“Mom there’s a chicken with its head gone on the back porch”
“What?”
“There is a dead chicken on the back porch…well I’m thinking its dead. If it’s not that is weird!”
“Ughh, that *&%* dog!”
“I think she just wants to play with them.”
“Yeah by biting their heads off?”
“She’s just a dog, isn’t that what dogs do?”
This is [...]
Archive for the ‘Animal Husbandry’ Category
A Dead Chicken on the Porch
Posted in Animal Husbandry, Children, Daily Life, Uncategorized on November 14, 2009 | 7 Comments »
The Nature of Bees
Posted in Animal Husbandry, Livestock, tagged Beekeeping, Bees, Honeybees on October 1, 2009 | 7 Comments »
When I first told my Momma that I was getting bees, she said, “Warren, what are you thinking? Don’t you know that bees are mean and nasty by nature? And you have small kids!” There is a lot to say about the nature of bees and I won’t pretend to know more than a little [...]
Rabbit Cacciatore
Posted in Animal Husbandry, Cooking, Uncategorized on September 15, 2009 | 15 Comments »
Rabbits are fairly new at our farm. The kids thought they would be a great 4H project and talked me into getting some. I made them do a lot of research about breeds, uses, care, etc. (I had raised meat rabbits as a kid and knew what was involved. I also really like rabbit, so [...]
Goldilocks and the three bears
Posted in Animal Husbandry, Pest Control, Politicking with predators, tagged Animal Husbandry, bear breaking fences, bears, Fruits on September 8, 2009 | 5 Comments »
Compared to previous years, it has so far been a summer free of bears here in the valley. Friends visiting have been disappointed to see none on the hour long drive from the foot of the hill down the valley to our community, and I’ve heard of no home or chicken shed invasions since late [...]
My evolution to farmer
Posted in Animal Husbandry, Creative Pursuits, Livestock, Permaculture, Raising Animals, preparedness, tagged Gardening, learning to farm, Livestock, personal food sovereignty, survival, sustainable farming on July 28, 2009 | 13 Comments »
From city mouse to country mouse
I do not have a background in farming or agriculture. I was raised in Vancouver and until I was in my thirties, I had only been once to a farm–when I was 5 years old. That trip was very influential, and I immediately liked the idea of living on a [...]
Working with animals, differently
Posted in Animal Husbandry, Creative Pursuits, tagged Animal Assisted Therapy, Animals in Counseling, CANTRA, Equine Facilitated Mental Health, Equine Facilitated Wellness, Nature Assisted Therapy, Pet Practitioners on June 30, 2009 | 6 Comments »
Six years ago (2003) I came to Bella Coola, an isolated settlement of about 1800 (half of the population is First Nations) on the west coast of British Columbia (500k from the nearest stop light!), to complete my Anthropology fieldwork for my MSocSc degree. I planned to stay only for 3 months before returning to [...]
Stranger in a Strange Land
Posted in Animal Husbandry, Daily Life, Food Preservation, Livestock, Permaculture, traditions on June 20, 2009 | 5 Comments »
(France is a few hours ahead of the US but not 24: sorry, this should have been posted yesterday!)
A month has rolled by and it’s my turn at the desk, feathered quill in hand, ready to blog again about our un-normal lives. Whilst I feel at home here in Brittany, north-west France, I’m also [...]
Aquarium Water As An Easy Liquid Fertilizer
Posted in Animal Husbandry, Frugality, Gardening on June 17, 2009 | 17 Comments »
Got fish?
We do. In fact, they’re the only pets/animals we have so far, though there’s a long list of the others we will acquire as we’re able.
I’m one of those people who really needs to have living creatures around in my life and living spaces, or something just is really missing. Fish have always had [...]
Muscovy Ducks
Posted in Animal Husbandry, Livestock, Raising Animals on June 8, 2009 | 18 Comments »
Congratulations to Colleen for being the hat pick winner for the heirloom tomato seeds! Thank you thank you thank you for all your suggestions. I liked all of them: the simple and more complex. As a matter of fact I think I use all of them —but look forward to my sandwich the most [...]
Reader’s Question :: Travel & Animal Care
Posted in Animal Husbandry, Gardening, Readers' Questions on June 5, 2009 | 6 Comments »
Reader’s Question: I often wonder how many people who have big gardens and daily responsibilities with animals such as dairy cattle, chickens, and other livestock, ever arrange to travel elsewhere even for a day or two…? Many of the responsibilities of self-sufficient lifestyles are so beyond the norm for folks who are not used to them…milking [...]
