Fowl Play: How to Raise Cornish Cross Meat Birds

by jessicaherbig | Jul 20, 2023 | Animals

i’m not clucking around

OK OK, enough with the puns! Hey ladies, are you ready to get your hands dirty and raise some meat birds? As a homesteading mama, I’ve learned a lot raising poultry for the first time. And let me tell you, raising Cornish Cross meat birds is no walk in the park. But don’t worry, I’m here to dish out all the juicy details (pun intended) on how to successfully raise these plump little birds.

FIRST THINGS FIRST,

Let’s talk about the common pitfalls of raising Cornish Cross meat birds. These birds can be prone to heart attacks and leg problems, so it’s crucial to provide them with ample space and exercise. Trust me, you don’t want to be dealing with a flock of dead birds because they were cooped up all day. Also, these birds grow at a rapid pace, so it’s important to monitor their feed intake and make sure they don’t become too overweight.

One of the biggest pitfalls of raising Cornish Cross meat birds is overfeeding. It can be tempting to let them eat as much as they want, but you need to monitor their intake and make sure they don’t get too big too fast or their hearts can burst. Another pitfall is overcrowding – make sure they have plenty of room to move around and stretch their wings; they need to be moving around to keep their legs strong or they’ll break under the weight. And finally, don’t forget about the importance of fresh air and clean water.

now onto the good stuff

Tips for success! One of the most important aspects of raising Cornish Cross meat birds is choosing the right breeder. Make sure to do your research and buy from a reputable breeder, even if it costs you a little extra per chick. If you don’t, they could be more expensive in the long run due to unexpected losses from purchasing less than healthy chicks. We went with the cheapest we could find, and ended up with only 15 out of our initial purchase of 25 chicks making it to butcher.

Secondly, providing ample space and ventilation for your birds is key. We kept our initial run of 25 birds in an apple crate that we turned into a brooder, then moved them outside under a chicken tractor when they were big enough! I recommend around 2 square feet per bird indoors and even more outdoors. I don’t actually know what we ended up with space wise. Just know, meat birds are SMELLY, so plan on keeping them somewhere away from the areas you frequent a lot, and downwind if possible. Trust me.

So, how long should you raise them for before processing? Cornish Cross meat birds typically reach their full size in 6-8 weeks, so plan accordingly. It’s important to note that these birds can’t live much longer than that, or else they’ll start to suffer from health problems. We had one late in the process that we found dead in the run… we’re betting it’s heart just gave out from working too hard to support such fast growth.

Lastly, let’s chat about the best time to get started with raising Cornish Cross meat birds. I recommend starting in the spring or early summer when the weather is warm and there’s plenty of daylight. This will provide optimal growing conditions for your birds and allow them to thrive. Ultimately, pick a time where you’re not too busy, because once it’s time to butcher, you’ll need to block out a time frame to make it happen. If you’re locked in with your kids sports tournaments, or wanting to go camping, it can throw a crimp in the plans to have to butcher instead!

One last thought… you don’t HAVE to do the processing yourself. If it saves you time and headache, there are people locally (and even locally to you) who will do it for a small fee. We ended up having someone else process ours this year, and it was well worth it, as we were extremely short on time. In the end we have a freezer full of home grown chicken, and that’s all that matters!

Some valuable insights from our first year with meat birds

1. Order more than you want to end up with. We split an order with our neighbors, and then also split feed costs and care. I wanted 10 in the freezer, and so did they, so we ordered 25. After losing 40% of our purchase, we only ended up with 7 & 8 birds in the freezer. Next time we’ll purchase from a different breeder and probably do a run of 40 birds total.

2. Get the right equipment or plan on borrowing some. You will need MULTIPLE feeders and waterers. Meat birds drink a lot of water. We did something like THIS FEEDER when they were young, and then graduated them to a bucket feeder like THIS ONE when they were older. For waterers, the standard METAL FOUND WATERERS work great. We needed 3 – 2 gallon waterers to keep them well supplied during our hot days.

