How to become self-sufficient (kinda) with chickens.

[tackyrama]

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I never heard of deer hams! Sounds good. I have rabbitt problems too. I have been live trapping them for a friend that likes to have them around (?) She does not have a garden. Something new I am trying right now for the first time is a new web-site called barter quest.com. You post what you have for trade along with a list of things you would like in return. No money changes hands. If it pans out I will use it more. By the way, as I inch my way to self sufficiencey one big problem looms. IF a calamity occures and everything caves in I can get along without electricity quite well. I can easily heat and cook with wood. What would be much harder is the water situation. In the old days many people had cisterns to store water. That is something that I think many peple who are contemplating self-sufficiencey are overlooking. If you have a brook or stream or pond then much is solved. Another option would be a dug well. (Not too many of them around anymore) In MN new housing must have deep wells (over 50' deep). I'm not sure but I think old open wells are supposed to be capped.

 

[WestTexasFarmboy]

Since I love in the boons, my only water source is a well. I have always wondered if I could hook up on of those hand pumps to get water up. Its about 140 feet deep, and that may be just way too far. My only experience with them was at a cabin in CO one year when we went hunting. You had to prime it with water so it would seal. So you pumped your water, then refilled the bucket that was used for priming. It worked well, but I don't know how deep that water was. I may have to look into that further, because without water, you wont last too long!

 

[Wifezilla]

Great experiment Farmboy! Keep us posted on your progress if you can

Zoo, I have a batch of mead brewing right now. It is just about ready for secondary fermentation.

 

[katkat92]

If you live in a poor water area, you might look into a rainwater cistern. It's a great way to irrigate.

We put up food every year from the garden, but we also plant enough to feed our chickens with as well. I just harvested the beets and turnip and the chickens LOVE getting the tops and rejects. They also love excess squash. I toss it all into the compost pile, which the chickens free-range in all day. Then eat almost anything really. Like pigs with feathers. I keep the compost bucket on the kitchen counter and collect all our scraps and even toss in the eggshells from breakfast - not dried or cleaned or anything. They eat it all up. They especially love leftover cooked rice.

I limit real starchy foods like potatoes and I never make sweets so they don't ever get those from me. I provide them with commercial feed and fresh water, everything else is obtained free-range from the compost pile, yard or field. They even pick up grit from the yard.

 

[pbjmaker]

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Cool I have lots of plantains! I hate the stupid things but since we are remodeling the back of our house and the yard is getting driven on and trashed I haven't taken the time to do any yard work back there this year

Thank goodness the chickens keep it "mowed".

 

[write2caroline]

I too have thought long and hard about being self sustaining. My garden failed and my chickens are only 5 weeks old but I come from some tough stock if I do say so myself.

My Grandfather took a job up in the Aleutian islands in Alaska to hunt fox pelts or wolf - and the company he worked for tanked not long after he arrived and set off on his adventure. He spent the whole summer and all of his supplies doing a job and on the day he was to meet the boat - no boat, okay maybe he is early or they are late - waited around for 3 weeks - end of September, no supplies, shortened days living on fish and berries. Finally he leaves a note and rescues himself by hiking out.

He fell in love with Alaska and went back to be a pioneer long before it was a state. And there was not a grocery store or starbucks for miles.

I figure if Lawrence Carson (great grandson of Kit Carson) could do it -So can I. But I need to figure it out too!

Where is that homemade recipe for chicken feed?

Also - If chickens lived in the wild they would not necessarily eat cracked corn or corn at all which seems to be a main ingredient in most of the chicken feed - what would they eat?
Caroline
Jax FL

 

[tackyrama]

Quote:
I'm no expert and correct me if I'm wrong but 150 feet is too deep to pump with a hand pump. The theory of deep water wells (over 50 feet) is the pump PUSHES rather than sucks the water up. It's easier to push it than the other way.

 

[SandyRiverChick]

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SOOOO well said!! I still feel kind of new to BYC but I've read alot, and this is the most exciting thread I've come across. Raising chickens is truly just one part of the bigger picture. -My book vote goes to Animal Vegetable Miracle by the way- its excellent. After bieng layed off from our corporate america jobs my man and I are reinventing ourselves and all the way done with contributing our talents to big corporations. He's about to be certified in Solar consulting and I'm working on an Organic produce. We dont live in fear of apocalypse or anything for that matter but in todays climate (literally) the only sense of security comes from self sufficiency and it doesnet matter whether your motives for self sufficiency are with only yourself in mind because you still help all of society. Forums like these unify people and spread knowledge better than any water cooler corporate blather in high rise sick buildings, by far.

 

[ColoradoMike]

Great thread!

Regarding deep well pumps, you're exactly right, tackyrama. You must 'push' the water from the bottom rather than 'pull' it from the top. In fact, it is physically impossible to 'pull' water more than around 33 feet (iirc) due to the fact that the negative water pressure at the top of the water column will cause the water to change from a liquid state to a gas state.

At least, this is what I can recall some 15 years removed from my fluid mechanics studies...

 

[CHICKENCHASERWV]

Let's not forget Honey Bees I have 39 chickens,3 ducks,2 geese,2 pigs,red worms, and 1 hive so far. The things you can do with bees is amazing honey,candle,soap,lip balm,honey wine.Their propolus is a glue and is used to cover cuts to keep germs out. Being able to take care of yourself and help others may indeed be needed some day. Barter Barter Barter