Self Reliance On A Small Homestead
Best Winter Treats to Boost Egg Production in Laying Hens We all love to give our chickens treats to keep them happy and train them to come running when we call. They enjoy a wide variety of goodies and supplemental feed but it’s important to choose the best ones. In…
Grow Your Own Chicken Treats Who knew those little fluff balls could cost an arm and a leg to feed when they grew up?! With so many new chicken keepers bringing home their first flock there are bound to be questions about how to save money by raising some feed…
Foraging for Free Chicken Feed Chickens love to forage for their own greens, insects, and worms but not everyone can allow their flock out to free-range. If you are short on pasture for your hens or the threat of predators is too great, you can gather food for them! Foraging…
Keep a broody hen or 2 to hatch and raise their own chicks! Here are the best broody hen breeds so she can hatch out eggs for you!
Chicken Free Homestead? I recently updated the blogosphere with my not-so-self-sufficient homesteading news…I am having hip replacement surgery in December. In preparation for the surgery, and also because I’m having trouble getting around, I needed to downsize on my homesteading activities for a while. So, for the first time since…
Preparing for Spring on Your Homestead Depending on where you live, you might already be enjoying spring-like weather, or maybe you have several months of winter left to deal with. Here in northern Illinois, we have a couple months of cold weather left, but I’m still getting started on spring homesteading…
What’s The Best Way To Prepare Stewing Hens? Old stewing hens are pretty tough birds. I have found that the following methods are the best ways to prepare them: pressure cooking pressure canning in broth boning and grinding the meat (raw or cooked) These methods work very well for making old chickens…
Why Do Chickens Molt & What Can I Do About It? Chickens molt to replace their worn out feathers with new ones. Old feathers don’t insulate and protect a bird from cold, wet weather as well as a set of glossy new ones. All birds go through this process, just as other…
A Very Pretty Chicken Quilt Not too long ago I was contacted by a lady named Rebecca who found one of my chicken photos online and wanted to use the image for creating a quilt. Needless to say, I was flattered that she asked! She promised to share a photo when the…
Are Ducks the Answer to Avian Flu? With continuing outbreaks of avian flu wiping out massive numbers of chickens and turkeys in the United States, many poultry enthusiasts are worried… ‘Will I lose my entire flock of laying hens?’ or ‘Is my turkey flock at risk?’ Small farmers suffer a setback when losing their…
Do You Have Too Many Chickens? Almost anyone who keeps chickens will tell you that they can be addicting. You start off with a half dozen hens for fresh eggs and before you know it, you’ve got 50+ chickens, ducks, turkeys, and guinea fowl roaming your backyard. Do you have…
Knowing how to care for a sick chick could mean the difference between life and death. Prepare in advance for potential illness.
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…
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…
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…
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…
