira.blogspot.pt
How To Deal With Egg-Eating Chickens
Is there any image more quintessentially “homestead” than a coop surrounded by clucking chickens? Being able to walk to the coop, basket in hand, and return with tomorrow’s breakfast, is a true homesteader’s delight. But what happens when you go to the coop and find the nesting boxes unexpectedly empty for days on end? Your
Comfrey
Cultivated since at least 400 B.C., comfrey exhibits delicate blue, pink, purple, or white flowers that attract birds, bees, butterflies, and other pollinators and beneficial insects to the homestead landscape. An extremely cold-hardy, perennial plant with an expansive root system, comfrey, also known as hound’s tongue, presents large bold, green leaves and a sturdy, upright
How To Upcycle Broken Dresser Drawers Into A Shelf
My brother had a dresser he was looking to get rid of. It was no longer usable … as a dresser that is! I could see the DIY potential, so I upcycled and repurposed what I could salvage and made some shelves for the kids’ playroom. This project is super simple and doesn’t require too
How To Dry Herbs From Your Garden
Growing fresh herbs is a delightful task. Raising basil, dill, cilantro, oregano, mint, parsley, and other fragrant plants provide a fun distraction each day as you caretake your little greens. But the best part about growing herbs is that you get to enjoy a wide variety of flavor in your foods on a budget! But
How to Save Bean Seeds
Beans are an incredibly exciting plant to grow. This may come as a surprise to folks whose experience with the common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) is limited to the limp, gray-green cylinders that glorp out of a can and boil to depressingly mushy. If that’s the only way you know beans, I am delighted to introduce
40 Smart Uses For Dryer Sheets In Your Home And Garden
When you put laundry in a dryer, static builds up on the clothes, sheets, and towels that bounce and tumble in the heat. Throwing in a dryer sheet can reduce static cling and leave your clothes smelling fresh. That said, dryer sheets have gained a bad reputation because they contain quaternary ammonium compounds that can