× Looking for minerals and goat supplies? Head over to our shop at GoatCare.com! We experimented this summer with silage making from lawnmower clippings. The first barrel wasn’t a complete success–mold made it several inches down the barrel–but it was enough to convince us to keep trying, so in July we ensiled 4 barrels of grass clippings sourced entirely from our lawnmower. We opened the first of those barrels today, so I wanted to show you the results, along with a step by step explanation of silage making with nothing more than an air tight container and a lawnmower with bagger attachment. Silage making is so incredibly simple I’m surprised it isn’t more popular. It took me quite a bit of searching initially to find Read More
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Raising Rabbits for Meat in a Colony
× Looking for minerals and goat supplies? Head over to our shop at GoatCare.com! We’ve been raising rabbits for meat off and on for years. From the beginning, I sought alternatives to traditional cages. We started out with rabbit tractors, which worked great for small numbers but weren’t really scalable. Then, at our old house, we started a colony and it was the perfect answer, until the goats pushed on the gate and “freed” the whole colony right before we moved. It took a couple of years to start over, but now we’re raising rabbits for meat again and have settled on a colony build that works well for us. In this article, I will answer some common questions and share the insights I’ve gained over Read More
150 Animals, Winter Chores in Under 30 Minutes
× Looking for minerals and goat supplies? Head over to our shop at GoatCare.com! When talking about the animals we raise, I often hear, “How do you do it all?” I’m startled at that question, because the reality is there isn’t much to do, so I thought maybe it would help to take you on a walk through my daily chores. As much as possible, I try to automate systems. Like most of us, I have a lot going on with homeschooling, house-wifing and small farming, so anything I can be hands off with is a help. These photos were taken today. The average time to feed and care for all the animals on the property is under 30 minutes, with bursts of activity once per Read More
Garbage Can Chicken Feeder
× Looking for minerals and goat supplies? Head over to our shop at GoatCare.com! We’ve been feeding whole grains to our chickens for 2-3 years now. About a year and a half ago, we finally landed on the low maintenance, no waste chicken feeders we use today: garbage can chicken feeders. This method allows us to feed one or two times per year and results in zero waste and grain throwing. To get started, choose a container. We had garbage cans on hand so used those. We have made feeders in 5-gallon buckets and I’ve seen storage totes used as well; there are no set rules for the container type as long as it will hold up to the weight of the feed with holes drilled Read More
Creating a Feeding Station for Livestock Guardian Dogs
× Looking for minerals and goat supplies? Head over to our shop at GoatCare.com! Before we got pigs, we just had a bowl of food out for the dogs free choice. Those days were so innocent, so pure, so carefree. Then came the pigs. <cue ominous music> Now, I’ve had all kinds of livestock for most of my life, but nothing prepared me for life with pigs. They are an entirely different animal altogether. I remember the first time we were moving two of our little sweet adorable piglets out of one pen and into another. Everything was going great, they were following a bucket of grain and we were thrilled with our success. Then they quit coming. I looked back to see those two Read More
Fencing for the Livestock Guardian Dog
× Looking for minerals and goat supplies? Head over to our shop at GoatCare.com! My heart jolted out of my body for probably the 4,000th time in a month to the sound of a honking horn. In the weeks since moving to our new farm, situated right next to a paved road, it had seemed like one catastrophe after another and the honking horn was a sure clue that yet another disaster was unfolding right outside. Blaze, our benevolent Great Pyrenees, had once again escaped the pasture where she lived and was out on the road stopping cars. This is a 50 MPH road, so you can imagine the chaos that ensued. She would refuse to move, barking at these evident trespassers and nothing we Read More