Texas

[ClovisMan]

So my wife wants me to build 6 of these raised bed planters for her to put around my "ugly" metal building that is in progress. Think I should build them for her?

 

[Nomibear]

So my wife wants me to build 6 of these raised bed planters for her to put around my "ugly" metal building that is in progress. Think I should build them for her?

Love it! You could build me some too

 

[jajeanpierre]

Love it! You could build me some too

I was thinking the same thing!

 

[A1momof3]

So my wife wants me to build 6 of these raised bed planters for her to put around my "ugly" metal building that is in progress. Think I should build them for her?

Of course build them!! Those are really nice!

 

[SlipsWife]

Love it! You could build me some too

I was thinking the same thing!

Me too...ummm....three...ummm...me me me me me first!!!

 

[Nomibear]

Lol

Me too...ummm....three...ummm...me me me me me first!!!

Lol

I asked first!

 

[A1momof3]

Shelby's new babies. I guess they are my grand-chicks! Lol

Buff

Black

White
Now these are my first Sillies. I can't tell if they are bearded or what. So Silkie x-spirts what can you tell me?

 

[Brookshire11]

Roosters make a lot of noise, there is no getting around it, even quiet roosters. If you can't have a rooster, just accept it and plan on what to do with him when he grows up. Please don't sell him on Craig's list. There is a big demand for Silkies for their meat--they can sell for about $40 a piece in an Asian grocery store. I've seen enough really horribly botched home slaughter videos to know I would never let any of my birds go to a stranger. If they are going to end up in a pot, it is going to be my pot. I'll make their life a happy and good one and they will have just one bad day, and it really is really only a few seconds. I will try to make their exit as peaceful and stress free as possible. It will make you very thankful for your food and cognizant of the life and death of food animals. I eat a lot less meat since I slaughtered my unwanted cockerels. There are some not nice things about keeping chickens, and culling and slaughter are tops on my list.

When I was first wrestling with what to do with my unwanted cockerels, someone suggested I could just set them free. They would hang around for a few days, I was told, and then magically go away. Please don't do that either. They end up ripped apart by an animals. It is a cruel way to get rid of your unwanted bird.

Yeah, we'll see if I'm there yet. But..they're so small..IF I did process them..what would I do with it? Soup?
And I only have given a roo away through my facebook poultry page. I skipped over some people who were giving me weird vibes and drove an hour to give him to this guy who raises different types of poultry. I know, you can't ever be 100% on anything, but I felt good about it.
I know its not a practical solution long term, but it seems to work once in awhile.
I'm not opposed to processing. I knew from the start I probably would eventually.

So...How many of you are closet Survivalists/Preppers and chickens was just another step in your quest for self-effeciency and sustainability? Well, I have a confession...

I'm not like one of those people you see on TV marching around their neighborhood wearing an NBC suit and carrying an AR-15...besides I don't own an NBC suit.

I'm more like the greenie/homesteader-type that wants to live off-grid as much as possible and have as little Government intrusion as can be had in this day and age. As a free people I believe we are entitled to that. Over the last few years I have being gathering skills and knowledge to basically try to live the way our depression-era relatives lived. I've actually found it hard in that some of the items they used on aregular basis are not readily available without ordering from the internet from nether regions like Nepal. Take washboards for example. One cannot simple walk into Mordor (Walmart), and buy a washboard. (Let me know when you get that pun.

).

The end goal is to be able to grow/produce atleast 80 percent of my families annual intake and be able to trade/barter for the rest. Someone please chime in if they wanna teach me how to use my pressure canner...

I'm not a nut job, but I do think it's good to be prepared! I think I teeter between survivalist/homesteader and smaller footprint, like Janet said.
I don't have lot right now, were on a budget, but little by little I'm building up.
Chickens were..kind of part of it..but in a crazy, end of the world scenario, my house is so not the place to hunker down. lol.
The chickens were more about healthier food for my family AND teaching my kids to appreciate the hard work that goes into things. There really is a disconnect with food and I'm guilty of it too.
So..i don't have my garden, or rainbarrels yet (but im learning about them!). But I do make most all my household products, I try to cook right, we joined a co-op (until we get our garden going), I buy a little extra at the store when I can (rice, salt, etc).
I think my eye opener was that first big ice storm. Every one was over reacting and clearing out the stores (my friend calls it a Level "French Toast" emergency: because all the bread, milk, and eggs disappear). And I was fine but..our house is ALL electric and I realized, if the power went out, I was kind of out of luck!

