Marye Audet: Raising Livestock Hubs

Do you know what role a chicken tractor plays on a small farm? The first time I heard the term i imagined our rooster, Jimmy, carefully driving a big John Deere across the property. Chicken tractors are a great tool to keep free range, truly free range, chickens and other poultry safe while they forage. Discusses the benefits, how to make one, and has a video of one. Also contains links to helpful materials on Amazon.

Do you know why it is better to choose Heritage Breeds of Livestock than other breeds? Do you know what a heritage breed is? Read this hub for an overview of some of the different heritage breeds and why it is important, as well as beneficial, to raise them.

Heritage Breeds of Chickens discusses a homesteader's options when he goes to buy his first flock. Usually the livestock we put on the property first are chickens because they are inexpensive, easy to raise, and produce large quantities of food without needing large amounts of space. How to identify your needs and choose the right breed for you.

All milk comes from cows right? Yeah, except goats' milk. Creamy and delicious it really tastes sweet and delicious when fresh. Goat milk bought from the store is just awful and there is no comparison. Raising Heritage Breeds of Goats for Milk and Meat is an introduction to these intelligent creatures...and by the way..they do not eat cans but are really picky eaters!

Nothing is wasted on the homestead as you know. Buying specialized pet foods came from a country that wished to make lots of money. People who moved away from farms and still wanted pets no longer had scraps from butchering and hunting that they had had in the past. Homestead Basics:Homemade Petfood helps with the hows and whys of making your own pet-food at home..and stepping closer to being self sustaining.

Ask me which of my jobs on the homestead I like the least and disbudding will be high on the list. How-to Disbud a Goat Kid simplifies, I hope, a difficult but necessary process. I tried to get good pictures as I worked.

How to Move a Colony of Bees was in answer to one of Zsuzsybee's requests, I think. If you have bees somewhere you don't want them read this over. I still think you need to check with a local beekeeper but this is great information.

The Intelligence of the Horse is not only a look at some of the horses I have worked with over the years, but also a guide to assessing a horse's intelligence. There are some excellent video resources here as well.

How-to Deal with Colic in Horses is a hands on guide to dealing with colic when your horse gets this life threatening malady. Know the signs, the causes, and the preventions as well as some things you can do to try to get past an episode with colic.

You haven't lived until you have plopped a 150 lb ewe on her bottom, and sheared her for the first time. Jacobs Sheep are a heritage, dual purpose breed with a fascinating history.

Raising Heritage Breed Turkeys is an overview of why heritage breeds are better and the fascinating variations between the breeds. Heritage breed turkey meat is commanding high prices from specialty stores and upscale restaurants. The taste is totally different than what you might be used to.

Raising livestock is part of being self sufficient. It is part of the homestead, and the lifestyle we are striving for when we turn our backs on WalMart and Poptarts, and McMansions. Get all the information you can before you begin your homestead journey. Forewarned is forearmed!

I will add links here, as I create hubs. Hopefully it will simplify the process.