Soy-free feed can be very difficult to find and it can feel like the only solution is to make your own feed mixes. That is definitely an option. We have never made our own soy-free feed for the chickens. There are many recipes out there, for example: http://planetgreen.discovery.com/home-garden/organic-chicken-feed-cheap.html http://www.greenerpasturesfarm.com/ChickenFeedRecipe.html There are several major mills that [...]
A peek at the food industry and what goes into creating the eggs and meat we buy in stores is enough to sicken most people. Being active and adventurous people, we decided to try and raise chickens for ourselves. We’ve been growing our own vegetables for several years, giving us high quality, farm fresh meals. It was time for the next step.
The day has come and with it, our new bees! We’ve had this planned since last year and ordered our package of bees around Thanksgiving. After much anticipation, the day finally arrived to pick up the package of bees. We’re very excited to add bees to our homestead and take one more step toward complete [...]
We’re doing a big upgrade for the chickens. Right now they’re housed in a small coop, for which I feel really bad. Their new coop will be a HUGE improvement. Above, you can see the framing for it. The coop is 6 feet by 12 feet and is large enough to hold around 20 chickens. [...]
The chickens have been fantastic. We get delicious eggs nearly every day. The eggs have the deep rich orange colored yolk and strong sturdy shells. It surprised me how easily a store-bought egg cracked after being used to our home-grown eggs. Our brown leghorn, however, has a little mind of her own. She’s decided she [...]
The sun finally came out long enough for me to get the camera out and take some good photos of the 2011 garden. I’m trying a few new tomato types and several plants I’ve never grown before or haven’t grown in a long time. I have several types of pumpkins growing this year, some radishes, [...]
One important consideration when planning your garden for self sufficiency is what crops to grow to maximize your food supply. You want crops that will last you through the winter and spring till the next garden starts producing. A simple example are beans. Beans are nutritious, productive and can store very well for later. Storing [...]
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