What will you need to process them? If you’re doing a large amount, a CHICKEN PLUCKER will save you a ton of time and headache. It looks like a washing machine drum, that you dip the bird into and it beats the feathers off of it. It’s kind of fun. They’re a little expensive to start off with, so if you know a friend who has one, don’t be afraid to ask to borrow it, or even better, maybe they’ll partner with you and offer to show you how to do it all!

Lastly, you’ll need some sharp knives (I have Havalon Blades I love to use) and some KILLING CONES – these can just be orange traffic cones mounted upside down though too if that’s what you have though. It’s not important you buy exactly the ones I linked. That’s just to give you an idea of what to look for. You put the chickens head through the bottom to slice the artery so they can bleed out with a minimum of mess.

Ladies, raising Cornish Cross meat birds may be a challenge, but it’s also incredibly rewarding. With proper care and attention, you’ll be able to produce high-quality meat for your family and friends. Just remember to avoid those pesky pitfalls, raise them for the appropriate amount of time, and start in the right season. Good luck, and happy homesteading!

Written by Jessica

Crushing That Good Life one weekend at a time.

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Winter sowing: a beginners guide to winter sowing seeds in milk jugs

by jessicaherbig | Jan 3, 2023 | Gardening

easy steps to start your garden earlier

Are you a gardener or aspiring gardener looking for the easiest way to get your seeds planted during the cold months? Maybe it’s to free up time in the spring for all the other spring projects that you know are coming? Winter sowing is a great option! It’s a simple, easy-to-follow way to sow seeds in milk jugs and other containers, allowing your plants to germinate naturally and saving you time and effort. Here’s how it works.

WHAT IS WINTER SOWING?

Winter sowing is a method of planting seeds outdoors in winter or early spring. The idea is that you sow your seeds in recycled containers like milk jugs and then let nature take its course. As long as the temperature stays above freezing, your plants will start to germinate within their containers.

When warmer temperatures arrive, you can open the containers and transplant your seedlings into the garden. For my gardening zone 8b, I start my seeds in jugs or these clear plastic totes towards the end of January, but I don’t even know if that’s very important. I know people who have planted as soon as temps drop and don’t touch them until they start growing in spring. To me, that screams EASY.

How to get started with winter sowing

To get started with winter sowing, all you need are some small plastic containers (like milk jugs or these totes) with lids (that you’ll throw away, potting soil, water, and some seeds of your choice. I love heirloom seeds as you can save seeds off of your plants each year to use the next year.

First, cut a few small holes in the bottom of each container for drainage. Then fill the container almost full with potting soil and add water until it’s moist but not soggy. You’ll want about 4-6 inches of soil in your container.

Add your seeds according to package instructions, including the initial watering, put on the top part of your container (if you’re using milk jugs, leave the cap off), and place them outside in an area that gets at least 6 hours of direct sunlight per day. You should check on them every week or so to make sure they have enough water – if they look dry on top just give them a little water through one of the holes. That’s all there is to it! Once they start to warm up in spring, the condensation will drip down the sides and self water your little greenhouses for the most part!

Once warmer weather arrives in late spring/early summer, open up the lids of your winter sown containers and transplant any seedlings that have sprouted into their final positions in your garden beds or pots outside. Of course, you can also plant more traditional indoor seedlings as well – but for those extra stubborn varieties that don’t seem to want to germinate indoors why not give winter sowing a try? We think you’ll be happy with results!

Seeds that do well with winter sowing are your longer-germinating seeds, such as brassicas, or any seeds from packets that state they are “self-sowing, direct-sowing, cold-hardy, pre-chill, or sown-when-cool.” Also, if the name of the seed has any words in it that provide clues about their winter sowing viability, such as “Alpine, polar, oriental, arctic, etc…” they’re probably good for winter sowing.

Some of my favorite winter sowing annuals are snapdragons, bee balm, delphiniums, and most of the kitchen herbs I would use on a daily basis.

Winter sowing is also a time-saver. You’re growing seedlings under natural light and temperature conditions, so you won’t need to invest time in hardening them off before they go into your garden beds. They will already be acclimated, and they’ll be hardier and stocker than if they are grown indoors without sufficient light.

