Are there homemade chicken feed options available for the homesteader? I scoured the internet looking for the best simple, possibly inexpensive, layer chicken feed. Many options for organic, corn-free and soy-free recipes and formulas were found in the process and I’m happy to share them with you! But first, let's take a look at what is needed in a chicken diet. Chickens need carbohydrates, protein, fat, as well as vitamins and minerals as shown below. Vitamins Minerals Above … [Read more...]
Raising Sheep Warms You Twice
Raising sheep brings more than wooly warmth. When we began raising sheep, I looked forward to the warmth they would provide. I did not consider the other ways that sheep would warm us. With quite a few years as a shepherd now behind me, I can see that the wool that sheep provide is but one way they heat our bodies. The visions of sheep roaming the gentle slopes of a picturesque farm may be heart warming. However it does not portray the amount of heat producing labor that goes on behind the … [Read more...]
Three Things Chickens Don’t Need For Winter (and three that they do!)
What are these three things chickens don't need? When raising chickens naturally, in winter, there are things chickens don't need. I know its hard to believe that chickens can and do make it through the winter months, even in very cold climates, without our interfering. How can a chicken possibly survive the cold and reach the warmer spring months healthy and happy? Because this happens over and over. Chickens all over the world weather the winter without these three things chickens don't need … [Read more...]
Can Goats Eat Christmas Trees?
Can goats eat Christmas trees? What do you have to be aware of as far as hazards to your sweet goats? Which species of pine are ok and which trees should not be given to goats? These are popular questions during the later part of December. Many of us will have spent hard earned dollars, purchasing a fresh cut tree from a local tree lot. After the tinsel and ornaments have been removed, using the tree as a food option in the barnyard can add value to the money spent on a fresh cut tree. So … [Read more...]
Foot Injuries in Chickens -Methods That Help Heal
Properly treating foot injuries in chickens is very important. Cleaning wounds and a bumble foot treatment plan should be started promptly. The chicken may not eat or drink enough if it has a foot injury. This will weaken the bird and could lead to infection and death A good habit to get into is looking at each one of your animals every day. Learning on the homestead never stops. Every day there is a new issue to resolve or roadblock to scale. Knowing all of your animals, and what is normal … [Read more...]
