The Devine Homestead

04/23/2026

Guinea fowl are one of the best natural tick predators you can add to a farm, and that makes them valuable far beyond their entertaining personalities. 🐦🌿 These constantly roaming birds spend their day hunting through grass and brush for ticks, insects, and other pests, helping reduce the number of disease-carrying parasites around your home and livestock. Because ticks can spread serious illnesses like Lyme disease and trigger Alpha-gal syndrome in some people, many homesteaders value guineas as a form of natural pest management. While they can’t eliminate every tick, they can be an important part of a healthier farm ecosystem by lowering pest pressure without chemicals. It’s one more reason these noisy little birds earn their keep in a big way. 🌾✨

04/15/2026

Baby goats (kids), no matter the color—whether you call them “bay,” brown, or mixed—naturally engage in playful head-butting as part of their early development. 🐐✨ These little sparring matches might look intense, but they’re actually normal social behavior that helps kids build strength, coordination, and learn herd dynamics. By gently butting heads, they practice balance, establish confidence, and begin understanding rank within the group—all essential skills for life in a herd. It’s not aggression, it’s education through play, and it’s a key sign of healthy, active young goats growing exactly as they should. Watching these tiny “practice battles” is both entertaining and a real glimpse into natural livestock behavior on the farm. 🌾

04/04/2026

Tamworth pigs are one of the most versatile heritage breeds you can have on a farm—known not only for their sweet, social personalities but also for their incredible ability to naturally “clean up” land. 🐷🌿 These pasture-raised pigs are expert foragers, using their strong rooting instincts to turn over soil, eat invasive plants, snack on insects, and clear brush like a living tiller. While they’re busy improving the land, they’re also surprisingly friendly and people-oriented, often greeting you at the gate and enjoying interaction. This combination of gentle temperament + land management power makes Tamworths a favorite in regenerative farming systems. They’re not just livestock—they’re hardworking partners in creating healthier, more productive pasture. 🌾✨

04/04/2026

Young doelings (female goat kids) are famous for their “jumping bean” energy, and it’s actually an important part of their development. 🐐✨ All that jumping, twisting, and mid-air bouncing—often called goat zoomies—helps build muscle strength, coordination, and balance at a crucial growth stage. Goats are natural climbers and agile herd animals, so these playful bursts are practice for navigating rough terrain, escaping danger, and establishing confidence within the herd. You’ll often see them launch off logs, rocks, or anything they can find, turning the pasture into their personal training ground. It may look like pure chaos, but it’s really healthy behavior that shows they’re thriving, active, and growing exactly as they should. 🌾

03/28/2026

from the little ladies!

03/27/2026

03/25/2026

My sweet girls, Olive and Greta! ❤️

03/23/2026

The bond between a farmer and their animals—whether it’s goats, horses, pigs, or cattle—is built on daily care, trust, and consistency. 🌾🐴🐐🐷 Farmers learn individual personalities, body language, and routines, while animals learn voices, feeding times, and the safety of their handler. This relationship isn’t just emotional—it’s practical animal husbandry. Calm, well-handled livestock are easier to manage, healthier, and less stressed, which directly impacts their well-being and productivity. Over time, that daily interaction turns into something deeper: animals that greet you at the gate, follow you through the pasture, and respond to your presence with familiarity and trust. It’s a powerful reminder that farming isn’t just work—it’s a partnership between human and animal built on respect, responsibility, and connection. 🌅✨

03/22/2026

Who’s planting in pots, , or this season? This is the first year I’ve tried it. Getting your soil hydration perfect is the key to successful blocks. So far I’ve gotten a tray of tomatoes 🍅 and one of peppers 🌶️ 🫑. I’ll get a few more trays over this week. I used to go BIG and potted hundreds of pots and each year I get more streamlined. When you work 1.5 jobs, farm, have family, etc. needs to be easy but yet productive as possible.

03/20/2026

Watching a draft filly grow is one of the most rewarding parts of farm life, and hitting that second birthday is a big milestone. 🐴✨ Our Belgian draft filly, Honey Bee, standing right at 16 hands (hh) today, is a perfect example of just how much growth happens in those first two years. Draft horses develop quickly in height early on, but they’ll continue to fill out, gain muscle, and mature mentally for several more years—often not reaching full maturity until 5–6 years old. That means what you’re seeing now is just the beginning of her strength, size, and presence. Proper nutrition, good hoof care, and consistent handling all play a huge role in that healthy growth. From wobbly baby to towering young horse, it’s a powerful reminder of how fast time moves on the homestead—and how incredible these gentle giants truly are. 🌾💛