Category: Livestock, Feed, & Fencing

Letter Re: It’s a Scary World Out There: Fearsome Attack Hens

Jim, I recall awhile back you posted a message that offered humor and a bit of the lighter side of life since we’re inundated with intimidating subject matter. I haven’t seen too many lighter sided anecdotes of late so here’s mine. When I was 20 yrs old, I was a paratrooper and foolhardy scared of nothing. Now, after serving five years as an airborne, ranger, infantryman and 20 years in law enforcement, I’ve learned to respect dangerous situations. Recently, my insurance agent dispatched her part time picture-taker to my residence to snap some pictures of the place to keep records …


Six Letters Re: Home Invasion Robbery Countermeasures–Your Mindset and Architecture

Greetings Mr. Rawles, I read your blog everyday and am learning so much. Thanks for your dedication to helping prepare us for the future. In reference to the recent article on home security, we lived in Argentina for three years and we could all learn from their security measures. The first house we lived in had steel shutters, as did everyone in the neighborhood, and they were all shut at night. The doors have locks that automatically lock when you leave the house. The small front yards usually have tall steel fences with the same height gates. The gates were …


Letter Re: 2,000+ Antique Books on Farming Available on-Line

Good morning, While shopping for an antique agriculture book, I found this web site at Cornell University. It is a link to 2,047 antique agriculture books online from Cornell University. Since I farm organically I like to read how the farmers did it 100+ years ago before cheap oil and John Deere tractors. I thought your readers might be interested. – Adam in Ohio JWR Replies: I must add this proviso: Keep in mind that 19th Century safety standards were considerably more relaxed than today’s, so old formularies and “farm knowledge” books often do not include any safety warnings. Use …


On Livestock and Self Sufficiency by TAS

Most of the readers of Survival Blog agree on at least the distinct possibility, if not the absolute certainty, of a collapse. This may come in a variety of forms – flu pandemic, economic depression, or an EMP attack are likely scenarios. Regardless of the form, the result will be very similar and our concerns are as well: How do we protect ourselves and our families and provide a living? While stocking up on beans, bullets, and band-aids is the initial response, further preparation encourages us to find a defensible, as well as productive retreat. But then what? So you …


Gardening and Seed Saving, by Carolyn W.

I see some people making choices that concern me because these choices may cause them problems if they really have to survive on the food supplies that they have stored for TEOTWAWKI. I am no great expert, but my husband and I have been concerned about the possibilities of having an economic disruption since the early 1970s when a friend let us borrow some tapes by Robert Preston. We have learned quite a bit, but still have a long way to go. If this article can at least encourage people to actually try to grow a garden and save seeds …


Mini Dairy Goats for a Sustainable Future, by Donna G.

Goats are one of the most versatile animals of all livestock. With hard times poised on the horizon, they’ll greatly improve your quality of life. They provide us with milk, meat, leather, weed/undergrowth clearing, environmentally friendly to the earth, non-toxic garden fertilizer, horse companionship, 4H or FFA projects and as pack animals to carry their own “Bug Out Bags”. My husband and I have been breeding and raising goats for over fifteen years. This article is presented as basic information for anyone thinking about adding these wonderful animals into their lives. What is a Mini? There are two recognized breeds …


Letter Re: Where to Find the Funds for Your Preparations

Dear Jim, So many people are struggling to find ways to make ends meet, much less have any extra money to make purchases for their preparedness plan. There are a lot of things people can do within their own means. 1. Make a budget. Income minus expenses. Is there anything left over? You are ahead of the game. If not, now is the time to: 2. Trim the budget. Distinguish needs versus wants. Eliminate anything that is not needed. 3. If after trimming the budget, you still cannot find extra money, get a second job, have a yard sale, etc. …


From The Memsahib: Buyer Beware When Purchasing Livestock

While most of my livestock purchases over the years have been satisfactory, I have found that buying livestock can be full of pitfalls. I will share some of my mistakes in hopes you can learn from them. I have found livestock sellers may not outright lie to buyers but they often do not volunteer important information. So it is very important that you get a detailed book for each type of livestock you plan to purchase and do some research, so you’ll know exactly what questions to ask. Make certain the book has a chapter about choosing healthy stock. The …


