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Smith's Ridge
United States
Registrace 10. 03. 2023
Smith's Ridge is a 12-acre homestead in Highfill, Arkansas. We believe that a life well spent isn't comprised of a filled calendar and heavily curated feed but rather the simpler things in life. There is true beauty to be found when you choose to nestle up with nature and experience all of God's creation. On this channel, we'll feature homeschooling, homesteading, and a little bit of business content. Our hope is to inspire others to choose an intentional way of life.
Chicken Moving Day | A-frame Laying Hen Chicken Tractor
I recorded this video in April but I've been a little busy farming to get it edited! Our place has grown so much this year. We've gone from 6 hens and 16 pullets to 45 and from 1 family dairy cow to a microdairy with 3 in milk, 3 bred heifers, a young heifer, and 2 steers that we are raising for meat. With limited acreage, we have to get creative with how to take a regenerative approach but it's been a worthwhile endeavour.
This video captures our move from multiple pens and a coop to the chicken tractor! This A-frame laying hen chicken tractor has been wonderful! It's light enough that my 13-year-old can move it on his own. Our hens are safe and get access to fresh grass every day! Our farm stand customers love seeing the girls out in the yard as they purchase their eggs. There are so many wins about having your hens on grass! It reduces parasites, improves health, reduces your feed bill while offering a great source of nutrition and the list goes on!
This video captures our move from multiple pens and a coop to the chicken tractor! This A-frame laying hen chicken tractor has been wonderful! It's light enough that my 13-year-old can move it on his own. Our hens are safe and get access to fresh grass every day! Our farm stand customers love seeing the girls out in the yard as they purchase their eggs. There are so many wins about having your hens on grass! It reduces parasites, improves health, reduces your feed bill while offering a great source of nutrition and the list goes on!
zhlédnutí: 166
Video
FIRST 12 HOURS AFTER DAIRY CALF IS BORN | Caring for a freshened cow
zhlédnutí 349Před 2 měsíci
New life is so exciting and it's also a big responsibility! In this video, I share some of our experience with our newest addition to the farm - a little Jersey bull calf. He was born in the rain on a cool day. After almost 4 hours, he still hadn't been up to drink so we had to go ahead and milk the mama and bottle feed colostrum. We ended up also having to bring him into the house to get him w...
Stanchion Training for Dairy Cow | JOIN ME IN REAL TIME!
zhlédnutí 813Před 3 měsíci
Hey guys! Thanks for tuning in! This particular Saturday afternoon I was getting ready for my son's birthday party but also kept thinking about how I needed to get our new Jersey in the stanchion. It's been on my to-do for a little too long. She was really starting to udder up so I wanted to see how she'd do. Not to mention, she was shedding out really terribly so I wanted to get her dewormed. ...
Spring Chores & Staying Organized in the Busier Season
zhlédnutí 437Před 3 měsíci
We tend to have a lot going on in the spring! From homeschooling and farming, calving and new chicks, the garden and kids activities... it can be tough to juggle it all! Join me for some light house cleaning and cooking while I share a few of my favorite tips for staying organized when there's a lot going on. In the video, I mention the planner that I used. I use the Day Designer daily planner:...
How to create a Garden Journal | Homeschool Project
zhlédnutí 77Před 3 měsíci
It can be so helpful to have a written log of garden activity. You can reference it in the future to track important information such as pests, germination rates, whether or not you liked a certain brand of seed, planting schedule, and yield. So many helpful insights can be gleaned from keeping a garden journal! Here's how I'm structuring my 2024 garden journal and some behind-the-scenes from o...
Get Prepared for the Week Ahead | Weekly Reset | How to get it all done!
zhlédnutí 165Před 3 měsíci
I'm often asked how I "do it all." This video breaks down one of my biggest hacks for preparing for the week ahead and having success in so many areas of life! I am passionate about designing your life and not letting it just happen to you. You might be able to achieve more than you think with a little bit of planning. Some day I'll have cute b-roll in all of my videos but for now, it's just me...
Milking Routine | Family Milk Cow / Microdairy
zhlédnutí 4,9KPřed 3 měsíci
We've been in milk for 5 months now and my routine has changed significantly since my initial milking routine! You can catch that original video here: czcams.com/video/l1MaQCDfYPs/video.html A few changes include a different milk machine, adding a stanchion, adding a teat dip, different feed, and several other details! After connecting the milk machine and getting things loaded into the wagon, ...
How to Clear Up Dairy Cow Mastitis Naturally
zhlédnutí 204Před 4 měsíci
You might be surprised to learn that if you find yourself faced with a dairy cow that has mastitis, you don't have to resort to antibiotics right away! This video was impromptu but I wanted to share how we healed up our dairy cow naturally in just a few days. Here are the three things we do to clear up mastitis with our dairy cow. 1. Increase vitamin E 2. Frequent milking (3-4x per day) 3. TLC ...
