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Things you're not told about keeping animals.
26 June 2012, 16:36,
#1
Things you're not told about keeping animals.
In another thread, NR asked me to expand on something I mentioned. Well, here it is. I hope it will be of use.

What you’re not told about keeping Animals.

Most of the time there is little problem with keeping animals for food. There are a lot of things no-one tells you before you go and buy said animals though. In a SHTF it’s easy to forget that your very means of feeding yourself could just as easily be your downfall.

In general there are a few things to consider before taking on animals. Do you have the time to care for them, can you grow and harvest enough food for them do you have the knowledge to make use of all the animal if you want a continuous supply of animals, you need males, not wanting to upset the men folk, but males are only good for the obvious, they are a drain on resources. If you do want to breed, then it’s a good idea to keep records to prevent inbreeding. The breed of animals that will be most easily available to us would be modern high maintenance breeds, not necessarily the ideal for what we want.

Chickens.
In general Chickens are usually entry level animals to keep. They are easy look after and provide a good return for your investment. The disposal of their waste needs to be thought about. It cannot go straight onto the garden; it needs at good year to cool down. If kept confined Chickens very quickly get bored and often resort to bullying and cannibalism. It is a never ending process to think of ways to keep them entertained. Also, if you have them in an outdoor run, it needs to be closely managed to prevent it turning into a mud bath and getting smelly. If you decide to let them free range, your veg garden has to be made Chicken proof. There is nothing Chickens like more than trashing a veg plot. If you keep them completely free, you have to be prepared to lose some to predators. It’s not just Cockerels that are noisy. Hens will announce to the world when they have laid an egg. I’ve not really found a way to stop this. Increasing the flock is a case of incubating fertile eggs. The eggs need to be collected until there are enough for what you want. A clutch needs to be incubated all together. The reason for this is once an egg has hatched, a hen will only stay so long with the other eggs before abandoning them to care for the chick that has hatched. While doing that, the eggs need to be turned every day and then incubated all at once. If using a broody hen pop one egg under her to keep her in the mood, but remember to remove it before putting the clutch under her. If using an incubator there are a few things to remember. The temperature and humidity need to be right, and the eggs need to be turned. Once the eggs have hatched the broody will care for them or if they hatched in an incubator they will need heat for a time.

Goats.
Goats are eating machines, you can keep them penned, but you will spend an awful lot of your time feeding them. Modern breeds of Goats do not have a waterproof coat so will need shelter. Their hooves need trimming on a regular basis, and they will need milking twice a day every day. To keep producing milk, a goat can be mated every other year although in the second year, milk production will not be as high. The resulting offspring make excellent eating and mush like Venison carries very little fat. The optimum age for slaughter is around 6 months, any older than this and the Billy smell might taint the meat. Goats are very gregarious, they crave the company of other animals, and it needn’t be another Goat. Goats have a season for breeding similar to Deer and in many ways it is the same. The males become pumped full of testosterone and have just one thing on their mind. They can be smelly, aggressive and downright dangerous. The breeding season is March to July and the female comes into oestrus every 21 days during that time and becomes very vocal. She is fertile for approximately 1-2 days during each cycle. Females generally have a lifespan of up to 12-14 years, although fertility and milk production will reduce. There is one thing about Goats that would make them at least temporarily worth having and that is their ability to clear scrubland. If time is not important a two year programme of clearance can turn scrubby land into something useful, especially if you follow the Goats with Pigs.

Sheep.
I’ve not had a great deal to do with sheep, just raised a few orphaned lambs so my knowledge is a bit limited. Sheep are in some ways easier to keep then Goats, but still have needs. Sheep do not do well confined. Again they have a breeding season and if it’s missed, you will have no meat, again it’s important to keep records breeding records. Depending on the breed, sheep need ‘dagging’ where the fleece around the tail is shorn to prevent fly strike and shearing every year. Sheep can provide meat and wool, a commodity not to be sniffed at.

In conclusion, would I keep animals post SHTF. You betcha, but I have the luxury of having kept some farm animals before. I have spent a great deal of time researching the best and easiest breeds to go for, and where I could find these locally to ‘liberate’
For those of you who want to know. My personal preferences are to avoid the big stock and stick with animals that are easier to manage. So the breeds, well, Sheep would be Soays or Ouessants, both shed their fleece naturally and are tough and good mothers, they are also quite small. Both are on a farm locally. Goats, it would probably be pygmy goats, simply because they don’t produce huge amounts of milk. Chickens I’d go for a good dual purpose breed like Light Sussex. I would also have some Quail and maybe a few Rabbits. Both of those could be kept at home, the others I’d keep further away. The Sheep I Would probably even let free range and let them take their chances and bring them in a few times a year for maintenance.
Copyright © TOF 2012.


Sailing away, not close to the wind.Heart
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26 June 2012, 18:48,
#2
RE: Things you're not told about keeping animals.
Excellent post very useful, already downloaded and added to my files,
Cheers old gal
NR

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26 June 2012, 18:57,
#3
RE: Things you're not told about keeping animals.
Thanks TOF, printed off and added to my files.
Some people that prefer to be alone arent anti-social they just have no time for drama, stupidity and false people.
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