Everyone that has a homestead should consider raising animals. Raising animals on the homestead greatly raises one’s self reliance. Chickens give you meat and eggs, goats can give you milk and meat. Sheep can give you wool, meat, and even milk.
If utilized properly, these creatures can actually improve the land that you keep them on. Manure is excellent for improving the soil. Chickens will help till the ground and eat bugs.
Just about any animal can be used on the homestead for more than one purpose. Permaculture principles can be used so we are good stewards to the land.
Proper grazing techniques are important as well for your livestock. If you allow your animals to move across the land without overgrazing, this will benefit the land greatly.
Raising animals on the homestead can even improve your garden. I use all types of manure around the farm to make our sandy soil better. And it’s all organic. No artificial fertilizers here!
We believe that everyone should grow their own food. Raising your own meat so you know what goes into the food you eat is especially important. There are so many antibiotics used in commercial farming, you never know what you’re getting in your meat.
We are big into raising animals here at Homegrown Self Reliance. I have always been a huge animal lover, and raising animals just fits with who I am. In this category I will share all the information that I have on successfully raising animals for greater self reliance.
Backyard chickens are so fun to have! So many people now have them as pets, and stress about how to care for their chickens in the winter. I have talked to so many “chicken tenders” about what chickens need and what they don’t need, and today I want to share my best tips on winter …
Raising turkeys on the homestead is an easy way to provide meat for your family. Smart homesteaders raise a variety of poultry and animals on their farms. If you’ve already started growing your own food, you’ve likely already started raising chickens. If, by any chance, you haven’t raised chickens, be sure to check out my …
Have you ever wanted to try raising ducks? They are a fun little addition to the homestead, and can be dual purpose (producing eggs and meat) if you get the right breeds. We have had ducks for quite some time, and we love watching them waddle around the farm. We’ve raised all kinds of birds …
There is a huge backyard chicken movement sweeping the country. It seems everyone now is raising chickens! And for good reason. Chickens are awesome! There is so much advice and differing opinions on how to best care for the little fluffy butts. Do you want to raise chickens but don’t know where to start? I …
Goats – horns or no horns? That is a very controversial question right now. Honestly, though, it’s an entirely personal decision. You have to do your own research and decide for yourself whether you want your goats to have horns or not. Goat disbudding is the most widely used method of removing horns from goats. …
Spring is on its way, and you may be considering raising chicks. Feed stores and hatcheries will be soon announcing the arrival of their new babies. It’s very tempting to bring home a few fluffy chicks, but do you know what to do after you bring them home? With all the information out there, it …
We butchered our meat chickens a few months ago, and it’s taken me a little while to write this. You can read part one and part two here. I absolutely LOVED putting nearly 50 chickens in the freezer, but there were a few issues. Here are some more mistakes that we made, so that you …
How NOT to get started with meat chickens (pt. 3)! Read More »
First of all, I would like to apologize for my absence last week. I had the best of intentions to post a new challenge every week as part of the #SelfRelianceChallenge, but life kinda got in the way. My son (my baby!) got married over the weekend on our little farm, so we had lots …
Consider Raising More Sustainable Protein – Challenge #2 Read More »
Now that we’ve had the meat chickens for 5 weeks, I wanted to give an update. You can see part 1, with mistakes 1-5, here, and part 3, with mistakes 10-14, here The chickens are quite comfortable in their grow-out brooder. It is still a little tight, but so much better than before! In this …
How NOT To Get Started With Meat Chickens (pt. 2)! Read More »
This week on the farm, we got some meat chickens. And boy, we have already learned so many things NOT to do. The hubby bought some Cornish Cross chicks and a few turkeys while I was at work. Honestly, he’s done that a few times – he texts me and says, come outside, I got …
