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How Our Duck Nearly Died Freezing in a Blizzard
Midwest farmer shares an astonishing story about a duck, Mr. Quackers, who survived freezing to a water dish during a -30°F blizzard after missing the coop check. Rescued by slowly thawing and warming him up, he recovered in 24 hours, living inside for 8 days to heal from frostbite. The incident led to exploring safer water solutions for ducks during extreme cold.
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Potatoes For Beginners
Potatoes fresh from the ground are something I never knew I needed in my life. How is it even possible that they taste that much better? I don’t know. But they are so creamy and mashable and delicious. They are easy to grow, easy to store, and can be used in so many meals. Planting Your Potatoes Potatoes are a root vegetable that likes loose soil with good drainage, lots of sun, and plenty of water. Prepping Your Soil Since some pretty major growth happens underground with potatoes, it’s really important to have soil that is nice and loose. Our favorite method for creating the optimal growing conditions for potatoes…
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How to Coop Train Guinea Fowl
Did you even know you needed to coop train guinea fowl? Guineas are wild birds, with minds of their own. They take a long time to feel like a place is home, and like to roam. This makes keeping them around a bit of a challenge if you don’t take the right steps to ensure they know where home is. Here are the exact methods we have used in successfully training our guineas to return to our coop each and every night. It’s Much Easier to Coop Train Keets Starting off with guinea keets is one of the best ways to ensure they stick around. Adult birds have just been…
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9 Reasons You Need Guinea Fowl
Guinea fowl are a unique and wonderful addition to your homestead. They are a natural way to control pests, and help to protect your chickens by sounding the alarm when a predator is near.
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Do I Need a Rooster??
You must have started, or be thinking about starting your own flock of chickens! Yay! Congratulations! You are about to start the most rewarding journey as a hobby farmer. I like to call chickens, the “gateway animal.” Give it some time, and you’ll see what I mean 😉 A question I get asked rather frequently is: Do I need a rooster to get eggs? Answer: NO!!! Your chickens will lay eggs with or without a roo. Their reproductive cycles are not determined by whether or not fertilization occurs. Each breed produces and lays eggs at a slightly different rate. And environmental factors such as the amount of daylight a hen…
