# HomesteadCriteria

> Homesteading guides: chickens and coops, goats, rabbits and bees, food gardens and greenhouses, canning and preserving, compact tractors and implements, fencing, water, firewood and off-grid living.

HomesteadCriteria publishes homesteading gear reviews, buying guides and reader discount codes. Every review states who the product suits, the current price from the brand's own store, and any active reader code.

## Key pages
- [Reviews](https://homesteadcriteria.com/reviews): every product we recommend
- [Buying guides](https://homesteadcriteria.com/guides): how to choose
- [Glossary](https://homesteadcriteria.com/glossary): homesteading gear terms defined
- [How we test](https://homesteadcriteria.com/testing-methodology)

## Topics
- [Chickens & poultry](https://homesteadcriteria.com/category/poultry): Chicken coops and runs, feeders and waterers, incubators and brooders, ducks, turkeys and quail.
- [Small livestock & bees](https://homesteadcriteria.com/category/livestock): Goats, sheep, pigs and rabbits, milking equipment, shelters and beekeeping hives and gear.
- [Food gardens](https://homesteadcriteria.com/category/food-garden): Vegetable gardens, raised beds, seed starting, greenhouses and hoop houses, irrigation, compost and orchards.
- [Preserving & kitchen](https://homesteadcriteria.com/category/preserving): Pressure and water-bath canning, dehydrators, freeze dryers, fermentation, grain mills, cheesemaking and butchering tools.
- [Land, fencing & water](https://homesteadcriteria.com/category/land-fencing): Electric and woven-wire fencing, gates, livestock water systems, rainwater collection, wells and pasture management.
- [Tractors & equipment](https://homesteadcriteria.com/category/equipment): Compact and subcompact tractors, implements, tillers, walk-behind tractors, carts, wagons and ATVs for farm work.
- [Firewood & heat](https://homesteadcriteria.com/category/wood-heat): Chainsaws, log splitters, axes and mauls, firewood storage, wood stoves and outdoor wood boilers.
- [Off-grid living](https://homesteadcriteria.com/category/off-grid): Small-scale solar and batteries, water storage and filtration, composting toilets, homestead skills and starting out.

## Buying guides
- [Beginner Beekeeping Equipment: What to Buy for Your First Hive](https://homesteadcriteria.com/guides/beginner-beekeeping-equipment): Most beginners start with Langstroth hives, the standard removable-frame boxes, in 8- or 10-frame widths. A first hive needs a bottom board, brood boxes, honey supers, frames and foundation, an inner and outer cover, plus a veil or suit, gloves, a smoker and a hive tool. Many mentors suggest starting with two hives so you can compare them. Check local ordinances and state registration rules before your bees arrive.
- [Compact vs Subcompact Tractor: Which Size for Your Acreage](https://homesteadcriteria.com/guides/compact-vs-subcompact-tractor): Subcompact tractors, roughly 20 to 25 horsepower, are small enough for tight spaces and often run a belly mower from a mid PTO, suiting lots of a few acres. Compact tractors, roughly 25 to 60 horsepower, are heavier, lift more with the loader and run larger Category 1 implements such as box blades, tillers and post-hole diggers for small farms. Buy by the heaviest job you need to do, and always use the rollover protection and seat belt.
- [Electric Fencing for Goats, Sheep and Poultry: A Setup Guide](https://homesteadcriteria.com/guides/electric-fence-for-goats-sheep-and-poultry): An electric fence works by training animals to respect a short, sharp shock, so it needs enough voltage at the far end of the line and a good ground. Goats and sheep are usually kept with electric netting or multi-strand fences around 4 feet high, or woven wire with an offset hot wire. Poultry netting keeps predators out as well as birds in. Size the energizer by the fence length and vegetation in the manufacturer's chart, and install the ground rods it calls for.
- [Freeze Dryer vs Food Dehydrator: Cost, Shelf Life and Results](https://homesteadcriteria.com/guides/freeze-dryer-vs-food-dehydrator): A dehydrator uses warm moving air to remove most of the water from food. It costs far less, runs for hours rather than days and suits fruit, jerky, herbs and vegetables eaten within months to a year. A home freeze dryer freezes food and removes water under vacuum, leaving much less moisture. It costs several thousand dollars and takes about a day or more per batch, but handles full meals and dairy and, sealed with oxygen absorbers, stores far longer.
- [How Big Should a Chicken Coop Be? Space Per Bird Explained](https://homesteadcriteria.com/guides/how-big-should-a-chicken-coop-be): A common guideline is about 3 to 4 square feet of coop floor per standard-size chicken and about 8 to 10 square feet of run per bird, with roughly half that for bantams. Allow 8 to 10 inches of roost per bird, one nest box for every 4 to 5 hens, and ventilation high in the walls above the roosts. Many prefab coops overstate capacity, so size by floor area, not the label.
- [Pressure Canning vs Water Bath Canning: Which Foods Need Which](https://homesteadcriteria.com/guides/pressure-canning-vs-water-bath-canning): High-acid foods, such as most fruits, jams, pickles and tomatoes with added acid, can be processed in a boiling water bath. Low-acid foods, including vegetables, beans, meat, poultry and fish, must be pressure canned to reach 240°F, the temperature needed to destroy botulism spores. Follow a tested recipe from the USDA or National Center for Home Food Preservation, adjust for altitude, and have dial gauges tested every year.

Contact: info@homesteadcriteria.com