Pigeons used to be a common part of every homestead. Considering adding a dovecote to your farmyard. Once upon a time, few were the farmyards without a dovecote set atop a pole in the farmyard or attached high on the side of an outbuilding. There doves and pigeons lived a near-wild existence, gleaning food from […]

This is basically a German mac-n-cheese with some pheasant bits tossed in. It’s easy, homey, and kids will love it. You can serve this in a big casserole, or, for a dinner party, in individual ramekins. It reheats well, so you might want to make a big batch on the weekend and eat it for […]

Most fungi are beneficial or harmless, but a few will cause serious health issues in your chickens. Fungi comprise a kingdom of organisms that include molds, mildews, yeasts, and mushrooms. These related organisms share the following characteristics: They have a nucleus, or core. They lack chlorophyll and thus are unable to produce their own food, […]

Learn Meredith Leigh’s method of butchering a chicken carcass into 8 pieces. Chicken Butchery Chicken is a great place to hone your cutting skills. We’ll cover the standard, eight-piece cut, and offer a slight variation, which will come in handy when you’re frying chicken. Wings Begin by removing the wings. Stretch the wing as far […]

Knowing the anatomy of poultry can help you butcher more efficiently. Learn about the placement and processing of gizzard, crop, perineal gland and other internal poultry organs. How to Begin Before attempting to slaughter or butcher an animal, you must perform enough preliminary research to ensure that the work you do is efficient and humane. […]

Enjoy this excerpt from The Woman Hobby Farmer and their perspectives on securing the future of small farms for all women. No matter what you do as a farmer, it’s important that you tell others about it. This book illustrates some of the limitless forms that farm education takes. As women, our roles are limitless as well, […]

Learn all about common fly species from egg to adult, often found in poultry houses with manure and explore various methods to control them. Fly control is an integral part of poultry management. With today’s concern about environmental conditions, fly control takes on added importance. Besides their ability to mechanically carry disease organisms, flies may […]

A well-designed landscape can transform your garden into an extension of your home, offering an attractive and productive outdoor living space. For our feathered friends, a well-designed garden can offer protection and safe shelter as well as food for them to forage. While landscape design is probably not the first thing you think of when […]

Everyone agrees that geese are loud and make good homestead guardians.  Learn more about some of the different breeds of geese and their intriguing characteristics. Breeds of Geese Like cats, dogs, horses, and chickens, geese come in many different shapes, sizes, and temperaments. While a goose’s behavior can be greatly shaped by how it is raised, […]

Chickens are not always kind to each other. Learn how to keep your hens safe and solve some flock problems with this excerpt from The Chicken Keeper’s Problem Solver. PRIMITIVE BEHAVIOR Newcomers to the chicken-keeping hobby are frequently surprised—and often shocked—to discover just how vicious their feathery friends can be. Anything smaller than they are […]