Homestead where you live.
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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.
Chickens | Ducks | Goats | House Pets | Quail | Rabbits
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I’m going to highlight homesteading with chickens and some of the controversial issues that arise when keeping our feathered friends. These are some serious “hot-topic” issues in chicken keeping. They include winter keeping, incubating, bedding and feeding. Almost every aspect of chicken keeping. These are the things that really get poultry keepers hopping.
The internet would have you believe that incubating Coturnix quail is difficult. I’m here to let you in on a secret… it’s not. Forget fumigation and floating techniques. It’s really no different than incubating a chicken egg. The only difference is that it takes less time and you might as well forget about candling. You simply pop your eggs in the incubator and start the clock.
There are plenty of lists of toxic and unsafe plants for chickens, but it is very hard to find plant options that can be used in your chicken area. I have compiled a list of plants that are deemed chicken-safe. The following plants are appropriate and worry-free for the areas chickens roam. The list tells you the zone said plant grows in as well as if the plant is an annual or perennial.
Summer, along with its oppressive heat and humidity, has arrived. Some of the best stuff on the homestead happens in summer (like the arrival of ducklings and a garden that’s starting to produce), but summer comes with struggles as well. Get summer tips for the garden, your livestock, and even tips for staying cool while you cook.
Litter box material for angoras needs to accomplish a few things. It needs to be super absorbent. It needs to…
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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.
