How to raise Monarch Butterflies

Last year was my first full year raising monarch butterflies. Since the 1970s the monarch butterfly population has been declining. As the only butterfly to make a 2 way migration, the monarch butterfly can live long and go through quite a lot. Or it can have a very short uneventful life. It all depends what time during the year they come about.

Let's start with the sad facts. A monarch butterfly egg only has about a 10% chance of becoming a butterfly when left in the wild. However if those eggs are brought into a controlled environment, hatched and the caterpillars raised to a chrysalis, that changes to a 90% chance that each egg will make it to a butterfly. 

That's an insane difference, isn't it?

If you guessed that is why I raise monarch butterflies, you're correct! There are lots of disease and predatory insects that affect the monarch caterpillar. Last year I lost less than 10% of my monarchs, almost all of them in the caterpillar stage. I released almost 40 healthy butterflies!

One of the other problems monarchs face is that the caterpillars only eat milkweed. It grows wild pretty much everywhere but is often perceived as a weed and most people don't want weeds growing in their yards. 

Milkweed grows wild on the side of the roads which would be a good thing but many states have a mowing program and will mow it right down with no concern for the monarch caterpillars that are living on it!

Simple bird suet recipe

If you're anything like me then you can't stand to see the birds searching for food in the snow. I have several bird feeders and suet holders hanging from the trees in the woods and on my back porch. I make sure they're always full in the winter. I love seeing the wild birds. We have so many different varieties of birds out here and I try to feed them all.

It gets expensive.

Especially if you want to put out food for several types of birds. Once type likes millet, another prefers sunflower seeds, the squirrels try to steal it all *sigh*. I started making my own suet blocks since finding ones that were good quality and affordable was becoming more difficult. The birds around here don't like to eat the cheap ones, believe me I have tried! 

I came up with a super simple recipe. These are about the easiest suet blocks you can make and you really only need 2 ingredients: seeds and fat. Oh, and you'll need a baking pan and a refrigerator if you want to speed things up. 

Even though this recipe starts out super simple, you can totally customize it! Add peanuts, dried fruit, oats or whatever kind of seed your local birds like. I whipped up a quick batch of suet cakes so I could take some pics for you. I had several types of seeds and some mealworms on hand so I used all of them, but whatever you have will work!

MYO Carpet freshening powder

Many of you have already heard the story about the stinky rug spots from the cat issue. I did find a solution for that smell but along the way I tried a whole bunch of natural solutions to get rid of carpet odors. Some of them worked a little, others not at all. One of the home cleaning solutions worked pretty well, even thought it was up against some nasty smells! This is the DIY smelly carpet powder I want to talk about today.

It was a cheap and easy way to remove smells from stinky rugs and I started using it throughout the house on my carpets. I especially liked it because it was non toxic and I always had the ingredients on hand!

If you read the story about the cat odor you'll see that I came up with a natural spray on solution that wipes out cat odors from cat pee. That's a particularly tough smell to eradicate! Unfortunately this powder wasn't quite strong enough to wipe that out, but it almost handled it and impressed me enough that I decided to give it a go on other smelly surfaces.

Remove cat pee smell permanently

We currently have one rescue kitten left at our house and the Bengal is not very happy about it! First she peed in the kittens bed. Then she 'marked' the cardboard box the kitten had been playing in. Finally she graduated to spraying anywhere she could smell the kitten. I absolutely can't stand the smell of cat urine so I did my best to clean up all these messes. I literally tried everything to get rid of the cat odor in my house.

I first started cleaning it up with the rug scrubber filled with pet stain & odor remover. That wasn't strong enough so I bought enzymatic pet odor sprays from the pet store. I also tried white vinegar and I tried essential oils. 

No matter what I used, it only removed the cat pee smell for a few days and then I could smell the cat pee again. I spent way too much money on this stuff! I was completely convinced that nothing but the strongest, most potent, specially made formulas would work.

I was wrong. 

I soon found out, I had the solution in my cabinet the whole time....and it wasn't chemical laden crap from the pet store!

Peroxide, baking soda and dish soap. Sound familiar? These are the 3 ingredients in my Best Skunk Spray Remover EVER! recipe. The proportions are a little different, but it works just as well to remove cat urine smell as it does for skunk spray! 

It's a lot more natural then all the artificial chemicals I was spraying in my house, plus it works better than all the other sprays and cleaners I had bought!

Must know Winter tips for dogs

Most of us know to dress warmly, wear gloves and take other precautions when it's cold and snowing out. We especially know to make sure our kids are dressed correctly for cold weather. It's just second nature to not want to be uncomfortable so we take measures to prevent against it as much as we can. Most people don't think about their dog in the same way though. 