Winter sowing is an easy way to get your garden growing even during cold weather months when traditional indoor planting isn’t an option – plus it’s incredibly cost effective since most people already have access to old plastic containers like milk jugs at home! Give this trick a try this season and see what happens – we’re sure you’ll be pleasantly surprised by how quickly your plants start growing once warmer weather arrives! Good luck!

Written by Jessica

Crushing That Good Life one weekend at a time.

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How To Shop Once And Eat Well For 30 Days To Save Money

by jessicaherbig | Nov 23, 2022 | Recipes

How I went 30 days without grocery shopping, and saved hundreds of dollars

Want to learn how to turn one dinner into 4, or 5 to help save money? Keep reading.

One of my very favorite food experiments was opting out of grocery shopping for a whole month and only eating what we had on hand. For 30 full days, I planned breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, and occasional desserts, and even managed to put up some salsa and preserve some foods, all without going grocery shopping. This fun experiment ended up saving me a lot of money, as we wasted less of our food.

Why did I do this? Well… this was directly after the Vid exploded across the nation, and although I wasn’t afraid to be out in public, doing what I’ve always done, I was extremely put off by the way people were acting and treating each other, so i opted out of being around them. It was a crazy time. Was it Charles Dickens that said “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.”? I think so.

So I challenged myself to cook from what we had for 30 days. I had a few parameters… if the kids needed milk, I’d go to the store, or if we ended up eating out a few times during the month like we normally do, then we would. We just wouldn’t go out just because I couldn’t think of what to make. I ended up not needing to ever go to the store that full 30 days, but we did eat out 2-3 times because we were in town for sports things during a meal time.

So HOW did I do this? Well, first of all, I had just done a shopping trip, so we had fresh milk and veggies on hand. It was also garden season, and we have chickens, so we had a few fresh veggies coming in every day, (not a lot, like a handful of cherry tomatoes or similar at a time) and we also had 2-3 chicken eggs every day from our hens who were starting to freshly lay.

I started out by doing a rough inventory of what we had available to us, and putting it down in order of “freshness”. To make sure we were eating up fresh items before the pantry items so we’d minimize food going bad before we could use it. So through the 30 days, we transitioned from fresh produce first, to dried, canned, and frozen. Same with any meats we had in the fridge and freezer. We ate the fresh first, then moved on to the storage foods.

But as I was planning my meals, I found myself naturally taking the leftovers from one meal, and turning them into the next. For example, one night we had elk smokies. I had to make fresh buns for them because we didn’t have any hot dog buns around, and we ate them with sauerkraut, and some sort of vegetable. I think it was broccoli. Then I took the leftover sausage and broccoli, chopped it up really small, added some cheese and rolled it up in tortillas. I put them in a 9×13 pan like enchiladas and poured beaten eggs and seasonings over it, and cooked that the next day for breakfast enchiladas. When that meal was all used up, I moved on to the next meal.

I cooked up a bunch of ground burger, and made chili with beans one night, then we had chili nachos with the leftover chili the next night, then chili dogs a 3rd night, and I finished off a 4th night with chili cornbread pizza cooked in a cast iron. Did we get tired of chili? Maybe, but the kids loved the different ways I was getting creative and giving one meal a completely different taste and feel as I rolled it into the next. I also took that burger and made bibimbap, which is just a mixed rice dish with whatever veggies you have on hand, and seasoned ground or minced meat.

You can call it “Cook once, eat thrice” or just a smart use of leftovers, but at the end of the 30 days, we had saved over $500 we would have spent on grocery shopping, and it only cost me about $200 to restock what we had used for the month. That told me we waste SO MUCH food during the month that gets thrown out or given to our chickens. This was prior to purchasing our freeze dryer, so now we preserve a lot of our leftovers that way, also helping to save on grocery bills. It’s nice to take a leftover, freeze dry it, and set it on the shelf so my kiddos can just add hot water and eat!

