By Tasha Greer From their muffed, bearded faces to their feathered legs and five-toed feet, Faverolles are fanciful favorites among ornamental chicken keepers. As cold-hardy, winter layers they also make ideal off-season egg makers. Plus, like most French utility breeds, … Read More
Episode 89For the Love of Goats In today’s episode, we are talking with the oldest Saanen breeder in the US about these gentle giant of the dairy goat world. If you’ve ever looked at the American Dairy Goat Association’s Top … Read More
Episode 88For the Love of Goats Whole herd biosecurity screening is a valuable tool that we can use to feel confident that we have a healthy herd. Washington State University has a biosecurity screening test that uses one tube of … Read More
By Brin Jackson I bought my current property, .6 acre in the Fall of 2015. Yes, I bought and homestead under an acre of land. Though small, I could see its potential as a small farm. With a vision and … Read More
Cayuga ducks are a beautiful and docile breed. At one point in history, Cayuga ducks were the most popular meat duck in North America and Great Britain. While they were later classified as “threatened,” the Cayuga breed has become popular … Read More
Episode 87For the Love of Goats Caseous lymphadenitis, usually called CL, in goats is an incurable and highly contagious disease. I recently helped one of our Goats 365 members think through her options when several of her goats tested positive, … Read More
Chinese geese are known to be active foragers and are sometimes called “weeder geese” for this talent. If you have a pond, they can help keep algae under control. They’re also known for their swan-like appearance due to their long … Read More
By Tasha Greer With a name that literally means heartbreakers, you are almost guaranteed to fall in love with Crèvecœur chickens. From the tip of their crested, v-combed heads to their slate gray feet, these fancy, French culinary classics are … Read More
Episode 86For the Love of Goats Most people think that avoiding urinary calculi in male goats is as easy as balancing the calcium and phosphorus ratio, but that’s only the beginning. We are talking to Dr. Robert VanSaun, professor of … Read More
Geese are a popular type of waterfowl found in many homesteads. They are kept for various reasons, including meat, appearance, and companionship. Although they do lay eggs, which are big and delicious, most breeds only lay a few dozen per … Read More
Thrifty Homesteader was created in 2012 after the publication of my second book, Ecothrifty. The name was coined by one of my followers because I said that I didn’t want anyone to think that they had to be rich to homestead or live a greener life....
