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6 Things Chickens Don’t Need in Winter

12.14.2017 by thriftyhomesteader // 6 Comments

chickens winter

A few years ago I wrote a post about what chickens need in winter. But in recent years, I've seen a variety of things suggested online, which are either unnecessary or a downright bad idea. Some people have unfortunately killed their birds with kindness. So, today I'm going to talk about six things that chickens do not need in winter. A sweater I cringe every time I see a … [Read more...]

Categories // chickens

7 Benefits of Gardening with Chickens

12.11.2017 by Janie Hynson // 2 Comments

I've been intrigued by the idea of gardening with chickens for a while so was excited to attend a presentation about this at The Livestock Conservancy conference by Jim Edrington. Though Jim has worked at The Seed Savers Exchange for many years, he focused on sharing his experiences incorporating chickens in his gardens at home. As you might guess, there are some challenges … [Read more...]

Categories // chickens, conferences, gardening, poultry

Stall cleaning: A necessary part of homesteading

12.07.2017 by thriftyhomesteader // 72 Comments

stall cleaning

It's not fun or sexy or exciting, but it is necessary -- cleaning or mucking out stalls. If you asked ten people how they do this, you'd probably get ten different answers, and our answer has changed over the years. The answer may also vary based upon the animals occupying the stalls. When my daughter had a horse years ago, it was easy to simply scoop out the poop each day … [Read more...]

Categories // chickens, cows, goats, sheep

Learn to Speak Chicken

11.30.2017 by thriftyhomesteader // 15 Comments

How To Speak Chicken

Did you know that chickens are not really bird brains? They have a complex system of communication that uses both body language and vocalizations. It's all described in Melissa Caughey's new book -- How to Speak Chicken: Why Your Chickens Do What They Do and Say What They Say. She starts out giving you advice on how you can better learn to listen to your own chickens. … [Read more...]

Categories // chickens

9 Reasons Your Hens Are Not Laying

11.09.2017 by thriftyhomesteader // 5 Comments

hens stop laying

When chicken keepers are suddenly unable to find any eggs or they're finding a lot less than normal, they usually start to worry. Are the hens sick? Or if they realize it is only one hen, is she egg bound? What can you do? First thing I want to say is that egg binding is not that common. We've only had one hen have that problem in 15 years, and we usually have 50 or more hens. … [Read more...]

Categories // chickens

Want to go pro as a sustainable farmer? Meet Joel Salatin

09.28.2017 by thriftyhomesteader // Leave a Comment

Joel Salatin

When people think about sustainable or organic agriculture, many simply think that we are trying to replicate what our grandparents or great grandparents did. In fact, I remember visiting an organic farm years ago whose motto was "Grandpa knew best," and at the time I heartily agreed. I also hear conventional farmers say things like, "Why would we want to go backwards when we … [Read more...]

Categories // books, cattle, chickens, pigs

Old-time farm remedies best forgotten

05.18.2017 by thriftyhomesteader // 12 Comments

If you know me at all, you know I'm a huge fan of home remedies. I remember my mother using baking soda for indigestion, and at the end of a long day, I love taking a bath with epsom salt and essential oils. But not all old-time remedies are better than modern alternatives. In fact, I'm downright shocked that I continue to see the following remedies suggested by people on … [Read more...]

Categories // chickens, cows, goats, sheep

Book review: Plowing with Pigs

04.13.2017 by Janie Hynson // 7 Comments

I was originally drawn to Plowing with Pigs and Other Creative, Low-Budget Homesteading Solutions because I am planning to raise pigs, but it turns out you really can't judge a book by its cover! While there is a chapter about pigs and the many ways they can help you around your homestead, this book is actually a collection of many different affordable homestead solutions. The … [Read more...]

Categories // books, chickens, gardening, home business, homesteading, reviews

Hatching & Brooding Your Own Chicks

02.23.2017 by Janie Hynson // 6 Comments

Hatching and Brooding Your Own Chicks book

To continue “Chicken Week” on the blog, I wanted to write about Hatching & Brooding Your Own Chicks by Gail Damerow. I read this book last spring as part of a Pastured Poultry course I took through the UMass Amherst Stockbridge School of Agriculture. For the class, we also read Harvey Ussery's The Small-Scale Poultry Flock and Joel Salatin’s Pastured Poultry Profit$, both … [Read more...]

Categories // books, chickens, ducks, eggs, poultry, reviews, turkeys

What happens when you have too many roosters?

02.13.2017 by thriftyhomesteader // 25 Comments

too many roosters

We were naively ecstatic when our first chicks were hatched in 2003. Not only were the chicks adorable, but it also meant that we were self-sufficient when it came to providing eggs for ourselves. Our hens were providing us with eggs, and they were providing us with their replacements so that when they slowed down and eventually stopped laying, there would be younger hens to … [Read more...]

Categories // books, chickens, Homegrown and Handmade excerpt

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