So as a recap:

Develop a food plan
Stick to the plan
Adjust as necessary
Get creative
Make allowances for things outside your controL

If you want to get planning on a 30 day no shopping challenge of your own, I’d really recommend grabbing a notebook (any notebook will do) and writing down as many meals as you can think of that you could make from what you have on hand. Then, add meals your family loves that you have MOST of the ingredients on hand for. Don’t forget simple meals like yogurt and granola for breakfast, or base recipe ingredients such as eggs or potatoes. You can do a LOT with eggs and potatoes. Also, never underestimate the power of a good stir fry. You can throw in whatever meat and veggies you have, either already cooked as leftovers, or fresh/frozen, and have an amazing meal.

I will say, having a meal planning notebook dedicated to this helps to keep your lists of food items organized. I love this one, and as a bonus it has an expense tracker in it too, so you can keep track of how much your stock up shopping trip costs, and your re-stock shopping trip to see if this is something you can do long term! The tear-off shopping list is kind of handy also! The idea of only having to go to the grocery store once per month makes me GIDDY. It’s such a time saver, and that’s worth a lot to me.

Written by Jessica

Crushing That Good Life one weekend at a time.

How To Choose A Theme For Your WordPress Website

by jessicaherbig | Nov 21, 2022 | Business

AND WHICH ONES I USE FOR MY ONLINE RESERVATION NEEDS

How do you choose a theme for your website?

Are you going to create a website for your business? WordPress has ready-to-go solutions covering different niches! But the flip side of the medal is the difficult choice of the best theme. This article will tell you how to choose a theme for your WordPress website and what features to search for.

5 Reasons to Choose WordPress

First of all, let’s discuss the WordPress CMS platform. It’s one of the most popular website-building platforms. We’ve singled out 5 main reasons in favor of wordpress.org:

It’s an open-source platform where you can find a large collection of themes and plugins for different project types.

WordPress makes it easy to manage your website and its content.

This CMS is completely secure.

Many hosting providers offer multiple plans for WordPress websites.

There is a huge WordPress community. So, if you have a question about the CMS, they may help you.

Top 10 Features to Consider While Looking for a WordPress Theme

Now, we’ve come to the point – how to choose a WordPress theme. We’ve included the main features in this list as it’s difficult to find an all-purpose solution for different niches.

Fast-loading and clean-coded design

The design of a chosen WordPress theme must be not only dedicated to your industry (it’s obvious, isn’t it?), but also spare from poor code and unnecessary elements. They may overload pages and slow down your website. It goes without saying that a WordPress theme should adjust to all screen sizes.

Lotus Spa

For example, Lotus Spa is a WordPress theme crafted with the Elementor page builder. This theme suits any wellness industry website. It comes packed with fast-performing pages displaying on any screen size. You can highlight team members and their profiles, service packages, contacts, and more details. While my favorite visual builder is Divi, Elementor also has great options for visual builders, which means you do NOT need to know how to code to have a beautiful website!

Compatibility with WordPress plugins

Depending on the business you create a website for, you might need to install WordPress plugins to add the required functionality. You should make sure that the preferable theme is compatible with these plugins.

WooCommerce is one of the most popular plugins to incorporate 80+ global payment gateways into WordPress websites. Many WordPress themes are ready-to-be-integrated with this plugin. MailChimp allows you to run email marketing campaigns, while Contact Form 7 is a well-known WordPress form plugin. My chosen email platform is AWeber, but I just started using it, so instead of linking to it for you, I’m going to spend some time getting to know it a little better and then decide whether I want to sing it’s praises! It’s worth noting that they have a free version that’s great for when you’re just getting started, and their PRO upgrade plan is very affordable.

With the Laveri theme, you can enhance the website of your online clothing store with WooCommerce features. They include attractive product pages, sorting & filtering options, shipping settings, and built-in payment gateways.

Crafted with Elementor, the design is oriented on product presentation, catalogs, galleries, and more eCommerce essentials. The Stratum Elementor Mega Menu helps you build a user-friendly and content-rich mega menu to facilitate navigation on the website.