Homeschool Preparation | Get Ready for a New Homeschool Semester
zhlédnutí 114Před 5 měsíci
Join me as I outline and prepare for our spring 2024 homeschool semester! Here are the things I like to get to do to get ready for the beginning of a new semester: 1. I like to start with a few lists so that I can see a high-level view of what the next months will look like. I list out goals for my kids and then meet with them about what those look like. I also list out any electives or extracu...
Raising Chicks on a Budget | Homestead Startup Encouragement
zhlédnutí 529Před 6 měsíci
I'm a huge proponent of using what we have to get started and explore a new animal endeavor. We have been strategically growing our homestead to develop skills and knowledge in different areas. While agriculture and raising beef cattle and horses is familiar territory, there are other areas that we have so much to learn! The best teacher is trial and error through experience. We've had chickens...
Late Fall Afternoon Homestead Chores | Getting Things Done with a Newborn
zhlédnutí 259Před 6 měsíci
Join me for our afternoon farm/ homestead chores as we take care of our chickens, Jersey dairy cow, calf, dogs, and accomplish a few miscellaneous chores with a 3-week-old baby! The routines and chores vary from day to day and we often have projects to accomplish but today we knocked out some standard chores. smithsridge.com/
Nutritional Benefits and Contents of Raw Milk | Health Benefits
zhlédnutí 196Před 7 měsíci
Nutritional Benefits and Contents of Raw Milk | Health Benefits
5 Things to Know If You're New to Raw Milk
zhlédnutí 535Před 8 měsíci
5 Things to Know If You're New to Raw Milk
Homeschool Curriculum and Daily Routine
zhlédnutí 769Před 8 měsíci
Homeschool Curriculum and Daily Routine
How To Create and Organize a Homeschool Schedule
zhlédnutí 144Před 10 měsíci
How To Create and Organize a Homeschool Schedule
Meet our Jersey Milk Cow | The Story of How We Came to Own Her
zhlédnutí 431Před 10 měsíci
Meet our Jersey Milk Cow | The Story of How We Came to Own Her
Get a Great Start to Your Homeschool Year | Tips for New Homeschool Parents
zhlédnutí 43Před 11 měsíci
Get a Great Start to Your Homeschool Year | Tips for New Homeschool Parents
Best Family Milk Cow Breed | Why Consider a Jersey
zhlédnutí 358Před 11 měsíci
Best Family Milk Cow Breed | Why Consider a Jersey
How to Utilize your At Home Library with Homeschooling
zhlédnutí 60Před 11 měsíci
How to Utilize your At Home Library with Homeschooling
You’ve got some good workers there.
You are one busy lady. I gave up on being organized years ago.😅Every time I make out a list I forget where I put it. Cheers to you.
Hi! I messaged you on Facebook about needing milk! My boyfriend went to school with you and suggested I reach out!
You are a believer in raw milk ha
Raw milk doesn't have the same shelf life as pasteurized milk, but one can still use it for other purposes if it sours. It is not harmful to use it.
Yes! Absolutely. It lasts 7-10 days but can last even longer if it's stored in a milk tank then into a container and left closed.
I think dad got the short end of the stick on that job!
Hahah!! He really did! The kids should have been under there but I was worried about a rooster flogging someone...
Thanks for the great information!
We had a jersey milk cow in 90s when all the kids were home. Now I have milk goats because my husband and I can’t drink enough milk to warrant a cow. I loved the way we could use the milk in the past for cheese and butter and sour cream, and all the things! I’m glad your heifer is doing well.
That's amazing! Simpler times. A dairy goat sounds like a wonderful solution. We now have 3 cows in milk and 4 heifers, 3 about to calve. Things escalated quickly haha! I've been too busy farming to record videos but I hope to get some new ones out soon!
Your baby is beautiful! Congratulations 🎊
That went very well. Yay 🎊 🎉 I happy for you.
I’m from bentonville unfortunately all they do in northwest Arkansas is tear down farmland and build apartments and subdivisions I moved down to Hartford Arkansas You can possibly sell your land since it’s worth way more up there and buy land 25 minutes south of fort smith and buy 80 acres just a thought
You're very right. We have looked at selling but aren't really ready. We love our place and are leasing some neighboring land now. I've got so much more going on now - I need to do a new tour. Thanks for dropping a comment.
You should promote your channel on other social media as well to gain an audience.
Awwwwwwww
Looks nice
Hi my name is Eric with perry hill farms started watching your to try to support someone getting started we know how hard it is your doing great nothing like a milk cow
Thanks so much for joining our journey. Great to connect!
He’s adorable
He really is! We named him Jippy!
Great video Kelsey need to give cow a pree calving minerals covers everything
Enjoyed your tour 😊
super cows
The best hens to buy is pullets with in a week or two of laying that will lay a proper size egg as for baby chicks the love oatmeal porridge dry
You should be able to find a Surge bucket Milker and compressor.
I’m pretty happy with this machine for now. I’ve heard of the surge. Do you use it??
☀️🇵🇱
Great video Very interesting 👍
Would it not be better to pasterise milk ?
