Why Did My Hens Stop Laying Eggs?
You wake up and it’s a beautiful morning. As usual, you grab your basket or bucket and go to the chicken coop to gather the eggs. You lift the nest...
Cashmere Goats – A Homesteader’s Complete Guide
The first time I ran a metal comb through a goat's winter coat and pulled out a handful of fiber softer than anything I owned in my closet, I...
Holstein Cow – What Every Homesteader Should Know Before Getting One
If you ask most people to picture a dairy cow, they picture a Holstein. That black-and-white spotted animal is the face of the dairy industry, and...
How Many Eggs Does a Chicken Lay a Day?
The honest answer is that a healthy hen can lay at most one egg a day, and most don't even do that. It physically takes a hen 24 to 26 hours to...
Chicken Dewormer – The Complete Guide to Treating and Preventing Worms in Your Flock
Every flock I've ever kept has carried some level of worms, and honestly, that's normal. Chickens live outside, they peck at the ground, they eat...
Do Cows Have to Be Pregnant to Produce Milk? The Straight Answer
This is one of the questions I get asked most often by people visiting my homestead, usually while they're watching me milk a cow that very clearly...
Cattle vs Cows: What Is the Actual Difference?
Most people use cattle and cows interchangeably, and honestly, most of the time it does not matter. But the moment you start planning to bring...
How Long Do Chicken Eggs Take to Hatch? A Complete Incubation Guide
If you are raising chickens on a homestead, hatching your own eggs is one of the most rewarding things you can do. It closes the full loop of...
Goat Hooves: Everything You Need to Know About Structure, Trimming, and Common Problems
If you keep goats, managing their hooves is one of the non-negotiable maintenance tasks that comes with the territory. Neglect it and you will have...
Can Chickens Have Pineapple? What Every Flock Owner Needs to Know
If you keep backyard chickens long enough, you find yourself holding a piece of fruit and wondering whether it is safe to toss into the run....
What to Feed Pigs – A Complete Guide to Pig Feed for Homesteaders
Getting pig feed right is one of the most important decisions you will make on your homestead. Feed typically accounts for 60 to 75 percent of the...
Domestic Sheep Herding: A Practical Guide for the Small-Scale Homesteader
Sheep are one of the most forgiving livestock choices for a homestead. They ask for less than cattle, produce more than chickens, and reward patient...
Quail Eggs: Nutrition, Uses, and Why Every Homesteader Should Raise Quail
If you have ever held a quail egg in your hand, the first thing you notice is how small it is. About a quarter the size of a standard chicken egg,...
Beekeeping Supplies for the Homestead: Everything You Actually Need
Bees are one of the highest-return additions you can make to a homestead. A couple of hives will pollinate your garden, orchard, and surrounding...
Chicken Diseases: How to Identify, Treat, and Prevent Them in Your Backyard Flock
If you keep chickens, sooner or later you will deal with a sick bird. It happens on every homestead, no matter how clean the coop or how carefully...
Katahdin Sheep: The Homesteader’s Guide to This No-Shear Meat Breed
If you have been thinking about adding sheep to your homestead but dread the idea of annual shearing, worrying constantly about parasite loads, or...
Goat Milk: The Complete Homesteader’s Guide to Raising, Milking, and Using It
If you want one animal that punches well above its weight for self-sufficiency, the dairy goat is it. A single productive doe will give you fresh...
Amish Chicken Coop Design – What Makes It Work and How to Build Your Own
Walk onto any working Amish farm and you will find chickens that look good: alert, clean-feathered, active, with good body condition and a...
Beekeeping for Beginners – Everything You Need to Know to Start Your First Hive
There are not many additions to a homestead that pay dividends in as many directions as a beehive. You get honey, obviously. But you also get better...
The $0.5 Livestock Feed That You Can Make at Home
I’ve been buying commercial feed since I began homesteading, but the more I learn new stuff, the more I wonder if it's the right choice. The first...
What Happens When You Let Chickens Free Range Full Time
I did a lot of research about raising my chickens free-range, before I decided most of it was BS! The result? If I wanted to learn anything and help...
