Posts tagged with: homesteading

homesteading

8 Ways a Chicken Stays Cool

Chickens are very sensitive to high temperatures, much more so than cooler temperatures. While winter chicken keeping does pose its challenges, summer chicken keeping also presents a whole new set of issues. Chickens have a normal body temperature around 105-107 degrees F, so keeping them cool in hot weather is...

5 Coop Litter Dangers to Prevent

No homestead chicken raiser likes to think that the litter they have in the chicken coop can actually be harmful to the their flock. However, no matter what coop litter you choose there is always a health hazard that needs to be addressed. Coop litter dangers can pose a threat...

How to Care for a Broody Hen

I have incubated hatching eggs using both an incubator and a broody hen. Starting off using an incubator to hatch eggs made me realized just how much easier it is to let a mother hen hatch eggs! Honestly, I thought caring for a broody hen while she is incubating eggs...

8 Beneficial Herbs to Grow for Chickens

Herbs have long been valued for their medicinal and culinary uses for people, but did you know that they are great for your chickens too? I love growing herbs for my chickens, and despite my green thumb not being the best, I still manage to maintain a little herb garden...

Regional Chicken Keeping Considerations

Chickens are such adaptable creatures. However, caring for chickens can vary depending on your regional zone. Weather patterns, different seasons, and availability of resources can all have an effect on how you care for your homestead flock. Care practices that work for one flock may not be the best for...

How to Tell if a Hen Will Hatch Eggs

There’s nothing more exciting on the homestead than watching a mother animal do her thing and raise her babies! As much as we love to get our hands into the mix and do the raising ourselves, it’s always so much more fun, a whole lot less work, and so less...

The Complete Guide to Supplies for Raising Chickens

Ever wonder exactly what it takes to raise chickens? Or maybe you’re wondering what tools and supplies are available to help you raise a backyard flock? The Complete Guide to Supplies for Raising Chickens lists all of the materials you may need to begin and continue your backyard chicken raising...

Good and Bad Table Scraps for Chickens

Raising chickens on the homestead means you have natural composters right at your finger tips! However, just because chickens act like they will eat anything doesn’t mean they can eat everything. There are good and bad table scraps for chickens that you should be aware of when giving your flock...

How to Pick Out Chicken Treats

Like any good pet owner, I enjoy browsing the farm store isles looking for goodies for my chickens. Since I’ve been striving to become more sustainable and self-sufficient, I have started looking for ways to make my own chicken treats, but occasionally I still like to buy them a ‘store-bought’...

9 DIY Projects for the Chicken Coop

Raising chickens on the homestead means using what resources and materials you have available to keep your flock happy, healthy, and safe. These 9 diy projects for the chicken coop are functional items you can make for the coop. Not only do these projects help spruce up the coop, but...

Natural Chicken Keeping First Aid Kit Supplies

The natural chicken keeper’s first aid kit will look different than the average poultry first aid kit. These natural chicken keeping first aid kit supplies can prove to be in-valuable to the modern homesteader. Instead of synthetic anti-biotics, chemical treatments, and processed supplements, there will be natural anti-biotics, plant-based remedies,...

Homestead Chicken Treats by Season

Did you know that your chickens can actually help you eat healthier? Everything on the homestead is related, and that includes you and your chickens. What you feed your chickens can actually reflect upon your lifestyle. The treats you give your chickens depends on what your diet is, which should...

Simple Natural Chicken Keeping on the Homestead

Homestead chicken keepers should strive to raise their flock as naturally as possible. Since homesteading is about sustainability, living off the land, and using what resources are available, it only makes sense that our chicken keeping routine should be the same! Simple natural chicken keeping on the homestead should be...

8 Reasons Why Chickens Should Free-Range

Deciding to free-range your chickens or not is a personal decision that will be based off of many different factors. However, I would like to discuss the reasons why I chose to free-range my laying flock. These 8 reasons why chickens should free-range are positive aspects of free-ranging chickens. While...

The Secret to Training Chickens

Chickens are intelligent creatures. They can recognize up to 100 different individuals and have the ability to compare themselves to other flock members in relation to ability, experiences and gender. When I first had the idea to train one of my chickens, I didn’t realize how easy it was going...