So many times, as I share bits and pieces of our life with readers, the nitty gritty homestead truths are cut from the final edit. Maybe they aren't added at all. The final post about a day in our lives is usually meant to entertain, to encourage and to give you a glimpse of what life on a small farm or backyard homestead is like After all, I'm not trying to discourage you! My intended goal is to encourage you to take steps to be more self reliant. What would you think … [Read more...]
Grow Calendula for Use in Chicken and Livestock Care
After beginning to use more herbal treatments on my farm animals, I realized that I need to also grow Calendula. The correct name for Calendula is Calendula officinalis, and the common name is Pot Marigold. Calendula flowers and leaves are edible and it is a useful companion plant in the garden. Calendula helps repel damaging insects. Until this past year, I had trouble getting Calendula to grow. After reading some more tips on this herb, I planted it in a planter and it took … [Read more...]
Wild BlackBerry Pie Recipe
A recent foraging day on the property led to trying a new blackberry pie recipe. That's how things work around here. First you see what is in abundance, and then you plan a meal around that. Since pie is often thought to be a dessert, just go with the rule of "life is short, eat dessert first". Over the last two years, the natural ground covers have returned, along with some new species that had not been seen before. While we have been harvesting wild wine berries from our wooded land for … [Read more...]
Pullet or Cockerel? How to Know
Are some of your chickens looking different than the others? Do you know how to determine, early on, if you are raising a pullet or a cockerel? Lets say you wanted to raise chickens for eggs and purchased some hatching eggs. Or, perhaps, you couldn't resist the fluffy little munchkins at the feed store this spring. In any event you now have chickens growing up in your backyard. You are feeding them and caring for their every need. But wait! Some of the chicks are … [Read more...]
What Herbs Keep Chickens Healthy?
Can herbs keep chickens healthy? Does herb use increase the immune response in the flock? The answer to both questions appears to be, yes! Chickens love herbs, so dosing them with these natural compounds is an easy task. My Top Herb Choices For Chicken Care If I could only grow a few herbs I would choose Mint, Oregano, Basil, Thyme, Lavender and Sage. As far as chicken keeping and animal care needs, Sage and Oregano are great for intestinal health and to ward off … [Read more...]
