Category: Livestock, Feed, & Fencing

Letter Re: Some Harsh Lessons of Beekeeping, by Keith K.

To the Editor; Keith K. was absolutely correct in that if one is considering keeping bees as a TEOTWAWKI pollinating vector and food supply (honey), there should be an innate interest present before devoting time and effort to the project. I fully realize that there should be more initial motivation than just consideration of a cost/benefit analysis before entering into the hobby of beekeeping. Specifically, the overall homestead health and sustainability must be considered to see whether beekeeping would be a good fit for daily life and upkeep. We will all respond in relation to our own skills and gifts …


Letter Re: Some Harsh Lessons of Beekeeping

HJL, I’d like to respond to Gilpin Guy on his response to Some Harsh Lessons of Beekeeping. The new Honeyflow system is amazing when it comes to collecting honey. I don’t see how it addresses any of the problems from the original post. It wasn’t honey collection that caused the hive failure, it was pests, and the Honeyflow won’t help with those. Here in Florida, colony collapse is close to 40% every year. This incredible number is not due to honey extraction. Also, the letter states that “since you don’t need a bee suit, smoker, or honey extractor. “ I …


Letter Re: Some Harsh Lessons of Beekeeping

Keith K, Thank you for that informative write up on beekeeping. I’m jumping in to beekeeping this spring with an innovative new hive called the Flow Hive. You can check out their product at honeyflow.com. I have no experience with beekeeping, but this seems to be a revolutionary product that might make enough of a difference to you that you’ll give it another try. I think the non-invasive method of collecting the honey may help with your mortality rate and level of effort since you don’t need a bee suit, smoker, or honey extractor. The method also doesn’t remove the …


Some Harsh Lessons of Beekeeping, by Keith K.

I would like to share my experience with beekeeping to help others decide if it might be for them. My initial interest in beekeeping began before I moved to the Redoubt. My wife and I attended a beekeeping night at a local library and later took a four-day (four Saturdays) beekeeping course. We learned a lot. We found that beekeeping hobbyists were very enthusiastic and touted the many benefits of beekeeping along with the fun of it. It was very easy to be influenced by all of the positive and energetic people. Ultimately, we decided that beekeeping would be part …


Raising Angora Rabbits as Part of a Well-Prepared Homestead, by J.R.

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Previous Survivalblog articles have focused on raising meat rabbits as part of a well-prepped homestead. Raising multi-purpose angora rabbits takes this aspect of preparedness to the next level. I’ll start with a quick review of the benefits of raising meat rabbits and then transition into the advantages of raising angora rabbits. Rabbits are indeed the most efficient of domestic livestock in converting feed to growth, meaning that it takes less feed per pound of mass produced to grow them out than it does for other animals. They are manageable in an urban situation, even an apartment, where other livestock are …


The Harsh Truth About Bugging Out of Cities, by Patrice Lewis

A common concern among rural people in a grid-down situation is the concept of marauding urbanites swarming through the countryside looting and pillaging — the so-called Golden Horde. I addressed this issue on my blog a few months ago when a reader noted, “You can hide yourself, but not your garden. Are you going to take your beef herd into your house with you? In any long-term crisis situation, your cattle and garden will be indefensible and therefore gone in a matter of months. You cannot protect them from a determined large, armed group.” This reader respectfully listed what he …


Letter: Buying Land Inside a National Forest

Hugh and Jim, I have been reading SurvivalBlog for several years now. I’m retiring next year and am currently looking for our retirement “farm”. I never refer to it as my survival retreat. I have seen several properties for sale, apparently, inside national forests. Some have even been working farms. We have several national forests here in Michigan and many people live and apparently own land inside of these forests. My questions are: What are the ramifications of owning land within a National Forest? Do I own the trees on the land, do I own the ponds, streams, etc.? What …


