If you have a dozen chickens and you're feeding them organic, non-GMO commercial grains, you're going to spend well over $100 a month just on chicken feed. But as Justin Rhodes says in this video, we've only had grain for chickens for about a century, and chickens have been around for thousands of years. This is very good news because it means … [Read more...]
8 Tips for Raising Happy, Healthy Ducks
If you’re considering getting birds for meat or eggs, ducks may be an excellent choice for your homestead, farm or backyard operation. They are hardy, relatively disease free, easy to care for, reliable egg producers, and are exceptional foragers, eating many garden pests such as slugs, snails, grubs, and a wide variety of plants (including many … [Read more...]
10 Things You Need for a Basic Chicken Coop
If you've been dreaming of eating freshly gathered eggs in the morning, you may be considering building a chicken coop in your backyard or on your homestead. Designs and plans can vary widely for chicken coops, depending on what building materials you have on hand and how many chickens you want to raise. However, there are some basics every good … [Read more...]
Butchering a Year’s Worth of Chickens (In One Morning)
I've known many people who talk about how great it would be to raise their own chickens for meat, but most of them have never actually butchered a chicken, and a few of them would probably be too squeamish to handle it. Butchering chickens is not exactly fun. It's messy and brutal, but necessary. If you're interested in raising chickens for … [Read more...]
9 Quieter Chicken Breeds for Urban Homesteaders
It's no secret that roosters can make quite a bit of noise when they're sounding the daily wake-up call. In fact, they often raise the alarm all day long, even if it's only to let the hens know they've found a bug. But did you know that hens can be as noisy, if not noisier? Many hens will start cackling when they're getting ready to lay an egg. … [Read more...]
How I Feed 30 Chickens For Only $1.25 a Day
One common concern people have when thinking about raising backyard chickens is the cost. Of course, you can feed your chickens table scraps, but you're going to have to buy lots of chicken feed. Chicken feed typically sells for $1 or more per pound, and since chickens eat 1/3 of a pound a day or more, that means it costs at least 33 cents a day … [Read more...]
5 Birds (Besides Chickens) That Are Worth Raising (& 3 Not To Raise)
Though chickens are the best-known type of backyard poultry, there are many other breeds worth considering. A mixed flock has many advantages, as each type of bird will eat different forage rather than directly competing, meaning you can keep more birds in a single space without depleting resources. If provided with ample forage and outdoor … [Read more...]
5 Deadly Mistakes To Avoid When Raising Chickens
Raising chickens has become very popular in recent years. Not just among homesteaders, but among suburbanites. Anywhere raising chickens is allowed, you can be sure that at least a few people are doing it. But with all these new chicken owners, lots of people are making deadly mistakes. In this episode of Becky's Homestead, Becky talks about … [Read more...]
5 Mistakes That New Chicken Keepers Make
The first chickens I ever took care of were my parents' chickens. They bought a couple dozen Plymouth Rock chickens, and for a few months, everything was great. We had fresh eggs every day, and the chickens seemed very content in their large chicken yard. Then one day, we found one of the chickens dead. Its body was covered with bite marks and … [Read more...]
7 Reasons You Should Raise Backyard Chickens
Thinking of raising chickens in your own backyard but not sure if they’re right for you? Well, I can tell you firsthand that there is nothing better than eating scrambled eggs that were laid that morning. The freshness just can’t be beaten when all you have to do is walk out to your backyard and collect them. Beyond that, having a source of … [Read more...]
DIY Chicken Coop for Less Than $15
If you've ever thought about getting chickens so you can have fresh eggs every day (thus saving any money you spend on eggs), then you probably already know that you will need a chicken coop. The problem is, most prebuilt coops cost several hundred dollars, thus erasing any money you'll save on eggs. Plus, not everyone has hundreds of dollars lying … [Read more...]
5 Best Farm Animals To Raise On Your Homestead
There is a seemingly endless array of livestock options. To decide which animals are right for your homestead, you'll need to consider several factors, among which are the size of your homestead, your end goal with livestock, and the time you'll have to spend taking care of them each day. Maybe being available to milk a dairy cow twice a day … [Read more...]
