Category: Livestock, Feed, & Fencing

The Dirty Side of Homesteading, by Patrice Lewis

Too often, homesteading articles, blogs, websites, and videos (including this one – guilty!) show only the successful side of homesteading. The abundant harvest, the completed projects, the fresh eggs and baby chicks and overflowing milk, the healthy livestock … by golly, this lifestyle must be easy-peasy, right? Yes and no. Of course things go right. And of course things go wrong. But what is seldom shown is the nitty-gritty day-to-day dirty side of homesteading, including the daily chores that must be done for the comfort and welfare of animals. For that reason, I thought I’d show you something I do …


The Other AI: Breeding Maggie, by Patrice Lewis

Editor’s Introductory Note:  This guest article was written by our friend and fellow blogger, Patrice Lewis. Her entertaining and informative Rural Revolution blog has been published several times a week since 2009. We highly recommend bookmarking it. – JWR — Last year, we bred Maggie, our Jersey heifer, to a neighbor’s young Angus bull. It was a convenient arrangement, and little Stormy was the product of that breeding. But our neighbors no longer have that little bull, so we were trying to figure out how to get Maggie bred this year. After some discussion, we decided to use AI (Artificial …


Field Fencing: Subdividing the Pasture, by Patrice Lewis

Editor’s Introductory Note:  This article is a guest post by our long-time friend and fellow blogger, Patrice Lewis. After first living in Oregon (from 1992 to 2003), Don and Patrice Lewis bought a ranch south of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, and genuinely pursued a self-sufficient lifestyle. After their lovely homeschooled daughters both reached the “up and out” age, they moved again. This time it was to an undisclosed location elsewhere in North Idaho, ostensibly to slow down and lead a more sedate life. But, as irrepressible gardeners and dairy cattle ranchers, they’ve found themselves busier than ever. I highly recommend bookmarking …


Why I Still Have Dairy Cows, by SaraSue

I have been a milkmaid now three, going on four, years.  Of all the things I’ve tried on the farm, the dairy cow is one I hope to have until I am so old I can’t carry a bucket of milk.  I don’t have any cows “in milk” right now, as a planned winter break.  I have two cows pregnant with Spring calves, and one heifer (a young cow who has not yet been bred back or calved).  This is the first time I’ve taken a milking break in three years and I’m having dairy withdrawals.  I tried purchasing milk …


Putting Down My Dog, by SaraSue

I had no sooner sent in my positive update to the blog last week than a near catastrophe occurred. I am sharing this, even though it hurts to write about it. I’m doing so because I think it’s important to recognize that country living has pitfalls, as does self-sufficiency. Your preps and relationships become very important and not just for the obvious reasons. In this case, I needed plentiful first aid supplies, a clear head, and neighbors I could call in an Emergency. I will tell you the story. Warning: This is a graphic heart-wrenching story. Please skip over it …


Backyard Chicken Tips, by Tractorguy

Keeping laying hens is an excellent idea for preppers, if you have the space and ability to do so. They are an excellent source of nutrition, particularly fats, which can be problematic to store in a grid-down or survival situation. Back in the early part of the 20th Century, during two world wars, the US government encouraged all households to keep laying hens. It is sage advice. Keeping hens to provide eggs is not hard, and does not require a large amount of time and attention. Much information is available online about raising chickens. This is not meant to be …


The Final Countdown: Last-Minute Readiness Checks – Part 2, by Michael X.

(Continued from Part 1. This concludes the article.) Water List This is an item for the first three days. This is super important and needs to be one of the first items confirmed. Check locations and condition of water sources: Bottled Water/Stored water containers Well water (power dependent) Lake water – are there containers to carry and larger containers to store lake water? Is there a rainwater collection option available? Is the Berkey/Filtered water system ready? Can the tub be successfully filled with water from the system before the power goes out or the line pressure is gone? Can I …


The Final Countdown: Last-Minute Readiness Checks – Part 1, by Michael X.

