Aflockalypse

[Pampered chicken girl]

Probably just die lol. Me, the animals, all of us I'm fine I'd rather not live in a world alone or struggling for my life every day.

 

[GlicksChicks]

I love the idea of this thread! This is something I have been planning for (Even more so with recent events).

First things first, I am planning on staying in place and.. taking care of any hostile bodies coming onto my property. My land is secured with some different obstacles to keep unwanted visitors away.

I have been getting myself ready for providing my own food, vegetables, meat, etc. and there is a lake not too far from here if I wanted fish (I don't like fish, but you never know when you may want it.) We have also been collecting some food that will last a while every chance we get. I also plan on getting a dehydrator for things like meat and vegetables to have them stored as well.

Not long ago I made a thread about producing food for my flock. I want to be able to feed my flock without being dependant on companies to make it for me.

My Husband and I have also been working on making a secured area for the chickens to run around in, an acre area with multiple layers of fence on each side, a netting on top, and locks on the entrance. I also plan on having solar powered cameras to detect movement from the outside of the coop so I can catch predators and people who are trying to get to my chickens.

When scenarios like this happen, people will be willing to do anything to get to food sources, which includes your flock that produces meat and eggs. Be ready to defend it if you plan on keeping it.

 

[AGeese]

I love the idea of this thread! This is something I have been planning for (Even more so with recent events).

First things first, I am planning on staying in place and.. taking care of any hostile bodies coming onto my property. My land is secured with some different obstacles to keep unwanted visitors away.

I have been getting myself ready for providing my own food, vegetables, meat, etc. and there is a lake not too far from here if I wanted fish (I don't like fish, but you never know when you may want it.) We have also been collecting some food that will last a while every chance we get. I also plan on getting a dehydrator for things like meat and vegetables to have them stored as well.

Not long ago I made a thread about producing food for my flock. I want to be able to feed my flock without being dependant on companies to make it for me.

My Husband and I have also been working on making a secured area for the chickens to run around in, an acre area with multiple layers of fence on each side, a netting on top, and locks on the entrance. I also plan on having solar powered cameras to detect movement from the outside of the coop so I can catch predators and people who are trying to get to my chickens.

When scenarios like this happen, people will be willing to do anything to get to food sources, which includes your flock that produces meat and eggs. Be ready to defend it if you plan on keeping it.

You have big plans! If I could get a quarter of that done by retirement I'll be happy Oh as for fish, a little flour and egg, bread crumb, oil in a hot pan and salt or season to taste!

 

[GlicksChicks]

You have big plans! If I could get a quarter of that done by retirement I'll be happy Oh as for fish, a little flour and egg, bread crumb, oil in a hot pan and salt or season to taste!

I bet if you put your mind to it you can!! I have alot of time before I hit retirement, but I don't know how much time I have to prepare before anything happens! (When SHTF we like to call it here)

 

[AGeese]

Slowly but surely:

1. Fencing 2 acres (posts are mostly up, welded wire fabric going up)
2. Securing/Expanding chicken run (almost complete)
3. 3 chicks coming in August, one male and 2 females.
4. Acquire 2 Liege pullets (in progress)
5. Stock tank breeders TBA (minnows, rosey reds, shellfish etc)
6. Build new goose pen.
7. Repurpose my Aframe for Runner Ducks.
8. Complete pond project.
9. Continue planting the windbreaks.
10. Build brooding pen for chickens.

Plus all the property maintenance fun stuff of course.

 

[GlicksChicks]

5. Stock tank breeders TBA (minnows, rosey reds, shellfish etc)

Do you have any recommendations on fish that breed quick? I was thinking of breeding guppies for my future ducks. Would that work?

Do you have a stock tank already set up? If so, what is your setup?

 

[SourRoses]

It has come up before but you may be the first with a technically correct title.

My mom and I like reading that genre of novels, and it's certainly a topic we've enjoyed discussing.
We hesitate to call ourselves preppers because regular ole survival is hard enough - we don't have supplies stored like we would wish for. As well, I think the chances of an actual disaster taking place are low. But you never know what life might throw at you.
The pandemic taught us all the importance of toilet paper. Very few preppers had stowed away a sufficient supply. And quickly enough the majority have probably forgotten how hard life is when you might get a dirty bottom.
The sheer range of items needed to sustain a comfortable life are a little mind boggling. Most preppers focus on food and medicine (for a short term).
What about socks? Underpants?
Pots and pans that can stand an open fire and are efficient to heat?
Tampons? Chocolate???! (I don't want to imagine a world where women needing tampons also don't have chocolate)


