Funding the Future of Small Farms: Featherman’s Financing & Grant Partners

Small Family Farm Financing

Equipping your farm shouldn’t come with guesswork or overwhelm. That’s why we’ve built trusted partnerships to help you secure small farm financing and agriculture grants — especially for small, growing, and veteran-led farms. Whether you’re buying your first scalder or investing in a full setup, these financing and grant programs can make it possible. Small […]

Myth Busting Poultry Processing: Part 1

processing poultry at home david schafer family kids featherman equipment

It’s gratifying to see so many people embracing poultry as a home enterprise—whether for nutrition, food security, kid-friendly chores, or simply the joy of keeping chickens. My personal favorite reasons? Building soil and the peaceful rhythm of morning and evening chores that bookend my day. But with that rising popularity comes an explosion of misinformation […]

A Dozen Ducks in a Row: Your Tactical Poultry Processing Prep Sheet for Summer

Poultry Processing Joel Salatin

Whether you’re a seasoned pro or prepping for your very first DDay (Dispatch Day), your ducks need to be in a row—tight, tidy, and executed with military precision. This is your PPS Guide Sheet: a tactical checklist to help you plan, prep, and process like a pro. Duck #1 – Bird Collection Collection must be […]

Mobile Poultry Coops for Homesteaders: Solving 3 Key Problems

Wide shot hundreds of chickens four prairie schooner mobile coops

If you’re a new homesteader raising pastured poultry without access to electricity—or struggling with brooder space and mobility—you’re not alone. When I started, I faced those same issues. That’s why the Prairie Schooner, a mobile poultry structure, changed everything. In this post, I’ll share how it solved three major challenges for my flock and helped […]

Introducing…The Freedom Series Chicken Ship

Liberating your chickens, your family, your land! Q: What makes Happy Chickens?  A: Freedom to run around and not get attacked. The Chicken Ship provides that freedom and security. Q: What makes Happy People?  A: Health, security and freedom! Optimal nutrition fuels a healthy body and engaged mind; home-raised food fosters security and a sense of […]

From Day 1 to Harvest in a Chicken Tractor!

Brooding in a Chicken Tractor When I homesteaded, I didn’t have any outbuildings to brood in, so I brooded in my Prairie Schooner, a PVC-framed, tarp-covered experiment on PVC skids. It turned out so well that I continued to brood outdoors after building a barn. I suggest you consider it too, even if you already […]

Homesteading Corner

Happy Homestead Holidays from the Featherman Team! We appreciate our tribe more every day, every year. Because many of you new to us identify as Homesteaders – and you old timers can certainly relate to that – we are moved to offer Homesteading nuggets of wisdom on The Featherman Homesteading Corner Youtube Channel. Team Featherman […]

Pastured Poultry – a Holistic Management Perspective

Do poultry have a place on larger tracts of land under superior management or are poultry only appropriate for small farms? Specifically, how do poultry fit in to the popular Savory holistic land management model? Having studied and applied holistic management for three decades, including two visits to Savory’s ranch in Africa, David answers the […]

Mother Earth Demo – Part 1

Mother Earth News Poultry Processing Demo Part 1, Seven Springs PA David Schafer and Joel Salatin processing chickens, a live demonstration at the Mother Earth News Fair in Seven Springs Pa. I Grabbed This Copy As Filler Only This hands-on workshop addresses the new laws and regulations for farm direct slaughter and sales under Oregon HB2872 […]