Life on the Farm
This simple but delicious summer squash and tomato salad makes a nice light lunch. We typically make this salad with small zucchinis from the garden, plus either bell pepper or kohlrabi. Including the kohrabi or bell pepper is entirely optional,...
Our summer garden always produces more vegetables than we can possibly eat and preserve. We share some of the surplus as treats for our chickens. Our goats also get a small share of the bounty. But during the summer they...
Everybody loves a treat, and chickens are no exception. Fed in moderation, garden treats for chickens add variety to their diet. And they don’t contribute to obesity or dilute nutrients provided by layer ration. Summer Treats Chickens eat to meet...
Many of us who keep goats and chickens together in the same facility have certain issues to deal with. One is that a frisky goat might step on or head-butt a chicken, especially a young one. Another is that, given...
Learning how to pick a ripe watermelon is an important gardening skill. Picking a fresh melon in anticipation of its juicy sweetness, only to discover the melon isn’t nearly ripe, is a disappointing and frustrating experience. Doubly so, because unlike...
Compared to a human, a chicken’s eyes are about 25 times bigger relative to the size of its head. The chicken’s eyes don’t look so large because they’re partly hidden behind flesh and feathers. But those big eyeballs take up...
Unlike humans, chickens do not have a system of organized lymph nodes to protect them from bacteria, viruses, and other disease-causing microbes. Instead they have several lymphoid organs that work together to gradually develop active immunity that protects the chick...
One of the many reasons to keep dairy goats is to make your own yogurt. It’s not only good for you and delicious, it’s also super easy. All you need is fresh milk and a starter culture. The starter culture...
Starting azaleas from cuttings is tricky business, according to everything I read before I gave it a try. And another try. And a third try — ah-ha, this time with success. Why Bother? Decades ago I bought several pots of...
Chickens feel safer when they roost off the ground, particularly while they sleep at night. Providing perches inside a chicken coop reduces the temptation that they will sleep unsafely outdoors in a tree or along a fence top. Perches are...
