Salmonella is one of the most common bacterial infections associated with chickens, and it’s infamously a major cause of food poisoning in people, causing fever, back pain, major intestinal distress, and more. In chickens, it causes weakness, lethargy, poor performance, and potentially death. Highly infectious and spreading like wildfire, it is increasingly a problem for … Read more
There is hardly anything better than canning your own delicious, perfectly ripe fruits and vegetables at home. Sure, it’s a great way to preserve your harvest and pad your pantry, but canned foods also have their own unique taste and texture, enough that they can turn into family favorites in their own right. Far and … Read more
You already know, likely, that living on an active, busy homestead or a big farm is more than a job. It’s a way of life. All of those dozens of chores and tasks that people face every day must be done for the sake of animals and crops. So what happens when a homesteader or … Read more
Have you ever seen a chicken with an odd beak before? One that didn’t line up quite right? Maybe it pointed in two different directions, or maybe there was an odd gap between the two halves. It’s fairly rare, but definitely not unheard of. The condition is called crossbeak, and chickens afflicted with it are … Read more
Whether you have a bountiful garden, productive raised beds, or beautiful landscaping, you’re going to have to weed them. No matter how hard you try, weeds are just a fact of life and an annoying chore. But what is a weed? It just means an unwanted plant, right? Yes, that’s what it means, but that’s … Read more
Chickens are one of the best and most versatile animals to keep on a homestead. They don’t need much space, they are highly affordable, and can keep you well-stocked with both meat and eggs. Plus, they are easy to raise! You might be tempted to head to your local corporate chain farm and livestock supply … Read more
A big part of homesteading is properly managing our land. Most of us have a garden, and some of us grow large fields of crops. And for those of us who don’t, taking care of our land helps to balance the ecosystem, attract beneficial insects and animals, and generally just make things nicer and prettier. … Read more
If you are hatching baby chicks to raise a flock of your own, or just expanding your existing flock, you’ve got lots of excitement and cuteness to look forward to. But chicks, as cute as they are, demand extreme diligence on your part because they’re incredibly vulnerable to various diseases… Just like our own children … Read more
Homesteading is all the rage these days, something that can inspire a little bit of hipster-ish contempt in us old hands who have been living it as an actual lifestyle for a while. Increasingly, affluent people are fleeing the cities, cities which are turning into dystopian nightmares thanks to the policies that they have voted … Read more
Whether you’re just getting started on your homestead or you’ve been enjoying the lifestyle for years and years, saving water is always going to be important. Whether you have well water, municipal water, or are connected to a city water supply, water is too precious to waste, and doubly so if you’re truly living off-grid … Read more
Every gardener out there, no matter what they are growing, has a singular enemy in common. You know what I’m talking about: weeds! Whether you’re cultivating gorgeous flowers or just trying to bring in a bountiful crop of tomatoes, weeds will always be there to get in the way, spoil the aesthetics, and rob both … Read more
Do you like lavender? I know I sure do. I love the aroma, I love how it looks, and I even bake with the stuff. You might say I’m infatuated with it! Compared to most other herbs that you might grow in your garden or containers, lavender can be highly productive when conditions are right. … Read more
Chances are pretty good that if you have chickens, you got them for the same reason that I and everyone else did: you want those incomparably delicious, farm-fresh eggs! If you’ve never had them, I’m here to tell you once and for all that the hype is real. The color, taste, and texture of eggs … Read more
There are many varieties of ducks out there. Big and small, black, white, brown, and every color in between. If you are a duck fancier, there is a lot to love. But if you want an especially fancy duck, you might want to look at a crested variety. All crested duck breeds have a spray … Read more
For most chicken owners, keeping a flock of just hens is usually the way to go. They’re easier to manage and often a lot friendlier. But sometimes you just need a rooster. Whether you want to expand the numbers of your flock the old-fashioned way, give them a little more protection against predators, or you … Read more
When it comes to off-grid living, one of the best things you can invest in to maintain your quality of life and stay ready for those curveballs life will throw at you is solar power. A properly set up and maintained solar power system can allow you to keep the lights on, run appliances, and … Read more