I know it is all a mental thing. I am not big on chicken in general. I think it still stems from my childhood. LOL I can do grilled and in dumplings but I am just not a big chicken eater. but BEEF oh yea. I am all for raising my own beef. But when it comes processing time, that's the hubby's job. We are big gun people. 2 boys and my hubby we have all kinds of guns. They also hunt and that's fine too. Pork, I love me so pork also and I could raise pigs for the pork.... I'm just not a big chicken eater.

As for BBQ .... you are right the secret is for sure in the sauce. LOL

Well she had a lot of them. ALL colors. They are so cute. We got 3, black, buff and white. My DIL is so excited!

Chicken for eggs, garden for sure.... I am trying to get us to were we can help our family's out as time goes on. We lost my hubby's dad 2 years ago and we realize the rest of our family isn't getting any younger so the more I can provide to help them out as time goes on the better we will all be. Things just keep getting higher and higher.

Love me some fried green tomatoes.... both movie and food! LOL Sorry to hear about your power that bad!




Well here they are.... and nawww there isn't any enabling going on around here. LOL


My DIL to be, is beside her self with excitement. I told her that if hubby says anything when he gets home.... it's all her fault. He will agree to anything if we just say.... Well Shelby wanted them. LOL He will say.. Ok.
So that's my story and I am sticking to it.

Congrats on the babies!
They stay little soo long lol.
Have you ever had fresh pork? I'm gonna sound crazy but..when I had it, I wasn't a fan..
It had a different taste to it (obviously). My cousins raised pigs for awhile and brought us down some.
I was younger though, so I'd be willing to try it again

So my wife wants me to build 6 of these raised bed planters for her to put around my "ugly" metal building that is in progress. Think I should build them for her?

I like how you're acting like you have a choice in the matter

Happy Wife, Happy Life, right?

Love it! You could build me some too

I'm with all of them! lol
I'll take 3

 

[lovingmyhens]

So my wife wants me to build 6 of these raised bed planters for her to put around my "ugly" metal building that is in progress. Think I should build them for her?

Saw one of my friends on Facebook did this...her were square and looked great. Sure-be a good hubby!!!! Happy wife, happy life

 

[bnjrob]

So...How many of you are closet Survivalists/Preppers and chickens was just another step in your quest for self-effeciency and sustainability? Well, I have a confession...

I'm not like one of those people you see on TV marching around their neighborhood wearing an NBC suit and carrying an AR-15...besides I don't own an NBC suit.

I'm more like the greenie/homesteader-type that wants to live off-grid as much as possible and have as little Government intrusion as can be had in this day and age. As a free people I believe we are entitled to that. Over the last few years I have being gathering skills and knowledge to basically try to live the way our depression-era relatives lived. I've actually found it hard in that some of the items they used on aregular basis are not readily available without ordering from the internet from nether regions like Nepal. Take washboards for example. One cannot simple walk into Mordor (Walmart), and buy a washboard. (Let me know when you get that pun.

).

The end goal is to be able to grow/produce atleast 80 percent of my families annual intake and be able to trade/barter for the rest. Someone please chime in if they wanna teach me how to use my pressure canner...

We are also slowly working on being more self reliant. This year we had great success growing things in the garden during winter by using plastic covered hoops over the beds. This year I'll be trialing our new multi-phase approach to outwitting the locust horde that plagues us every summer.

Pressure canning seems intimidating but it isn't. I'm big into making broth and seasoned stock from chicken carcasses, so I'm pressure canning about once a month just for broth. And we do butcher our own chickens, so we get some nice broth from the bones and meat scraps from our own birds. I use a canner with the weight that goes on it, is that what you have?