Many pet owners believe that because their dog has a fur coat that they can tolerate the cold better then we can. That's not always the case. Truth is, they're just as used to a nice warm house as we are...and the cold weather can be just as much of a shock to them as it is to us. Luckily there are a few simple things you can do to make winter a little easier on them.

•  Trim the fur on the sides of your dogs paws and between the toes to minimize ice and snow accumulation.

•  Your dog’s fur insulates him against the temperatures. Groom your dog regularly during winter to keep his coat in top shape. A well groomed coat can help a dog to hold onto his body heat better.

• Be careful with space heaters and fireplaces. When cold, dogs will seek out heat sources and may sleep too close to them. You wouldn't want your pooch to get burned.  

How to make hummingbird nectar

I recently found out that you should make your own hummingbird nectar instead of feeding the store bought red dyed hummingbird food. I had no idea that red stuff was actually bad for them! I wanted to talk about hummingbirds, why they need a more natural nectar and give you that recipe today.

I've always had hummingbirds in my backyard. Every summer I hang the feeders out for them and they grace us with their beauty all season long.

A few years ago my mother-in-law went to an event that had a speaker who talked about hummingbirds. She brought home a sheet of paper that detailed lots of fascinating hummingbird facts. 

• Hummingbirds beat their wings at a rate of about 70 beats per second
• They eat an average of 7 times per hour.
• Hummingbird feet are only used for perching, not hopping or walking.
• A hummingbird can visit up to 1,000 flowers per day and remembers where they all are!
• Hummingbirds migrate, some going all the way down to cross the Gulf of Mexico! 

There was so much more information but those are just a few of my favorites. (for more information check out the hummingbird info website) There was also information about feeding hummingbirds and it suggested that we not buy premade food and instead mix our own about twice a week. 

I had never heard of such a thing! I always bought those quart jugs of red 'hummingbird syrup' and poured it in the feeder. In my defense, I didn't know better! I thought that's what they were supposed to eat. 

I found out that the best things for them is simply a homemade mix of sugar and water. No red dye stuff, no flavor sticks to add in (I was buying them mango flavor sticks for their hummingbird juice) just plain sugar and water. It's so simple!

Make your own cat toy!

The first time I saw these cat toys was at a craft show back in probably 2002. I was making a lot of my own natural bath & body products and working the craft show circuit to sell them. At every single show there was somebody selling these things. It wasn't always the same people though, I guess it's a popular item to make. 

What always caught my eye though were the ones that would bring a big wire dog crate and put a cat inside. Those cats would play all day with those catnip toys. These toys are the perfect size and shape for them to hug and do that 'bunny kick' thing. They flip  on their back and just kick away at those catnip laced kitty sticks. Oh those cats had so much fun! 

Thinking back they were probably pretty buzzed up! lol Anyway, it's a simple toy so of course I figured out how to make kitty kick toys when I got home. My cats love them, and I know yours will too.

Raising poultry? 5 ways to use them in your garden

Gardens and chickens just seem to go together! Many people that have one also have the other and that's a great thing because they can have a mutually beneficial relationship! The garden can provide food for the chickens and the chickens can provide fertilizer for the garden. 

Actually, there are a few different ways that raising ducks or chickens can benefit your garden. In fact, I'm pretty confident that raising backyard chickens and growing a garden started the homesteading craze!

Of course we all know that chickens need kept out of the garden or they will destroy it! I mean, sometimes they can get in when the garden is well underway...but mostly they cause a mess! 

They like to uproot sprouts (and eat them) dust bathe in the cool dirt under bushy plants and take bites out of tomatoes and pretty much anything that looks appetizing!

9 Reasons to have chickens on the homestead

Do chickens have a place in your backyard or homestead? We have many chickens here and they each have a specific job. Some are pets and some are breeders....but they all are mini garbage disposals! The help in the garden, they provide eggs and they are great pets! They can even learn their names and come when called!

Why raise chickens on the homestead?

We have 5 breeding groups. All these groups provide us with the following 9 benefits:

DIY Popsicle's for dogs!

It's been in the 80's here for the last few days and we're all hanging out in the air conditioning as much as possible. It's been miserable! I feel awful for the animals, they just seem so uncomfortable in this heat. We were sitting outside eating yogurt Popsicles and the dogs were begging for them when I started to think about whether I could give them one or not. One thought leads to another and I decide that I can make them some dog safe popsicle's. 

This idea leads to the internet and an overload of recipes and methods. I sorta mix matched them all together and this is what I came up with: 

What to do when a hummingbird runs into a window

We were having dinner outside on the back patio tonight when we heard a small 'thump'. Something fluttered to the ground behind us and I jumped up to take a look. The dogs jumped up too, so seeing it was a small bird I instantly scooped it up in my hands before they got a chance to investigate further. No need to cause it more stress with big dog noses being shoved into its face!

