The Muscovy duck is a bit of an oddball. They have an unusual appearance due to lumpy, heavy mottling around the eyes and beak. The male Muscovy can raise the mottled crest to attract females or warn other males and intruders. They don’t swim as much as other duck breeds, and they graze much like geese. However, these attributes, rather than being distractive, are actually some of the things that make them very appealing to homesteaders. Muscovy ducks live for about seven years, although some have been known to live for up to twenty years
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When you choose to go off the grid, you will find out very quickly that you cannot go at it alone. Most people who decide to pursue this lifestyle realize immediately that they will need the help of animals. Chickens provide eggs and meat, cattle and goats provide milk and meat, and sheep can give
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Raising animals is an important aspect being self-sufficient. In order to cease reliance on outside sources of food, you need to have domestic animals. People have survived for thousands of years by taking advantage of animals, both wild and domesticated. You may use hunting to get a significant portion of your nourishment, but that is probably not enough. Keeping animals gives you a steady and reliable source of food. And whether you keep cows, goats, sheep, or any other type of animal, you will need to breed them if you would like to continue with
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Living off the grid typically includes taking advantage of the benefits of animals. Maybe you have goats for milk and grass maintenance, sheep for wool and meat, or chickens for eggs. Whatever kind of animals you keep, they are probably important for your continued survival. They may provide an important source of nourishment for your family, or they give you needed supplemental income. Either way, you need to be able to protect your animals from predators. Dogs are a typical choice for livestock guarding. There are several breeds of dogs, like Great Pyrenees and Anatolian
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Animal cruelty is a crime that many people believe is not taken seriously enough. There are many cases of abuse, dog fighting, neglect, and hoarding that go overlooked and unpunished. However, a recent case of animal cruelty charges in Olalla, Washington may be going too far. Those who live off the grid or on a homestead know how important animals are. They provide you with meat, milk, wool, eggs, and they do jobs like plowing, guarding, and pulling. If you raise and co-exist with animals, you know that doing so creates a bond between humans
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With the exception of your spouse and kids, there are few relationships that top the one you have with your dog. Indeed, many could argue that your dog understands you as well or better than your wife or husband. Their needs are pretty simple. Feed them and give them a place to lay their head
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The biggest problem for many homesteaders with livestock is keeping water liquid when temperatures dip below freezing. Since fresh water is such an important element in the health and well being of your animals, you are going to have to find a way to keep it flowing even in the coldest weather. Here are a
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It is a lot of fun to let nature take its course and have your hens hatch out a bunch of fuzzy, adorable chicks. However, if you are relying on those eggs to hatch, sometimes it is best to give nature a little bit of a hand. This is especially true if your favorite chickens
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Sheep are a great resource around the homestead. They provide delicious meat, and some people even use their milk for cheese, but by far, one of the most often used products is the wool. The great thing about wool is that the sheep produce it continuously so it is a renewable material. If you own
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Breeding rabbits for food is a great way to increase your freezer meat without spending a lot of money. The meat is extremely nutritious and easy to prepare. In fact, you can make most of the same dishes with rabbit that you would with chicken, and a few extra special ones like rabbit stew will delight your entire family. The care and housing of rabbits that you will breed for food is the same as any rabbit care, although slightly larger cages for the females is a good idea since they will also have to
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