Reality Checks for a Grid Down Scenario, By Blueleader

I sometimes hear misguided individuals who repeat the statement going around that if the grid goes down we will be thrown back to the days before electricity: The 1880s. The prevalent thought is that folks back then did fine so it wouldn’t be so bad for us to simply revert to that level of technology. Well, what if we examine your day in a post grid failure scenario? Here is a reality check for you to consider: Let us say you get up ‘the day after’ and you’re cold. Bummer. Well, in the 1880s if you got up and you …


Letter Re: Egg Rationing

HJL, I am one of THOSE who do not yet have their own chickens but hopefully within a couple of months though. You may have seen this already. I haven’t experienced the rationing, but I bought eggs in April at $1.97 a dozen and went back yesterday to discover they were $2.97 a dozen at my local Walmart. Wow! – C.P. HJL Replies: We have had chickens for a number of years now and have enjoyed the fresh eggs tremendously. The price of eggs have always been a bit of a sore point with me though. I cannot produce eggs …


Letter Re: Livestock Guardian Dogs

Hugh, In regard to your letters about livestock guardian dogs, I would add that we have an Akbash, which is a Turkish livestock guardian dog. This breed is similar in build and appearance to a Pyrenees (white) though less heavily built and shorter (less mess) hair. This is a different breed of cat… if you will!… I am not an expert, but I will say that by and large you do not train these dogs… they do their thing… My wife and I raise various breeds of domestic animals, and we no longer have a predator problem; our farm/ranch is …


Three Letters Re: Livestock Guardian Dogs

Dear Editor, We are ranchers in northern Maine and have owned and bred livestock guardian dogs for many years. Our particular breed is the Russian Ovcharka, but we also have a Great Pyranees, along with a Border Collie, who is not a guardian dogs but is used to scout ahead on trails to flush dangerous animals and round up or move livestock. There are many things to consider when purchasing a livestock guardian dog: What is their mission. Our dogs have a dual purpose. First, it is to patrol the inner farm perimeter and keep out two- and four-legged predators, …


Three Letters Re: Livestock Guardian Dogs

HJL, We’ve had Anatolian Shepherds for twelve years. They are very independent dogs and very protective of their charges. They must be acclimated early but will guard your herds and flocks thereafter. Ensure you have good fences to keep wandering animals away from your herd and flock, as the dogs will kill them. I’ve had to bury all manner of animals that have tried to eat my chickens. Get two dogs, so they have each other to burn off excess energy with each other rather than try to do so with the herd. I don’t allow visitors near my guardians, …


Letter: Livestock Guardian Dogs

Hello Hugh or Jim, I am hoping to get feedback from your readers on Livestock Guardian Dogs. I am interested in the breeds called Turkish Boz Shepherds, Kangals, and Anatolian Shepherds. I don’t know anyone personally that has one and would like to hear opinions from someone besides the breeders. They are fairly uncommon in this country, and I don’t speak Turkish. Since SurvivalBlog readers are more likely to have livestock to protect, I thought someone might have some information to share with me. Thanks in advance for any help you can give. – A.S.


Two Letters Re: Wintering Chickens

Hugh, I feel compelled to chime in on the Wintering Chickens letter. Light bulbs are prone to fire so I would recommend using a heating source that is not a fire risk. Small, oil-filled heaters seem to work well for us. Also, the deep litter method does help with warmth in the winter and reduces the need for supplemental heat. Cold hardy chickens are fine down into the single digits, provided there is ventilation in the coop. Excess moisture combined with severe cold will cause frostbite to the comb. Chickens require down time in the winter, so I do not …


Two Letters Re: Wintering Chickens

Hugh, While mostly correct, the light provided to chickens and other egg-laying birds (ducks, geese) should be either full spectrum light for twelve hours per day or an incandescent bulb all the time. Should you place birds in 24 hours of full spectrum lighting, they will damage their reproductive system and stop laying after only a year or two at most. I’ve got one hen who has been laying an egg every other day for seven years now, even in the dead of winter. Also, during winter, change their feed from highly-processed laying feed (crumbles or pellets) to a natural …