tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9177053578845855367.post1896085596550253401..comments2024-03-14T22:40:35.805-07:00Comments on Poverty Prepping: Raising Animals for Meat!Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08902443939027771179noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9177053578845855367.post-39733186404896295532013-01-03T12:15:02.926-08:002013-01-03T12:15:02.926-08:00You and your husband sound very resourceful! You&...You and your husband sound very resourceful! You're well on your way to providing most of your own food. In a way, even the eggs you sell are part of "providing your own" because whatever you do with that money (animal feed, whatever) goes back into the project. <br /><br />You'll be fine without a rooster. If the "SHTF" you can probably barter for one. We've decided to buy a couple hundred pounds of chicken food and rabbit food and seal it in 50-gallon barrels. It's purpose will be for trading to people who have things like a rooster or rabbits, to acquire those things. We don't have a rooster right now ourself. We butchered ours after our eggs hatched out this past spring. The new hens should be good for several years, and will replace some that are seven years old and will be butchered later this year. We'll wait a few years to hatch out more. If the world is no worse than it is today, we should be able to buy a rooster from someone when we need to. It'll help keep our flock genetically mixed, and since we have 'mutt' chickens anyway, we'll be fine with whatever we find out here.<br /><br />You're in a position like we are. Wyoming is an awesome place but it has an inhospitable climate for things like animals and gardening. I admire the efforts you're making in those departments. Congratulations on moving there! And thanks for writing.<br /><br />SusanSusanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08902443939027771179noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9177053578845855367.post-59082907699109922452013-01-03T11:53:10.983-08:002013-01-03T11:53:10.983-08:00Thank you Susan! We recently moved to 1 acre out i...Thank you Susan! We recently moved to 1 acre out in the country (Wyoming) so there are few restrictions on what kind of animals and how many we keep. We were fortunate to live in a town before hand that allowed for a few small livestock animals on private property such as chickens and rabbits. We however did not keep any until we moved in May. We started with just 6 chickens and they are all great layers. Their coop is a converted shed that was already on the property. They are Red sex linked hens. We sell 1 dozen eggs per week and fortunately our hens are still laying. With the sale of the 1 dz per week for $3 we earn enough money to pay for their feed, and straw bedding $5 per bail, 1 every 6 months. Our intentions are to get 12 more chicks in the spring because we were under the impression that they are only good for laying for 2 years. We are hoping to cycle out the first year layers with the second year layers at the end of the 2nd year cycle, if that makes sense, leaving us with 6 fryers the first year, and the 12 new layers each year after that. We are only selling 1dz a week because that is all we can spare for our own consumption. We are a family of 7 and fortunately at this time not all great egg eaters. The plan is to sell more farm fresh eggs when our clutch increases in size and thankfully there is a local market. Any spare I will dehydrate thanks to your recent post! We are not sure yet about taking on a rooster because that would be a little more complicated in order to maintain the red sex link hen who can not be re-breed for the same offspring. Its to my understanding only first generational. A cross between a Red Hen and a Leghorn Cock. <br /><br />We have also decided to take on rabbits. We were given 3 junior rabbits this summer. 2 bucks and 1 doe. Ideally it would have been 2 does and 1 buck but none the less they were free. We were able to obtain hutches for free from people locally when I advertised on Facebook that we were in search for some. Free also meant that they were pretty dilapidated or not really suitable to house rabbits. So we improvised and parted them out to create new hutches. My husband also was able to salvage pallets from his work that he used to make us the nicest 4plex hutch! Being new at raising rabbits we were not sure the age and sexual maturity of our rabbits so the first litter was not expected and did not survive. The second litter however did and we were able to sell all 6 of them as pets for $160. That is enough to pay for their food for more than a year. We are going to buy 4 more rabbits this weekend 3 does and 1 buck so that we can increase our stock and generate our own line of breeders. Our doe is expecting in the next couple of days. I clearly understand the phrase "breed like rabbits". I intend to feed our dogs and cats the entrails and bones as a meal replacement at the time of butcher. I also intend to tan the hides and make things like fur lined mittens and booties for toddlers and babies. <br /><br />Our next venture is a goat. I have been offered several for free because they don't make as ideal a pet as many people have discovered. This is definitely to our advantage. I hope to acquire a young Nubian which can give 1 gallon per day. That is more than enough for our family. I also hope to make goat milk butter and goat cheese. We will breed her annually and males will be butchered for meat and females may either be kept to increase our heard, to replace an older doe or butchered as well depending on our needs. I think that people are too far removed from where their food comes from and our kids will learn to appreciate it. I know I will learn a lot from your blog and look forward to reading it every day. I only recently signed up to receive emails. A garden is in the works for this year as I ordered my first seed catalog a few months back with the intention of growing heirlooms whenever possible. I will learn to can this year too. There are so many people here locally who have great knowledge that they are willing to share. I am lucky to live where I do. Kymberly Brownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01240881804713260951noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9177053578845855367.post-16944724406036777102012-04-25T10:18:24.219-07:002012-04-25T10:18:24.219-07:00Excellent, straight-forward post.
Grains are a ve...Excellent, straight-forward post. <br />Grains are a very important part of the diet if you plan on getting work done and not just sitting around so you don't lose calories too fast!<br />It's something I think about a lot - how to feed us, and the animals sustainably. It's hard on a budget, or NO BUDGET, I should say. We're working on it, though. <br /><br />I hope you keep posting all the time! I've just found your blog and love it. Do you vaccuum seal your dried goods? I'm thinking of doing that to a lot of the harvest this year.Tiffany D. Davidsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07709739637831945313noreply@blogger.com