Yesterday, at our request, a representative from the Department of Agriculture came out to visit and test our chickens in conjunction with the National Poultry Improvement Program. NPIP is a voluntary program that provides testing for common ailments in home and commercial flocks. NPIP helps us to ensure a safe food supply and avoid the [...]
Archive for the ‘How-To’ Category
28 Mar
Starting Seeds Indoors
We can tell Spring is here because both the jobs that keep the bills paid and the jobs around the farm have really gotten busy! Almost a month since my last post tells that story. One of the things that we’ve been working on is getting our garden ready. Though the weather has been unseasonably [...]
30 Nov
Farmcycling Project – Chicken Water Heater
Though the winter is setting in reluctantly, we have had a few cold nights where the chicken’s water iced up. A quick check at the feed store, Tractor Supply, and Amazon found chicken waterers like this: Unfortunately, the cost of one of these babies is between $40 and $50. That’s a lot of chicken feed! [...]
11 Oct
Organic?
When we first started dreaming about our farm, “organic” was high in our priorities. This flows out of our family mission, to glorify God in all ways, and to live that out on our farm by raising, managing, and using His creation in a healthy, sustainable, humane, and respectful manner. Since we planned to produce [...]
6 Oct
(Mis) Adventures in Long-Distance Horse Trailering, Part 2
Last time, you may recall, we had just finished the first long day of our cross-country move with our family, goods, and two horses. Texas to Missouri had taken us a bit longer than we’d expected but it had been relatively smooth. Zip (our Quarter Horse) had taken the situation in very good stride, while [...]
22 Sep
Fruits and Veggies
Our past posts have dealt primarily with our animals and the work associated with them, but another blessing we’ve got here is what we’ve been provided with in the way of fruits and vegetables. We had a late start to the garden itself as we were pretty busy with all the projects that came from [...]
14 Sep
NATO Peacekeeping, Family Harmony, and Automatic Chicken Doors
I spent 10 years in NATO assignments, so I’m pretty acquainted with the challenges of trying to accommodate seemingly incompatible desires. Hey, if I could somehow deal diplomatically with both sides of the Aegean Sea dispute between Turkey and Greece, I should be able to figure out a farm, right? Right. OK, we’re not talking [...]
12 Sep
Repurposing Wooden Pallets
I’ve found a reliable source for used wooden pallets (as well as heavy-duty plastic ones from time-to-time). There’s always a use for them – whether it’s stacking firewood, scavenging the wood for another project, or using them intact (or mostly so) for one thing or another. Here are my latest two pallet-projects: The muscovy [...]
12 Sep
On Gadgets
It’s a little known fact that the managers at the local Tractor Supply Co and Home Depot franchises have recently seen the same specialist to cure the same problem. It seems their salivary glands go hyperactive anytime they see me roll into the parking lot. If you have a small farm, you know that there [...]
11 Sep
Fall is Around the Corner
We’re just starting to get a hint of color, and are excited for the Fall Foliage to arrive. Of course, if Autumn is just around the corner, Winter is close behind. That means there’s not a lot of time left for us to get some of our tasks done around the farm. Yesterday afternoon was [...]
A Joyful Birth
