I have been gardening in some form or another for pretty much my entire adult life. I have heard the term “permaculture” here and there but honestly it sounded pretty intimidating and expensive. I never really looked into the concepts behind it because I had decided it was something only big scale farmers needed and …
Liz
Ducks are pretty easy animals to add to your farm. They don’t need much in terms of shelter – just a secure, safe place to retreat to. It can be a sectioned-off corner of your barn or shed, or you can even house them in your chicken coop if you want to. When I started …
Did you know you can train chickens? Chickens are actually very intelligent animals. One British study shows they are smarter than human toddlers! Within hours of hatching, chicks can already keep track of numbers up to five. They also exhibit the knowledge that even when an object is out of sight it still exists (which humans …
Some call it thrifty, but I will admit it, I am cheap. Growing up, whenever my sister or I would ask for the latest toy or fad, my mother, after hearing the price, would usually reply with “I can make that for less than half the price!”. It was often met with complaints or eye …
You can buy started strawberry plants at the nursery. By buying bare root strawberry sets you can save a ton of money, and get a larger variety and healthier, more vigorous plants. And if your family is like mine, there can never be too many strawberries! There are dozens of strawberry varieties for every climate. …
All I knew about ducklings before we got them was they are super messy. That was enough to scare me away for years. Their cute little faces won me over eventually and I thought “how messy could they be?”. The answer to that question is very. Very, very messy. Even though I like things to …
Making a brooder box from a plastic tote is super simple and even someone with limited DIY skills can do it! Supplies you will need: *large plastic storage bin with lid (clear is best to see chicks)*hardware cloth & wire cutters*nuts & bolts*power drill*jigsaw Instructions Draw the outline on the lid for the mesh top …
Disclaimer: I am NOT a veterinarian, just an animal owner & lover sharing my opinions and experiences. Any advice on caring for animals or diagnosing & treating medical conditions for animals should be evaluated by a trained veterinarian. Whenever possible, you should always have your sick or injured bird evaluated & treated by a trained …
*edited to add – this article was written in 2016 just before we got our first ducks. As we learned more about our duck friends, I’ve added some links to this article to help beginners learn more. You might also want to check out our full Duck Care library of articles here I am SO …
So you want to expand your backyard farm to include some fiber-producing animals? Contrary to PETA’s warnings, not all animal fiber is harvested cruelly. One way to ensure that is to be the one that cares for the animals and harvests their fur. In fact, relieving a fiber animal of their excess fur is just …