Stefanii

Stories from Stefanii

Chicken Coops
Stefanii
10/01/2010
So, you've gotten a few chickens and while they were chicks you kept them indoors under a heat lamp..but now they're grown and you need a new place to keep them.

One or two things to keep in mind when building your chicken coops is to make sure there are at least a few individual boxes (ideally, you should have one box per chicken) in case your hens go broody and want to set on some eggs, especially if you have a rooster. If you don't have a rooster, there's really no point in letting a hen set because, well, she's just not going to have anything come of it. But either way, you should have one box per chicken because chickens want a little privacy while they lay their eggs - wouldn't you? And, you should also consider roosting bars, since chickens roost in trees at night naturally.
Homeschooling
Stefanii
10/01/2010
When you're considering your child's education, you really should to consider all options. There's the usual choice of public school, which can be good for socializing your child but they aren't exactly number one when it comes to education, which can be greatly attributed to the fact that public school (especially high school) is a popularity contest, and a lot of kidsspend more time studying other people and their clothing than they do their curriculum.
Composting - Hey, That's Not Garbage!
Stefanii
10/01/2010
You might be surprised at what you can add to your compost pile, as composting goes much farther than just grass clippings and veggie scraps, and sometimes throwing dead leaves in. I was really surprised to come across some of the things that you can add to your composting pile, and not only will your plants benefit from these added nutrients but landfills will fill up more slowly.

Some of these things are basically common sense, but some of them made me go 'woah, really?'. Freezer Burnt Fruits/Veggies. These make good compost, because after all, once they thaw out they'll start decomposing just like any other fruit or veggie. Pet Hair. This also composts well, and if you put it in the compost pile it'll help get rid of some allergy triggers in your home and possibly help you breathe better!
Also:

Wood chips
Bee droppings
Pig Proof Enclosures
Stefanii
08/31/2010

Never underestimate the power of a pig.
Don't even doubt it's strength and resolve, because it WILL get through that fence you just spent hours or even days putting up..Or under it, or over it..
Unfortunately, it's hard to tell what a pig can and cannot get through until it's up and the pigs are in there. Plus, like all animals, what works for most might not work for yours.
So, to make things easier for you...


4x4 Fencing
Also known as goat fencing, this does not make a good pig enclosure, no matter how you anchor it, how many posts you use, how close said posts are together, or if you bury 6" of it.

Keeping Horses: Yay Or Neigh
Stefanii
08/31/2010
Keeping horses can be very rewarding, and you'll have your favorite trail buddy right there, ready to go whenever you are. It can also be very expensive, since the general rule is 1 acre per fullsize horse, and you'll need grain/oats, salt licks, hay, and horses love a little alfalfa every now and again - it's like candy to a horse.

And that's just food, you'll also need tack, and depending on what discipline and maker you choose it can be anywhere from kind of expensive, to holy-crap-that's-expensive expensive. Whether you pick the English discipline or the Western discipline, there's basic tack that both require, like halters, lead ropes, lunge lines, fly masks - if you're new to horses and don't know what all this jargon means, have no fear, I'll explain it all in a bit.