Did you know that whitetail deer can share diseases and parasites with your sheep and goats? Meningeal worm, also called brain worm and deer worm, is one of those parasites. It is not as frequently seen or spoken of as other parasite, but it can be deadly if not treated promptly and properly. Thus, it…
Category: Homesteading
Enhancing Livestock Performance: The Importance of Breeding Stock Selection
If a large percentage of your flock is related to your ram, you might be at the point where you are worried about inbreeding and looking to buy a new ram. Perhaps you’re looking to buy in some new ewes to enlarge your flock. Or maybe you just feel like your sheep aren’t performing as…
Keeping Mastitis Out Of Your Flock Of Sheep
If you breed sheep for any length of time, you’re likely to run across a case of mastitis at some point. This is particularly true for dairy animals. The increased udder volume and the larger, lower placed teats that are desirable for milking make the animals more susceptible to mastitis. So today we are going…
Lambing: What To Expect When Your Ewes Start Expecting
Lambing season is in full swing. If you are new to sheep and this is your first lamb crop, you are likely a bit nervous and apprehensive about what to expect. You are probably also curious about what signs you should be watching for. So today we are going to look at pictures of and…
How To Prevent Pregnancy Toxemia and Milk Fever
A few months ago we discussed both the basics of how to understand a forage analysis, and also how to select the right mineral mix for your sheep. Lambing season is just around the corner, so, today we are going to discuss two very common and completely preventable nutrition-based problems you might encounter. We will…
10 Terrific Reasons To Milk Your Katahdin Sheep
Milking sheep is something that most people in this country find unusual or even weird. Most have never even considered it as a possibility. Many of those who have considered it have been put off by the wool and terrible reputation dairy sheep have. Or maybe you already have a flock of hair sheep and…
A Quick Look At Sheep Coat Color Genetics: Spotting
Last time we started talking about sheep coat color genetics. We discussed the Agouti or pattern genes which are mainly responsible for your sheep’s coat color and markings. We also discussed the black brown genes and the extension genes that sometimes play a role in coat color. Today we are going to discuss our favorite…
A Quick Look At Sheep Coat Color Genetics
Have you ever wondered about the genetics behind sheep coat color? Or have you wanted to know how to skew your lamb crop towards being more colorful? Maybe you browsed around our website and realized that sheep come in some really flashy patterns not just white? Or perhaps you have an interest in producing naturally…
How To Make Hoshigaki—Preserving Food Like Our Ancestors
After reading this title, you are probably wondering what in the world is hoshigaki? Hoshigaki means dried persimmon in Japanese. In an earlier article where we advocated for planting persimmon trees in a no-spray orchard we mentioned that this was one of the uses for persimmons. Today we are going to show you how to…
How To Turn Kitchen Waste Into Homemade Soap
Most people trying to homestead know how important it is to waste as little as possible. But one thing many people don’t know what to do with is waste fat from the kitchen or from processing animals. Did you know that instead of throwing away all that fat, you can easily turn it into a…