April does it all on her homestead. For over 12 years she has worked tirelessly on her farm, including through tough, cold, snowy winters, to provide for her family.
She is a master organizer and efficient in what she focuses on, prioritizing her family, animals, and farm. She embraces homesteading and sustainability every day, no matter the weather. In addition to daily milking and tending to her garden and animals, she is a busy homeschooling mom.
Experience and Expertise
Raising cows for milk and meat
April and her family have a lot of experience raising Angus cattle for beef as well as dairy cows.
She has purchased dairy cows with the idea to train them, have them birth calves, use them for milk, sell offspring, and adopt calves from other farms. April has vast experience
training milk cows so that it would be safe to approach them and milk them.
She's raised heifers and their calves and has a lot of experience milking Jersey cows. She and her husband are experienced with setting up a sterile and functional milk station to keep the cows content and also to stay safe while milking by hand and with a bucket milker machine.
Her family uses the milk from their farm as well as makes butter and ice cream.
Raising chickens for eggs and meat
April is experienced raising many chicken breeds for eggs and meat. Her flock has ample space to free-range during the day. She's experienced with keeping chickens healthy, incubating eggs, raising roosters, and more.
Other animals she raises
Her family also keeps goats, sheep, and horses.
Keeps livestock guardian dogs
On her family farm they also keep Great Pyrenees livestock dogs to protect their chickens, sheep, and goats.
Pest control
She has barn cats to help with natural pest control to keep mice from ruining grain bags.
Keeping livestock, horses, and chickens in the winter
April has years of experience dealing with keeping her animals safely sheltered, watered, and fed in the cold, damp winter months. She's well-versed keeping animals who are due to give birth (and their new offspring) safe as well.
Sheltering animals in cold weather
On her farm she has sheltered various livestock outdoors and indoors in shelters, depending on the temperature and the animals. She's experienced in appropriate bedding and keeping well-ventilated, draft-free spaces along with manure management plans.
Feeding livestock and horses in wintertime
Her expertise also lies in feeding her animals properly and the special needs that come in the winter. For example, she explains that beef cows are fairly tolerant of colder temperatures as long as they are well fed. Supplementing with grain is fine but they also need forage, something fibrous such as hay.
She feeds her dairy cows differently in winter as well and keeps them inside the barn as they are less tolerant of cold due to having less fat on their bodies. In addition to grain, she ensures her milk cows have high-quality hay, especially alfalfa.
Her horses receive special care in the winter. She is knowledgeable about blanketing them, indoor stalls, feeding them properly with good quality hay to keep them warm, and keeping their feet healthy.
Unfrozen fresh water in winter
She explains the importance of
providing free choice of unfrozen water options for her cows, goats, sheep, and chickens.
She stresses the importance of checking on her animals, and especially their feet (her sheep in particular).
With an eye for practicality, she knows the value of planning ahead. If it's too costly to feed animals appropriately in the winter months, she advises considering the difficult choice of selling the lesser-productive animals or using them while they are still more robust from the summer months.
Choosing the right breed of animal for your climate
April notes the importance of choosing animals that are appropriate for your property, resources, and climate. For example, if you live in a cold climate, choosing more cold-tolerant breeds as well as breeds with smaller combs will make them less prone to frostbite.
Gardens
April also tends to large vegetable gardens on her homestead, growing a variety of food in all four seasons. In addition, she grows berry bushes and has planted a fruit orchard.
Homeschooling mother
Her work is never done as she also homeschools her children. They are also involved in their farm, helping with the gardens and tending to the animals.
April bakes and cooks for her family with homegrown and home-raised ingredients from their farm. She's also a writer specializing in homesteading topics.
