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YouTube Channel Updates

5/31/2018

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Have you checked out our YouTube Channel yet?  I try to post videos at least twice each week, and more often as time allows.  Recently, I have produced videos about things like:

How to plant tomatoes - https://youtu.be/z8Mf9FiIUHY 

Keeping city chickens - https://youtu.be/-RjQoyszEdY

Gardening Updates - https://youtu.be/iXiRlGSApEM

Rabbit Care (a multi-part series):
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLPVM29FizjvPFwH3B9yuEF_6A6MCpU3Vw

And more!

If you enjoy these videos and want to see more like them, please subscribe to our YouTube Channel.  After you have subscribed, if you click the bell icon that is beside the subscribe button, you can receive a notification directly from YouTube right away, each time I upload something new.
  

So head on over and check out what you've missed!
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Anderson County Emergency Preparedness Fair

4/24/2014

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On Saturday, May 10th, I will be at the Anderson County Emergency Preparedness Fair in Clinton, TN.  This is the 3rd year this event has taken place, however it is the first year that I have participated.  I must confess that I was not aware of this fair before this year, but it sounds quite interesting, and very much like an event everyone will enjoy!  This is a free event, open to the public, and all of the classes offered that day are free as well.  There will be classes such as food preservation and canning, bread baking, and CPR certification.  
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I will be offering the following mini-classes as well.  These are short sessions and will not cover the in-depth information that is covered in my full classes, but will provide you with useful information on the specific topic covered, and will hopefully whet your appetite for considering participation in one of my full-length workshops.
  • 9:15am Laundry Soap (how to make it and use it) - A limited number of free samples will be available.
  • 10:30am Meat Rabbits (why you should consider raising meat rabbits, and different housing methods used)
  • 11:45am Goat Care (preventative care, with a focus on deworming practices used here on our farm)
  • 1:00pm Backyard Flock (why you should consider keeping chickens, and various feeding methods)
Start times on the above classes are approximate, so consider arriving a few minutes early.  Each class will last approximately 15-30 minutes each.

I will be sharing a table with Damnearafarm and our table will be inside, so we will be there rain or shine.  I will also have goat milk soap and some other handmade items available for sale that day, along with more information about the full-length workshops I offer.  Even if you don't have time for one of the mini-classes that day, please stop by and introduce yourself.  I would love to meet you!

Click here to download a printable flyer with more information about the event.
Please feel free to ask if you have any questions about the specific classes we will be presenting that day.  For general questions about the event itself, you will need to contact the fair organizers - contact information is provided on their website.
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Feeding sprouts

2/6/2014

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Have you ever tried growing sprouts, either for human consumption or for animal feed?

Most any whole seed can be sprouted.  This includes grains, beans, legumes, and other seeds (such as sunflowers).  There are several benefits to sprouting grains.  By sprouting the seeds, they become more nutritiously available - this means that when consumed, the body is able to absorb and use more of the nutrition from the same amount of seeds, than if those same seeds were consumed in their unsprouted form.  Sprouting seeds also increases the content of some nutrients - the specific nutrients and level of increase will depend on the specific seeds being used. Additionally, feeding sprouts to livestock, such as chickens, increases the diversity of their feed.  The chickens are able to consume both the seed/grain and the green sprouts they produce.

Sprouted fodder can be fed to most types of livestock.  If you would normally feed the grain to a particular animal, then you can feed the same grain as sprouts to that same animal.  As an example, whole oats can be fed to chickens, goats, and rabbits.  Sprouted oats can also be fed to chickens, goats, and rabbits.  The ability to feed the same feed to multiple species can be very convenient, and can also save on feed costs!


Growing sprouts can be as simple or as sophisticated as you want to make it.  There are sprouting kits of all sizes available from many different resources.  You can also make your own "kit" with basic items such as a canning jar for the initial grain soaking, and a shallow plastic tray or bowl for growing the sprouts.

I intend to experiment with feeding sprouted grains and seeds this year.  Since this is not something I have tried yet, I will leave the more specific "how to" information for a later post that I will share with you once I have actually done it a time or two.  It will be a learning experience, but hopefully a good one!  If any of you have experience in feeding this way, I would love to hear from you!


Here are some great websites with more information on the benefits of sprouting seeds/grain, both for human and animal consumption.
Animal Fodder:
http://www.motherearthnews.com/homesteading-and-livestock/sprouted-fodder.aspx
http://www.peakprosperity.com/blog/growing-sprouted-fodder/72618
A video from Joel Salatin on sprouting grains for chickens
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xhzph-4tyUI

Human Consumption:
http://www.thenourishinggourmet.com/2009/01/why-sprout.html
http://nourishedkitchen.com/sprouted-grain/
http://sproutpeople.org/sprouts/nutrition/science/

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Disclaimer:
None of the information contained on this site is intended to diagnose, treat, or otherwise substitute for the care and advice from a qualified human or animal medical professional.  Please consult the trusted medical professional of your choice before using any of the information contained on this site. 
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Are you frozen?

