Feeding your flock amidst of feed shortages

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saysfaa said:
Best bet is to not let things get that bad. If they do, most of the things we or our suppliers might substitute are going to have the similar supply issues because the issues are not something like a natural disaster affecting one part of the supply chain. Even things like moving to the country so you can have that cow to spill grain for the chickens. Land prices have skyrocked already in many regions across the country. I hope many more people become aware of how much we do not live in a vacuum and start making themselves aware of unintended consequences.

I have several plans depending on how fast it gets how bad - if it does but it sure seems to be increasingly likely. I'm doing only the "cheap insurance" level but I'm starting to think more seriously about doing more. I don't know how far down this path you want to go or how applicable my solutions might be to other people.
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this comment was from a few years ago - curious what measures you have taken with where this country is heading now?
 
ssreality said:
this comment was from a few years ago - curious what measures you have taken with where this country is heading now?
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Without accepting the invitation to dip into politics or prognostication, I recently cleared a ring around one of the old "specimen" oaks in the acres I am underbrushing to expand my pasture area, leaving it mostly shaded by the oak's canopy, and the surrounding mature trees.

The removed wood, mostly smaller oaks and other hardwoods, were cut down to approximately 30" lengths of at least 5" diameter, stacked carefully, and set to "dry" in well shaded areas at the periphery. Others were cut into 4" thick rings.

I have six varieties of mushroom cultures growing in mason jars right now, with plans to innoculate the logs with four of the cultures in about a month's time. The rings will be done at the same time with a fifth culture. A few months later, the rings will be buried in shallow graves in a circle about 10' from the grandfather oak. The sixth culture does best in a mix of straw and animal droppings - I chose it for obvious reasons.

Six to twenty-six months later, if all goes well, I should be able to harvest mushrooms in Spring and Fall for "some number" of years. Once I see what grows best, I will repeat with other Oaks on my property to continue the process. ...and I'm already making arrangements with distant friends to exchange mushroom cultures.

We are also adding meat rabbits to the property this spring, and seeding two new bits of greenery into our acres of weeds - sorghum and cereal rye (If I can source them).

Note that I would do these things *regardless* of my views on the direction of this Country, because I enjoy them, and have the ability to do so. If you don't have the ability, or the enjoyment, don't rush out and try these things, because you will likely fail at them before you have need of them. Since the start of human civilization, someone has always stood at the intersections, screaming "the end is near" to all who would listen. Sometimes, they are right on the events. Rarely, however, do they accurately predict the timing of those events.

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and (in progress photo, I didn't take a final) One of the three log stacks being assembled.
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ssreality said:
this comment was from a few years ago - curious what measures you have taken with where this country is heading now?
Click to expand...
Not even 3 month old. I'll chime in though since I'm the OP. Don't get your hopes up. This is the titanic going down and it will only get worst from here. If people say otherwise, you aren't paying attention to what is going on.
 
I have been learning more about feed. Reading about poultry nutrition, the history of chicken feed, and poultry feed supplies in Canada. I found out that a total of 30 million tons of chicken feed is made each year, almost 1 ton per capita if it were equally distributed which obviously it is not. 10 million tons is produced on farm by mixing local grain with poultry protein supplement. This is what I do and I see I am not alone.
I am not sure how much of this is exported as feed, eggs or meat and how much is purely domestic consumption.
At any rate this has me wondering just how much feed i should use. Am I entitled to my fair share? As much as I want and have money for? Only what I need? As much as the government says I can have? Given the potential crisis and the fact that I do not grow much grain and one laying hen consumes up to100 pounds of feed annually, I am keeping my flock small.
 
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Our society has already started the move to eating lower on the food chain. It seems like the damn vegans are everywhere these days.

One reason that poultry were domesticated was that they are so good at foraging and, essentially, making something (meat and eggs) out of nothing. Supplemental feed was partially about nutrition, partially about utilizing our waste, and partially about bribing the birds to stay home and not wander off. Somewhere along the way we lost sight of that.
 
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