June 28, 2010 | Posted by Clair Schwan If you have experience raising chickens, then you know that they’re curious birds that like to investigate things. They’re also not clever birds at all – I suppose you might find a picture of a chicken next to the phrase “bird brain” in the dictionary. That’s why you need to keep string away from them. [...]
Categories: animals | 
Tags: chickens, self reliance, small animals, string | 
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April 17, 2010 | Posted by Clair Schwan Of all the common predators, the coyote is perhaps the most troublesome. They’re stronger than most, sly, brazen, fast, very wary, and they can hunt in packs so they’re a threat to small animals around the homestead as well as the young of larger animals that would be considered livestock. A coyote is like a [...]
Categories: animals | Tags: coyotes, predators, self reliance, small animals | No Comments »
April 10, 2010 | Posted by Clair Schwan Raccoons look like bandits with those Lone Ranger type masks over their eyes. Don’t let their looks fool you – they’re much more clever than the common bandit you might encounter. One of the incredible characteristics of these animals is their ability to manipulate things with their hands. I say hands rather than paws because [...]
Categories: animals | Tags: predators, raccoons, racoons, self reliance, small animals | No Comments »
April 4, 2010 | Posted by Clair Schwan The most effective predator barriers I know of are made of chain link fencing. The advantages are many. The drawbacks are few. Here is why I use chain link fencing: It can’t be bitten through like welded wire. Even for the strongest and most determined predator, it’s a show-stopper. The scrap yard or fencing company [...]
Categories: animals | Tags: chain link fence, predator barriers, predators, self reliance | No Comments »
April 3, 2010 | Posted by Clair Schwan Deterrence of predators is largely what you need to do when raising small animals. Barriers are commonly used – walls and fencing being the most popular. Guard dogs and other larger animals can also deter animals that otherwise would prey on your source of “free food.” Years ago when I first had chickens I let [...]
Categories: animals, problem solving | Tags: predators, self reliance, small animals | No Comments »
March 30, 2010 | Posted by Clair Schwan Sometimes rattlesnakes can’t be dissuaded or discouraged, and sometimes it isn’t wise to simply relocate them when they come to visit. At times, killing them is the only reasonable thing to do, especially when they pose an immediate threat and you need to deal with that threat decisively. The macho among us would like to [...]
Categories: animals | Tags: predators, rattlesnakes, self reliance, snakes | 4 Comments »
March 27, 2010 | Posted by Clair Schwan The fox is perhaps the most stealthy of predators you’ll face when it comes to the small animals you’re raising. It presents a constant danger to your homestead flock of chickens. So, if you want to maintain a nice flock of egg layers, you’ll have to defend against this predator. One of the challenges presented [...]
Categories: animals | Tags: chickens, predators, self reliance, small animals | No Comments »
March 23, 2010 | Posted by Clair Schwan Yana, one of our readers expressed an interest in rattlesnakes and how to deal with them, so here are some insight about those slithery creatures. To be sure, they can be a problem for the homesteader, but they’re also relatively easy to deal with. The key to success when you’re in snake country is being [...]
Categories: animals, homestead | Tags: predators, rattlesnakes, self reliance, snakes | 2 Comments »
March 20, 2010 | Posted by Clair Schwan Usually rodents are not viewed as a predator out there. Who could possibly imagine that Mr. Jingles would be a predatory creature ready to rip another animal limb-from-limb? Well, they’re really not such vicious predators, but they can present a problem to young animals like baby chicks. Mice and rats are largely omnivorous. I’ve seen [...]
Categories: animals | Tags: homestead animals, predators, rodents, self reliance, small animals | No Comments »
March 14, 2010 | Posted by Clair Schwan A more self reliant life in the country often means using cattle guards to keep cattle in or out of certain areas. They are often used where we want an open road or driveway, but we don’t want cattle wandering off where they shouldn’t be. If you have ever traveled in open range country, you’ll [...]
Categories: animals | Tags: cattle guards, hints and tips, horses, livestock, self reliance | 1 Comment »
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