The current version of my chicken plan includes (after an event) - immediate reduction in numbers to only the most useful (eggs) or best meat quality for breeding.
- if transportation is still possible, immediately, like the same very day or hour, go buy a bunch of chicken feed (and human stuff of course, if there's any money available).
- catch meat for chickens. Lots of stuff I don't want to eat, like squirrels and fish, could be fed to the chickens to grow the kind of meat I do like Protein is the harder thing to provide from crops, so hunting for the flock should cover the bases easier than trying to grow an assortment.
- Hope the world gets back to normal sooner rather than later.
I'm kinda cynical, to be honest, about humanity. But the thing that thinking about all this reminds me is how much we need each other to make the world go round. The trope is that it would instantly turn into a dog eat dog world. Well, some people would take advantage, I agree. But look at what's happened after some disasters - hurricanes, fires, floods, earthquakes. There are a lot of people who decide, in the moment, to contribute rather than take. I think that's because we're social creatures who think of groups as being safer... even introverted antisocial hermits like me. Deep down you know it's there.

 

[No Coop No Problem]

-catch meat for chickens. Lots of stuff I don't want to eat, like squirrels and fish, could be fed to the chickens to grow the kind of meat I do like Protein is the harder thing to provide from crops, so hunting for the flock should cover the bases easier than trying to grow an assortment.

It's not a topic commonly addressed here, I believe because most users are suburbians, but by killing a predator and placing the carcass into a hanging device (such as a kennel or bucket with holes drilled in the bottom) maggots will drop for a long time. My chickens strongly prefer maggots over chicken feed, to the extent that my entire flock will ignore feeding time for several meals/days depending on the size of the predator. Possums usually last a week

In an apocalyptic scenario having predators come is just free food

 

[tripletfeb]

It's not a topic commonly addressed here, I believe because most users are suburbians, but by killing a predator and placing the carcass into a hanging device (such as a kennel or bucket with holes drilled in the bottom) maggots will drop for a long time. My chickens strongly prefer maggots over chicken feed, to the extent that my entire flock will ignore feeding time for several meals/days depending on the size of the predator. Possums usually last a week

In an apocalyptic scenario having predators come is just free food

That. Is. Disgusting. And brilliant. I would have to mentally get over the fact that the eggs are from maggot eating chickens. It could be done

 

[CatInTheHenHouse]

How bad of an apocalypse are we talking and what kind? Exact plan would depend on (and to some degree would have to wait on) the nature of the apocalypse. Using purely fictional examples, Advent taking over the world would require a different strategy from Thanos snapping his fingers.

But in short:

• Try to keep at least 6-12 months of food and supplies in storage for me and the cat. (I don’t have birds.)
• Educate myself on local foragables to fill gaps until I can get a sustainable amount of food production underway.
• See what I can grow and maintain in my immediate vicinity in the way of food, medicine, etc. This includes being able to propagate those things via seed, cutting, etc. under the assumption that my local garden store will not be available to replace them. For the same reason this also includes practicing composting. Bug issues this year have reminded me I don’t have a replacement for neem oil.
• Find a local farm I can trade for things I can’t make for myself. (Assuming cooperation from the neighbors/HOA, this will include birds.) Planning to trade work for it at least at first, under the assumption that anything I can grow in enough quantity to trade away someone else who is better situated will already have.

Obvious problems and caveats include:

• I have no way to heat my current residence if I lose power and gas over a long stretch of time. Firewood is available if I can find a way to burn it indoors safely with no wood fireplace and no chimney
• I have neighbors. I will need, bare minimum, their lack of interference if I’m going to rip up the lawn for crops or obtain chickens.
• I need to hope and pray that I don’t need any major medications when the apocalypse occurs. I’m compiling a list of medicinal plants, but it’s a short list and for general ailments (Enchinacea - colds, Calendula - skin damage, willow bark - pain). I also don’t know proper dosage or prep for any of those, that requires more research on my part.

That’s for the ‘stay put’ plan. My ‘bug out’ plan is much scantier; I haven’t done much for a bug-out bag yet except designate a bag to put stuff in. But the planned contents include:

• Water purification tablets
• Water bottle
• Food that doesn’t need any prep
• Some reliable method with which to make fire
• First aid supplies (bare minimum: bandages and disinfectant)
• Leather gloves (getting injured collecting firewood or similar would be much more serious without being able to call 911 or go to a hospital so avoiding injuries in the first place would be preferable)
• A space blanket
• A knife (maybe hatchet, but a knife would be lighter for travel)
• A tarp
• Rope
• A portable solar charger (just in case this apocalypse leaves the phone available - a flood, an earthquake that takes out the building, etc.)
• At least a small amount of cash

I’m probably forgetting a lot of obvious things. Mostly, I’m praying it remains a fun mental exercise instead of a reality!