Search results

I thought you guys were trying to raise shrimp and I was all ready to jump on the bandwagon. I love the little things and they can get expensive to buy.

I've heard they're fussy and shouldn't be left on the ground, but that's about all I've heard about them. Quail eggs are pretty small, so you'll need a few of them before you can skip that store run.

One of my poor chickens has a cracked beak. The ole girl can still eat just fine, but I worry that it will crack further if I don't do something about it. What do you guys recommend for these types of injuries?

I have a hobby farm with three dairy cows. We use the milk for own consumption, of course, but my wife also uses it as an ingredient in some beauty products she makes. She does pretty well selling them at the farmers market. I bought the first heifer and the other two were given to us or I...

It keeps the coop warmer inside since it won't absorb the cold from the ground. It's less likely to flood or to let in snow and ice. The designs you're seeing are probably meant to maximize space. So the coop is raised in order to allow the chickens to use the area underneath the coop as a...

Usually in the fall and winter I rely on wheat and rye which are easy to grow. When my harvest is winding down, I will turn the animals out to graze wherever it won't hurt them. There's a lot they can eat. Even pumpkins and squash are edible, but something like potato vines could be a problem...

I think that's true, even for a hobby farm. The key is prioritizing the things that must be done that day and the things that can wait a while. I struggle with this too, but I attend the events that are most important to my family. I also add quality family time to my to-do list. Uh, they...

There are several databases out there that categorize plants that are in the public domain. The plants can typically be used however you wish. There's a lot of interest in keeping these plants around, so propagating the helps.

I've never heard of it. Do they send specially made food for your specific dog? What are the prices like? Sorry @Andrew T, here you've come to get some answers and instead, I've piled on more questions.

Be honest, how often do you crank up your tractor, combine, and other machinery during the winter? Is that part of your maintenance routiine? I'll admit it's a chore I tend to put off. I'm doing good to fire them up two or three times over the winter season.

My wife and I felt like 11 was a good age for my son and daughter to start learning how to drive a tractor. Actually, my daughter might've been a little younger than that, but she's always been more focused and mature than my son. I was always with them though. That might seem too young to...

I lock all of mine up at night, including the barn cats. We have wolves and coyotes around here and they are relentless hunters. I almost lost an entire tribe of goats before I realized what was getting them at night.

Yep, I like to plant them as part of the Three Sisters - corn, pole beans, and squash. The corn acts as a nitrogen fixer for the soil and becomes a steady post for the beans to climb. The squash grows along the bottom and helps to block out weeds from the sun, so they eventually wither and...

Hey Urban Homestead, do you mind sharing what type of chickens you have right now? Some breeds seem to get along better than others and if you have the bossy sort, it's not usually wise to add a docile breed.

I hung my platform feeder off a tree branch. I placed a baffle around the bottom of the trunk in order to keep the cats from jumping at the birds or climbing the trunk to get at the birds. It works a treat.

I'm hoping to start on a pick-your-own fruit venture. I just need to do some more research to make sure it will be profitable. Then I'll start sourcing the plants.

Does anyone agree? It hasn't been done since 2012 and thanks to global warming, the climate has changed since then. I have perennial plants that are trying to come back up because it's getting warm again. My mint plants still haven't gone dormant. I think the USDA waited 22 years between the...

As much as I love the convenience and dependability of heated water bowls, I don't have electrical outlets all over my homestead to make it happen. I've tried different things over the years to keep the water unfrozen. My new go-to method is to keep the water moving through the use of fake...

Can you tell me a little more about your barn design? Are they housed all together and free-roaming, are they tied in individual stalls, etc? Are we talking about dairy or beef cows here? I just use straw for the most part, mostly because I produce it on the homestead which saves us money...

I was in traffic all day trying to get to the in-laws, but now I'm here and it's good to see everyone again. My wife is super excited for everyone to try her new casserole dish and the kids are running around with their cousins. Family is what it's all about. I sound like such a sap. Maybe...