Story by Tamsin Cooper, read by Kenny Coogan. Why early experiences are important for your birds. This story comes from the April/May 2024 issue of MOTHER EARTH NEWS magazine. Read more at https://backyardpoultry.iamcountryside.com/poultry-101/chick-and-duckling-imprinting/ More from Mother Earth News and Friends  🌳 Podcasts https://www.motherearthnews.com/Podcast/  🌳 Articles https://www.motherearthnews.com/  🌳 Store https://store.motherearthnews.com/  🌳 Instagram    / motherearthnewsmag    🌳 TikTok    / motherearthnewsmagazine    The Mother Earth News and Friends podcast shares the stories of leaders in sustainable and rural living. We’re passionate about helping people learn more about natural health, homesteading, sustainability, and more. Catch new interviews and audio articles on Thursdays.

Have you ever wanted to add some fun-loving ducks to your property? In this episode, John, Mark, and Katie Metzer of Metzer Farms share how to care for baby ducks, including how to prepare for their arrival, what to feed ducklings, if ducks can go broody, and more. By the end of this episode, maybe you’ll want to welcome a few web-footed friends to your homestead! More from Mother Earth News and Friends  🌳 Podcasts https://www.motherearthnews.com/Podcast/  🌳 Articles https://www.motherearthnews.com/  🌳 Store https://store.motherearthnews.com/  🌳 Instagram    / motherearthnewsmag    🌳 TikTok    / motherearthnewsmagazine    The Mother Earth News and Friends podcast shares the stories of leaders in sustainable and rural living. We’re passionate about helping people learn more about natural health, homesteading, sustainability, and more. You can catch new episodes on Thursdays.

Hatching baby chicks can be a great way to introduce kids to the world of incubation, poultry, and all the challenges and joys of homesteading – not to mention leadership and entrepreneurship. In this episode, Ann Accetta-Scott shares more about egg-hatching curriculum for children, whether using it as a family side project or a homeschooling lesson, and the ways children can grow through these chick-hatching ventures. More from Mother Earth News and Friends  🌳 Podcasts https://www.motherearthnews.com/Podcast/  🌳 Articles https://www.motherearthnews.com/  🌳 Store https://store.motherearthnews.com/  🌳 Instagram    / motherearthnewsmag    🌳 TikTok    / motherearthnewsmagazine    The Mother Earth News and Friends podcast shares the stories of leaders in sustainable and rural living. We’re passionate about helping people learn more about natural health, homesteading, sustainability, and more. You can catch new interviews and audio articles on Thursdays.

Story by Elizabeth Mack, read by John Moore. A new, peeping box of fluffy little chicks can be scary, but this excellent advice can help you. This story comes from the February/March 2024 issue of MOTHER EARTH NEWS magazine. Read more at https://backyardpoultry.iamcountryside.com/chickens-101/bringing-new-chicks-home/ More from Mother Earth News and Friends 🌳 Podcasts https://www.motherearthnews.com/Podcast/ 🌳 Articles https://www.motherearthnews.com/ 🌳 Store https://store.motherearthnews.com/ 🌳 Instagram    / motherearthnewsmag   🌳 TikTok    / motherearthnewsmagazine     The Mother Earth News and Friends podcast shares the stories of leaders in sustainable and rural living. We’re passionate about helping people learn more about natural health, homesteading, sustainability, and more. You can catch new interviews and audio articles on Thursdays.  

The word is out: Mushroom foraging is in. For those new to the world of mushroom hunting, we have a guide for you from author and mushroom hunter Frank Hyman. In this episode, we discuss with Frank some advice when out foraging for mushrooms, some popular edible mushrooms, and tips for avoiding toxic mushrooms. Plus, find out how you can order Frank’s excellent book, How to Forage for Mushrooms Without Dying.   More from Mother Earth News and Friends  🌳 Podcasts https://www.motherearthnews.com/Podcast/  🌳 Articles https://www.motherearthnews.com/  🌳 Store https://store.motherearthnews.com/  🌳 Instagram    / motherearthnewsmag    🌳 TikTok    / motherearthnewsmagazine    The Mother Earth News and Friends podcast shares the stories of leaders in sustainable and rural living. We’re passionate about helping people learn more about natural health, homesteading, sustainability, and more. Catch new interviews and audio articles on Thursdays.

