This last weekend my parents came into town and thank GOD! We got so much done. My dad works as the Trail Boss for the Burnett County Snowmobile Club, making him the most efficient guy I know when it comes to taking down trees.
There were about six nasty old half dead trees that lined the garage, all blocking much needed sunlight into the only south facing window we have on the house. My dad and I had them out, stumps and all, in one day. The yard looks so much more open now, plus we have plenty of logs now to build hugelkulturs in the back of the property. I also plan on using the thickest stumps as the sides of my raised garden beds. To see all our pictures and learn more about the process, click here.
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The chicks are here! The chicks are here! As I was leaving Farm and Fleet this morning with a peeping cardboard box, a woman went to enter the store as I was exiting. She saw my wistful smile and then motioned to the box saying, "Ahhh, the sound of happiness."
She could not have been more right! This has been quite the adventure getting ready for these little birds. You can do as much research as you want, but nothing beats learning like actually doing the thing. They are beyond adorable and I am so happy to finally be a proud flock owner. To prepare for the chicks I spent less than $50, chicks included. Here is the price break down:
We are on our way to a finished chicken coop thanks to some serious planning and one huge Menards trip. Paul and I like to joke that Friday night is date night at Menards, the place of serious romance.
All joking aside, going in to Menards with a plan is what saved our heads on renovating and updating this chicken coop ourselves. I started by mapping out how I wanted the chicken coop to look on the inside by using SketchUp Make. The plan went through a lot of changes as I did more research. But below you can see how everything shook out. PSST! If you've got some intense building codes where you live, we also built our own mobile chicken tractors! That way you can protect your hens and give them all the benefits of bing free-range on pasture with none of the risks. You can read all about the mobile chicken tractors here. Scroll down to grab the plans on how to construct a nesting box from one piece of plywood!
As it would be for anyone to say the “best” in terms of chicken breeds for a small homestead, I am being totally and completely biased. Full disclosure, the Silver Laced color variety was originally bred in Wisconsin and I am so dang proud. The Wyandotte breed has a total of eight color varieties, which include Black Laced, Blue Laced, Buff, Buff Columbian, Columbian, Golden Laced, Partridge, Silver Laced, and Silver Pencilled. I think that the Silver Laced Wyandotte is the prettiest though, but to each their own! Now let’s get on to talking about why Wyandottes are great for the small-scale homestead.
It’s official. My boyfriend and I are now the proud owners of five beautiful acres in lovely southeastern Wisconsin. With one big willow tree, a confused little rambler, and plenty of outbuildings, we are in paradise! With thoughts of garden plots and chicken coops dancing around in my head for the last six years, it’s surreal to finally be standing at the beginning of my mini homesteading journey. |
Meet Kelsey,Thanks for stopping by Green Willow Homestead! From chicken rearing to composting, we've got our hands full and we love sharing what we've learned along the way. Follow along as we turn the 80 acres we call home into a farm that serves its community and a homestead that nourishes us throughout the seasons. Grab the EbookListen in!FREE Guide!Tune in to our YouTube ChannelInspirationsCategories
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Favorite Books of 20241. Erosion
2. Braiding Sweetgrass 3. As Long As Grass Grows 4. The Small Scale Poultry Flock 5. The Zero Waste Solution Archives
April 2024
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