Category: Livestock, Feed, & Fencing

Mr. Rawles, I’ve had chickens for about three years now, but in doing some research before I got mine I stumbled on the best source for chicken info: BackyardChickens.com. Now, I hear things all the time about chickens that people will discuss with me that I already knew because I read an in-depth discussion on the subject already on the forum. Also the moderation is very good so the site is kept very family friendly. For instance did you know Apple Cider Vinegar is good for their health? If so did you know you shouldn’t provide it in galvanized containers? …

I have been raising chickens for eggs during the past several years, and I would like to share some of the secrets I have learned for long term food production. I like free range eggs, but have found that chickens pose certain conflicts with other necessities that can be quite frustrating. And reproducing chickens can be quite a trick these days. Chickens are a very good source of sustainable food from eggs and meat and also have side benefits, but it’s good to know some of the tricks. I hope this article can help preppers get ready and give a …

Mr. Rawles, Alex’s post on dogs in a post-SHTF world was very informative but I think he dismissed cats far too easily. I’ve been both a dog and cat owner my entire life and though my dogs throughout my lifetime have been wonderful hunters, protectors, and companions none have been quite as useful as my cats in keeping the mouse, squirrel, and roach (especially important having a retreat property in the deep south) population down to a minimum. Not to mention cats have a far lower daily consumption of food and water and take up less room in a bug …

If you have some land for livestock, then give thought to raising animals that will need as little care as possible, and are survivalists themselves. In a TEOTWAWKI situation, you want animals that will need little if any veterinarian care that you cannot provide, that can live and flourish on almost any kind of vegetable matter for food, and will give you multiple benefits for having them around. Our sheep have cleaned the bark off of Juniper trees as well as ate the berries and leaves. They also like the leaves of yucca and have turned some into very small …

JWR: Regarding livestock, I recommend long horned cattle. During the U.S. Civil War, cattle in Texas were left to fend for themselves. By the time the men came home from the end of the war there were over one million wild cattle taking care of business on their own. Many of these cattle were rounded up the next few years, making for the cattle drives north to Kansas and Missouri. If cattle are left feral and have access to water, they are pretty successful in foraging on their own. There is no comparison in maintaining cattle and goats, or sheep. …

Christine W. wrote a very nice article about raising rabbits for meat. As a rabbit raiser myself, I’d like to add a few suggestions: I have never had problems using straw in nest boxes, but prefer to use hay, or better yet, long dry grass. The does like to arrange their nests, and they get a good snack as well. You can add more bedding material if a doe gets piggy and eats all the bedding. I used to raise fryers commercially, and rigged up a great way to stack cages but eliminate the expensive trays that are time consuming …