If all you’ve ever done is buy honey off of the grocery store shelf, you might not have a true appreciation for what it takes to get that delicious, golden stuff in that little bear-shaped bottle. Of course you know that bees make honey, but if you don’t know a lot about the day in … Read more
There is nothing you are going through that cannot be made worse by the presence of flies. From common annoyances like house flies to the biting, blood-sucking horse fly to the congregating clouds of clusterflies: they’re all nasty, all aggravating, and can make your life and the lives of your animals hell. And getting rid … Read more
Lots of homesteaders turn to growing crops not just to feed themselves and their families, but to make or supplement a living. This starts off well enough, but as soon as you realize that an entire acre of corn or wheat will sell for about $1,000 bucks or even less, it will quickly douse your … Read more
If you’ve been gardening for any length of time, you’re probably familiar with the concept of companion planting. These are plants that can help each other, even directly support each other, in a mutually beneficial way. Usually, one plant will require lots of one type of nutrient that the other doesn’t, or it can improve … Read more
With any livestock, picking the right breed is important for your happiness and also for your success, whatever it is that you might be doing. This is certainly true for ducks. If lots of meat is what you’re after, or you just enjoy having bigger birds around in your flock, you’ll be best served by … Read more
If you’re growing crops, a garden full of fruits and veggies or you’re just trying to keep your lawn the envy of the neighborhood, you’ve got to get your precious plants plenty of water and plenty of food. And when it comes to food, that can be a tricky puzzle. There are tons of different … Read more
If you’re a homesteader, you probably already know that raising chickens for meat is one of the most productive things you can do to ensure that you have plenty of fresh meat for your freezer each year. But, it can take a long time to raise a conventional breed, like a Rhode Island Red or … Read more
If you want the pound-for-pound most versatile livestock animals you own, you’ve got to get sheep. Sheep produce wool, of course, and also delicious, rich, smooth milk. But they’re also an important source of meat, and have long been kept and raised around the world for the purpose. Lamb and mutton isn’t that popular here … Read more
If you love and care about animals, it’s heartbreaking to imagine life without them. Once you invest your blood, sweat, and tears into raising them and caring for them, they can start to feel like a real part of you. But, sadly, death is a part of all life on Earth, for humans and animals … Read more
The most precious, adorable time in a duck’s life is when it is still a fuzzy little baby duckling. I’m telling you, there’s nothing on Earth cuter! But, they really do grow up fast and as much as we might want them to stay small and fuzzy forever, getting their feathers is an important milestone … Read more
Chickens are arguably the humblest birds on Earth. As the most common poultry species, they don’t get much thought as long as they keep the eggs and the meat coming. But if you stop to look at them, most are remarkably beautiful creatures… With countless patterns and every color of the rainbow to be found … Read more
No matter what you do in life, if you want to get good at it you’ve got to pick up a new vocabulary. Call it lingo, shop talk, vernacular, whatever. Sometimes it’s complex enough to border on a different language! Surprisingly, or maybe not, it’s the same with ducks. If you’ve ever listened to two … Read more
Understanding various developmental benchmarks is also crucial for timing when your ducks can go outside and for how long. Speaking of benchmarks, ducklings don’t cheep and peep for very long, either. When exactly do ducklings start to quack? Ducklings will start to quack anywhere from 3 to 8 weeks old. Various breeds develop at different … Read more
Ducks are always in chickens’ shadows when it comes to poultry. Though they’ve been domesticated for ages, the greater productivity of chickens in terms of meat and eggs saw ducks relegated to the specialty market for a long time. That status is slowly changing today since folks are coming to appreciate the richness of duck … Read more
Whether you are raising a field full of crops, a bushel of berries and a backyard garden, a plush emerald lawn, or some award-winning decorative plants, you’ve got to know what you’re doing when it comes to fertilization. Giving your plants the right nutrients that they need, and in the right ratios, is imperative if … Read more
Ask anyone who’s ever gone duck hunting, or even tried to photograph ducks, and they will tell you: these birds seem to have supreme eyesight. The slightest movement, even a little something out of place, and they will fly away. It’s amazing, but it can also be completely befuddling: how can any bird’s eyesight be … Read more