The Integrated Functionality

It’s great when the WordPress theme comes bundled with the needed plugin at no cost. Thus, you won’t need to search for third-party software. Also, you might spend less time tailoring the theme’s style to its specialties. Let’s have a look at some examples!

Villagio

The Villagio WordPress theme smoothly works for websites dealing with single or multiple rentals in different locations. You can rent out unlimited accommodations and accept online bookings.

The WordPress Hotel Booking plugin powers up the Villagio theme. This plugin enables you to accept online & offline payments, sync bookings with OTAs and set up dynamic rates. You’re allowed to add booking rules, customize email templates, and manage bookings from the dashboard. I’ve personally used this plugin for my clients with fantastic results. It’s so customizable and really helps my booking clients stand out in their rental booking niches.

It’s worth mentioning that there is a collection of WordPress hotel themes enhanced by this plugin for free. They combine a dedicated design and fully-featured booking functionality. This can save you some money as it’s a 2 for 1 sort of a deal.

Touriny

Touriny comes integrated with the WordPress Appointment Booking that works for any hourly-based business website. It’s easy to customize pre-designed pages and structure tour directories. This theme comes in handy for tour operators and travel agencies to promote tours and arrange online tour scheduling.

With Touriny, you’ll be able to accept payments via PayPal, Stripe, and more methods. It takes a few clicks to add flexible guides’ timetables, fill in their profiles, and handle appointments on the backend.

Regular updates

You should look at the story of theme updates. They are usually released to provide new features, bug fixes, or a theme compatible with the latest version of WordPress.

Highly-qualified support

Check out whether different support channels are available after purchasing the theme. You should have the opportunity to leave a ticket, write an email, or send a message to a support team if you have any questions or issues regarding their theme.

Customization options

You need at least a basic set of customization options to make your website unique – its color scheme, backgrounds, font types, etc.

If you work with the native WordPress editor, you might like the Getwid addon. It’s a collection of 35+ free WordPress blocks and templates that enhance your website editing powers.

Stratum addon is a collection of 20+ free Elementor widgets that are handy for Elementor users. They are suitable for different site sections. At least 6 of the Stratum widgets are free alternatives to those in Elementor Pro.

Optimization for search engines

You should run some tests to be sure that a WordPress theme comes with no SEO mistakes. You may use dedicated free tools such as Pingdom. Copy and paste the theme demo URL. Also, apply Google Pagespeed Insights to check the theme’s performance – nobody likes a slow-loading website.

8. Rates and reviews

This point is to tell you about other customers’ experiences and feedback. They may share both pros and cons of the WordPress theme you’d like to choose. You can find rates and reviews on the product page, forums, reliable platforms such as TrustPilot, or social media communities.

Ready to Be Translated

If you’re going to make your website available in different languages, find out whether the theme is multilingual-ready. It should support the translation plugin you use.

Pricing

We’d not recommend you put the pricing in the first place while you’re deciding on the theme for your WordPress website. Paid themes often include different services, premium extensions, or other options. If you’re keen on developing multiple websites, you may even consider membership programs to get a discount.

So, How to Find the Best Theme for WordPress?

This was our quick guide on how to choose a top WordPress theme for your website. We’ve done our best to list the most important points you should check out first. The provided examples cover different niches. Weigh all the pros and cons and make your choice to build the online presence of your business without touching any code!

Written by Jessica

Crushing That Good Life one weekend at a time.

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How To Start Your First Garden

by jessicaherbig | Nov 14, 2022 | Gardening

and why now is the best time to start planning that garden

Snow is starting to fall, and that means it’s time to start thinking about starting a garden in the Spring! If you’ve never gardened before, it can seem like a daunting task. But never fear! Starting a garden CAN be daunting, but if you just break it down and take it step by step, it makes it doable! This post will give you all the information you need to get started planning your spring garden, including what kind of garden to start with, what kind of materials you’ll need, and where to find helpful resources. By the time you’re done reading, you’ll be ready to get your hands dirty and plant your first garden!

Why start now? Gardening supplies are on sale now!! If you wait until spring to get what you need, you’ll end up paying more, and a lot of the bigger items you’ll need are more of a one-time purchase, so why not start now and save some money! I’ve included a quick shopping list of essentials at the bottom of this post to help make it easier on you! You can also check it out HERE.

