In This Episode:

• Why springtime makes everyone want chickens
• The difference between meat chickens and laying hens
• The truth about how long it takes to get your first egg
• Why that first egg feels like winning the lottery
• What daily life with chickens actually looks like
• Why chickens are one of the easiest animals to care for
• How to set up a coop, run, food, and water system
• What to know about incubating eggs and raising chicks
• The brooder stage and keeping chicks warm
• When chickens start laying (and why it takes patience)
• What a “pullet” is and why it might be your best option
• Why egg production slows down in winter
• Common reasons chickens stop laying
• Feed quality, protein levels, and chicken health
• Simple ways to support your flock naturally
• The reality of predators and unexpected losses
• What happens when things go wrong (and how to handle it)
• Why chickens may not actually save you money
• Why they are still 100% worth it
• How to collect, store, and wash eggs
• The joy, personality, and quirks of chickens

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Raising Meat Chickens Episode 203

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A very honest “I forgot sunscreen” moment

Why denial sometimes sneaks into our planning

Making meaningful memories with family… even when things go wrong

What a serious sunburn actually feels like (and why it sneaks up on you)

What to do when the ship store is sold out of aloe

Using herbal knowledge in real life:

Black tea for pulling heat from the skin

Chamomile for calming irritation

Peppermint for a cooling sensation

How to make a simple tea compress (fomentation) for sunburn relief

Why skills matter more than having the “perfect” supplies

A small win: having a basic first aid kit on hand

A surprising lesson from a leaking jar of jam in Grand Cayman

Why proper sealing matters in home food preservation

Trusting your instincts when something feels “off” with food

A quick reminder about safe canning practices (and when to throw food away)

The bigger takeaway: preparedness is a mindset, not perfection

Why sunscreen belongs in your 72-hour kit

Learning to think through problems and respond with what you have

72 Hour Kit -

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🗓️ Meal Planning Worksheet: joyfulprep.kartra.com/page/planning

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📸 Instagram: @joyfulprepper

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n this episode, Wendi shares a more pointed but encouraging message about preparedness, responsibility, and community.

After hearing people joke for years about showing up at her home during a crisis, she explores the deeper mindset behind that statement and why it matters.

Preparedness isn’t about fear or hoarding supplies. It’s about becoming someone who is useful, capable, and ready to contribute when life becomes difficult.

• Why the phrase “I’m coming to your house if something happens” reveals a deeper mindset
• The concept of capacity in homes, families, and communities
• Why preparedness is about more than food storage
• How skills increase the strength of a community
• The difference between showing up as a burden or showing up as help
• Why mindset, character, and emotional resilience are also preparedness skills
• Lessons from homesteading and community living
• A hopeful invitation to start learning and building self-reliance

Preparedness is not about hiding away with supplies.

Preparedness is about becoming someone who is useful when things get hard.

Joyfully Prepared Library
Learn practical preparedness skills including food preservation, gardening, herbal remedies, and more.

Visit:
JoyfullyPrepared.com

🏡 Website: joyfullyprepared.com

📚 Joyfully Prepared Library: joyfullypreparedlibrary.com

🗓️ Meal Planning Worksheet: joyfulprep.kartra.com/page/planning

🏠 Joyfully Prepared Realtor: joyfullyprepared.com/realestate

📸 Instagram: @joyfulprepper

👩‍🌾 Facebook Group: joyfulprepgroup.com

🏡Real Estate: https://joyfullyprepared.com/realestate/

If this episode resonated with you, share it with a friend or family member.

Preparedness grows stronger when more people learn, contribute, and support their communities.

In this episode, Wendi shares three foundational principles for choosing property for a homestead.

Homesteading dreams often begin with land, but many buyers focus on the house and overlook important details about zoning, soil, water, and long term sustainability.

Wendi explains how the right property can support a self reliant lifestyle while the wrong property can limit what is possible.

• Why five acres does not always mean freedom
• The surprising restrictions that HOAs and deed covenants can place on rural property
• Questions to ask about zoning and land use before buying homestead property
• Why sunlight, soil, and drainage matter more than the house itself
• The importance of doing your own due diligence when buying land
• Why buying within your means creates a more peaceful homesteading journey
• How learning homesteading skills before buying land can set you up for success
• Simple ways skills like gardening, food preservation, and herbs can grow into income opportunities on your property

Wendi also shares stories from her own homesteading journey and explains why she became a Realtor to help others find property that truly supports the life they want to build.

If you are dreaming about land, gardens, chickens, or a future homestead, this episode will help you think through the foundation before you buy.

Episode 111 - Building Resilient Homes for Uncertain Times

Episode 199 - How to Start Homesteading Without Land

🏡 Website: joyfullyprepared.com

📚 Joyfully Prepared Library: joyfullypreparedlibrary.com

🗓️ Meal Planning Worksheet: joyfulprep.kartra.com/page/planning

🏠 Joyfully Prepared Realtor: joyfullyprepared.com/realestate

📸 Instagram: @joyfulprepper

👩‍🌾 Facebook Group: joyfulprepgroup.com

🏡Real Estate: https://joyfullyprepared.com/realestate/

Canning competitions aren’t just about ribbons. They’re about courage, skill stacking, community, and stewardship.

As Chairperson of the Food Preservation Division at the Florida Strawberry Festival, Wendi shares what really happens behind the scenes — from checking processing times to guiding judges through taste evaluations.

