Just about every aspect of our rotational grazing setup had to be built from scratch, including polywire fencing, frost-free hydrants every 150 feet, a 40-gallon trough we can pull while it’s full, and a shade structure that follows the herd across a property with only eight trees. Here’s how we set everything up, as well as what the future holds in store.
After years of keeping bees in traditional Langstroth hives, we’ve come to realize that a different approach better aligns with our homesteading philosophy. Here’s what’s changing, what’s staying, and why.
Pressure-treated lumber leaches copper into your soil, cinder blocks raise pH and can’t be moved, and even cedar bows outward once your bed gets taller than a foot. The option that’s cheaper per year than all three turns out to be the one most people assume is the premium pick.
Daily paddock moves sound like a lot of work, and they are. But you get even grazing, 30 to 60 days of rest between passes, parasite larvae that die before the herd comes back around, and manure spread across the whole pasture instead of piled up by the water tank.
Well water that tests clean still travels through 300 feet of PEX pipe, a synthetic pressure tank bladder, and dozens of fittings before it reaches your glass. Here’s how we built a layered system — from dual wells and whole-house filtration to backup power and rainwater collection — to stay in control of every step.
Last year, our kids incubated a couple of chicken eggs as part of their hybrid homeschooling program. The incubator, brooder, heat lamp and feed were all provided by the farmer who sponsored the project and hosted the participating families. Once the eggs hatched and the chicks were a couple of weeks old, they were ready … Read more
Aside from a poultry plucker itself, a high-quality poultry scalder is one of the most valuable tools available to homesteaders who raise meat birds, as it makes plucking feathers (whether manually or mechanically) a breeze. After having raised chickens for eggs for several years, we began raising broilers in the spring of 2024. Even before … Read more
If your goal is to save money on eggs, the math may not work out the way you expect. Here’s what we’ve learned over the years about the cost of raising chickens, plus tips for deciding if they make sense in your specific situation.
They’re both great options, but which one is best for you depends on how your coop is built and how you want to power the device.
Here’s the step-by-step process for how we breed, raise and dispatch meat rabbits, including a few key tips and lessons we’ve learned over the years.
When we finally decided to relocate from our 1.26-acre suburban parcel to a larger homestead, finding the ideal piece of land was harder than we expected. Here’s how we narrowed down our search, including the spreadsheet we used to track and evaluate potential parcels.
If there’s one thing I wish we’d paid more attention to in our early years of raising chickens, it’s manure management. It may not sound glamorous, but the way you handle chicken manure has a profound influence on your flock’s health, productivity, and the overall sustainability of your homestead. After all, chicken droppings are more than … Read more
Chickens grow faster than most people expect, and if you aren’t prepared, you could find yourself dealing with unnecessary stress and preventable losses.
Cornish Cross chickens are one of the most popular breeds to raise for meat. That’s true for commercial chicken production but also for small homesteads. Considering their apparent advantages — such as rapid growth and incredible feed conversion ratio — I understand how the title of this article may ruffle some feathers (pun intended). But … Read more
While their gentle nature and beauty are appealing, Bielefelders’ relatively poor egg-laying performance and susceptibility to leg injuries are significant downsides.Â
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