Late fall is a perfect time to prepare the barn for winter. The days are usually cooler, and many insects have left the area or died off. Perfect conditions for getting the barn ready for use over the winter. In our barn, the sheep and goats have access all year long. During hot summer days, the shady, earthen floor barn is cooler. The fiber flock chooses to take the afternoon siesta in the cool barn. Now, with only a few days left before Daylight Savings time ends, and shorter darker days … [Read more...]
Sheep Care on Small Farms and Homesteads
Is sheep care part of your future? Can you raise sheep in a large backyard? In some cases the answer is yes. Sheep are adaptable and can be cared for in a paddock or small field if their needs are met. It may be a little more labor intensive and take a bit more effort and management to raise our sheep this way. Here on the farm we raise a little bit of everything. Well not really everything. But we do have quite a variety of animals. We have successfully raised goats for many years, a … [Read more...]
Help! My Chickens are Molting
What do you do if the chickens are molting? It's the very end of summer and some changes are happening on the farm. The fiber goats are about to have their fall haircuts. The rabbits are eating a lot of food during the cooler evenings. The piglets are moving on to their new homes. Leaves are showing a slight change in color and the summer garden is waning in production. But the most dramatic change occurs in the chicken coop and run, as the chickens begin to look a bit ragged. Ok, lets not … [Read more...]
What Causes Weak Egg Yolk Membranes
How do you correct weak egg yolk membranes and get perfect sunny-side up eggs? When you cook the egg does it run all over the pan? This was a question I received recently from a reader. It's fairly well known that a firm, strong egg shell requires plenty of free choice calcium for the hen to indulge in. But what about yolks that break apart as soon as the shell is cracked. The egg hits the pan and poof, there goes the yolk, spreading all across the pan. The reader who contacted me had … [Read more...]
How to Use the Whole Pumpkin
Do you try to use the whole pumpkin when you cook? Pumpkins are simply amazing, as a decoration and in taste, and nutritionally. A great vegetable all wrapped up in a very cute package. Since the pumpkin is such a wonder of nature we should learn how to use the whole pumpkin! I look forward to pumpkin season every year, and as soon as September gets rolling, I am looking for ways to decorate with pumpkins in my home and yard. I have been accused of … [Read more...]
