Lamb is often viewed as a luxury or traditional meat in North America, but it’s popular and more common in other parts of the world. Whether you’re enjoying a lamb roast on Easter Sunday or just living the good life with some succulent lamb chops and artisan veggies, lamb is satisfying. But it is also … Read more
You ever wondered how many eggs a queen bee lays per day? I think it’s a really good question considering the geometric growth that most beehives show. One day you’ve got a few bees flying around and by the end of the week the air is thick with them! That’s great, and we need all … Read more
It doesn’t matter where you live: unless it’s Antarctica there are certain kinds of insect pests that you’ll just have to deal with in life. Some of them are unsightly, some of them spread disease. Some of them can hurt you but others will actually destroy your stuff. For instance, the carpet beetle. As the … Read more
Bees are some of the most fascinating and important insects in nature. It’s amazing how much work they get done and how organized they are, and all the thousands of bees in a colony, generally follow their queen. The queen bee is a critical figure in any healthy colony, arguably the most important, and the … Read more
When we think of the usual diet of geese, we probably think greenery. And this is with good reason: geese do eat a diet that is predominantly green plant matter, grass, foliage, some leaves and things like that. However, geese can actually eat many of the other plant products that other birds eat, ones you … Read more
Have you ever taken the time to watch a bustling beehive? Did you ever wonder how many bees live inside? They certainly seem countless, and watching these industrious little insects work tirelessly all day long for the good of the hive is a little inspiring, and also a little bit scary. No telling how many … Read more
Bees are among the most amazing builders in nature. Given just a little bit of time, they’ll soon construct a tidy, orderly hive containing hundreds and hundreds of cells used for storing honey and hatching the next generation of bees. They are amazingly adaptible to different environments and different circumstances when they decide to set … Read more
Goats eat all sorts of things that come off trees. They will eat leaves, twigs, fruit, and even bark. That’s pretty impressive, but several trees have parts that are known to be decidedly unhealthy for most animals. Then again, goats are known for being able to eat just about anything, supposedly. So how about acorns? … Read more
Nature furnishes us many examples of excellence in engineering among the members of the animal kingdom. Beavers change entire ecosystems with their dams. Ants excavate extensive underground colonies. But probably no other construction has captured the imagination like the humble beehive. The geometric symmetry, the purpose, the sheer coordination required to make one; it’s amazing! … Read more
There seems to be a lot of controversy regarding certain foods being fed to chickens. Some keepers swear that no harm comes to their birds, while others, including veterinarians, warn of potentially dire consequences. Leeks are one such food, and relatives to onions. So what’s the final word? Can chickens eat leeks? No, chickens should … Read more
If you’ve ever walked through your lawn or a meadow and been stung by a bee, after you recover from the shock and the pain, you probably wonder why bees sting at all… After all, you’re just walking along minding your own business; you weren’t bothering the bees or trying to steal their honey. Why … Read more
Figuring out how many sheep per acre your homestead can support can be quite a puzzle . There are lots of variables to account for: the breed of your sheep, their dietary requirements, the nutritional content of the pasturage, seasonal changes and a whole lot more. It’s enough to make anyone go a little bit … Read more
It turns out that most domestic animals don’t get to live out a truly full life. Between being slaughtered for meat or put down to purify bloodlines, it seems that most animals only live for a handful of years at most. But how about sheep? Nominally, most sheep just get to stand around eating grass … Read more
Most of us already know that among domestic animals, the babies and adolescents have special names. Pigs have piglets. Cows have calves and sheep, of course, have lambs. Hardly special knowledge but the trick is determining when these babies are officially considered adults. We’ve already discussed the differences between lambs and sheep, but when does … Read more
Juniper berries are definitely an acquired taste, but have a distinguished culinary history and are a vital component of making gin. Certain animals eat juniper berries in the wild as part of their usual diet, so maybe our chickens can also. Can chickens eat juniper berries? Yes, chickens may eat juniper berries safely, and they … Read more
Have you ever heard someone talking about how baby birds can imprint on someone? You might even have heard this referenced about chicks or ducklings. There’s a good reason poultry owners talk about this, and that’s because it’s true! Baby birds really will mentally and emotionally latch on to you if they think you are … Read more