Feeding livestock - SHTF situations, stockpiling feed, etc.

[sumi]

As the topic of the week over on BYC I asked what the members would feed their flocks if they had no commercial feed available for awhile. For example during times of natural disasters. Which made me think, how prepared are we and should we be when it comes to feeding our livestock (and pets)? Some of us here are well prepared with food for ourselves, have stocked pantries, canned and dried food and so on, but how prepared are you all with your animals' and birds' feed for emergencies? Do you have feed stockpiled and/or a back-up plan for if/when you cannot go out and buy feed? Would you be able to feed your animals for awhile, what have you in store for them and how long do you expect it to last?

 

[CrealCritter]

I would eat my chickens - I have enough for many months of food. But seriously both deep freezers and the refrigerator freezer is also packed the pantry is full of canned goodness, Plus i have lots of ammo and fishing poles - my property backs up to the Shawnee national Forest. I have two creeks and at least two springs on my property so water is not a concern. Honesty food and water for us and our animals would be way down on the list of things to be considered about in a natural disaster.

We searched a while fo property that has or has easy access to natural resources (food / water) before we decided on this place.

 

[CrealCritter]

I quickly learned the importance of country neighbors 3 days after I moved in. I was unpacking my wood shop when a guy shows up and said. Hey I'm your neighbor, I noticed you have a 4WD pickup, I got my tractor stuck in the creek. I said ok I got a few tow chains here jump in and let's go pull it out. So we did and you know I didn't even learn his name until several weeks later. But it didn't matter none... The most important thing is when your neighbor is in need, you drop what your doing and help him immediately - it's really that simple and.your neighbor will do the exact same for you when your in need.

So if SHTF around here - I am completely confident we as neighbors would take care of whatever needs taken care of and with all the food we have my neighbors wouldn't go hungry either

 

[Mini Horses]

You know, guys -- this is a really good time to consider how we CAN be more prepared for our animal responsibilities. In my own situation there is enough land to maintain the grazing the majority of the year. I have posted on other threads that I am working toward some increased production of feed for my livestock that will help in my winter months.

I actually can grow enough grass to do some haying but, can't get anyone to cut & bale -- even cut. (Working on a cut and my hand bale possibility). But various winter graze and veggies that store, corn & millet to dry, fodder, sprouting, fermenting, etc., are all being researched. Some of the seeds have already been purchased. Each region presents it's own pro/con situations. It is an expanding farm process here, hoping to be more self sustaining.

It's a project! Any portion will help feed $$$.

 

[Mini Horses]

Part of the issue is the TYPE & LENGTH of disaster we would face. I think all of us who have animals/livestock have given thought to short term problems, evacuations and such. Newbies, not so much... they just haven't had to think about it yet. Next would be time of year and where you live, major problems in some areas. Lastly, time of warning, if it was a disaster like that.

If every store closed...what do you do?

I'm with most of you....the chickens would broaden their forage area, not as many eggs? Maybe, maybe not. Mine free range all day now, could do without day end feed. Winter has less bug, etc., but still enough when they dig. If I had snow on the ground for 6 months, different story.

My dog & 2 cats -- I generally have several cans of their food & dry foods. BUT they will eat human food -- eggs, meat, dairy & veg. My dog is a 10# min pin.

Goats...if in milk, there's more for all of the above. Still make cheese. The goats can go into about 125 acres of wooded bliss behind me...another couple hundred to my North. They will follow me like the Pied Piper. So I could take them out like a shepherd. After all, if I can't go to a feed store that means I'm not going anywhere.

My old minis would be a little bit of an issue as a couple are old enough (33 & 35) to have jaw teeth gone & do well on their sr feed. BUT...will eat some softer foods and I could make that happen and that's only a couple of them. I have plenty of pasture that hold other 16 of them & goats for 8-9 mos a year, plus several power right of ways if hay were short supply & time when pastures were down - winter. They are hot wire trained.

Life FEM says, much depends on the time of year. Winter is harder for some areas, yet most of us with animals try to stock our hay for the winter in quantity. My farm is in a crop farming area, back to time of year, could be huge assist if I needed to buy some, or graze winter wheat. In desert area -- heat & water, plus very limited natural forage.

