Its done. The chickens were harvested. They were actually harvested back at the beginning of November. And I am just now getting this post to you. I struggled with what EXACTLY to share with you. I mean, it is a post about killing chickens. Yikes. In the end, I have decided to share with you my experience in how … Read More
Tower Garden Update
My Tower Garden is 3 months old! I can’t believe it has only been 3 months and I have been harvesting LOTS of goodies from this amazing tower!!! I have really enjoyed having lettuces on the Tower Garden. I have been just harvesting leaves for salads and sandwiches the moment I need it. I JUST recently harvested the remainder … Read More
Growing Food with my Tower Garden
I am so excited! I have had my eye on a Tower Garden for a LONG time! Probably for 2 years. You see, I am terrible at keeping plants alive. So much so, that I am actually surprised that I am good at keeping kids alive. Gardening has never been my strong suit. I am pretty sure I have a … Read More
How to Raise Meat Chickens – Part 3
Here we are, 5 weeks into raising these meat chickens. In my last post we had JUST received the chicks. The cute little yellow fluff balls. I was surprised at how much food they were eating (still SO much) and I was eager to get them out into the awesome chicken tractor that my husband built! Fast forward to now. … Read More
How to Raise Meat Chickens – Part 2
The meat chickens are here!! A week ago, I got a call from my friend announcing that the chicks have arrived!! Woohoo! Wait, is the coop ready? Do we have everything? Do we know everything we need to know about how to raise meat chickens? My husband put some last minute touches on the coop while I put together our … Read More
An Adventure in Raising Chickens for Meat
How to Raise Chickens for Meat Yup! You read that right! Half of Oh Lardy is venturing into the world of raising chickens for meat! Well, we have always enjoyed having chicken at our dinner table, but we have never been the ones to harvest them. Until now. Well, not until December. It’s cooler then. When I began my … Read More
An Air Conditioner in the Chicken Coop?
Yes. You read that correctly. We put an air conditioner in the chicken coop. Are my chickens spoiled? Perhaps. But they are alive!! Living in Phoenix, I am challenged with keeping my chickens alive during the summer. Our temps have been known to creep up to 120 degrees Fahrenheit. Fortunately, that isn’t normal. But 110 is still darn hot!!! … Read More
Best Beginning Breeds for the Homestead
There’s something truly amazing about animal husbandry. Rearing animals from infancy to adulthood, connecting with them on a personal level, giving them the best life and death possible — it’s easy to see why so many people are swearing off commercially produced milk, eggs, and meat and simply producing and raising their own. However, when you’re just getting started in … Read More
Natural Pesticides for your Home
In my quest to detox my life, I have finally gotten around to getting rid of our bug guy. I know, I know. You can’t believe I have a bug guy, right? Well, in the years we have had him, he was never allowed to spray inside or in the backyard where our chickens are. I have no idea why … Read More
The Definitive Guide to Keeping Chickens in the Winter
**Today, Claire Smith over at The Happy Chicken Coop, is sharing an article she wrote on how to raise chickens in the winter . You know Kelly raises backyard chickens, but she lives in Phoenix, so doesn’t have to worry too much about winter weather! Claire is willing to share with you today how keeping chickens in winter can be … Read More
Apple-palooza!
I have had apples coming out of my ears for the past week or so!! You see, while my kids were on fall break, my husband took them up north to my parent’s cabin in Pinetop for one job. They were going to pick all of the apples off of their two apple trees. After filling three boxes with apples, … Read More
11 Vegetables Anyone Can Grow On Their Own
By Dr. Mercola One in three US households are now growing food, according to a special report from the National Gardening Association (NGA).1 This equates to about 42 million households with a food garden in 2013, a 17 percent increase from 2008. Keeping a garden can improve your health by providing you with fresher, uncontaminated food, and cutting your grocery … Read More
Fodder for Chickens
What is fodder, you may ask? Quite simply, it is food for livestock. Usually dried grasses or hay. For my hens, fodder is sprouted grain allowed to grow beautiful green shoots. Lots of chicken owners grow fodder for chickens during the winter months. With snow covered grounds, fresh green grass, essentially, is a welcome treat for hens! Chickens love eating … Read More
10 Reasons to Start a Garden
I am itching for spring and am already planning my garden! I just place an order for a variety of organic seeds (kale, cucumber, snap peas, lettuces, spinach and so much more) and can’t wait to get started! Although, given the look of my garden today, I have a while before I can actually plant! Do you have a vegetable … Read More
Fermented Chicken Feed
You all know how much Oh Lardy loves to ferment foods! If it is a veggie, a fruit, even a juice, we have tried to ferment it. So, it should come as no surprise that I decided to ferment my chicken feed. I mean, why not? Fermenting their food will improve the enzyme content and increase vitamin levels! Fermenting chicken … Read More
A Practical Guide to Keeping Chickens – Resources and Questions
A while ago I took a little poll on Facebook. I mentioned that we were planning a series on Chicken Keeping and wanted to know your questions! We had a great response and I took notes. Hopefully, I answered most of your questions throughout this series. However, there were still a few specific questions that I wanted to make sure … Read More