A great way to organize your nails and screws using recycled materials.

My Katahdin hair sheep ewe, Honey, just blessed us with a sweet litter of triplets. A 13 pound ram, a 15 pound ewe, and a bonus 12 pound ram. An amazing 40 pounds of lambs!

My Katahdin Hair Sheep ewe Silk has new twin lambs!

Four of my ewes are about ready to lamb and we are counting down the days!

Also... Triplet bottle lamb Zephyr shows off her springs.

Thanksgiving is not the only time that I am thankful for turkeys. They are wonderful additions to the homestead. They are beautiful, they lay eggs, provide meat for the table, eat bugs and fly larva, provide fertilizer for the garden and the pastures and they provide our homestead with a lot of fun and enjoyment. Come along with us and let's hang out with the turkeys.

Need a safe secure way to transport your small homestead livestock... without breaking the bank? This is what I made to solve that problem.

The second half of Episode 4 of our Record Keeping Inventory story.

Enjoy!

Homestead Head First! (due to file size this is part A of two parts)
If you want to make your homestead a success you need to KNOW what is going on and be able to have accurate records to be able to make informed decisions for the future. But HOW to do it?
This is how I keep records on my homestead. I hope it gives you some ideas for yours.

Music in this video Cliffsides by Dan Lebowitz

Are you keeping good records on your homestead? Do you know where the money is going? Is it REALLY worth the time and effort? Are YOU Homesteading Head First?

The third part of the Thunder Ridge Homestead Record Keeping Series where we explore easy ways to collect data about your homesteading projects.

Are you keeping good records on your homestead? Do you know where the money is going? Is it REALLY worth the time and effort? Are YOU Homesteading Head First?
The second part of the Thunder Ridge Homestead Record Keeping Series where we explore easy ways to collect data about your homesteading projects.

Homesteading Head First.
If you want to make your homestead a success you need to KNOW what is going on and be able to have accurate records to be able to make informed decisions for the future. But HOW to do it?

This is how I keep records on my homestead. I hope it gives you some ideas for yours.

Being a good manager of your animals means that you need to be able to control when or if each animal is bred. That enables you to have babies born when conditions are best. It also allows you to be able to select which animals are mated. If you have a breed that can be bred year round, like my Katahdin hair sheep, that separation becomes even more important.

However, providing separate pasture as well as companionship for your ram on a small homestead becomes somewhat of a challenge. It often leaves the ram living in a smaller pen munching hay nearly year round, while the ewes enjoy the good grazing and freedom of the pasture setting. Could there be a better way?

Time for a turkey update!

Come along with me on my homestead journey. I have been doing this stuff for a long time now and love to share our progress with you.

Just a quick update and a little visit with the sheep and turkeys.

Things just keep on popping this spring at Thunder Ridge. Yesterday (5/24/21) it was Thyme for more babies. Triplets! Born to my black Katahdin hair sheep ewe, Thyme. They sure are cuties! These babies were born on a live stream! If you want to see them born check it out! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZB2XFkhRHU&t=9360s

These are all Katahdin hair sheep. Hair sheep do not have to be sheared, They shed like a big old dog!

I have been homesteading now for well over 35 years. Come along with me and I will teach you what I know. Help me grow this new channel by subscribing (it's free!), sharing the videos with your family and friends, hitting that like button (it really helps). I love to hear from you so leave those comments and feel free to ask plenty of questions. I am here to help you get started on your homesteading, money saving, home economics journey. If you find out that you learned something or really enjoy my videos, help the channel out by leaving me a tip. It will be most appreciated!

Homesteading is not WHERE you live… it is HOW you live!

After over 39 years living this lifestyle, we have developed some skills. Homesteading is not a new adventure for us! We started on a tiny lot in the middle of the city, which made efficiency imperative. Now we are working to renovate the run-down small acreage where I grew up as a child. Sometimes this is a daunting job! We are not as young as we once were, money is always tight and I am disabled with arthritis. We are putting our experience to the test and striving for a productive homestead where we can really live and enjoy life.

