Raising Turkeys for Meat vs. Pets

We really enjoy raising turkeys on our little homestead We’ve had our turkey, Tarzan, for six years now and he delights everyone who comes to see us with his strutting and gobbling! While we primarily raise turkeys for pets, we have accidentally raised turkeys for meat as well

We accidentally raised turkeys for meat because we got the wrong type of turkey without realizing it If you want to raise turkeys for meat or for pets – here are a few things to consider

Raising Turkey for Pets

If you want to raise turkeys for pets, make sure you get a

Do Ducks Need Bodies of Water?

Ducks are cute and fun fowl to keep on your homestead They lay big, delicious duck eggs that are perfect for baking, they are funny, and cute! They’re also very, very, very messy A common question when it comes to raising ducks, is do ducks need a body of water? Here’s what you need to know about ducks when it comes to water!

 

All fowl need clean, fresh water to drink Ducks need a lot of water though – and they make a huge mess with it Be prepared for soaked bedding minutes after giving them clean water! It’s

How to Prevent Weeds in the Garden

Weeds in the garden are the bane of my existence As I write this, I’m thinking about all of the weeds I need to go eliminate and it’s a little over whelming Preventing weeds from growing in the first place is a great goal, and there are a few things you can do to prevent weeds from growing in the first place Here are my top three weed prevention methods!

I highly recommend transitioning to a no-till garden Tilling actually encourages weeds grow by moving them around in the soil And over

How to Know When Seedlings Are Ready to Go Into the Ground

As the weather gets warmer and the days get longer, we get anxious to start gardening When to plant our seedlings is an excellent question, and one that depends on a few factors: type of plant, last frost date (or weather), size of seedlings, and proper hardening-off of seedlings

 

One important thing to consider before planting is to understand what type of plant you want to grow Some plants are cold hardy and will tolerate colder weather Potatoes, lettuce, onions, kale, broccoli, radishes, will all take a bit of cold and are usually planted first, before the last frost date

My Favorite Traits of Guineas

Guinea fowl are very interesting birds that people either love or hate I first decided I wanted to add guineas to our backyard flock after seeing them on social media I fell in love their eye lashes, their weird helmet shaped heads, and their polka-dot feathers They have more redeeming features than the appearance, though, and I like them a lot I may be the only person on our little hobby farm who enjoys them because they also have a few qualities that many people find highly annoying That said, here are the five things I love most about

Dying Eggs Naturally

Dying eggs naturally is such a treat – it’s not hard and it’s a really fun thing to try with your kids With a bit of time and pre-planning, using saved food scraps and other items, you might not even have to buy anything extra to create the most beautiful naturally dyed eggs!

 

Surely, you’ve seen the lovely color combos you can create with your own eggs using items from your kitchen or things you have foraged yourself If you’d like to dye Easter Eggs naturally, this year, here are a few tips and color combos to try!

Garden Prep Before Planting

Let’s get ready to garden! Are you excited to grow your own vegetables this year? Growing a garden is a budget friendly way to get healthy food on the table, an opportunity to teach your kids where food comes from, and a way to reduce use of fossil fuels needed to transport far away food to us Here are a few things to do to prep your garden for the flurry of planting!

 

Clean the garden –

Remove any sticks, rocks, other debris that may have fallen on your garden throughout the winter Make sure you get rid of plants that

My Top 5 Plants to Grow in the Garden

Part of the way I keep warm in the winter is to dream about gardening There’s not a lot of gardening we can do outside right now in frozen Iowa, but we can make garden plans and get ready for spring and summer Warm weather will be here before we know it Then we can stop griping about the cold and start griping about the bugs, the heat, and the humidity There’s always something, right?!

 

I grow a large, varied garden filled with flowers, herbs, fruit, and vegetables I like to experiment in my garden, so you’ll always find something

Creamy Chicken Tortellini Soup – One of My Favorite Soup Recipes

I love soup Frankly, I can eat soup all year long, though it does seem like we eat it more in the winter than in the summer I’m sharing my favorite soup recipe with you today –  in honor of National Soup Day on February 4th

 

It’s difficult to choose a favorite soup since I love so many: Taco Soup, Zuppa Toscana, Hearty Chili, Lasagna Soup, Hamburger Soup, French Onion, Simple Chicken Noodle All these are delicious, filling, and easy to make from scratch If I must choose my one most favorite soup, though, I think it might be Creamy

How to Keep Eggs from Freezing in the Chicken Coop

It’s that time of year again when it’s a race to get to the chicken coop to find eggs before they freeze Finding cracked, frozen eggs when egg production is already low is one of the most frustrating things about keeping chickens in the winter

Luckily there are a few things that will help keep eggs from freezing quite so quickly! Here are five things you can do to slow down how quickly eggs will freeze in the chicken coop

  1. First, make sure your chicken coop is well insulated Keeping the coop