Animals & livestock

Long before there were mechanized tractors and trucks, the heavy lifting and pulling on farms and homesteads was done by teams of draft horses. Draft horses are the largest of the equine breeds and can supply the power to pull and…
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Hobby farmer Fawn "Tarma" Richardson and her Australian cattle dog, Cooper, who helps herd sheep on Richardson's hobby farm in Greenfield, Maine. | Photo by Sam Schipani If you find yourself struggling to wrangle your flocks, herding…
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Bob Yunick holding a hummingbird banding trip near Mooselookmeguntic Lake in early August 2019. | Photo by Jennifer Morgan Like tourists, hummingbirds love summering in Maine. Between the months of May and September, lush Maine is…
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Fern, a border collie that herds sheep at Shalom Orchard Organic Farm and Winery. | Photo by Sam Schipani Whether you have grazing cows, rambling sheep or foraging goats, herding dogs can help to manage flocks on your farm or…
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A member of the camel family, llamas are adapted to the harsh conditions of the high Andes Mountains, where they subsist on a wide variety of grasses and other plants. But here in the United States, where the landscape and vegetation is…
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Baby quail. | Photo by M Segrist If you choose to add quail to your farm or homestead, raising your own baby quail is a simple, cost-effective way to sustain your stock. Once you have successfully incubated and hatched quail eggs, the…
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Scott Huber, owner of Itty Bitty Farm in Columbia Falls, displaying differently patterned quail eggs. | Photo by Sam Schipani Quail eggs are eaten around the world, both as street food and in fine cuisine, but they can be used for more…
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Sheep are mostly valued for their wool and meat in the United States -- but what about their milk? More and more farmers throughout the country are experimenting with what to make with sheep milk, from creamy yogurt to delicious cheese. …
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Myke Russel and Kathryn Cody, owners of November’s Harvest Farm in Limington, preparing for a chicken processing workshop at the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association’s eighth annual Farm and Homestead Day in Unity. | Photo by…
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Colt Knight, assistant professor of extension and state livestock specialist at the University of Maine Cooperative Extension, constructing a GPS tracking collar for a cow. | Photo by Sam Schipani Farming has a bad reputation for being…
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On horse-powered farms and homesteads, draft horses are used for heavy work. But like any animal, these horses need to be treated well. Here's how to care for a draft horse. The large and sturdy draft horse can do much of the work on…
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Loaded with nutrients and vitamins, goats milk has been proven an excellent ingredient for personal cleaning products. When used in a consistent skincare regimen, goat milk benefits include moisturizing skin, reducing acne and…
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