On a whim, my husband decided to apply for a job…2400 miles from our current home. For some reason, he was shocked when the company contacted him for an interview. Suddenly, the whim went from “oh well that would be interesting” to “oh crap how are we going to move with 22 chickens, three pregnant […]

Joel Salatin (aka Chicken Man) is a familiar name among chicken keepers, small poultry business owners, and homestead rebels. We asked Joel to share with our readers how he got started with broiler chickens and what keeps him going. Beginnings On Sept. 24, 1982, I was a married 25-year-old with a 1-year-old son, doing the town […]

When you have given time, effort, sweat, and love to your urban homestead, how do you leave it? Rachel Cunning shares her story of building up her homestead, having to leave what she created, and planning for the next home. I am standing in the driveway of our suburban homestead. The wind blows lightly through 20 […]

Wild populations of quail have been shrinking in the U.S. for decades, to the concern of bird conservationists. However, in recent years, several different species of quail have become popular birds with homesteaders and backyard bird enthusiasts. They are small, easy to maintain, and in most states they aren’t considered livestock. This means that you […]

Today is the first day of the Spring season. It is a time of renewal and rebirth. All around my home, life is returning from its dormant winter sleep. The birds are chirping. Nests are being built. The trees are starting to bud. There is promise in the air of all the things to come. […]

The wind has been blustery cold these last few days and nights. The kind of cold that you want to look at from your cozy living room. Maybe you have a hot cup of coffee and a blazing fire going. That is the way to enjoy the beauty that winter can bring. However, we are […]

These days the gardens, back porches, side steps, railings and cellar ways are filling up with oversized squashes, odd baskets of cucumbers or buckets of green beans, stalks of garlic and ripening tomatoes. Here, too, the yards, coops, barns, garage and assorted sheds on the homestead are filled with various sizes of poultry! There is […]