Video Sundays: Doberman Outsmarted by Chicken

...berman was deathly afraid of chickens, for some reason. Addition from Mrs. Homestead: I wouldn’t characterize our dog as having been deathly afraid of chickens. Rather, I’d say he let the chickens push him around–very much like this video. Once I found him trapped, unable to get to the house because the mean chickens were blocking his path, so I had to rescue him. But often enough they’d all coexist peacefully, with the chickens pecking right unde...

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Looking for Tough, Drought Tolerant Plants?

...ve learned that if you’ve got a small garden, having plants that look good year round is particularly important. There’s a number of our favorites on the list: Salvia apiana, Rosmarinus officinalis, Ceanothus ‘Concha’. If you just cashed in your LA Department of Water and Power lawn rebate check and (hopefully) decided against the artificial turf grass option, the All-Star list is good place to start. Kelly and I are working, this summer, on lower...

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Practical Backyard Chicken Biosecurity

...luenza. I’ve never seen a duck land in our yard, but if you have a pool or water feature this could be something to think about. Some other suggestions from Dr. Gallardo: Buy from hatcheries that are National Poultry Improvement Plan (NPIP) certified. NPIP hatcheries immunize for Mareks disease. Separate sick birds immediately. Quarantine new birds for 30 days. Prevent mosquitoes by draining standing water. Mosquitoes can spread fowl pox and other...

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A happy tangle

...ubbing alcohol, which I keep in a spray bottle to sterilize my pruning shears. It’s just handy. If I didn’t have that, I’d use vinegar. Clean out your birdbaths, too. You don’t have to bleach them, but change the water regularly and don’t let them get all gunky. And if you keep hummingbird feeders, you probably know those need to be cleaned out with hot water every few days, so mold doesn’t form in the sugar....

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Our new front yard, part 5: Constructing a meadow community

...y vanish or just look pleasantly dry? Some avoid dormancy if you give them water. Some die if you give them water at the wrong time. Oy! Save me from our crazy native grasses. Right now I have three species of native bunching grasses on the slope. The first is Sporobolus airoides (Alkali dropseed). This is the tallest of my grasses. It gets to be three feet tall, with more height from the seed heads, I believe. It’s showy, with nice airy seed head...

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