Home raised ducks are on the rise! It’s easy to see why ducks are becoming popular, they’re fun to raise, family friendly birds and great to eat. Ducks are fun (I certainly enjoy having them around!), but do they make money sense? Is raising your own ducks worth the time, effort and money? Raising a…
Considering mixing up your own feed for your ducks? Good call. If you are willing to source the main ingredients of your feed, you can save money on feed costs. What do your ducks need in their feed ration? Duck feed is made from ground corn, soybean meal, calcium carbonate and poultry mineral mix. Ducklings…
You can successfully raise bottle lambs. It will take some work and planning and, of course, some patience! How do you make sure the lambs will grow well while being bottle fed and then get them transitioned off the bottle at weaning? Bottle lambs need lamb milk replacer fed as recommended. As long as the…
When you have sheep, you’ll need hay. Looking around online or at the hay sale, you see multiple options. Options are great, as long as you know what to buy! What is the best choice of hay for your flock? For maintenance sheep use high quality first cutting grass or mixed hay. For sheep needing…
We all know that the amount and quality of feed to give your breeding stock is vital to the health, as well as the productivity, of your pigs . For the beginner, properly feeding for the changing needs of your breeding stock can be confusing. How much feed should sows and breeding age gilts get…
Thinking about raising your own beef? Nothing beats the view of a few steers on pasture or a freezer full of your homegrown custom cut beef! Raising your own beef takes time and money and will be the best beef you’ve ever had. Will raising your own beef be worth it to you? Raising your…
Raising your own beef is your ticket to meat freedom! Before you can eat the best beef you’ve ever had, you’ll need to get your steer processed. What are the costs to butcher that amazing steer of yours and how much meat can you expect to get? The cost to butcher your own beef is…
Geese are popular, especially in Europe, for raising as a meat bird. Yet, they are lagging in popularity in the U.S. Are geese likely to be a new business opportunity or more of a potential hobby? Geese cost $22.94 per year per adult to feed for four months in the winter and $12.68 per gosling…
Most flocks of sheep will be fed some hay for the winter. Even as your sheep are munching away on a fall pasture or nipping the late season growth off of your lawn, you know you need to get some winter hay. How much hay does each sheep need and how many bales will you…
Getting a few new sheep to add to your flock is a great opportunity to grow or improve your sheep, Yes! In order to have the new sheep seamlessly blend into your operation, there are a few steps you need to take to ensure success. When adding new sheep to your existing flock, you need…