In the last week or so the weather has turned decent, and just like that it feels like we’re off to the races! I’m not sure which I like better, spring or fall- but I am definitely looking forward to this season of progress on the homestead! Fruit Tree Pruning and Maintenance We spent a lot […]
Gardening with Chickens by Lisa Steele: Book Review
Gardening with Chickens by Lisa Steele should be your go-to reference for making your chickens work in your garden, and making your garden work for your chickens! When we got our first flock of egg-layers several years ago, I knew three things: I wanted to raise them as naturally as possible, I wanted them to […]
How to Decide when to Cull a Chicken {The Story of Little Henny}
Little Henny was one of our original chickens, she was on the homestead for three years with us. The name “Henny” is because we had five Buff Orpingtons who I couldn’t tell apart at first, so they were all called “Hennys.” As they got older and developed personalities they got additional descriptors… Little Henny was the smallest […]
Super Gluing a Broken Chicken Beak, or… How I Became a Crazy Chicken Lady
Living in the country on an old property with a big barn comes with a few inherent resources- like cats. People drop their unwanted pets outside of town, and cats seem to come and go, using our big vacant barn as shelter and a smorgasbord of rodents. I knew this was going to be hard […]
Homestead Monthly: July 2016 {weasel trouble, chicks, and the great harvest begins}
You Dirty Weasel We started out the month with sadness and heartbreak, unfortunately. If you’ve farmed for long enough, or experienced the loss of an animal to predators, then you know the feeling. The “something isn’t right here” feeling. For us, it was when Karl went out in the morning to let the chickens and […]
{Giveaway!!} “Fresh Eggs” Egg Carton & Label Stamp from Substation Paperie
Giveaway now closed- thanks for entering! The winner is Holly G. If you haven’t been oogling over Substation Paperie’s completely adorable, rustic and whimsical farming and homesteading-themed stamps, it must be because you’ve been too busy pulling weeds, baking fresh bread, or chasing chickens around… Lauren Elizabeth, owner of Substation Paperie makes the cutest designs for stamping egg […]
Homestead Monthly: June 2016 {garden boxes, blight-control, and babies}
Get Growing June was the month we officially got all of the gardens planted! We have three main garden areas this year, which is one more than the previous year, and two more than the year before that… somebody stop me! We (well, Karl actually) built two, 28-inch tall raised beds last month and we (well, […]
Homestead Monthly: May 2016 {mushroom growing, bee swarms, and homestead loss}
Fungus Farming At the beginning of May, Karl and I took an all-day class about cultivating mushrooms, taught by a local mushroom grower and wild mushroom expert. We learned so much, and it immediately ignited a new fire in us… a fire to grow fungus! I actually can’t believe I never seriously considered this prior to learning about […]
The BEST Way to Freeze Eggs!
Farm fresh eggs: it’s either feast or famine around here! During the long days of summer I’ve got baskets full of eggs and I’m piling them on the kitchen table, the washing machine, and any other flat surface I can find. A good problem to have, I know… And then the days get shorter and […]
Homemade Organic Baby Chick Starter Feed Recipe {corn-free and soy-free}
Thinking about making your own chick starter feed, eh? When we first got our baby chicks, I was determined to be the best chick mother I could possibly be. This involved painstakingly researching exactly what they should eat, being over-protective, and taking waaay too many pictures. There were three things I knew before getting chicks: […]