It was the most delicate little thing I have ever seen. 

A hummingbird ran into the window!

A Ruby-Throated Hummingbird had flown into one of the picture windows and fallen to the patio below. It's body was no longer then my pinky finger and it was the most vibrant living creature I have ever seen. 

Clearly dazed, it didn't fight as I held it...it just sort of perched there on my hand. At first it sat with its wings outstretched. After about a minute, it folded its wings in and still just sat there with its eyes closed. 

The bear is back

We truly do live in the middle of nowhere....we have bears! Our first evidence of bear activity was this photo taken with our trail cam. Hubby likes to set out feed blocks for the deer in the summer and often puts the trail cam on them. After months of viewing deer, raccoons, opossums and the occasional skunk we felt like we hit the jackpot when we got pictures of the bear. 

Unfortunately, that turned to feeling like I'm being held captive by said bear.

The Silkie babies

I've had a first time mama sitting on some eggs for 3 weeks now. She's actually in the sale pen (go figure, right?) She's really pretty and I would put her in my regular flock, but I already have enough black Silkie hens. *sigh* So Thursday night there was some excitement in the sale pen with her yelling her head off and another hen hightailing it outta the coop. 

I went to check it out and she had 2 babies and a bunch of pips! By Friday morning she had 6 babies and 1 egg left that was pipped....she took the babies out to play though and left that poor little egg to get cold. (don't worry, I rescued him and stuck him in the incubator where he hatched out!)

Horsehair bird nest

I decided to prune my white Weeping Cherry tree this weekend. I'm probably a little late, however the ground is still frozen solid and it's still snowing here. *sigh* What a conundrum! Do I prune the tree and the grapes now, or do I let them go for the year? They seem to be starting to 'wake up' but everything is still frozen solid. Decisions, decisions.....

So, I went ahead and did the pruning. Now that the tree is bare of leaves and trimmed a bit I could get to all the debris near the trunk. I found several nests. The larger ones were mostly made with long, curly Sebastopol goose feathers. There was one tiny little nest that could only be a small birds nest. 

I pulled it out in one piece and looked at it close. there were lots of hairs in there. Mostly fine and blond....probably mine. There were also some really thick black hairs and some thick blond hairs. I can only assume they came from Jack and Moose. Jack has a beautiful black mane and lives next door....his pen is probably about 2 acre lengths away from  the tree. (I judge distance by football field lengths, sorry! lol) 

I had almost forgot about Moose who had come to stay with Jack for a few months last spring. He was a beautiful tan color with a blonde mane and tail and white blaze. He was only there for a short while, but apparently it was during nest building season!

I can't get over how tiny and perfect the nest is! I love seeing the birds and put out feeders every spring through early fall. We have so many varieties of flowers in the yard that they can always find one to drink from.  

We get a few different varieties of Hummingbirds, but not really knowing the difference I can't tell you what types....just that they look different. They move too darn fast to tell more then that! I can't wait to see them again this year!

~L


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Chicken blog posts

I'm having a bit of a conundrum here. I started this blog so I could post about everything I'm interested in, however I also have 2 other blogs. My photo blog isn't a problem since I don't want to post client images outside of there. Other photos just seem to work them selves in. It's my chicken blog that's the problem. I really hate to double post things, and I don't want to bore the non-chicken people with my poultry ramblings. So I think I have a solution. Every once in awhile I'll make a post of the most popular posts on the Chicken Farm Blog and those interested can click. Sound good?

So here we go: 

Bathing a chicken Very important with rain, mud and show season coming up!

Growing Fodder for feed Cheaply How to save on your feed bill by growing sprouts for chicken feed, and doing it cheaply!

Keeping the floor dry under the waterer We solved our problem of wet floors under the poultry drinker.

Insulating the coop Permanent fix to insulate a large (or small) chicken coop.

Blocking winter drafts Temporary fix for winter drafts during a cold snap.

That's it for now....I'll post more in a month or so.

~L

Best skunk spray remover EVER!

If you live anywhere near the woods and have a dog, then more than likely you've smelled the stench of skunk spray on your poor dogs fur! There is nothing as hard to remove as that stinky, oily residue! Luckily, it is possible to get skunk spray out of animal fur (or your clothes) with just a few simple household ingredients!

The first few times my dog got sprayed I tried soaps, shampoos, tomato juice....you name it and I tried it. They didn't work though. I finally found the perfect skunk spray remover and it was in my kitchen the whole time! 

