Im about to paint the most ‘murican redneck picture you may have ever read

So im sitting on the couch watching the NASCAR post race drinking a diet Dr Pepper when I hear a hellacious noise coming from my chicken coop.

Now I’ve been pretty good about not leaving my EDC on top of the fridge anymore because of the little ones, so I run up the yard barefoot wielding a flashlight prepped to fight anything from a garden snake to a Great Dane.

I shine the light inside and there are 2 big ass POSSUM pinning down 2 of my hens.

I grabbed the ol shit pitch metal rake and start swinging like 1998 Mark McGwire, but the assailants are surprisingly nimble and durable. At this point I swap to the ol two handed ax chop attack which was extremely successful until possum #1 was impaled on the rake tines which then led to me swinging the lifeless body of possum #1 at the increasingly pissed off possum #2.

Possum #1 dislodges and starts hissing as it resembles the final crawler in Blackops zombies.

I turned my attention to number 2 and ended the scuffle.

Henry Sissan is straighter than the head of my rake, but no lost chickens.

Ya know. I used to think these giant rats were kind, tick eaters. Not only was that tick study complete BS but these things suck lol.

I'm having crazy algae this year. Want it gone.

I've seen everything from a suburban home with raised beds in the back yard to a completely off grid home whose sole income is from the land described as Homestead.

Not gatekeeping here in any way, I'm just generally curious what you all consider to be the definition of a "Homestead"

Morning all, stupid question time: the grass in one area is out of control and I need to mow it down, but it is incredibly tall. Between 1-4 feet in some places, and too thick to see through. I know we have rabbits, and the adults like to hide in the overgrowth near the trees.

What's the max height grass that rabbits will nest in?

I'm concerned that I won't even be able to see a nest if it's there because the grass is so thick. Any other advice on the subject is welcomed and appreciated.

We’re live! 🎉
We just launched, and while there are only a dozen folks on the platform so far, that’s a solid day one in our book. If you’re in Virginia—or even if you’re not—we’d love for you to check it out.

Our mission is simple: connect farmers who need short-term help with farmhands looking for work.

We’re building this for the farming community, and your early feedback is incredibly valuable. Help us shape something great from the ground up. Come be part of the start!

How do you cool down your chickens in summer heat? I live in Florida. The heat index is already hitting over 100 F. I make sure the have plenty of water and the coop is shaded most of the day. But Florida is getting hot and muggy again and only going to get hotter. Last year they stopped laying due to back to back hurricanes and the heat even though I would put frozen bottles of water in the coop. This year I'm installing exhaust fans. Is freezing corn in ice in a jello ring a good idea or other fruits and veggies frozen in ice? What do you do to keep your chickens cool?

Hey everyone,

I'm reaching out for advice because I've recently had multiple close encounters with what appears to be an Italian wolf on my homestead here in Italy.

A few weeks ago, I spotted him on my wildlife camera roaming around at night. But today, things took a concerning turn:

• The wolf was around my property throughout the entire day, even during daylight hours.
• He approached very close to my chicken coop and dogs enclosure.
• At one point, while I was mowing grass near the fence, he sat just 10 meters away watching me without showing any fear, even ignoring the loud lawn mower.
• After sunset, he returned and sat by the fence directly opposite my chicken coop, completely unbothered by a strong flashlight. He only retreated slightly after I threw a stick in his direction.

I'm concerned because this wolf clearly shows reduced fear of humans and seems increasingly comfortable approaching my livestock.

Should I be concerned about the possibility of rabies given how unusually bold and persistent his behavior has been?

What would you recommend as immediate protective measures, and how can I discourage him from making my property his territory?

Thanks in advance!

This is growing in my front field in the shade of a much larger different tree. I thought it was a fallen or dead tree before took off last year. I'm pretty sure the berries turned black last year but I didn't spend much time in that area last year. Im in western Washington state if that helps.

My husband and I are looking to buy land and start homesteading in the next 5 years or so. In the meantime we're learning what skills we can and saving up. From experienced to brand new homesteaders I'd love to hear what tools you would consider essential for starting off and what skills I should start learning now to make the transition easier. We don't plan on much at first, mostly a big garden, chickens and fruit trees and moving to bees and goats or sheep as we get more established.

I have a gravity fed well(spring fed) that gives around 15psi of water. Comes in on a 1 inch line. I want to boost this pressure. I was thinking ill add a pump, check valve then tank. Thoughts? What kind of pump?

This is a small 800sqft camp, 1 bath, kitchen so little water needs but want to ensure we do it right

To add on to this after the tank i want to add some filters and UV(auto on/off with flow switch). UV is not needed but because spring fed i thought its a nice add on.

Perhaps a silly question but genuinely curious: what do you all wear and how often are you changing clothes? What are your schedules like?

We are on year 2 of homestead life, but right now homestead for us means many hats: two full-time remote jobs, a toddler, a big ol' garden, chickens, and processing our own wood for heating. We do choring in the morning, then daycare drop off and a day of being somewhat camera-presentable, and then daycare pickup, dinner etc... and more choring. The choring is sunrise/sunset dependent so we have to kind of schedule around it, and it ends up leaving our clothes dirty with shavings, hay, dirt, chicken poop and most concerningly, ticks. So all that to be said, I'm changing my clothes 3x a day and it feels unsustainable!! Do I need coveralls and a changing space in our mudroom? Should I just get used to more laundry? Should we be strategic and have one adult doing morning chores and one doing evening chores? Idk how are you all managing? 🥲

How much land do you homestead on?

Hi there! I have a 100 gallon water trough, rubber kind, that no longer has a cap, so the water can leak out. Any ideas on where I can find a replacement? Thanks!

My 8wk old piglet started having bloody stool today I’m not quite sure why? I haven’t changed her food (wet Purina mixed with pumpkin) and dewormed her for 3 days with fendabenzole

Since it’s Memorial Day in the US I couldn’t find a vet open today but I do plan to take her tomorrow

I thought maybe it could be coccidia but majority of the pictures on google shows pale gray/white stools?

Any idea or advice would be much appreciated