If you want to raise ducks, keeping the right ratio of males to females is crucially important both for the well-being of your flock and your own sanity. If you want lots of eggs, you’ll need plenty of females, but getting a good return of meat is best done with a flock that has more … Read more
Wyandottes are impressive, beautiful, and generally healthy birds, and a breed that is a true North American original, first developed in the late 19th century. Although it fell from popularity significantly during the middle part of the 20th century, they are once again being recognized for their excellent all-around characteristics. Accordingly, their popularity is climbing … Read more
I don’t know about you, but I can honestly say there’s nothing cuter than an adorable baby duck. That’s reason enough to get them if you ask me! But ducklings will eventually grow up into adult ducks, and if they’re going to get there, they need lots of help from you… Ducks are notable for … Read more
If you live pretty much anywhere in the United States, chances are you’ve seen those tiny, cute little strawberries peek up their heads all over your backyard when summer comes. You, like me, probably even have fond childhood memories of picking a few and eating them with your parents. What a novelty that was! But … Read more
Most of the animals that we keep, whatever species they are, tend to follow the same schedule that we do when it comes to sleeping. They get up with the sun and go to bed or at least settle down at dusk. But that’s not always the case with ducks… Ask anybody who has kept … Read more
Raising chickens for egg production is the number one reason to keep them for most folks. But, as beginning keepers will soon learn, managing egg production can be quite tricky! One of the first things you need to invest in for your flock is nesting boxes. Nesting boxes encourage hens to lay repeatedly, more often, … Read more
Working hard on the homestead is often hard on your skin. Constant sunlight, dust, friction, and getting dirty can all play havoc on it. If you are like me, you probably struggle with chronically dry skin and that just makes it even more prone to damage in a never-ending and painful cycle. Luckily, you can … Read more
It might seem like a bad idea on the surface, but mankind has a fair track record of hybridizing kinds of livestock animals. Mating horses and donkeys gave us mules, for instance, and crossbreeding various other breeds has given us the productive breeds that are popular today… But as you probably imagine, not all pairings … Read more
Cute, precious baby animals are one of life’s greatest pleasures. But just like I always remember my parents saying, they don’t stay small for long. Babies tend to grow quickly, quicker than we expect, and before you know it, they have reached adulthood. That’s certainly the case for ducklings, but there’s a little confusion out … Read more
Do you want know what the very best part of raising ducks is? Getting baby ducks! Ducklings are incredibly cute and precious and I always love watching them grow and getting them to bond with me… But as you might expect, baby ducks are particularly prone to chilling and crowding, which can often lead to … Read more
Our ducks show all kinds of strange and sometimes funny behaviors. They tend to be inquisitive and sometimes playful with people and each other. Some of my fondest afternoons are spent watching my ducks roam around and explore the yard. But for more than just fun, it pays to be acquainted with the way they … Read more
When it comes to poultry, turkeys are becoming increasingly popular on homesteads around the country. Aside from providing a mountain of delicious meat when harvested and really large eggs, turkeys provide other benefits in the form of guardianship over smaller bird species like chickens and ducks, and they can even keep the peace when roosters … Read more
When you imagine a tough, self-sufficient animal, what do you think of? If you said “pigs,” you and I are of the same mind. Pigs have always struck me as animals with incredible perseverance and hardiness. But, what you might not know is that pigs are actually pretty sensitive to their environment, specifically weather conditions. … Read more
If you want to do anything with your goats besides keep a couple around as pets, you’ve got to understand breeding. Sometimes confusing, rarely straightforward, and occasionally harrowing, breeding any livestock is a skillset unto itself, and goats particularly have a reputation as being unruly when it comes to making babies. The bottom line is … Read more
I’m happy to report that ducks are making a big comeback in the world of poultry. Compared to chickens, many duck breeds can still be surprisingly productive in terms of egg output, and they are also much hardier, particularly in wet environments. But that doesn’t mean they don’t have issues and when they do, their … Read more
When you’ve kept chickens long enough, eventually chicken fever is going to strike. You’ll think about chickens all the time. You’ll see chickens everywhere. You won’t be happy with the mundane breeds that you already know. You want more chickens, better chickens, rarer chickens. And among all the breeds, some of the rarest individual birds … Read more