Many new canners don’t realize food has changed over time

Modern tomatoes are often lower in acid than older varieties

USDA guidelines evolve because food and agriculture evolve

pH matters because botulism cannot grow in high acid foods

Water bath vs pressure canning isn’t optional — it’s science

Modified recipes require modified processing methods

Jars must be washed after processing and rings removed before storage

Clean, classic flavors often win over complex combinations

Incorrect processing times

Using water bath when pressure canning is required

Adding low-acid ingredients like corn or extra onions without adjusting processing

Not following jar size guidelines

Leaving rings on and failing to wash jars after sealing

Judging is social and collaborative. Judges talk, compare notes, and influence each other. Over three years, a pattern has emerged:

Simple, balanced, classic flavors tend to win.

Strawberry jam.
Apple jelly.
Clean Christmas jam.

That doesn’t mean creative flavors are wrong. It simply means familiar flavors are easier for a group to agree on.

Entering a competition is skill stacking in action:

Learning to can

Following a tested recipe

Filling out paperwork

Showing up prepared

Receiving feedback

Even if you don’t win, you gain:

Confidence

Experience

Community connection

Improved technique

And that matters more than the ribbon.

🏡 Website: joyfullyprepared.com

📚 Joyfully Prepared Library: joyfullypreparedlibrary.com

🗓️ Meal Planning Worksheet: joyfulprep.kartra.com/page/planning

🏠 Joyfully Prepared Realtor: joyfullyprepared.com/realestate

📸 Instagram: @joyfulprepper

👩‍🌾 Facebook Group: joyfulprepgroup.com

Why Wendi wanted the survival side of Survivor, not just gameplay

The bathroom reality: no toilet paper, “Coconut Grove,” and leaf roulette

The pre game survival briefing and what it does and does not teach you

Fire making in Fiji, and why moisture makes everything harder

Why digging a fire pit is basically impossible on volcanic rock

The rule about losing flint, and how banking embers can save you

Wildlife risks and what they warned contestants about

The surprising reason bigger fish are discouraged

What they actually ate: crabs, small fish, worms, and the hunt for fruit

Food allergies on the island and how that changes everything

The stingray moment: how it was caught, how it was killed, and how it got ruined

Bug bites, scent differences, and why some people get wrecked and others do not

Parasites, water concerns, and what contestants do after the show

The deeper lesson Liz brought home: receiving grace, not just giving it

Wendi’s closing message: skills are a bank account that never depletes

“Survivor is real baby. They do not give you toilet paper.”

“Do not boil a stingray.”

“Skills are what brings freedom.”

“You can never deplete the reservoir of skills.”

Would you go on Survivor?
Be honest. Indoor toilets matter.

Liz Wilcox
Instagram: @thelizwilcox (as mentioned in the episode)

🏡 Website: joyfullyprepared.com

📚 Joyfully Prepared Library: joyfullypreparedlibrary.com

🗓️ Meal Planning Worksheet: joyfulprep.kartra.com/page/planning

🏠 Joyfully Prepared Realtor: joyfullyprepared.com/realestate

📸 Instagram: @joyfulprepper

👩‍🌾 Facebook Group: joyfulprepgroup.com

In This Episode:

Why Wendi is identifying as a quilter before making her first quilt

The power of practicing simple foundational skills like sewing straight seams

Raising and processing 42 meat chickens and what that teaches about confidence

How tweaking systems makes homesteading smoother over time

A Florida cold snap that damaged the food forest and what resilience looks like

Losing a rooster and making the next right decision for the homestead

Combining flocks and preparing for a new generation of laying hens

Bringing home two bottle-fed baby goats and trying a new approach

Why self-reliance is a form of self-care

How skills compound and build lasting confidence

Referenced Episodes:

Episode 203: Raising Meat Chickens

Connect with Wendi:

🏡 Website: joyfullyprepared.com

Email: wendi@joyfulprep.com

📚 Joyfully Prepared Library: joyfullypreparedlibrary.com

🗓️ Meal Planning Worksheet: joyfulprep.kartra.com/page/planning

🏠 Joyfully Prepared Realtor: joyfullyprepared.com/realestate

📸 Instagram: @joyfulprepper

👩‍🌾 Facebook Group: joyfulprepgroup.com

• Why we decided to raise our own meat chickens instead of just buying “better” meat
• How seeing someone else do it made us realize we could try
• Whether you need land, special equipment, or a farm setup
• Meat chickens vs laying hens and which makes sense for beginners
• What “raising meat chickens well” actually means in real life
• Early mistakes we made and what we wouldn’t repeat
• Feeding chickens too much and what we learned about healthier growth
• The emotional side of raising and processing your own meat
• How our kids were involved and what they learned
• Staying calm, respectful, and grounded on processing day
• How raising our own meat changed how we cook and waste food
• Why using the whole chicken matters
• How one small food skill can shift your confidence and mindset

If you’d like a more in-depth, step-by-step series on raising and processing meat chickens, let me know. I’m happy to go deeper if that would be helpful.

You can reach me through my website or by email.

🏡 Website: joyfullyprepared.com

📚 Joyfully Prepared Library: joyfullypreparedlibrary.com

🗓️ Meal Planning Worksheet: joyfulprep.kartra.com/page/planning

🏠 Joyfully Prepared Realtor: joyfullyprepared.com/realestate

📸 Instagram: @joyfulprepper

👩‍🌾 Facebook Group: joyfulprepgroup.com