Letter Re: Build it Yourself Farm and Homestead Equipment

Mr Rawles While looking for plans and ideas for a new outbuilding for my home. I found this little gem solid information buried deep in the Countyplans.com web site. It has probably has around 150 plans to build everything from a Turret Lathe and Mill to Cement Mixers and Tractor Scoop Loaders. This stuff is in PDF format, download able and free. The plans are reprints from old do it yourself magazines and are past copyright so there isn’t any legal issues with the downloads Now a lot of these equipment plans would not pass the government’s current nurf world …


Four Letters Re: Pistol Holster Recommendations for Women

Jim, Bill from Ohio has a number of great observations about carry issues for females. Among the issues he mentions about hip holsters built for men: 1) Because of a woman’s hips they tend to cause the butt of the weapon to dig-in to a woman’s waist 2) Because women have hips, upon which they wear their belt they have less room to lift the weapon before it impinges into their armpit. 3) Because of factors 1 and 2 the FBI cant further complicates a natural draw for women. I’d like to mention a holster made by Blade-Tech that addresses …


Icelandic Sheep Offer Great Versatility for Self-Sufficiency, by Sigrid

Icelandic sheep are the ultimate survival livestock for anyone living in USDA climate zone 6 or colder. Why? Because unlike other small livestock they are triple purpose: meat, milk, and fiber. They were bred by the vikings who settled in Iceland for 1,000 years. The viking husbandry practices only favored the hardiest and smartest sheep. In Iceland the sheep are turned loose to forage for themselves as soon as the snow melts and not rounded up again until late Fall when no forage remains. Typically the oldest daughters spend the summer at pasture with the sheep milking them and making …


Two Letters Re: Advice on Versatile Pasture Fencing

Jim: Having raised cattle most of my life, I would agree with your recommendation [posted on July 30th] of the woven wire fence, with one exception. Woven wire fence will turn most types of large livestock. However, if you are fencing tough ground, i.e., extreme hills, swamp areas, areas where fence will be run through woods, etc., and the pasture will be somewhat limited in acreage (as opposed to fencing wide open areas out in the western U.S.) then I recommend using 16 foot long, 10 line, 4 gauge cattle panels. Yes, they will cost more. However, if a tree …


Letter Re: Advice on Versatile Pasture Fencing

Mr. & Mrs. Rawles, Following the guidance in your “Rawles on Retreats and Relocation” book, I. recently bought a 20 acre retreat in southeastern Oregon that backs up to BLM land, with some good ground for pasturing [livestock].(But most [of it] is too rocky for cutting hay.) There is an old fruit/nut orchard with some amazing big trees. (It is half of what was originally an 1880s homestead.) There is both a well and spring. The spring only puts out 1.3 gallons per minute, but I plan to have it fill a big cistern that I’m soon to be building. …


Letter Re: Request for Investing Advice

Mr. Rawles: After reading “Patriots” last year, much like Mr. H., I was decidedly ready to act, but largely unprepared logistically. It can be overwhelming and the feeling that “I had a long way to go” was ever present (it still is and I suspect always will be as my education never ends). I’d just like to remind the author to not worry, you’ll get the stuff; you’ve already taken the first step and done something. But preparedness is more than material, the mindset is most important. Start to live right, be frugal, be healthy. Don’t be reliant on outside …


From David in Israel Re: Some Preparedness Implications of Rapidly Escalating Fuel Prices

James We are all seeing the rise in fuel prices affecting food prices. I would like the readers to do a acres of farm to miles traveled evaluation of their plans when planning for a world with sparse petro-fuels. The current option is to ignore the prices and continue to fuel large SUVs and pickup trucks even for for “pick me up milk” runs. A fuel efficient car or motorcycle makes more sense depending on the number of passengers travelling. Bio-diesel or ethanol from your field rarely makes sense for anything other than a few very important drives per year …