Tag: animal husbandry
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Why Raise Meat Chickens?
If you are used to buying your chicken from the supermarket, you might not realize this, but there is one breed of meat chicken that dominates the modern, globalized meat market. You know it well, and yet probably don’t even know the name. You buy your whole fryers, your boneless skinless chicken breast, your thigh…
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A Basic Guide to Marking Goats
Goats are a wonderful addition to any homestead, but if you have quite a few, you might need to consider marking them at some point. Usually, small homesteads who raise a handful of goats merely for pleasure and can recognize all their goats according to their markings won’t need to rely on marking to identify…
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What Is Two Story Farming?
Originally hailing from the Mediterranean, two story farming is a sustainable and efficient way to multitask on your farm or homestead. It is essentially what it sounds, farming on two “stories”. Only this isn’t in a structure, like the visions of modern urban farms of the future. Two story farming combines agriculture with raising livestock,…
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How to Buy a Rabbit Starter Stock
Rabbits are a great animal to raise on a homestead. They don’t take up much space, they breed very efficiently, are affordable to feed, and their meat is delicious. Since one of the biggest appeals of raising rabbits is how quickly and easily they reproduce, you will need to get yourself set up with what’s…
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Are You Ready for Livestock?
Raising livestock is one of the great appeals of homesteading. If you’ve just bought your own land or have plans to, or have considered raising goats or chickens in your backyard, you should be careful not to get too far ahead of yourself. The prospect of raising livestock is so appealing, the decision to dive…
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Can Your Livestock Make Money for You?
What type of livestock do you have on your homestead? You probably have some great animals that are working to provide well for you and your family. However, have you ever stopped to think that you might be able to get even more out of the animals? In some cases, your livestock will can make…
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Raising Rabbits for Meat: Overview (Video)
Rabbits are a highly efficient animal to raise for food. While these days, most of us think of rabbits as pets, they’ve actually been hunted and raised for slaughter for most of human history. For what it takes to feed rabbits vs. how much meat you get out of them, they’re a great option for…
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Why Chickens Are Your Best Friend on the Homestead
If you are homesteading, one of the best animals you can have on your property is the mighty chicken. It is highly beneficial for you and your family, as well as your garden, as you will see. Eggs and Meat Naturally, this is what most people consider when they are thinking about the benefits that…
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6 Things You Should Do Before Getting Piglets
I’ve raved quite a bit in the past about how great pigs are. You can buy them as piglets for a very affordable price, and within a season have a hog big enough to fill your freezer with meat. For the initial start-up cost, space they need, food they eat, and meat they yield, they’re…
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Making Chicken Feed: Pros and Cons (Video)
As with all things DIY, I’ve always assumed that making your own chicken feed would be healthier, and more affordable. However, I’ve been reading that while that can be true, it’s not always the case. These homesteaders and YouTubers have been making their own chicken feed, and received a lot of questions about how to…
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Raising Quail (Video)
I think one of the greatest things about the internet is that we can get an inside look into what other homesteaders are doing and how they set up their gardens and animal raising operations. This is a very informative look at Big Bear Homestead’s quail raising set up, with a detailed tour of the…
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The Best Animals to Raise on a Homestead
Being able to raise livestock is one of the biggest appeals of homesteading, and it’s very rewarding too! Livestock can bring so much reward, from delicious byproducts, to valuable contributions to gardening and even landscaping, as well as companionship. Here are some of the best animals to raise on a homestead, and why. Chickens Chickens…
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More Ways to Profit Off Your Land
A few weeks ago, we wrote an article on ways to profit off your land as a homesteader, and we promised there’d be more, so here it is! This week’s post on how to profit off your land is all about livestock, dairy, and meat. Being able to raise, consume, and sell your own animal…
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5 Ways to Use Vinegar for Your Chickens
Vinegar has so many uses around the home in general, it should be no surprise to you that there are a lot of ways to use it around your chicken coop! Both distilled white vinegar and apple cider vinegar are wonderful to keep your chicken coop clean, your chickens healthy, and keep you happy! Here…
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The Life Cycle of a Chicken (Infographic)
So I guess it’s a bit of an urban legend that chickens need roosters to lay eggs. Which makes sense, of course, given we humans need a male and a female to “lay” a baby! However, this understandable misconception is due to the fact that eggs are not the exact equivalent of a human baby…
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Homestead Hog Slaughtering (Video)
I think hogs are some of the best animals to have on the homestead. They are cost efficient and can produce a lot of meat in a short amount of time. And who doesn’t love lots of pork and bacon? Of course, there’s the dirty business of slaughtering them. They’re pretty big, heavy, strong animals,…
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Tips for Raising Goats
Homesteaders should certainly consider raising goats. They can be used for meat, milk, and more. However, it is important that you have a good understanding of how to raise the goats properly and safely, and to provide them with a healthy environment. The following are some tips that can help you get started. More than…
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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…
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Best Animals to Raise for a Homesteader
You want to become truly self-sufficient. Even though you might have a beautiful garden with all the vegetables you need, if you are still buying meat and dairy from the grocery store, you aren’t very self-sufficient at all. In this post, we’ll be looking at some of the best animals for a small homesteader to…
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Homestead Thanksgiving Dinner (Video)
I feel like Thanksgiving in particular is a great holiday for homesteaders. The traditional Thanksgiving feast is very reflective of the seasonal delights many North American homesteaders know all too well: sweet potato, pumpkin, turkey, seasonal greens, apple pie, etc. This morning this old video floated across my YouTube suggestions of the butchering of a…
