I’ve been terrified of getting stung for as long as I can remember. However, I’m a sucker for honey, and once I got past the fear, beekeeping has been one of the most enjoyable parts of homesteading for me. There’s something about the incredible teamwork and harmony you find in a hive that’s fascinating; and…
When I bring in a bin of dripping, honey-filled frames from the beehives, I always get excited. The next steps are definitely sticky, but nonetheless incredibly satisfying. I find dripping honey mesmerizing to watch. Whether you’re extracting honey with top-end equipment or with items you found around the house, it’s definitely going to be a…
Most foxes are skittish creatures that will only go after prey smaller than themselves. Larger animals will often put them off and encourage them to go elsewhere in search of dinner. The question is, are goats large enough to discourage a fox and, in case they’re not, can they defend themselves or more vulnerable animals?…
Blue is the world’s favorite color, but besides the sky and the ocean, it isn’t a color you often see in nature. That’s probably why blue chicken poop is such as shock – the first time I saw blue chicken poop, I definitely did a double-take. Blue poop might look concerning, but it’s not always…
I’ve only ever met one person who liked the smell of poop – specifically horse poop. For the average homesteader, myself included, examining any sort of manure really isn’t the most enjoyable part of farming. But it’s quite an important one. Of course, poop naturally comes along with every type of farm animal, including chickens….
I love the way baby chicks smell, and I’ve always thought that adult chickens have a nice barnyard-y scent to them. But have you ever had the experience of walking past a chicken coop and nearly gagging on the horrible stink? I certainly have, and so have many other chicken owners. For a while, I…
Putting a “lid” on your chicken run can seem like a step you don’t need. We all know that chickens can’t fly and with a roof over the entire run, will they get enough sunlight? I’ve had flocks free-range, in pens without roofs, and in runs with roofs of different kinds. After all of this,…
Chickens typically walk with jerky, alert movements. A dizzy chicken is sure to stand out from its strutting, pecking coop mates. My chickens have quicker reaction times than I do, so I would definitely be concerned if they started losing their balance, stumbling sideways or backward, or otherwise acting drunk. If one of your chickens…
Peanut butter seems to be a controversial subject among those that keep ducks as pets or on hobby farms. Some blogs, forums, and influencers say that they feed their pets peanut butter all the time as a treat. Others maintain that peanut paste is fine but peanut butter is deadly. Are peanuts themselves even safe…
Ducks are charming creatures to watch, especially on a nice, sunny day. As they waddle around and look for things to eat, you may notice them nibbling on the grass. Occasionally they will snap off these blades of grass but, on closer inspection, sometimes they may not. Are they getting anything from the grass when…