Backyard Farming

Healthy Choices=Healthy You

At one point in my life I was guilty of letting myself eat too much processed food, fast food and junk food. I was not drinking enough water and I had stopped being active and exercising. It was easier to go to the snack machine and grab that Dr. Pepper and chips or stop by a drive-thru on my way home from the hospital than to pack a healthy meal. I put on about 80 lbs in a very short time doing this.

I started having migraines, gut issues, high blood pressure and joint pain. I was young and couldnโ€™t understand what was going on with me or why I felt so sluggish. Prior to this I had always been active, drank lots of water, ate a balanced diet and maintained the same weight. I started to look at what I was doing differently in my life. I learned that what I was putting into my body not only was making me gain weight, but that I was polluting my gut with toxic ingredients in processed foods.

I also, realized I was contributing to my own depression by not being active. As soon as I eliminate the daily fast food and junk food, started back exercising and drinking water the weight literally melted off. I felt energetic, went back to my normal blood pressure, eliminated joint pain, minimized my gut issues and headaches. I realized my choices then werenโ€™t healthy and I needed to change.

Besides going back to healthy eating and exercising I started to educate and pay more attention to the ingredients in my food and the eat organic even in the body and home products I was using too. I started growing some of our own food too. It became important to me to dedicate time to homesteading and being in control of my food. This quest has grown over the past years and we are able to supplement many things we previously bought at the grocery store.

Making smart food choices, getting outside and being active can contribute directly to overall health. Healthy choices can equal up to a healthy you. I hope by blogging and sharing my active lifestyle it inspires others to get outside and to let the wanderlust bug bite. Every little change you make will add up if youโ€™re consistent.

Backyard Farming

Why you shouldnโ€™t buy your children a baby bunny, chicks or ducks for Easter

๐Ÿ‘ฉ๐Ÿปโ€๐ŸŒพAs someone that has raised chicks, ducks and rabbits both as a young person and as an adult let me offer you some advice on baby bunnies, chicks and ducks.

๐Ÿฐ๐Ÿ“๐Ÿฆ†Baby bunnies, ducks and chicks look cute, but remember they grow up into a full size animal requiring a 5-10 year commitment. Chicks and ducks grow up to be medium/large size birds. Educate yourself on breeds and their characteristics before you make a pet purchase.

๐Ÿ“๐Ÿฆ† ๐Ÿ‘‰๐ŸผChicks and ducks need more than the cardboard box that they come in from the store. Chickens and ducks require a safe area and need to be protected from predators like dogs, cats, foxes, raccoons, large birds and opossums. Some HOA also, do not allow chickens or ducks in a residential area.

๐ŸฐSome breeds of rabbits are not very friendly or social.

๐Ÿ“๐Ÿฆ†Chicks and baby ducks are messy and required daily cleaning.

๐ŸฐRabbits often times donโ€™t make good pets for small children because they donโ€™t want to be held.

๐Ÿ“Some breeds of chicks turn into not so friendly chickens that peck or will even chase a child or other pets.

๐ŸฐRabbit pens require daily cleanings.

๐Ÿ“Chicks can carry diseases and germs.

๐ŸฐRabbits can bite and scratch when they feel threatened or upset.

Having a cute pet for a photo opportunity for your children might seem life a fun thing to do, but please consider if you are able to commit to chickens, ducks or rabbits. For the welfare of the animal and the happiness of your family make a smart decision.

โŒAbandonment or turning an animal you buy into the wild shouldnโ€™t be an option as pet chickens, ducks and rabbits canโ€™t survive there. In addition dying baby chicks or ducks like an Easter egg is cruel๐Ÿ˜•I love my pets and it always makes me sad at this time of the year how many seasonal pets get abandoned or mistreated.๐•€๐•— ๐•ช๐• ๐•ฆ ๐•™๐•’๐•ง๐•– ๐•’๐•Ÿ๐•ช ๐•ค๐•ก๐•–๐•”๐•š๐•—๐•š๐•” ๐•ข๐•ฆ๐•–๐•ค๐•ฅ๐•š๐• ๐•Ÿ๐•ค ๐• ๐•Ÿ ๐•ฃ๐•’๐•š๐•ค๐•š๐•Ÿ๐•˜ ๐•”๐•™๐•š๐•”๐•œ๐•–๐•Ÿ๐•ค ๐• ๐•ฃ ๐•ฃ๐•’๐•“๐•“๐•š๐•ฅ๐•ค ๐•ก๐•๐•–๐•’๐•ค๐•– ๐•—๐•–๐•–๐• ๐•—๐•ฃ๐•–๐•– ๐•ฅ๐•  ๐•ค๐•–๐•Ÿ๐•• ๐•ž๐•– ๐•’ ๐”ป๐•„.