Self Reliance On A Small Homestead
Bringing Home Turkey Poults I ordered 8 Broad Breasted turkey poults this spring and went to pick them up from the farmer in Wisconsin this week. Although I only ordered 8, I came home with 10. Chicken people, you all know how this happens. Am I right?! For more information,…
A ‘Gang’ of Wild Turkeys Maybe 3 doesn’t really consitute a gang. We have a lot of wild turkeys in the area, and I often hear them calling to my little flock. The turkey hens have shown great interest in the calls, especially since they didn’t have a tom.…
Scruffy Chicks Our 23 mixed breed chicks hatched 3 weeks ago and they’re at that in-between stage…past being cute fluffballs but their feathers aren’t completely grown in. So they look pretty scruffy and comical now. They’ve been happily exploring their brooder room, along with our 6 ducklings. I’m keeping my fingers…
If Turkeys Could Talk… I’m guessing it wouldn’t very a very exciting conversation. Perhaps you’ve had enough turkey talk to last you until next Thanksgiving. To be honest, I fully expected that I would have all of my turkeys in the freezer or my tummy by now. But my plans have…
Preserving Our Turkeys for Winter I raised 10 Broad Breasted White turkeys this year and all of them survived to butcher size. Seven of the turkeys are processed so far, with 5 whole turkeys resting comfortably in our freezer. I double-bagged them to help prevent freezer burn and we will use them…
Butchering Broad-Breasted Turkeys This spring I ordered 10 Broad Breasted White turkeys from Dale (The Chicken Guy) in Wisconsin. Actually, I think I ordered 6, but Dale always orders extra and somehow a few of them end up in my basket. I picked them up on March 13th. They were…
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…
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.…
You might be interested in my article 20 Warning Signs You’re a Seed Junkie. Coming Soon ~Spring on The Homestead Spring seems so far away with all the snow and ice outside my window. It’s 16 F but the sun is shining and my flock is braving the cold to soak up…
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…
For more information, check out my post ‘How to Raise Turkeys.’ Raising Heritage Turkeys I’ve wanted to raise heritage turkeys since we move to our little homestead. Part of the reason is to increase our self sufficiency. In addition, I don’t like buying a bird that was raised in a…
How to Raise the Best Turkeys Have you ever wondered what it would be like to raise turkeys on your homestead? Maybe you’ve heard that these birds are so stupid that they will drown in the rain or that they are very difficult to raise. Not true! They aren’t difficult…
Learn how to butcher a turkey from start to finish. Complete instructions with photos of each step to guide you through the butchering process!
