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A recent essay that nicely captures why many preppers view the humble chicken as THE perfect self-sufficiency critter:
"... I've come to realize how important the chicken is to our civilization. It may be the most important animal that we have "domesticated." To those that know chickens I'm sure this will seem obvious, but, to me it was a revelation. I'd always taken the chicken for granted. Now I believe that anyone serious about "surviving" the crash had better have at a minimum a small flock of chickens to ease the transition."
After a few years and watching the Federal NAIS rules being put into place [NAIS has since been rescinded]. We went for a series of chicken coops, each with a different breed.
We have one flock of White leghorn bantams, and one of Araucanas, and Rhode Island Reds, Cochins, Campbell ducks and blue slate turkeys.
Don't have any yet, but they'll be the first critters we get once we move to our country place. First chickens, then ducks, then turkeys, and then feeder pigs. Oh - and bees, of course!
Chickens and other poultry are not just good for the meat and eggs, but they produce feathers and down for bedding and clothing. I'm always tearing the sleeves of my down jackets, and DW has to stuff 'em with polyester before sewing it up. Not nearly as warm!
None here, but neighbors do. I would but I rent, and the LL won't have it.
On the other hand there is a flock of wild turkey I see often, but don't hunt, and there is partridge year round. In legal season I hunt them, and would in shtf, anytime i wanted.
There a problem hunting then, which is the sound, and the expence of a few rnds. I do reload, but that still is time spent and materials used.
I also have black powder smoothbores, but still that is time and expence too. My LL has never known real hunger, so he can't understand shtf.
I was looking at the movable coop/pen set ups recently, and they look to be good for many uses. The idea is to be able to put your flock to work in the garden and move them overnight while they roost.
I have wooded hillside where I hope to allow a mixed flock of fowl to free range. There are wild turkey that range quite a distance, frquently winding up in my walnut acreage. Would that be a potential problem?
We usually have a small flock of five or six hens with an occasional rooster. Hens will lay eggs and are perfectly happy without a rooster, however, the eggs won't hatch into more chickens without the rooster. If we don't have a rooster and want more chickens, we get a dozen fertile eggs for one of our hens to set on when she goes broody. Then she will hatch them out and take care of the little chicks. The hens have a coop they go into at night the rest of the time they are out in the yard pecking at bugs and eating grasses and things. We have a fenced in back yard and our dogs, border collies, protect the chickens instead of eating them. We have lost chickens to the occasional stray dog as well as to mongooses but otherwise we don't have many predators around here. We have had a wild turkey mix with our flock of chickens, especially when we've put scratch out for them to eat but the turkeys didn't hurt the chickens.
We've had a variety of different breeds of chickens over the years. Right now we have Rhode Island Reds and although they are rather boring and not as pet like as some of the other breeds, they have been the most productive flock we've ever had. We've not had to buy eggs in years. Here's a handy chart to compare different chicken breeds: Henderson's Chicken Breed Chart
If a landlord won't let you keep chickens, you can always keep pigeons. Provide them a nest area and put out some food, they will appear. Or you can start the nest with a few pigeons and then let them multiply. You can eat pigeon eggs, you just need more of them for an omelet than with a chicken egg. Squab (young pigeon) is also tasty. Pigeons can also forage for all of their food, so they are a free food source.
Rabbits are also a good self sufficiency critter, although unless you keep them for fertilizer or fiber (angoras & jersey woolies) you have to kill them to get the benefit from them. Chickens are sort of like having your cake and eating it too.
We usually have a small flock of five or six hens with an occasional rooster. Hens will lay eggs and are perfectly happy without a rooster, however, the eggs won't hatch into more chickens without the rooster. If we don't have a rooster and want more chickens, we get a dozen fertile eggs for one of our hens to set on when she goes broody. Then she will hatch them out and take care of the little chicks. The hens have a coop they go into at night the rest of the time they are out in the yard pecking at bugs and eating grasses and things. We have a fenced in back yard and our dogs, border collies, protect the chickens instead of eating them. We have lost chickens to the occasional stray dog as well as to mongooses but otherwise we don't have many predators around here. We have had a wild turkey mix with our flock of chickens, especially when we've put scratch out for them to eat but the turkeys didn't hurt the chickens.
We've had a variety of different breeds of chickens over the years. Right now we have Rhode Island Reds and although they are rather boring and not as pet like as some of the other breeds, they have been the most productive flock we've ever had. We've not had to buy eggs in years. Here's a handy chart to compare different chicken breeds: Henderson's Chicken Breed Chart
If a landlord won't let you keep chickens, you can always "keep" pigeons. Provide them a nest area and put out some food, they will appear. Or you can start the nest with a few pigeons and then let them multiply. You can eat pigeon eggs, you just need more of them for an omelet than with a chicken egg. Squab (young pigeon) is also tasty. Pigeons can also forage for all of their food, so they are a free food source.
Rabbits are also a good self sufficiency critter, although unless you keep them for fertilizer or fiber (angoras & jersey woolies) you have to kill them to get the benefit from them. Chickens are sort of like having your cake and eating it too.
Don't you still have to kill your laying hens when they get old?
I doubt anyone lets them die of old age , then buries them.
A recent essay that nicely captures why many preppers view the humble chicken as THE perfect self-sufficiency critter:
"... I've come to realize how important the chicken is to our civilization. It may be the most important animal that we have "domesticated." To those that know chickens I'm sure this will seem obvious, but, to me it was a revelation. I'd always taken the chicken for granted. Now I believe that anyone serious about "surviving" the crash had better have at a minimum a small flock of chickens to ease the transition."
So do you have a backyard flock, or plans for one?
Don't have them yet, plans next Spring, yes. Would like to have ducks, geese, a few turkey and maybe some guineas too. Looking at the "heritage breeds" specifically. http://albc-usa.org/
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