An apocolypse herd/flock

[SourRoses]

Chooks in Choppers! You stole what I was going to say!
I would definitely have the horses.. a sustainable number of trained horses... to pillage/trade.. haul, pull stumps, ect ect.. there is a reason people have kept them around for thousands of years.. plus I could trade any spare offspring for things I might need. I just can't imagine ever getting anywhere with a cow... plus how would you cope with needing to forage if you had no wagon, had to navigate difficult terrain, or streets filled with abandoned cars...

When thinking of a difficult future, the past has all the lessons for us. Plus the goal is for a sustainable lifestyle.

Definitely chickens.. lots of chickens... chicken parmesan...

Sheep... Roast Lamb... yuuuuummmyy!

Dairy cows... milk, cream, cheese, butter.

Pigs... stuffed roast pork... mmmm! Plus I love the tilling idea mentioned.

Angora rabbits perhaps or alpacas... something to make cloth from... plus if I was able to obtain some kind of cotton gin variant, I might try to grow a small amount of cotton.

I don't forsee land being a problem... the whole scenario brings to my mind a lot of vacancies being opened up..

I would never eat the dogs, unless I was starving (probably not then

).. for a very practical reason. You have herds of animals/food... predators of the normal variety and the human kind to defend from. As I stated before, there is a reason people did things the way they did for thousands of years, and a very good original reason that dogs became 'mans best friend'.

 

[GnarleyDogFarm]

This is a really interesting topic! On my short list, some of the things already mentioned, are: salt, fresh water, poultry, Katahdin Hair Sheep, Dexter Mini Cattle, Rabbits, Tamworth Hogs, tons of heirloom seeds and tools, lots of tools.

Katahdins are very hardy, forage very well on low-quality range, are good producers of lambs, etc. They do not produce wool, so I would consider something that does in addition for clothing.

The dogs are indespensible and it would have to be me or them. I think if I have to take the dogs, then I am not going to survive without them. So do I cut off my arm first? Maybe.

 

[KristyHall]

Quote:
animal skins they make fine clothes, durable ones too. why do we need fibers for clothes. and clothes are only needed to protect you from the elements. in a societal break down you can walk nude on a nice day. who's going to say other wise?

 

[SourRoses]

Comfort... I don't know about yours.. but my bare bottom does not appreciate...

 

[KristyHall]

Quote:
I have calvary line Arabian horses. Those horses were the ultimate survival animals. they were fed dates, milk, grasshoppers, and some stories even say meat. They went days without water, and even longer without food. They survived scorching days and freezing nights. I have seen my horses eat things that would kill most horses. My old mare has coliced and survived three times without medicine to help her.

They are also extremely loyal, stunningly smart, and very durable. My old mare saved my skin a couple of times, will ditch anyone she doesn't know who tries to jump on her, is very gentle around children, and is extremely calm and patient.Just don't get those flighty thin boned over bred show lines. get the thick bone sturdy calvary lines. Best horses i've ever had and won't get any other again.

In a pinch, I hear horse meat is very tasty.

 

[mississippifarmboy]

Quote:
animal skins they make fine clothes, durable ones too. why do we need fibers for clothes. and clothes are only needed to protect you from the elements. in a societal break down you can walk nude on a nice day. who's going to say other wise?

umm, at my age? I'll take clothes please.

But I've made many a set of buckskins, so I agree with the not needing fiber to make clothes. And I "might" if no one was around, wear a bretclot (or breech-cloth or whatever it's called in the movies).... maybe. I'm traditional, but only to a point. lol

 

[KristyHall]

Quote:
having grown up on the powwow trail and having danced traditional women's buckskin for years... a good well made buckskin outfit is very soft, very comfortable, and done right is surprisingly cool in the hot summer, and is thick and tough and will protect you from brambles.

 

[spiritdance]

Quote:
I would prefer horses too if forage were not an issue. Just sayin', if it were, cows would suffer less from low grade grub. BTW, you CAN ride a cow. Look up saddle trained longhorns, for instance. And people in other parts of the world have been riding oxen for ... well, about as long as they have been domesticating them. And in most of those regions, you can barter a trained ox for more than a horse ... it's more multipurpose for the poor working farmer. Of course, if you don't mind horse meat, then you would still have a "dual purpose" mount there ... but not the benefit of milk. So here's hoping if it all goes to H''' in a handbasket tomorrow, the grass keeps growin' great for my Hafies...

 

[Illia]

Okay just as a little note to you guys -


Yaks make the same good wool that Alpacas do, but they also provide excellent beef and milk as well as draft work, unlike Alpacas, and you don't have to shave the hair off. They're also VERY cold hardy and good on even a small amount of land. Plus you can ride them. Also, Yaks are very protective, and will be able to protect not only your other smaller animals around as well as their young, but also the herd as a whole or themselves from predators. Yaks are known, even for their smaller size, to bully past large Watusi cattle.

Dairy Goats are better than Dairy Cattle, not only because of the composition and our ability to digest their milk vs cow's milk, but also because they produce more per pound, they are easier on the land, and eat more varieties of greenery than cattle, plus some breeds like Kinders have milk so rich you can make 2 lbs of cheese out of 1 gallon of milk! Another thing - Dairy Goats are FAR less maintenance than dairy cattle.


Sheep are just plain not much of a good idea for this scenario. They're too susceptible to predators, especially considering how many feral dogs will start to run around.

 

[mississippifarmboy]

Horse, dog, cat, grasshoppers, bugs, all are food in my world. Some foods gross some folks out but before my kids miss a meal Fido will be cooked up in taters and gravy.

Just sayin'