I'm active on a few "prepping/survival" discussion forums, and a few firearms discussion sites, as my other "hobby" is preparedness, and recreational shooting, when the inevitable threads on "TEOTWAWKI" (The End Of The World As We Know It) (but... I feel fine... 
) all the normal discussion comes up, bugout bags, bugout vehicles, how much water/food/medical supplies are stored, best locations to bug out to, bugging out vs. Bugging in, preferred defensive measures, all the typical and stereotypical "prepper" chatter....
But one item rarely is discussed, keeping poultry, mainly chickens...
Chickens are an integral part of my preps, and should be a part of any preppers arsenal, they serve multiple purposes and more than pull their weight and do their part to enhance survival...
1; most obviously, they produce eggs, and eggs are one of the most effective source of protein and energy, if the birds are free range, or in chicken tractors, they feed themselves for essentially no cost, and they are also extremely efficient consumers of table scraps
2; the droppings and used bedding can be composted to make rich humus, which can be turned back into the ground, helping crops grow bigger, stronger, and more nutritious
3; adding a rooster has numerous benefits, he will defend his girls from predators, find food for them, and most obviously, help create more chickens, insuring a self-replenishing flock
4; they do a decent job of keeping ticks and other undesirable insects under control (and the hens turn these parasites into more material for egg laying )
5; they do a great job of clearing leaf litter and other detritus from gardens and ornamental plants/shrubberies
6; they can be killed (humanely) and eaten, this is least desirable, as it deprives you of eggs/the ability to create more chickens, freezer camp should be the last option, unless you're overpopulated with poultry and need to thin the flock.
You get all these benefits for the modest cost of commercial chicken feed, and if you free range, that feed will last for *months* during temperate times when they can free range, my last bag of layer pellets was purchased at least 3 months ago, and I still have half a bag left....
Plus, in the event of a disaster, be it an earthquake, volcanic eruption, hurricane, tornado, coronal mass ejection/EMP, zombie apocalypse, financial collapse, space alien invasion, or any/all of the above, they give you valuable barter goods...
The eggs (obviously) one of the best sources of protein available, a highly desirable barter item
Compost/humus from the composted bedding
Any "extra/spare" birds, be they chicks, pullets, layers, or cockerels, the nice thing about this, is you'd be helping someone down on their luck or in true need to become a little more self sufficient
Spare birds from Freezer Camp..
Chicken products or chickens would be far better barter than giving away/bartering hard to replace canned goods, medical supplies, water, gasoline, ammunition, or weapons, and only the truly stupid would barter away things that could be used against them, gas, ammo, or weapons could come back to haunt the bartered
Which would be worth more as barter anyway? A chicken or three that you have plenty extra of (assuming you have a self replenishing flock) or canned goods you can't replace? And what would said spare chickens be worth to someone with only canned goods? Canned goods that can't be replaced, vs an animal that *produces* high quality food on a regular basis, and which can create more of itself from table scraps, free range browsing, and inexpensive feed/grains?
Chickens should be part of any preparedness setup, any setup with the space for them
) all the normal discussion comes up, bugout bags, bugout vehicles, how much water/food/medical supplies are stored, best locations to bug out to, bugging out vs. Bugging in, preferred defensive measures, all the typical and stereotypical "prepper" chatter....But one item rarely is discussed, keeping poultry, mainly chickens...
Chickens are an integral part of my preps, and should be a part of any preppers arsenal, they serve multiple purposes and more than pull their weight and do their part to enhance survival...
1; most obviously, they produce eggs, and eggs are one of the most effective source of protein and energy, if the birds are free range, or in chicken tractors, they feed themselves for essentially no cost, and they are also extremely efficient consumers of table scraps
2; the droppings and used bedding can be composted to make rich humus, which can be turned back into the ground, helping crops grow bigger, stronger, and more nutritious
3; adding a rooster has numerous benefits, he will defend his girls from predators, find food for them, and most obviously, help create more chickens, insuring a self-replenishing flock
4; they do a decent job of keeping ticks and other undesirable insects under control (and the hens turn these parasites into more material for egg laying
)5; they do a great job of clearing leaf litter and other detritus from gardens and ornamental plants/shrubberies
6; they can be killed (humanely) and eaten, this is least desirable, as it deprives you of eggs/the ability to create more chickens, freezer camp should be the last option, unless you're overpopulated with poultry and need to thin the flock.
You get all these benefits for the modest cost of commercial chicken feed, and if you free range, that feed will last for *months* during temperate times when they can free range, my last bag of layer pellets was purchased at least 3 months ago, and I still have half a bag left....
Plus, in the event of a disaster, be it an earthquake, volcanic eruption, hurricane, tornado, coronal mass ejection/EMP, zombie apocalypse, financial collapse, space alien invasion, or any/all of the above, they give you valuable barter goods...
The eggs (obviously) one of the best sources of protein available, a highly desirable barter item
Compost/humus from the composted bedding
Any "extra/spare" birds, be they chicks, pullets, layers, or cockerels, the nice thing about this, is you'd be helping someone down on their luck or in true need to become a little more self sufficient
Spare birds from Freezer Camp..
Chicken products or chickens would be far better barter than giving away/bartering hard to replace canned goods, medical supplies, water, gasoline, ammunition, or weapons, and only the truly stupid would barter away things that could be used against them, gas, ammo, or weapons could come back to haunt the bartered
Which would be worth more as barter anyway? A chicken or three that you have plenty extra of (assuming you have a self replenishing flock) or canned goods you can't replace? And what would said spare chickens be worth to someone with only canned goods? Canned goods that can't be replaced, vs an animal that *produces* high quality food on a regular basis, and which can create more of itself from table scraps, free range browsing, and inexpensive feed/grains?
Chickens should be part of any preparedness setup, any setup with the space for them
