Bringing Home Ducklings and Adding Them to Your Flock!

About a month or so ago, my husband and I were at our local feed store to pick up a few things and hopefully purchase a few more chicks to add to our layers this year. Sadly, they were out of chicks that day---EXCEPT for these four sweet little yellow ducklings peeping away! Oh. My. GOSH! I fell in love! So we ended up bringing all four of them home. Yep! All four! Now, I didn't know a lot about ducklings, and I'm going to share with you the things I wish I had known! Their addition to our little homestead has been successful so far, but things might have been a little easier if we had been aware of a few things!

PreparednessHeidi Villegas, MA, CA, HerbalistMarch 21, 2017how to bring home ducklings, ducklings, how to raise ducks, how to take care of ducklings, what ducklings need Comments

How to Stay Warm in Winter: Clothes You MUST Have for Winter on the Homestead

How this cold person learned how to stay warm in winter, even on the coldest days! Find out the tips and tricks for staying toasty warm on an icy cold day. What clothes you should wear to stay warm, how to wear your clothes, and what are the best boots, gloves, and hats!

PreparednessHeidi Villegas, MA, CA, HerbalistJanuary 25, 2017clothes for winter, winter clothes, clothes to keep you warm, warm work clothes, warm outdoor work clothes, clothes you need in the snow, insulated clothes for cold, insulated clothes, winter gloves, winter hat for extreme coldComment

How to Get a Small Homestead Ready for Winter Freezes...Are You Ever REALLY Ready?

I love that saying "Winter is coming," from the show, Game of Thrones. It sounds foreboding, doesn't it? Well, when you have animals to care for, and it's your job to protect them from the elements, it sure can be a foreboding and stressful feeling. You need to be sure shelter, water, and predator control is in place. Although we are new homesteaders, just under four years, we have learned to start thinking about the upcoming winter in June or July! And still----we are never really ready, it seems.

PreparednessHeidi Villegas, MA, CA, HerbalistDecember 27, 2016getting ready for winter, animal shelter in winter, homesteading in winter, how to keep your home safe in winter, animal shelters, horse shelter, dog house in winter, how to keep chickens warm in winter Comments

Thankful Thoughts from 9 Amazing Homesteaders

I have loved getting to know fellow homesteaders! Here are some thoughts about gratitude from nine of them!

PreparednessHeidi Villegas, MA, CA, HerbalistNovember 23, 2016Thanksgiving, Things we are thankful fo, things we are thankful forComment

Seven Lessons We Learned about Raising Turkeys in the Last Eight Months

Are you thinking about raising turkeys? Are you wondering what kind to get? We kind of accidentally jumped into raising turkeys without even knowing what kind we were raising. Here are some things we found out, our experiences, and what we plan to do differently next year. Find out about raising turkeys!

PreparednessHeidi Villegas, MA, CA, HerbalistNovember 14, 2016heritage turkeys vs broad breasted turkeys, things to know about turkeys before you raise them, what you need to know about turkeys, what do turkeys eat, can turkeys live with chickens, what is the difference between a broad breasted turkey and a heritage turkey, what is a broad breasted turkey, is it worth it to raise turkeys Comments