Life on the Farm
Marek’s disease is so common you can assume your chickens have it, even if they don’t show any signs. But while some chickens resist Marek’s disease, others succumb. The question is: Why? What is Marek’s Disease? Marek’s disease is the...
Frost flowers are delicate white ice formations that develop at ground level around the dry stems of plants. They go by many other names, including ice flowers and ice ribbons. An amazing sight The first time I saw frost flowers,...
What do you do with a bountiful harvest of ginger and turmeric from your garden? Well, you could make energy shots. They offer a great non-caffeine pick-me-up when you’re feeling the winter blahs, and might just keep you healthy during...
A matter of much debate among chicken keepers is whether or not to use electric lights in winter to encourage hens to keep laying. Let’s look at some facts and bust some myths about lighting your chicken coop in winter....
Barbed wire criss-crossed our Tennessee farm when we moved here four decades ago. Some of the wire was wrapped around or stapled to rickety fence posts. But most of it was nailed or stapled to trees — not a safe...
The book that came with my Excalibur food dryer says watermelon is “poor for dehydrating.” I say otherwise. It dries nicely, keeps well, and tastes great. Here’s how to dehydrate watermelon: Pick the Right Watermelon Start with a large, fully...
Every time I hear cackling referred to as a hen’s egg song, I get a little confused. The many studies I’ve read about chicken sounds always refer to pre-laying hen sounds as singing. None refer to a hen’s post-lay cackle...
What, exactly, causes a chicken to go broody is a subject that baffles even the best poultry scientists. One thing we know is that whether or not a hen decides to brood depends on three interconnecting factors: genetics, hormones, and...
How to sex guinea fowl can be mystifying to anyone who hasn’t spent a lot of time around guineas. But it’s not quite so mystifying once you learn the clues to watch for. Vent Sexing Keets (baby guinea fowl) of...
Deworming goats with prunings from pine trees and similar conifers is much less expensive than using chemicals. It also avoids the issue of internal parasites becoming resistant to chemical products. But can you really deworm goats with pine? Let’s find...