It wasn't easy, it took till about the third try to get this recipe just right. Let me tell you how it went.....

Growing Cat Grass

I was in the pet store the other day and saw some pots of "cat grass". They were $4 each. I looked inside the pots and read the labels. There was no dirt. It was nothing but wheat seeds growing in there (the label even said so!) Now I ask you, how is this worth $4? It's not! You can do it much cheaper. Growing cat grass is super easy to do, plus your cat will love it!

Of course if you want to grow cat grass for your cats you should probably go the whole nine yards and get a cute pot and put some dirt in there so it grows longer. It's still going to be cheaper than the stuff at the pet store, and will probably last longer.

Cats naturally like to nibble on greens. Growing your own cat grass keeps them from going after your house plants which may be toxic. According to Purina cats eat grass for the nutrients, laxative properties or to relieve an upset stomach. Providing cat grass keeps them from getting outside to get at regular grass which may have been treated with chemicals.

I dressed the dogs

I have a very sane reason for why I dressed the dog (this time! lol) It was cold out. Single digits, bone numbing cold. Actually, one night the wind chill got down to -20. Oh, did I mention we're in Western Pennsylvania right at the bottom of the snow belt? We get a whole lot more snow then our friends down in Pittsburgh. Sometimes as much as a foot more! 

Add the snow to the cold and you have one worried mama. I bundle up the kids and the little dog, but what to do about my snow loving Boxer mix? Large breed dog coats are super expensive, and she really only needs it for a few days a year so I hate to spend too much. 

So, what to do? Youngest son was throwing out some size 7 long sleeved T-shirts so I figured I'd see if one fit on Lulu and guess what....it did! 

I like the way the sleeves cover her legs without covering her feet. The shirt is snug without being tight, so it doesn't bunch up or get in her way...and I think she looks cute!

Lulu doesn't get dressed very often but Ashley is another story! I'm against spending huge amounts of $$ on dog clothes however, so my favorite shopping place lately (besides clearance sales at Petco) is 5 Below. I got Ashley this Snuggie brand dog coat for $5.

I like the fact that it has wide Velcro tabs, it's so hard to hook those small ones. She doesn't seem to mind it and I put it on her a lot in winter so ease of use is super important! She shivers a lot when shes outside in the winter, so she needs a coat every time she goes outside. Plus, I think she secretly likes dressing up. lol

~L

The dogs new shirt

I was at $5 Below this week and saw this dog shirt. I just had to get it for my dog! She's a Jack Russell Terror Terrier. Her name is Ashley but her nickname is "the fun cop". The Bah Humbug just seemed to fit her! lol

She got her nickname because every time the other dogs are having fun in the yard, she runs up and starts barking at them! They can be playing Frisbee or chasing a kong.....if they are having fun she starts hollering at them. It's not like she just wants to play too. Oh no! She just wants to complain. She barks at us too, especially if we're trying to play a game outside. Actually, she barks at everything!

I do feel bad for her when she goes out in the snow though...that's where the shirt comes in. She shivers a lot. She's had a sweater for a long time, but she's pulled some holes in it. She also has a winter jacket but its a full hooded jacket with matching boots, and she's less then thrilled with it! 

I got her this shirt and a dog Snuggie brand coat. They were $4 each. It's nice because it's cape style, with only 2 Velcro tabs. You'll have to wait till after the holidays for that picture though.......I'm wrapping that one for Christmas!

~L

Waiting for the trap to snap.

I'm waiting for a fox to get killed. Yeah. It sucks. Here's how it started:
Well, we could go back to last year when a fox took 2 of my ducks right out of the yard at dusk. Probably about a week apart. We caught his picture with the trail cam. My husband stayed up late one night, and woke up in the middle of the next night. He crept out with a rifle, but no fox was to be seen. That had been just about forgotten though when he made his appearance again last week.  

Last week a fox went  into the coop at about 9pm and snagged one of my beautiful French Black Copper Marans hens. The light was on and he waltzed right in! Talk about bold! I wasn't home but I got back shortly and when I did evening count, I was down one. Jessica was missing! 

I grabbed my flashlight and looked all around outside for her (thinking she had just forgotten to come in...or was roosting somewhere weird) and then I saw the feathers. Lots of black fluffy feathers in clusters all over the yard. 

I ran in the house for the thermal camera. If she was hurt somewhere I would be able to find her more quickly by using the camera. I screamed for my husband to come out and ran back out powering up the camera on the way. 

He came out to help me look and just a few minutes later, he spotted her. I ran into the woods to pick her up, but it was too late. She was gone. She had a few bite marks, but amazingly little blood on her. I took her into the garage to bury her the next day and the search began.