On our little homestead my hubby and I currently raise Katahdin hair sheep, Bourbon Red Turkeys, heritage Dark Cornish and other breeds of chickens for meat and eggs. I am also always busy gardening, preserving, quilting and doing other homestead endeavors too many and varied to mention them all. I am always teaching, always learning and always having a great time. You never know what I will be up to next!

"Homesteading Head First!"

Efficiencies learned from past mistakes, taking time to plan, keeping good records and a lot of faith in Jesus Christ, will help us to develop a homestead that can still work even when our bodies don’t. We would be honored to bring you along with us on this journey. We hope this channel can provide you with some fun, as well as insight, help and encouragement. We are always here to help if you need it and ready to make new friends along the way. If you are new to the homestead lifestyle, or just considering it, we hope this channel can be a blessing.

My wonderful Dark Cornish broody hen has a new family today. She has just hatched 2 new chicks and 6 Bourbon Red TURKEY poults for me.

Good job Rogue 1!

I have been homesteading now for well over 35 years. Come along with me and I will teach you what I know. Help me grow this new channel by subscribing (it's free!), sharing the videos with your family and friends, hitting that like button (it really helps). I love to hear from you so leave those comments and feel free to ask plenty of questions. I am here to help you get started on your homesteading, money saving, home economics journey. If you find out that you learned something or really enjoy my videos, help the channel out by leaving me a tip. It will be most appreciated!

When a wild thing needs help... who are you going to call? Several weeks have past now... What was the end result of our RESCUE?

Today, we revisit a day in our archives in 2016 when a typical morning heading out to do chores resulted in quite a memorable adventure. I hope you enjoy my little trip down memory lane. Be sure to check out the companion video as well to see how this experience all began.

I have been homesteading now for well over 35 years. Come along with me and I will teach you what I know. Help me grow this new channel by subscribing (it's free!), sharing the videos with your family and friends, hitting that like button (it really helps). I love to hear from you so leave those comments and feel free to ask plenty of questions. I am here to help you get started on your homesteading, money saving, home economics journey. If you find out that you learned something or really enjoy my videos, help the channel out by leaving me a tip. It will be most appreciated!

When a wild thing needs help... who are you going to call?

You deal with a lot of unexpected things on a homestead. Today I take you back to our archives in 2016 when a typical morning heading out to do chores resulted in just such an adventure. I hope you enjoy my little trip down memory lane. Be sure to check out the companion video as well to see how this experience all turned out.

I have been homesteading now for well over 35 years. Come along with me and I will teach you what I know. Help me grow this new channel by subscribing (it's free!), sharing the videos with your family and friends, hitting that like button (it really helps). I love to hear from you so leave those comments and feel free to ask plenty of questions. I am here to help you get started on your homesteading, money saving, home economics journey. If you find out that you learned something or really enjoy my videos, help the channel out by leaving me a tip. It will be most appreciated!

Spring is springing on the homestead. First Spring lambs are born! 4.5.21 Twin white girls for first time momma, Brenda! We are calling them Willow and Wendy. Today is a stormy day and the first time out of the lamb jug and into the big wide world of the stall. These are all Katahdin hair sheep. Hair sheep do not have to be sheared, They shed like a big old dog!

I have been homesteading now for well over 35 years. Come along with me and I will teach you what I know. Help me grow this new channel by subscribing (it's free!), sharing the videos with your family and friends, hitting that like button (it really helps). I love to hear from you so leave those comments and feel free to ask plenty of questions. I am here to help you get started on your homesteading, money saving, home economics journey. If you find out that you learned something or really enjoy my videos, help the channel out by leaving me a tip. It will be most appreciated!

Gardening in containers is a great way to grow. It makes it possible to garden where you otherwise couldn't AND makes it possible to homestead and garden even if you are disabled. In this video I show you how I make my Half Barrel Garden Containers. You also get a glimpse into how much you can grow in just a single pot!

I have been homesteading now for well over 35 years. Come along with me and I will teach you what I know. Help me grow this new channel by subscribing (it's free!), sharing the videos with your family and friends, hitting that like button (it really helps).

I LOVE to hear from you so leave those comments and feel free to ask plenty of questions. I am here to help you get started on your homesteading, money saving, home economics journey. If you find out that you learned something or really enjoy my videos, help the channel out by leaving me a tip. It will be most appreciated!

