Wait a Minute…These Aren’t Khaki Campbells! I ordered 5 Khaki Campbell ducklings through our local farm supply store and they arrived in early March. Well, at least four of them did…one was missing and could not be located. One died shortly after I picked them up. Things were not going…
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Garden Grunge
You might be interested in reading my post How to Care for Newly Planted Beds. Spring Gardening & Grungy Fingernails No, I’m not talking about a new band out of Seattle. It’s officially that time of year when my fingernails look like I’ve been digging through garbage. And they…
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Sauteed Garlic Mustard Greens
Foraged Garlic Mustard Greens The first greens of spring are ready for the taking! Dandelions, garlic mustard, curly dock, horseradish leaves, and wild onions are green and growing. I’m trying to get a jump on the invasive garlic mustard in our yard, although I’m sure I’ll never eradicate it completely.…
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How to Start Eco-Friendly Seedlings for Your Garden
How to Start Eco-Friendly Seedlings for Your Garden
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Candling Turkey Eggs ~ Day 7
Candling Turkey Eggs On Day 7 Candling eggs from your incubator gives you an opportunity to see the development of the embryos. In the old days they actually used candles to check for embryos in incubating eggs. I’ve used a flashlight in the past but found it difficult to use.…
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How to Set Up a Seed Starting Calendar
Set Up a Seed Starting Calendar It isn’t difficult to set up a customized seed starting calendar according to your gardening zone. Setting up a seed starting schedule for your garden zone and climate will help you plant seeds at the optimal time. You’ll be able to move them outdoors…
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How to Care for a Sick Baby Chick
Knowing how to care for a sick chick could mean the difference between life and death. Prepare in advance for potential illness.
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Top 5 Reasons for a Poor Hatch Rate
For more information about hatching eggs at home read my articles How to Hatch Chicken Eggs in an Incubator and 15 Helpful Hints for a Successful Hatch. Reasons for a Poor Hatch Rate Although hatching baby poultry in an incubator can be a fun and educational experience, sometimes we have a…
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15 Helpful Hints for a Successful Hatch Using an Incubator
15 Helpful Tips for Hatching Eggs Successfully Getting ready to hatch baby poultry? Check out this list of 15 tips for hatching eggs successfully in an incubator! For complete instructions, see How to Hatch Chicken Eggs in an Incubator. You may also be interested in reading How to Care for…
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Keeping A Mixed Flock: Can You Keep Chickens & Turkeys Together?
Can You Keep A Mixed Flock With Chickens & Turkeys? When I first started keeping chickens I knew I eventually wanted to raise heritage turkeys and ducks too (and maybe some Guinea fowl…and geese). Keeping breeding stock of heritage turkeys was high on my to-do list because buying poults…
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DIY Incubator Upgrade with the Incukit Mini
Installing The Incukit Mini for Desktop Incubators This post shares the step-by-step process I used to convert a still-air desktop incubator with a wafer thermostat to a forced-air incubator with an automatic digital thermostat. The kit I used, the Incukit Mini, can also be used to turn a styrofoam cooler…
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How to Tell If a Hen Is Laying Eggs
Are My Hens Laying Eggs? One of the most common questions from chicken newbies is ‘How can I tell if my hens are laying eggs?’ You might have noticed that there are fewer eggs in the nest boxes and, naturally, you’d like to know who is slacking off! Before you…
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How to Feed Your Hens for Best Egg Production
How to Feed Your Laying Hens for Best Egg Production Your backyard hens need the proper nutrition to fuel egg production! I’ve experimented with different feeding regimens and supplements. In the process, I’ve learned a lot about feeding my flock to get the most eggs. Back in Great Grandma’s day,…
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Dressing a Heritage Turkey for Thanksgiving
Raising Heritage Turkeys for Thanksgiving There’s something special about gathering with friends and family for a traditional Thanksgiving feast, complete with roast turkey and all of the trimmings. I think that our society has, perhaps, lost a little bit of the spirit of Thanksgiving. With prosperity and an abundance of…
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Butchering a Cornish Rock Hen
Butchering a Cornish Cross Hen I wouldn’t normally recommend keeping a Cornish X meat bird past the normal butcher age of 6 to 8 weeks. If you can believe it, the hen on the left was a runt and wasn’t large enough to butcher at that age. I kept her…
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Are Chickens Vegetarians?
Are Chickens Vegetarians? By nature, chickens are omnivores. This means they will consume vegetable matter, insects, and animal flesh. With all of the different chicken feeds made with vegetarian formulas and the labels on chicken at the store listing ‘fed a vegetarian diet,’ you might begin to think that chickens…