2/3/2014

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I don't know about ya'll, but I am tired of winter!  I have never liked cold, snowy weather, so this winter has not been high on my list of favorites.  It seems like everything has been frozen forever!  There are visions of palm trees dancing in my head, and I can faintly smell the salty air - but I digress...

Have you done anything special to keep your livestock warm this year?  I always take extra precautions, especially when the highs are not expected to get above freezing, and the lows are in the single digits (or sub-zero a few nights!).  I re-purposed some empty feed bags (never just toss those babies..they have too many good uses!) to wrap my hen house and keep the wind out.  I also hung some Christmas lights inside, both for supplemental light, and to add a degree or two of warmth while the girls are on the roost.
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The ladies must appreciate the changes because they seem happy, and they even laid an egg for me (of course that could have been because they overheard me making plans to "thin the flock").
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I showed you a while back how I prepare the rabbits for cold weather, and how I make sure they have water, even in sub-freezing temps.  They sure enjoy burrowing in the hay, and I collected quite a few ice blocks out of their water bowls, since it was too cold for them to melt.  A couple of mornings when the actual temps dropped below zero, some of the longer haired rabbits had frost on their facial fur (where their breath froze).  Even those girls didn't seem to mind the weather - but they did enjoy a nice drink of hot water!

Clearly everybody and everything is cold around here.  Fortunately however, the critters seem to be tolerating it much better than I am.  Do you think if I were to throw a temper tantrum, I could have spring NOW?  

Yeah - somehow I knew you were going to say that.  

Apparently Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow yesterday, but Beauregard Lee did not.  Nothing against you Pennsylvania farmers out there, but I like the Georgia groundhog better.

Disclaimer:
None of the information contained on this site is intended to diagnose, treat, or otherwise substitute for the care and advice from a qualified human or animal medical professional.  Please consult the trusted medical professional of your choice before using any of the information contained on this site. 
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From the "only on a farm" file

8/30/2013

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My Ameraucana rooster sure got himself in a pickle yesterday.  I still haven’t quite figured out how it happened, but somehow the genius got his foot entangled in the rope that is hanging from the ceiling of my chicken coop.  The rope is there to hang my auto-feeder from but the auto feeder broke so it is not being used at the moment.  Who would have thought a simple rope, attached to nothing except the ceiling, would be a danger to a chicken.

I also don’t know for certain how long he was hanging there, which was a bit scary to think about last night.  I left home for work yesterday morning at about 7:30 and all was well then.  I did not get back home until almost 9:00pm however.  I was doing my evening critter check when I discovered him hanging upside down, from one leg, because the rope was wrapped around it.  

The poor guy was understandably a bit woozy.  He really didn’t seem to be in much distress however.  I’m not sure whether he had been hanging there long enough to give up, or if maybe he had calmed down because it was dark, or maybe he was actually cool with “hanging out” in that position.  I know most chickens can be put into sort of a trance when held upside down by their feet, but one would think that hanging like that for a while would still be upsetting.  He didn’t squawk or fuss when I rescued him.  I offered him fresh water and he did not protest me dipping his beak, but he didn’t want a drink either (that alone makes me think he was not there for hours).  He had no feeling in that leg however, so I rubbed it some to help the circulation and put him to bed for the night.

This morning’s check brought good news.  He was very much able to get where he wanted to go, and could stand on both legs for short periods of time.  He has a terrible limp, and I think it may take a few days for the affected leg to fully recover, but I believe he is going to be fine.  I have removed the “dangerous” rope so that he, nor any of his hens, can entangle themselves again.  I’m not sure what I’ll do about hanging the auto-feeder once it is repaired, but I’m open to suggestions!

                                                                       ***Update***
I checked on the rooster again this evening and, as you can see from the photos below, he is doing much better.  He still has a noticeable limp, but he is standing for long periods of time, like any normal chicken.  I'm convinced he will continue to improve, and be back to his old self within just a few days.  And the girls may get a reprieve during that time as well!
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Disclaimer:
None of the information contained on this site is intended to diagnose, treat, or otherwise substitute for the care and advice from a qualified human or animal medical professional.  Please consult the trusted medical professional of your choice before using any of the information contained on this site. 

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    Hi, my name is Nicole and my friends think I'm crazy.  I love farming, and my methods can be non-traditional at times, but I love simple living, I love playing in the dirt, and I love life.

    Disclaimer:
    None of the information contained on this site is intended to diagnose, treat, or otherwise substitute for the care and advice from a qualified human or animal medical professional.  Please consult the trusted medical professional of your choice before using any of the information contained on this site. 

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