In-Ground Gardens

One of the most popular types of gardens is the in-ground garden. In-ground gardens are exactly what they sound like—gardens that are planted directly in the ground. They’re a great option for anyone who wants to get started with gardening but doesn’t want to make a lot of initial investment. All you need for an in-ground garden is some good soil, some plants, and some water!

If you’re interested in starting an in-ground garden, one of the first things you’ll need to do is test your soil. You can do this by purchasing a soil testing kit from your local hardware store or online. Once you know what kind of soil you have, you can start planning what kinds of plants you want to grow. (If you have questions about what kinds of plants will do well in your soil, your local nursery or gardening center should be able to help.)

Once you’ve chosen your plants, it’s time to start digging! You’ll want to dig individual holes for each plant, making sure that the hole is big enough for the root ball. Once your plants are in the ground, water them well and wait for them to grow!

Raised Bed Gardens

Raised bed gardens are another popular option for first-time gardeners. Raised bed gardens are essentially gardens that are planted in beds that are raised above ground level. They’re a great option if you don’t have a lot of space, or if you want to avoid having to bend over too much when you’re gardening.

This type of garden bed typically require less maintenance than in-ground gardens because the soil drains better and doesn’t compact as easily. They also tend to warm up more quickly in the springtime, which means that you can start planting earlier than you could with an in-ground garden.

If you’re interested in starting a raised bed garden, one of the first things you’ll need to do is build your beds. You can either purchase raised bed kits from your local hardware or garden store or online, or you could build them yourself using lumber or cinder blocks. Once your beds are built, fill them with good quality soil and choose your plants! Don’t forget to leave room for paths between your beds so that you can comfortably move around while you’re gardening.

No Till Gardens

No till gardens are a newer type of garden that’s becoming increasingly popular among home gardeners. No till gardens are essentially gardens that require very little digging or tilling—hence their name!—and can be started with just a few inches of topsoil. They’re perfect for anyone who doesn’t want to spend a lot of time preparing their garden beds before planting. And since they don’t require tilling, they’re also great for anyone who wants to avoid disturbing small beneficial creatures like worms and beetles that live underground.

To start a no till garden , simply clear away any existing vegetation from the area where you want to plant , then cover the area with 3-4 inches of mulch . Once the area is covered with mulch , dig small holes through the mulch and plant your seeds or seedlings . Water regularly , and soon you’ll have a beautiful no till garden!

Gardening is a fun and rewarding hobby that anyone can enjoy! Whether you choose an in-ground garden, raised bed garden, no till garden, or another way that makes sense to you, there’s bound to be a gardening method that’s perfect for you. So what are you waiting for?

If you need help getting started, I’ve put together a quick list HERE to give you an idea of some good items to have on hand as you break ground on your new garden space! Good luck, there’s nothing better than a fresh, sun-warmed tomato!

Written by Jessica

Crushing That Good Life one weekend at a time.

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« Older Entries

i’m not clucking around

FIRST THINGS FIRST,

now onto the good stuff

Some valuable insights from our first year with meat birds

Written by Jessica

Other Posts You Might Like

Comments

easy steps to start your garden earlier

WHAT IS WINTER SOWING?

How to get started with winter sowing

Written by Jessica

Other Posts You Might Like

Comments

How I went 30 days without grocery shopping, and saved hundreds of dollars

So as a recap:

Develop a food planStick to the planAdjust as necessaryGet creativeMake allowances for things outside your controL

Written by Jessica

Other Posts You Might Like

AND WHICH ONES I USE FOR MY ONLINE RESERVATION NEEDS

Written by Jessica

Other Posts You Might Like

Comments

and why now is the best time to start planning that garden

In-Ground Gardens

Raised Bed Gardens

No Till Gardens

Written by Jessica

Other Posts You Might Like

Comments

Recent Posts

Recent Comments

Develop a food plan
Stick to the plan
Adjust as necessary
Get creative
Make allowances for things outside your controL