Hypothetically, (of course), assume for a moment that the proverbial fan has been hit. Now you have three days….or two weeks….or two months…until the consequences of the event hit where you are. Good luck guessing how long it takes to hit you. Are you as ready as you can be? Are you sure? How do you know? How and when it hits you, whatever it may be, may be based on three key things: the type/cause of disaster, your proximity to the disaster or populated areas, and the stability of your systems (electricity, water, fuel, and human support systems). THE …


Some Emergency Animal Care Experiences, by Hollyberry

Let me start out right away by saying I have absolutely no veterinarian training or any training in animal first aid. I am just an average person who lives miles from the nearest vet and has had many animals….dogs, cats, goats, rabbits, and fowl. I have had many health or injury issues to attend to over the decades and this is just what worked for my husband and I and hopefully you will never need any of this information! I also want to state that I have not received any money or discounts for recommending a product. If you own …


What is Old is New Again – Part 1, by 3AD Scout

As consumers, we are bombarded with new and improved devices and other consumer goods constantly. Buying something to make our daily work and tasks easier has been ingrained in our psyche over the centuries. As I prepare for the end of the world as we know it (TEOTWAWKI), I don’t look for the “new and improved” devices that have electronics, require power (either AC or DC), are made of plastic or that are made in China. That does not mean that I don’t have a Ham (amateur) radio, flashlights, solar panels, and plastic items made in China. What I mean …


Why We Do What We Do, by Hollyberry

Thankfully, we are blessed to live in a country where we still have choices to make that impact our lives. It is our job as Christians and citizens to make good decisions that affect us and others. The window of opportunity to have choices is getting narrower, soon it will be closed. Some folks laugh at homesteaders for doing things the hard way. You won’t be laughing later if something happens and you have to fend for yourself. Wake up people, and learn how to provide for yourself and your family. Make good choices. Learn from elders and experienced people …


Year 3: An Honest Look at the Farm – Part 3, by SaraSue

(Continued form Part 2. This concludes the article.) Preparing for WTSHTF When I wrote the 7-year food plan, it wasn’t just an idea.  I actually did it.  I took a guest room in the farmhouse, and half-filled it with food-grade buckets of dried goods and supplies that were calculated to last seven years.  It has been nice to be able to pull out anything I needed.  In addition to that, I bought several freezers over the past 3 years.  They are mostly full as I write this.  The last freezer I purchased from Costco was the biggest chest freezer they …


Year 3: An Honest Look at the Farm – Part 2, by SaraSue

(Continued from Part 1.) Gardens and Jungles In my Year 2 update that was posted in SurvivalBlog last summer, I shared that I had nothing but garden failures.  There are several problems I had to solve with gardening where I live.  First, I had to turn a lawn into a garden.  Second, plowing only brought up dormant seeds that I jokingly say are from all the surrounding counties.  Third, there is no water piped out to the garden and I didn’t have enough water due to the previous well situation.  Fourth, we had a semi-drought in year 2.  Fifth, the …


Year 3: An Honest Look at the Farm – Part 1, by SaraSue

Just when you think you’ve “arrived”, you realize you’re lost, or something like that.  One step forward, three steps back.  There are other ways that one might want to characterize homesteading.  None of it is easy.  Spring is particularly busy and I always think of selling the farm and “retiring” to a genteel life filled with laying poolside, chatting about absolutely nothing important, drinking mimosas, and dining on food that someone else raised and prepared.  But, I digress… I have written about my experiences in SurvivalBlog in 2022 and in SurvivalBlog in 2023.  Now I write about where the farm …


A Crash Course in Veterinary Medicine, by 3AD Scout

Dave Ramsey, a talk radio show host who discusses financial matters, is fond of saying that people who make expensive financial mistakes “just paid the stupid tax”. In my opinion, “stupid mistakes” of any kind are learning opportunities and sometimes that education can be expensive, but if you learn from it, that mistake and the subsequent education can be priceless. In the Summer of 2019, we moved full-time to our bug-out-location (BOL). In the spring of 2020 we purchased our first animals for our homestead, chickens. We soon added pigs and cows. Like any living creature, animals have basic needs …