![The Big Chill: How To Keep Your Hens Hydrated Over Winter [Podcast]](https://thefrugalchicken.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/keeping-hens-hydrated-over-winter-min.jpg)
by Maat van Uitert | Nov 9, 2016 | Chickens, Podcast
Winter is well on its way…which means keeping your hens flush with water will get a little bit harder.
You can always use an electric water heater….but I know most of you don’t have electricity out to your coop.
In this podcast, we cover how to provide water when the mercury dips, as well as key items you should have on hand to keep your flock’s water from freezing.
You’ll learn:
- My favorite hacks to keep water from freezing (and which work and which don’t)
- The best type of hose to use
- Why hot water is critical to keeping your flock hydrated
- The experiment I’ll be running this winter
- What the cisterns in Istanbul have to do with your backyard chickens
Links we discuss:
Manna Pro Poultry
Chickens: Naturally Raising A Sustainable Flock
How to make your own automatic waterer
How to keep your flock’s water from freezing article
I’d like to hear from you!
What are your favorite tips to keep your hens hydrated over winter? Leave a comment below!
Maat van Uitert is a backyard chicken and sustainable living expert. She is also the author of Chickens: Naturally Raising A Sustainable Flock, which was a best seller in it’s Amazon category. Maat has been featured on NBC, CBS, AOL Finance, Community Chickens, the Huffington Post, Chickens magazine, Backyard Poultry, and Countryside Magazine. She lives on her farm in Southeast Missouri with her husband, two children, and about a million chickens and ducks. You can follow Maat on Facebook here and Instagram here.
![4 Types Of Poultry You Can Raise With Hens To Be More Self-Sufficient [Podcast]](https://thefrugalchicken.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/raise-poultry-with-chickens-feature-min.jpg)
by Maat van Uitert | Jul 3, 2016 | Chickens, Podcast
I’m a big believer that if you have the space, raising more than one type of poultry will help you become more self-sufficient.
In addition to chickens, we also raise ducks, quail, and turkeys, and we’ve considered adding guineas and even an emu (although emus can jump well, and require high fencing, and since we already have enough livestock trying to break free on any given day, we dropped the idea).
While chickens should be the cornerstone of any homestead, ducks lay better in winter and aren’t susceptible to many diseases chickens suffer from.
Turkeys can be a valuable asset if you hatch their eggs, since people will pay a premium for organic, pasture-raised turkey at Thanksgiving.
In this podcast, we discuss 4 other poultry you can raise on your farm, their advantages and disadvantages compared to chickens, and whether you can house them with your hens.
You’ll learn:
- How turkeys, ducks, quail, and guineas can enhance your poultry flock
- Why each has certain advantages that compliment chickens
- Some reasons each might not be for you
- Why I don’t recommend keeping chicks and ducklings together
- Mistakes we made when starting out our homestead you can avoid
Links we discuss:
Butcher Box
I’d like to hear from you!
Which poultry would you like to raise with your chickens? Leave a comment below!
Maat van Uitert is a backyard chicken and sustainable living expert. She is also the author of Chickens: Naturally Raising A Sustainable Flock, which was a best seller in it’s Amazon category. Maat has been featured on NBC, CBS, AOL Finance, Community Chickens, the Huffington Post, Chickens magazine, Backyard Poultry, and Countryside Magazine. She lives on her farm in Southeast Missouri with her husband, two children, and about a million chickens and ducks. You can follow Maat on Facebook here and Instagram here.
