Imagine if your breakfast came right from your backyard homestead? With the help of some livestock, that dream could easily become a reality. I start every day milking the goats and, on my way back from the milking parlor, I swing by the coop for some fresh duck, chicken, and quail eggs. Throw in some homemade bread and bacon from a local farmer and I am able to serve my family a breakfast for champions.
Animals are an integral part of the homestead. Regardless of the size of your homestead, there are probably animals you can keep that will help you live more self-sufficiently. If you are just getting started or you have a smaller backyard homestead, quail, chickens, and rabbits are a great start. If you have some experience under your belt or you have more land to spread out on, goats and ducks are great options.
It’s time to consider a barn cat. Or maybe a few of them. This past summer I found something horrifying in my goat shed. It was something I never expected to see. I didn’t even know this horror was possible in Maine. If you read the title of this post, you may have already guessed. I found a rat. Not… Read More
Maybe I’m putting the cart before the horse, or in this case the goats before the silvopasture, but we are looking to expand our homestead adventures by purchasing a gorgeous farm on 53 acres. The place we have our eyes on is perfect in every way. A lovely pond, an old pole barn in incredible shape, mountain views, and a… Read More
Let’s be honest, while owning a small herd of goats can be lucrative, many people aren’t raising goats to earn massive profit. In fact, most people who own and raise goats tend to choose them based on their personality or a natural affinity for the animal. However, whether you own goats because caring for them is something you enjoy doing,… Read More
I’m here to talk to you about backyard ducks. Why? Because ducks just rock. In fact, they might be my favorite fowl (shhh, don’t tell the chickens). Let me share with you all the reasons why I think you should have backyard ducks, then I’ll give you some of my favorite tips for raising them. If you’re an absolute duck… Read More
Goat rescues and shelters. They aren’t as common as dog and cat rescues, but they exist. Finding a reputable goat rescue is a challenge at times, though. With goats not being as commonplace as house pets, some “rescues” take advantage of the eternal cuteness of goats to rack in the dough without truly helping the cause. There are some things… Read More
Sand is the answer to an obsessive person’s dreams. Close your eyes and imagine: Beautifully manicured chicken feet, zen garden furrows in the ground, everything staying in it’s place instead of blowing around whenever a wing is flapped. Imagine walking in and smelling… nothing. Sand, my dear readers, is the answer.
Today I am going to discuss a bird of a different feather. The cute and personable quail. I was proposing the idea of getting Coturnix quail to my dear and wonderful husband. Being the way I am, I researched like a mad woman and drew out a sketch of my proposed quail pen to show him. So why quail? There are so many great reasons. While quail farming might not be ideal for every homesteader, they can fit into homesteads both large and small.
Yes, my dog is spoiled rotten. I make her shampoo for spa days and I use homemade flea collars on her to spare her nasty chemicals. We even make her food. Sometimes her dinner is fancier than mine. Yes, I get jealous at times, but she’s given me 16 years of companionship so she’s totally worth it. That’s why I… Read More
I was getting goats. So exciting! I worried about a lot of things when I started the process, peppering a friend with hundreds of questions about raising goats, but milking the goats was never something I worried too much about. I had milked the big plastic cow at StoryLand and the county fair numerous times. How much harder could it… Read More
If this is your first time going through the process of breeding and kidding with your goats, this guide will take you from start to finish. Be sure to check out our new calculator in part one which will calculate your Nigerian Dwarf’s kidding date. See Part 1: Getting Your Goat Bred, Estimating Due Date & Early Gestation Care Late… Read More
♫ It’s the most wonderful time of the year. ♪ Kidding time! For many goat owners, they don’t know exactly what to expect when their goat is expecting. We’re going to quickly start at hey, I think I’m ready to get my doe bred and end with the big day. This is not an intensive, detailed, blow-by-blow post but I… Read More
The same principles that apply to hatching chicken eggs can be applied to duck eggs. With the last batch of 18 duck eggs I incubated, 12 hatched, 1 died sometime in the last week of incubation for unknown reasons, and 5 were clear eggs. I didn’t candle the eggs, so I didn’t remove the clear eggs. This was a 66% hatch rate. A 50% hatch rate is considered very good.
In the first few streams of milk, any abnormalities such as blood or clots will be detected. The first few streams of milk contain the most bacteria and dirt. That’s why you need to use a strip cup.
Goat hoof care is a task you sign up for when you bring home cute baby goats. Goat hoof care begins early in life and is a regular part of a maintaining a healthy herd. You have some time before the kids are big enough to need an actual hoof trim, but getting them use to having the hoof touched and examined early, will make it easier when necessary.
How hard can naming your dairy goat possibly be? Well, if you are planning on registering your goat with the ADGA (American Dairy Goat Association) it might be a bit harder than you think. The American Goat Association (AGA) has rules of it’s own, but ADGA’s policies for naming your dairy goat are a bit more strict, so those are the ones we are going to discuss.