Knowing the weight of your sheep or goat is important for good animal husbandry. It allows you to properly dose medications, as well as track the productivity of your animals. Since most of us do not have a livestock scale on the homestead, we need a different method. Come along with me and my Katahdin ewe, Thyme, and we will teach you how to get a good weight for those records by using just a tape measure and a calculator.
This is Tip #1 in a new series... Homesteader Help in a Hurry.
Quick video tips that teach homestead skills to make your farm life easier.

I have been homesteading now for well over 35 years. Come along with me and I will teach you what I know. Help me grow this new channel by subscribing (it's free!), sharing the videos with your family and friends, hitting that like button (it really helps). I love to hear from you so leave those comments and feel free to ask plenty of questions. I am here to help you get started on your homesteading, money saving, home economics journey. If you find out that you learned something or really enjoy my videos, help the channel out by leaving me a tip. It will be most appreciated!
Tape Measure Weight Formulas

Sheep and Goats
A x A x BC / 300 = approximate weight in pounds.

Horses
A x A x BC / 330 = approximate weight in pounds.

Pigs
A x A x BC / 400 = approximate weight in pounds.

(Add 7 pounds to pigs under 150 pounds in weight)

Step by step instructions on how I dehydrate leeks for pantry storage. Included is one of my families favorite leek recipes... Leek and Potato Soup!

Check out the recipe at the end of the video!

I have been homesteading now for well over 35 years. Come along with me and I will teach you what I know. Help me grow this new channel by subscribing (it's free!), sharing the videos with your family and friends, hitting that like button (it really helps).

Also... I love to hear from you so leave those comments and feel free to ask plenty of questions. I am here to help you get started on your homesteading, money saving, home economics journey. If you find out that you learned something or really enjoy my videos, help the channel out by leaving me a tip. It will be most appreciated!

Don't have a garden? Mid winter or early spring with nothing ready to harvest? Don't let that dehydrator sit idle! Now is the time to take advantage of grocery store sales! Buying dinner time staples, like frozen fajita mixed vegetables, when you see them on sale and dehydrating them, saves money and pads the pantry at the same time.

Dehydrated vegetables are great to have on hand. They are easily added to soups, casseroles and other recipes to add variety and nutrition. By properly dehydrating them they will store in the pantry cupboard, shelf stable and safe, for years while freeing up valuable freezer space for other items. Dehydrated foods take up less space. It is a wonderful way to store food long term ... just in case.

I have been homesteading now for well over 35 years. Come along with me and I will teach you what I know. Help me grow this new channel by subscribing (it's free!), sharing the videos with your family and friends, hitting that like button (it really helps). I love to hear from you so leave those comments and feel free to ask plenty of questions. I am here to help you get started on your homesteading, money saving, home economics journey. If you find out that you learned something or really enjoy my videos, help the channel out by leaving me a tip. It will be most appreciated!

The dehydrator shown is a Nesco Garden Master. They are NOT sponsors, but I highly recommend their dehydrators. My last one was worked to death and still lasted over 25 years! https://www.nesco.com/product/fd-1010-gardenmaster-pro-food-dehydrator/

Our homestead guard goose has a wing deformity called "Angel Wing". Will I be able to help him?

Angel Wing is a condition that sometimes affects young ducks and geese and it can cripple them for a lifetime. Also known as an airplane or slipped wing, the last joint of the wing develops a twist with the end pointing out to the side. Males are usually the ones that show the condition and it also most often affects the left wing for unknown reasons, although sometimes, as in my goose Flipper’s case, it can involve both wings.

The jury is still out as to the cause of the condition. It may be genetics, a vitamin deficiency, or a diet with too much protein? What we DO know is that with treatment the condition can sometimes be reversed… as Flipper and I will show you.

I have been homesteading now for well over 35 years. Come along with me and I will teach you what I know. Help me grow this new channel by subscribing (it's free!), sharing the videos with your family and friends, hitting that like button (it really helps). I love to hear from you so leave those comments and feel free to ask plenty of questions. I am here to help you get started on your homesteading, money saving, home economics journey. If you find out that you learned something or really enjoy my videos, help the channel out by leaving me a tip. It will be most appreciated!

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