Obviously, I could take a deer (there's plenty here every night) but, it would last years for my cats & dogs. Lot of wild turkey around. There are streams, rivers & lakes for fish. Walk or bike there. I don't do fish but chickens, dog, cats do.

 

[CrealCritter]

I found this under my wife's windshield wiper one morning about 3 years ago. Is this what you call a honest thief? Is that a oxymoron?

 

[Britesea]

Erm, until the 20th century, there was no such thing as "dog food" Dogs ate whatever their humans had as leftovers, plus they hunted for vermin and such. Not saying they would do as well as our pampered pets these days, but our dogs would likely starve or thrive right along with us.
As for our chickens, I specifically chose a breed known for being excellent foragers. If we had no extra grain to give them, they would survive, but maybe not lay as many eggs as they do now.

 

[baymule]

We have 8 acres, but little grass. We've been working hard to get grass established, but on pure sand, it has been a challenge. Our land is mostly wooded. For the sheep, I could cut limbs down for them to browse. Horses would be SOL. Not enough grass for them, not even enough grass for the sheep. Chickens could rustle for themselves, but I wouldn't expect winter eggs. Dogs would be hard to feed. We keep a metal trash can of feed for them, but in a SHTF situation, we couldn't go to the store and buy them feed. I can offal for the dogs, but I don't have a year's supply, not even a month's worth.

We are not so self sufficient as we think. As long as we can hit the feed store, we're good. But cut off the animal feed and we are screwed.

In time, I could grow enough corn to feed animals. But that would take a LOT of corn and I probably don't have enough acreage for the amount of corn I would need.

In a truly SHTF situation, it would be risky to tie animals out along the road side to graze. Someone would steal them, if horses, to ride, if sheep or goats, to eat.

In SHTF, you better have a good community around you. Possibly you could graze animals on neighbor's land or yard. I'm sure they wouldn't be out there mowing it anyway. LOL

If it were truly that bad, I would continue to breed my sheep for the lambs. I would share with neighbors, for the grazing. Possibly once a month we could have a slaughter day and everyone would get meat. When I was considering livestock, I knew I wanted small livestock and I wanted sheep because they are hardy, easy to raise and can grow off on grass.

If I had more acreage, I would keep breeding pigs. Again, it would be a small breed, most likely AGH. Pigs are easy to raise and give a lot of meat for the feed they consume. Feeder pigs, which is what I do, are hardly sustainable. Once I'd slaughter them, then what would I do for pigs after that?

This is a good topic @sumi

 

[CrealCritter]

Here my requirements were

1. Not in an HOA
2. Not in Lahar flow
3. Over 5 acres so I could have the animals I wanted.

Yes we have wetlands, but plenty of acreage for the area. Those wetlands keep developers and housing density out. They also attract tins of wildlife. We're zoned Rural Sensitive Resource 10.

I could not would not ever be subject to a home owners association. Don't need a bunch of rule to tell me what I can or can't do and some one up my butt enforcing what they think is right.

Ture story... Last month late in the evening, I took my wife's Rottweiler named "baby bear" out to got to the bathroom. My nearest neighbor (within shouting distance if he is listening real hard) is a office in the army and is in Afghanistan until Sept of this year. I heard metal cling in his barn (sound travels far in the country).

We'll I quickly went back in the house, grabbed my shot gun and called my next closest neighbor about 1/2 mile away. We both drove up on to my neighbors property, guns loaded and truck lights shinning on the barn. We got out and went into the barn. We could see where some was in there based on the shoe prints in the dust on the dirt floor of the barn.

I then called 911 and I kid you not it was 1 hour and 15 mins before the sheriff showed up. My neighbor made a comment good thing nobody was being beaten out here. The sheriff said yeah but we know you guys take care of business out here.

So when I say that I live beyond bum F___ Egypt I really ain't kidding and the sheriff is right, we as neighbors do take care of business around here. We are so remote we have no other choice but honestly I like it that way.

BTW nothing was stolen or missing from my neighbors barn. We suspect it was some kid hiking the shawnee national forest being adventurous is all. And we scared him off when we pulled up all of sudden like that.

 

[NH Homesteader]

Good question! Goats eat trees, I live in the woods lol. Not worried about them. Chickens - would probably be dog food. Turkeys can survive like the wild ones do... And we would hunt for the dogs if we ran out of dog food. We don't have a mouse-proof way to stockpile feed or we would!