Spring hatching is around the corner! For those new to the world of incubating eggs and hatching chicks, we’re here to let you know it’s not as daunting as it may see. In this episode, Pascale Pearce of Brinsea joins us to discuss the basics of using an incubator and how to solve any challenges that may come your way, including when to stop turning chicken eggs, how to adjust humidity in an incubator, and candling. More from Mother Earth News and Friends  🌳 Podcasts https://www.motherearthnews.com/Podcast/  🌳 Articles https://www.motherearthnews.com/  🌳 Store https://store.motherearthnews.com/  🌳 Instagram    / motherearthnewsmag    🌳 TikTok    / motherearthnewsmagazine    The Mother Earth News and Friends podcast shares the stories of leaders in sustainable and rural living. We’re passionate about helping people learn more about natural health, homesteading, sustainability, and more. You can catch new interviews and audio articles on Thursdays.

It be may be cold for many of us, but it’s not too early to start dreaming about next season’s garden! In this episode, Benedict Vanheems, a contributor to MOTHER EARTH NEWS, a lifelong gardener, and presenter at GrowVeg, shares about how you can start planning and planting your next vegetable garden – from in-ground to raised bed gardening, to where to start your garden. He covers all the basics about growing vegetables for beginners, including some recommendations for the best vegetables to grow at home, as well as the worst. For more of this podcast, visit https://www.motherearthnews.com/podcast/growing-vegetables-for-beginners-zepz2401zawar/ Check out the MOTHER EARTH NEWS Garden Planner at GardenPlanner.MotherEartNews.com. More from Mother Earth News and Friends  🌳 Podcasts https://www.motherearthnews.com/Podcast/ 🌳 Video Courses & Live Events https://www.motherearthnews.com/videos/ 🌳 Articles https://www.motherearthnews.com/  🌳 Store https://store.motherearthnews.com/  🌳 Instagram    / motherearthnewsmag    🌳 TikTok    / motherearthnewsmagazine    The Mother Earth News and Friends podcast shares the stories of leaders in sustainable and rural living. We’re passionate about helping people learn more about natural health, homesteading, sustainability, and more. You can catch new interviews and audio articles on Thursdays.

Making your own homemade batches of soap can be rewarding, therapeutic, and allows you to craft beautifully aromatic soaps tailored for your skin’s needs. In this episode, Melanie Teegarden, a soap-maker and business owner, shares the beneficial properties of homemade soaps and provides a simple recipe for you to get started making them at home. Once you've got a handle on the safety measures involved with making soap with lye, as well as general soap-making procedure and ingredients, you'll be able to fearlessly make your own! For more resources, view this podcast at https://www.motherearthnews.com/podcast/making-soap-with-lye-zepz2401zawar Order Melanie’s book, the MOTHER EARTH NEWS Guide to Soap-making More from Mother Earth News and Friends  🌳 Podcasts https://www.motherearthnews.com/Podcast/  🌳 Articles https://www.motherearthnews.com/  🌳 Store https://store.motherearthnews.com/  🌳 Instagram    / motherearthnewsmag    🌳 TikTok    / motherearthnewsmagazine    The Mother Earth News and Friends podcast shares the stories of leaders in sustainable and rural living. We’re passionate about helping people learn more about natural health, homesteading, sustainability, and more. You can catch new interviews and audio articles on Thursdays.

Story by Linda Bowen, read by John Moore. Make this nature-friendly pastime safer for you and your feathered neighbors. This story comes from the December 2023/January 2024 issue of MOTHER EARTH NEWS magazine. More from Mother Earth News and Friends  🌳 Podcasts https://www.motherearthnews.com/Podcast/  🌳 Articles https://www.motherearthnews.com/  🌳 Store https://store.motherearthnews.com/  🌳 Instagram    / motherearthnewsmag    🌳 TikTok    / motherearthnewsmagazine    The Mother Earth News and Friends podcast shares the stories of leaders in sustainable and rural living. We’re passionate about helping people learn more about natural health, homesteading, sustainability, and more. You can catch new interviews and audio articles on Thursdays.

Thinking about getting solar? Before jumping in, know the types of solar setups available to you, what it’ll cost you, the questions to ask solar-installation companies, and more. Hoss Boyd of TeraVolt Energy joins us on the podcast to discuss what you need to know before you set up solar energy for your home. For more resources, view this podcast at https://www.motherearthnews.com/podcast/solar-energy-pros-cons-zepz2312zawar. More from Mother Earth News and Friends  🌳 Podcasts https://www.motherearthnews.com/Podcast/  🌳 Articles https://www.motherearthnews.com/  🌳 Store https://store.motherearthnews.com/  🌳 Instagram    / motherearthnewsmag    🌳 TikTok    / motherearthnewsmagazine    The Mother Earth News and Friends podcast shares the stories of leaders in sustainable and rural living. We’re passionate about helping people learn more about natural health, homesteading, sustainability, and more. You can catch new interviews and audio articles on Thursdays.