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3 Keys to Choosing the Perfect Livestock

A farm or homestead without livestock seems unusual, to say the least. Whether you see yourself with a flock of cheerful chickens, a herd of graceful goats or a few calming cows, livestock are a valuable food source that should be planned for carefully, then cared for consistently. Are You Ready to Be Available Every Minute of Every Day? Are you prepared to be “on-call” for your animals 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year? When you enter the world of livestock, a few things to be aware of are: Newborns usually come in the […]

The Meat Makers (Infographic)

I recently found this great infographic from HobbyFarms.com that breaks down each standard farm animal, recommended breeds, needs, and amount of dressing each typically provides. When you invest in livestock, it’s important that you are getting what you want out of the animal, if your intention is to get a return on your initial investment in sustenance. Obviously, there are plenty of other factors that might influence your choice of livestock, but if meat is your goal, this is a really handy at-a-glance breakdown of the needs and return from each animal. Enjoy! If you liked this, you might also […]

Slow Cooker Coq Au Vin (How to Cook a Rooster)

When it comes time to butcher some roosters to reduce their numbers in your flock, you might find them quite tough and difficult to butcher. Roosters make for particularly tough meat, and need to be cooked properly in order to enjoy them, but when you do, they can provide a delicious and rich flavor that will make you glad you ever had roosters. This recipe is loosely based on Julia Child’s Coq au Vin recipe, which you can check out and follow more closely if you like, but of course most Coq au Vin recipes you will find use store-bought chicken […]

One Way to Clean a Chicken

As with the proverbial cat, I’m sure there is more than one way to clean a chicken. This is just one way, you can tweak it however you feel the need to for your situation. Kill it first Starting with a live chicken that you have a hold of, grab its neck with your strong hand down, so that your thumb is closer to its wings and your pinky is closer to its head. Now spin your hand in a tight circle fast so that the chicken’s body spins in a larger circle. This will kill the chicken for sure. […]