Oh, gracious... It's been a nice, but exhausting weekend. Frankly, I woke up this morning already ready for my afternoon nap. But, there's work to be done! I have a ton of luffas that need processing, seedlings to be thinned, chickens to be fed, and I'm hoping to get some garden paths built. I was … Continue reading Work Day!
Black Oil Sunflower Seeds vs Corn for Chickens
We use Black Oil Sunflower Seeds (BOSS) for our chickens instead of corn. Especially in colder weather, I supplement our birds extra protein, where most people supplement more grain, usually corn. I have a few reasons for doing it differently. First off, BOSS is roughly 17% protein, 44% fat, 24% NDF (fiber)¹ Corn, however, is … Continue reading Black Oil Sunflower Seeds vs Corn for Chickens
The Good, The Bad, and the Rainy
This is what our weather forecast is like for the next week (and beyond) Rain, rain, rain, and more rain. To be clear, in East Tennessee, anything higher than 15% chance means, it's gon' rain. So what does that mean? It means every homestead task just got a little (lot) suckier. Chickens still need to … Continue reading The Good, The Bad, and the Rainy
Our Chicken Run
I've been asked for some pictures of our chicken run/fence. While our property doesn't have a perimeter fence, we do have a chicken run to keep our flock safe at night and during inclimate weather, and we free range them in nice weather. The back side of the coop is covered with hardware cloth and … Continue reading Our Chicken Run
Pros and Cons of Free-Ranging Chickens
As our 2nd year with chickens comes to a close, I figured I'd share our assessment with you; what we found profitable, what we found to be wasteful, etc. In particular, this post will focus on the pros and cons of free-ranging. We'll start with the positives first. Pros Saves money on feed- this should … Continue reading Pros and Cons of Free-Ranging Chickens
Back to Eden: Barrenness to Abundance
This is the start of our 3rd year on this property. Lately I had been really discouraged about all the things we need to do, and the things we haven't been able to accomplish (goats, windows, roof, doors, floors, kitchen, bathrooms, etc...) But then, I happened across an old picture of the place before we … Continue reading Back to Eden: Barrenness to Abundance
Black Consort Currant Cuttings
I'm in full-out winter-prep mode. I'm thinking through fall 2018 and spring 2019 plantings already!! So, I worked on our berry area today during naptime. I pruned back the currant and raspberries/blackberries this past weekend. So, I had 5 currant cuttings to plant. The little buds are leaf buds. But, the big fat buds like … Continue reading Black Consort Currant Cuttings
Work Day on the Homestead
One of the biggest challenges of homesteading with 3 small children is... homesteading with 3 small children.It's almost impossible to get a job done without interruption making it take 4 times as long.It helps a little to have my husband home helping, but we rarely end up working on the same task to completion. Usually, … Continue reading Work Day on the Homestead
Hickory Nuts!
We have so many hickory trees on our property we're seriously considering cutting some down to use for lumber. However, we also really love that we get a ton of nuts without really having to do anything but gather them. So, that's what we have been up to. The trees are all well established and … Continue reading Hickory Nuts!
Husband Brag
I'd like to take this opportunity to brag on my husband a little... Okay, a lot. And maybe brag is the wrong word; it's not a boastful sentiment I want to express as much as one of cherishing my husband. Since Baby Henrik was born, my man has been absolutely outstanding in the departments of … Continue reading Husband Brag
Wholly Holy Living 
You must be logged in to post a comment.