Permaculture for when the SHTF

[Mini Horses]

Having lived thru hurricane disasters, as well as a life style without all these "modern" conveniences many, many years ago, plus an avid camper, "making do" & "old ways" are common. You learn by doing. Things get done, slower.

Electric -- we are SO dependant. Solar generator would keep freezer & frig working. Like you say, Bay, most of us are freezer dependent, for meats especially. Hope to do more canning this year, veggies & meat.

I have several oil lamps & a good supply of oil. Solar lights will help -- as will practicing more solar use, in general. It would be great to be able to "ONE DAY" be able to have a large solar array to support more of my house use. Don't see that soon. My house is set to accept a wood heater, if needed again (I replaced with propane several years ago).

Daylight is what kept "up with sun" going so many years back! In winter, we carry a flashlight evenings....back then, you carried a lantern (fire issue at barn milking).

 

[lcertuche]

'Going to bed with the chickens' meant you slept when it was dark and worked during daylight. I sure would miss my TV and computer however no matter how I protest the fact to my family. I've actually tried talking DH and the Wuldbunch into going on a electronics break. If I ever pick up a good book TV is forgotten but my family would hate it. I am trying to get self-help, gardening and just good reads for such an event as an EMP. As far as the freezer I am trying to get away from freezing most of our food. I am dehydrating and even canning now that I have a canner and jars. Today I canned 7 quarts of dried beans. I know they would last during an electrical outage but I like them so much for taste, texture and convenience.

I would like to stock up on salt, sugar and vinegar for salting meats and canning. I would be easy to repurpose all those dead refrigerators and freezers into smokers and root cellars if needed.

I know not everybody believes Jesus is returning but I do and hopefully can miss the worse of everything. SHTF or not we should all be able to take care of our families with food and water. On the subject of "going to bed with the chickens' we will probably be tired from hard, physical work and ready to sleep when the sun goes down.

 

[Mini Horses]

And speaking of those chickens -- my grandparents NEVER bought layer mash ! First, no money. Second, no way to get to a feed store -- if there was one, more of a mill. They kept themselves fed on bugs & worms & forage. Some food scraps thrown out -- that's it!!! They did grow/dry corn for winter feed.

 

[lcertuche]

Mini Horses you are right about the chicken mash. Mine go for weeks, sometimes months without it and are healthy, quick and alert. It is their instinct to go out and get all those ticks, chiggers, spiders, snakes, mice, frogs, and every other creepy crawly booger that doesn't eat them first...and boy do they like kitchen scraps! When I mentioned this on BYC I was accused of being a bad chicken mama but oh well. There are sure to be small areas chickens need feed and I do give mine more when everything is dead in the winter or as babies and want them to grow up fast but I have a 3 +acres and surrounding forest and fields for them to roam. I go out every couple of hours and call them back to the house and throw out a few scraps to keep them closer to home but they are wise to hawks hiding in our holly trees or under thick brush. Now I just need to get another rooster and try to preserve those genes through hatching a few eggs.

 

[MoonShadows]

During the nicer months when my chickens free range they eat very little of the all natural pellets I use. In the colder months, they eat more, and I supplement with black oil sunflower seeds and whole corn. Of course they eat a lot of leftovers; they like their bread; and, they go berserk when I have chicken scraps whether cooked or uncooked.

 

[lcertuche]

Mine are cannibals too, last night they went to town on chicken and dumplings leftovers!

 

[MoonShadows]

Now that's a gourmet meal!

 

[tortoise]

I'm a bad chicken momma too then We have 2 separate small flocks. DH handles the coop flock - RIR layers - and I have the barn flock - cornish/rock hybrids. I've been feeding my flock expired dog food, all of the household food waste / compost, old birdseed and suet from when I used to feed songbirds before we ended up in an avian flu control zone, and ground eggshell. My birds look fantastic and lay consistently. DH's birds are fed layer pellets and oyster shell. Their eggshells are thinner and they eat their own eggs. DH and I have conversations on the topic

 

[tortoise]

I want to grow sunflowers for winter chicken feed, but the dang gophers go down the row and each every seed I plant!

 

[MoonShadows]

I want to grow sunflowers for winter chicken feed, but the dang gophers go down the row and each every seed I plant!

I tried that last year, but the birds and squirrels ate them before they were ready to harvest. I even tried putting bags over some of the flower heads...read it online...but that didn't work either.
So I went back to Plan A!
Royal Wing Black Oil Sunflower Wild Bird Food, 40 lb. - $16.99 at TSC.