Keep your chicken flock healthy, happy and occupied with these chicken enrichment ideas, toys, treats and activities. Happy chickens are healthy chickens. At least that’s the idea behind the trend of chicken enrichment. Your favorite chicken breeds could be Lavender Orpington, Plymouth Rock, Rhode Island Red, Australorp, White Leghorn, Silkie, Easter Egger or something else. No matter your breed of choice, keeping your chickens productively busy will most likely keep them productively laying eggs. That is one of the main reasons you have chickens. Right? Then let’s learn about chicken enrichment. Benefits of Chicken Enrichment What exactly is chicken enrichment? Well, animal enrichment is a “principle that seeks to enhance the quality of captive animal care by identifying and providing the environmental stimuli necessary for optimal psychological and physiological well-being.” For backyard chickens, this means improving the quality of their lives beyond just the bare … [Read more...] about Chicken Enrichment Ideas for Happy, Healthy Chickens
tips
A Spring Garden Jump Start in 12 Easy Steps
It's time for a spring garden jump start. There are gardening tasks to be done, and the growing season is coming. The grass is starting to green up, bulbs are peeking through the soil, and spring is around the corner. Gardening chores come fast and furious once warm weather hits. Sometimes you don’t have time to fit all the tasks in. A spring garden jump-start is a productive way to begin your gardening year. You can hit the ground running and get ahead of the season. That's why late winter is my favorite time to get many of the spring jobs done-- or at least get them started. It's a great way to reduce the springtime stress of too many gardening tasks to do. So what are we waiting for? Let's use these garden tips and get this spring garden jump start going! Step 1: Weeding My top priority in late winter/early spring is keeping weeds under control. Cold weather weeds such as chickweed and mustard are much easier to hand weed when small. Plus, the weeds haven’t gone to seed … [Read more...] about A Spring Garden Jump Start in 12 Easy Steps
Spring Lawn Care Tips
Spring Lawn Care Tips to Keep Your Grass Looking Great. The spring season is the time for lawns and gardens to bloom and become green. Fortunately, there are several key spring lawn care tips. These tips will make your lawn thrive with the right care during the spring season. Preparing your lawn during the spring season ensures healthy growth throughout the year. With the right maintenance practices, your lawn will be vibrant and healthy. It will also be capable of defending itself from various growth-related challenges and environmental stressors. Following are some of the most vital spring lawn care tips. Spring Lawn Care Tip: Rake Your Lawn and Remove Excess Winter Debris The first spring lawn care tip starts with raking your lawn. Raking begins with lightly scratching and scraping the lawn to get rid of leaves that didn’t survive the winter. The fallen leaves can eventually contribute to an excessive thatch layer that can make your lawn look unkempt or unhealthy. … [Read more...] about Spring Lawn Care Tips
Should You Water Trees in Winter?
Should you water trees in winter? If so, what are the best tree watering tips for winter weather? Winter impacts everyone, and that includes the trees in your yard. Most people believe that since trees remain dormant during the winter season, the cold and dry conditions do not impact them. But that is far from the truth. The reality is that trees also experience the stress of the harsh winter season. You may not be able to witness the impact of winter on trees, but internally they are impacted unless you take proper steps to provide them relief. Editor’s Note: Keeping your trees healthy can involve more than proper watering. Dead tree branches should be removed to maintain optimum tree health. A battery-powered chainsaw is a handy tool to have in your tool shed! Protect Trees in Winter When it comes to providing relief, you must first know how the trees are affected by winter. Most people do not realize that if trees head into winter with dry roots, it can … [Read more...] about Should You Water Trees in Winter?
Tips for Visiting Open Houses
Attending open houses is essential when you are looking to buy a home. Going to open houses can be intimidating. But visiting homes for sale is an extremely important part of deciding what house is right for you. Open houses offer great opportunities to see what home features you like. Here are the tips for visiting open houses. Have a Plan for the Open House Our tips for visiting open houses begins with a plan. When you are house hunting, be sure to time-block your open house visits. If you find one open house you’re interested in, check for any other events happening in the same area, so you can view multiple homes in one day. For example, if you are searching for Memphis houses for sale , a quick Google search for open houses will give you quite a few in the area. Follow the Open House Rules If an open house is scheduled from 12 to 4 p.m., don’t show up at 11:30 a.m. and barge right in. Also, don’t arrive at 3:59 p.m. and expect to be welcomed for a … [Read more...] about Tips for Visiting Open Houses
