Adding new poultry and livestock to your farm or homestead is commonly done in the spring. How do you avoid the common pitfall of adding too many, too soon? I use the following three questions when evaluating our homestead's ability to carry more animals. Am I adding only the animals I have room for? Can I afford to care for the new animals properly? Do I have the time and physical ability to care for the new additions along with the current … [Read more...]
Spring Coop Cleaning with Deep Litter
Spring coop cleaning day is a big day when we have used the deep litter method of coop maintenance. This deep litter needs to be completely cleaned out as the temperatures begin to warm. It's a big job. The deep litter has been accumulating for months. It's time for a complete cleaning. Since we have 25 hens and roosters living in the 12 x 8 shed, you would think that the smell would be pretty bad after a winter of no cleaning. But, surprisingly, it is not. I use … [Read more...]
Bunny Treats for Your Pet Rabbits
Bunny Treats for Your Pet Lets just admit it, we love to feed our rabbits bunny treats. Watching those cute little noses wrinkle as they eat some goodies is just fun. While we may want to keep the rabbit's diet as close to natural as possible, it still is ok to bring a treat to our pets or farm rabbits and watch them eat enthusiastically. We have both house rabbits and farm rabbits and they all love a treat. Rabbits are herbivores and this means they should mainly be eating plants. Fruits and … [Read more...]
Joyful Homesteading
It will probably come as no surprise to you to learn that I feel joyful homesteading. The main things that bring me joy concern our farm. It really is my happy place. Believe me, I recognize joy. For many years I did not feel joy. I missed it but it was elusive and I just couldn't feel it. I looked up the definition of joy. "Intense and especially ecstatic or exultant happiness, or an instance of such feeling." Not sure I agree with this definition and here's why. That definition means that … [Read more...]
Faith in Homesteading
Faith In Homesteading Is faith an element in Homesteading? I think those that believe, feel that it is of the highest importance in sticking with a homestead plan. Lets face it, the world has a lot of chaos in it and faith grounds us. It can make us feel that we are not alone in a big scary endeavor like homesteading. In my case, I am a strong believer, and can't imagine a life without God. He guides me in my daily routines, and sees me through the dark times too. Many years ago I … [Read more...]
