Bringing baby chicks onto the homestead is always exciting whether you are a chicken newbie or a seasoned chicken keeper. Don’t let the excitement get you too far ahead of yourself, though. Before you bring your first (or next) batch of birds home, be sure to take a few steps to prepare for baby chicks […]
Chickens
10 Best Dual-Purpose Chicken Breeds
Have you decided what chicken breeds to bring onto your homestead this year? Do you want meat, eggs, or both out of your flock? Cornish Cross and Rangers are good meat options and productive breeds like Leghorns are great for eggs, but did you know that you can raise dual-purpose chicken breeds that will give […]
Are Farm-Fresh Eggs Safe for Consumption?
Farm-Fresh Eggs are in high demand right now with store prices skyrocketing. People are turning to their chicken-keeping neighbors for food instead of choosing the convenience of the grocery store. This is a great thing! However, many people struggle to eat fresh eggs because they have been led to believe that these eggs are not […]
How to Control the Cost of Raising Chickens
Whether the goal is eggs or meat, folks starting out their country journey seem to go straight for chickens. Managed well, chickens can fit right into the farm ecosystem, providing nutrient cleanup, pest control, and light tillage almost anywhere those services are needed – along with some eggs and drumsticks. But when these benefits are […]
The Egg Economy: Can You Save Money Raising Chickens for Eggs?
If there is one thing almost universal to all homesteaders, it is the keeping of a flock of laying hens. Most of the time chickens are the first – sometimes the only – livestock on the farm. What says ‘homesteading’ more eloquently than a basket of newly-gathered eggs, still warm from the nest? It’s almost […]
12 Heritage Meat Chicken Breeds
When you think of meat chicken breeds, your mind probably goes straight to the Cornish Cross broilers. This breed is most commonly used for meat. The very fast growth rate of this breed is appealing, but there are plenty of heritage meat chicken breeds that can give you a good amount of meat without the […]
Chicken Breed Egg Colors
Do you know the difference in chicken breed egg colors? Which chickens lay blue eggs? Which ones lay green eggs? In your quest for fresh chicken eggs, you may be wondering which chickens to buy that will give you colored eggs. Maybe you are interested in a heritage breed flock of chickens. Sometimes chicken owners want to […]
How To Treat Common Chicken Illnesses
The reality is that sick or hurt chickens can happen to just about anyone. Of course, there are certainly things you can do to prevent illness and mishaps. Let’s take a look at some of the common chicken illnesses and ailments, and also, how to treat them effectively. It happens to everyone at some point or […]
Reasons to Raise Pastured Livestock
Our family works hard to raise as much of our own food as possible. This includes a garden for fresh eating and preserving food, dairy animals, and raising our own meat. When it comes to meat and dairy, we think there are 9 reasons to raise pastured livestock. We are very passionate about farming as […]
Free-Ranging Chickens- The Pros vs The Cons
A lot of people love the idea of free-ranging their chickens and I’m definitely one of them. Like with anything in life and homesteading, there are some pros and cons to free-ranging chickens. Free-Ranging Chickens- The Pros vs The Cons Chickens are known as the “gateway animals” in homesteading. So, you get a few baby […]