Tuco's journey from "total-reliance" to "self-sufficient"

[tortoise]

Way to go! You are on your way!

 

[Denim Deb]

Looking forward to reading about your adventures.

While you don't want large animals, some small goats (if permitted) can be doable in an urban setting. They can provide you w/milk and meat as well as eat weeds and provide fertilizer for your garden.

 

[goatgurl]

welcome from arklahoma. wow, with all you've done you should be able to pick up and go on. you are going on a great adventure with your new life and it will be interesting to read as you go. there are a lot of good folks on this site who are more than willing to share their knowledge. i wish you God speed and good luck

 

[Tuco]

Looking forward to reading about your adventures.

While you don't want large animals, some small goats (if permitted) can be doable in an urban setting. They can provide you w/milk and meat as well as eat weeds and provide fertilizer for your garden.

Yeah, goats is one option that I'll be looking in to. I would really like to have animals that I can raise the food for myself. I don't know much about goats yet. What I really want to know about any of the livestock is which ones put out the most, but with the least amount of input (requiring the least amount of space, and least amount of money) so I get the best return on my money/space.

 

[Tuco]

welcome from arklahoma. wow, with all you've done you should be able to pick up and go on. you are going on a great adventure with your new life and it will be interesting to read as you go. there are a lot of good folks on this site who are more than willing to share their knowledge. i wish you God speed and good luck

Thank you. Yes, I'm sure I'll be back up and running, it'll just take a bit of time. Baby steps. Get job > get caught up on some bills > get an apartment (temporary) > Buy house/property > make it self sustainable....

 

[goatgurl]

going to take some time and patience but persistence pays off. like MsDeb said goats are a good option but take up a lot more time and energy than rabbits or chickens but you get fresh milk and red meat from them whereas you get eggs and meat form a chicken and meat from a rabbit. going to need to do a lot of book work before you decide.

 

[Tuco]

Good news! A step in the right direction. I'm selling my van tonight, so that's some much needed money that'll help me get caught up on some of my bills. Soon, I'll be selling my project Harley, so that'll be a lot more money.

Rabbits! I spent much of the day researching how to raise rabbits for meat. Rabbits are one source of meat that can be raised easily in an urban situation because they don't take up much space. They are also perhaps the most economical ways to raise your own meat because it takes much less time, space, effort, and money to raise a pound of rabbit than probably any other livestock. It looks very do-able! I was watching videos on youtube about how to raise rabbits for food, how to build rabbit cages, and how to grow your own rabbit food. I'm hoping to provide most of the rabbit food myself, but it also looks like I'll still need to purchase pellets too. I'm really hoping to provide ALL the food myself, but, on a small piece of property, that may not be possible. More research is needed.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Congrats on selling the van! Extra money is always nice.

Rabbits are good - but here's a thought for you. Have you considered quail?

They can supply both eggs and meat, plus they grow really fast. They're ready to harvest at 6 week and they start laying at 6 weeks too. They don't take up any more room than rabbits either. Only downside - kinda - is that you need an incubator to propagate them.

 

[Tuco]

I had never thought of quail before. I'll have to look into that. I'm already considering chickens and catfish in addition to rabbits. Perhaps ducks too.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Forgot to mention that they're really easy to butcher too. From live bird to skinned and gutted carcass - with a little practice - maybe 5 minutes.