Pasteurized milk is literally dead nothing nutritional about it
Pasteurized milk is dead nothing beneficial about it in fact most people don't do well drinking it
Unfortunately, the heat from pasteurization destroys a lot of the enzymes necessary to fully digest the milk and also the good bacteria. Raw milk is overall more nutritious.
That cow gives very rich milk you could make soap with it 🤗
She does! It’s very rich!
That milking machine is for milking goats or sheep you need to be milking 4 teats at the same time that is the reason cow is getting mastitis 😊
She actually got mastitis before we started milking (same day calf was born). The calf wasn’t drinking enough to match production. 😩 I did end up getting a different machine but it is a 2-claw as well. Both sized for cows. We just milk the front 2 then the back. But I’m saving for a melasty, 4-claw machine. Hope to purchase one soon!!
@@smithsridge wondering about why you home school the best days of a child's life is national school the only people we know are those we went to school with is school a day's drive away or?
You said your brother is punky Brewster but your brothers are Sami
Hello Thanks for very nice sharing You are doing very well Keep it up
❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤😊😊😊😊
😢beautiful.
Beautiful baby. 😍😍😍💓💓💓💓💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕
You do so much! And congratulations on your previous baby boy. 🙌☺️
There's a lot going on for sure! I also homeschool my older two boys. I'm still a little amazed that I have three sons haha! Everyone thought this baby would be a girl but I knew my heart it was a boy. ;) Thanks for dropping by my channel!
You do a great job! It's fun to watch others on a similar journey!
Thanks so much for following along! It's a fun journey to be on.
What?
We are a small farm in So. IN. Nice channel and farm. If you have a chance check out our farm @homesteadhobbyfarm
New Sub, thanks for sharing.... we are drying our cow off and mastitis is a worry i have during this time.
Thanks for subscribing! It can be a little nerve-racking but catching it early will help you to address it quickly. Watching her closely and keeping an eye out for any hardness, redness, or swelling will be key. Is your cow due in a few months??
@smithsridge yes in June
@@KCLittleowl So much fun!! Congrats!!
Your videos are amazing! If you like farming or harvesting videos, I look forward to having you visit my channel to have relaxing moments together!
Great video.
Thank you! I'm going to record a new one this week about my current milking routine! It looks much different than when we started.
How exciting to maybe me moving!! I love seeing how other homeschool moms plan out their school.
Why is she having son move or plug the electric cords and plug ..dangerpus..but is a cute little helper..
Because they are capable little humans. If it wasn't within his ability, he wouldn't be helping do that. :)
I was homeschooled when I was growing up we lived on a 80 acre farm I learned so much by working the farm and what I was learning and incorporating it all together I learned how to cook and my fractions in the kitchen then I had to go back to public school my 7th grade year and I was at a sophomore level so many wonderful memory’s of being homeschooled
Oh my goodness! That’s a amazing - what a great life and wonderful way to learn. Thanks for sharing!
I was doing homeschooling when I first started YouTubing and cause of the shutdowns in 2020. I found out I’m a terrible teacher 😂
Heheh it’s not for everyone 😅 it works well for us. I never imagined myself being a homeschool mom!
I love my silkies they are so sweet ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️🇺🇸🗝️
I can't wait to see how we like them! They are cute as could be right now!
I am flexible as well ! We manage to get it done and learn somehow by the end
Yessss flexibility is 🗝️🗝️
Silkys are very broody chickens
Lydia is really looking forward to getting some laying hens in the future!
She needs some!!! 😊
You actually have a good setup once your done with it it can be broke down and composted or burnt to prevent bacteria spreads I like to use saw dust and keep adding to it as long as the chicks are in the brooder it cuts down on the smell
Thank you! Oh composting is a great idea. I was thinking of possibly using it as weed guard in the garden. I’ve been putting down card board to reduce weeds on the walkway. I wish we had access to lots saw dust, but we’re currently just getting shavings from our local feed store
@@smithsridge if you have any saw mills in your area sometimes you can get saw dust from them for hardly nothing
What a great idea! Thanks for sharing. I’m going to look into this!
Absolutely share some recipes. I love those videos. Have you made cheese yet?
Thank you!! I'll do that! We make all of our own creamer, butter, and yogurt currently. I haven't experimented with cheese yet since it's quite time consuming but I hope to in the future!
Hi Kelsie! We are hoping to have our first family dairy cow in the Spring. I have SO much to learn. We believe in the benefits of raw milk and we are also trying to provide all our own meats on our homestead. I look forward to seeing your journey. We hope to do videos about our journey at some point too. I would love for you to do a video on how you healed mastitis naturally. We are trying to do things holistically minded and as organically as possible as we can afford. We are in MS. Thx for your time.
Thanks, Megan! Oh, I love that! Having a dairy cow is truly magical. It's time consuming but ultra-rewarding. We will be adding meat sources in 2024 as well! I'll do a video on healing mastitis naturally and also a new milking video. I've got a different machine now and slighty different set up. Looking forward to following y'alls journey as well!!