Is this even Practical??

[the funny farm6]

I would suggest rabbits and the cortex quail. If you keep several adult quail and hatch the chicks yourself, the chicks should be ready to eat at 7-8 weeks. And if you want you can sell the eggs and chicks or possably cleaned birds. And rabbits don't take much room either.

Also you said he doesent seem to like chickens- you might research the "chicken tracktors" and show him some pics of the ones you like. And just start with 3-4 hens- no loud roo. Then they might grow on him. And maybe a few fresh eggs here and there...

 

[ORChick]

My immediate response to reading the OP was "Why meat animals"? Yes, I know that meat is an important part of the diet for those that eat it (and I am one of those, I'll admit), but if you are just starting out in the SS life, and don't live at a place where animals are easily raised, why concentrate on that first? When I lived in an apartment I had a small garden on the balcony, and I learned about canning fruits and tomatoes that I bought from a farmer. Later, when I moved to a rental house, I put in a bigger garden, and canned my own stuff. I also practiced other frugal things to save money. When we bought our first house I could do more, but we still lived on a city lot.
What I'm trying to say is that if your situation doesn't allow raising meat animals then don't! You can make strides towards self sufficiency even without. Work on other aspects; they are all important, and all take practice. Let someone else - friend, local farmer, whoever supplies your local co-op - raise your meat, and you work on other things that won't upset your landlord and/or the zoning commission.
Just my opinion ... but then, I still don't have meat animals, just egg layers.

 

[Beekissed]

I agree. No use trying to reinvent the wheel...if you can't have animals, don't have them. There are other things you can grow that will even improve the property value....berries, fruit trees, herbs, vegetable gardens. Attractive and edible landscapes are all the rage right now in suburban areas.

Vermiculture is another thing that can become useful....you can even trade worms for eggs to those people who would like protein supplements for their chickens but do not want to grow worms. If you are zoned for it, rabbits are the most space saving, most prolific and biggest yield of meat for the space/time of a small urban place...you could trade rabbit meat for eggs, rabbit poo to local gardeners, pelts to local taxidermists, etc.

You could grow your own garden, put up the food, buy or barter with local farmers for meat, milk, etc.

 

[cheepo]

I am trying to live as self sufficiently as possible...however for us personally contributing to the circle of life is something my hubby is not willing to consider...
however check out whats available around you
I recently purchased a pig I found the connection via craigslist...
they have a chease business and get there milk from the goats and then feed the whey from the cheese to the pigs...
not only is it oh my gosh...good pork...
I Feel good that i am supporting family enterprise.
and not..comercailism...
so not completely self sufficiency but works 4 us..

 

[hqueen13]

I have to echo the suggestions to start with growing things rather than animals. You might want to check out the book Edible Landscapes. Your landlord can't say much about having beautiful gardens, so long as they're alright with you doing some landscaping. There is nothing better than a beautiful landscape that is also productive! The things that folks have done with standard suburban plots of land are amazing.

We are in a sort of similar position, except it isn't really worth it for us to explore too much at this point. We're patient, though, and doing all sorts of preparing and planning while we have the time.

Best of luck! Can't wait to hear about your journey!

 

[pinkfox]

i agree, that growing may be your best bet and bartering for meat ect...
but rabbits are easy and so are quail, (cortinux for meat) and both can be raised in a small amount of space (indoors or out) in none perminent structures, dont make much nose or much smell and their poop is great fertilizer (age the quail poop)
quail will give you more eggs per lb of feed than any chicken and is a yummy meat.
and rabbits...well if you can master the art...lots of delicious and incredibly healthy meat!

 

[lorihadams]

I agree...quail and rabbits are pretty easy to deal with and are easily moved if you move. Chickens and ducks are harder to move...goats too. You can't just have one goat they will scream their bloody heads off if lonely.

First find out what your landlord will accept and then you will know what to look for when checking out the city/county ordinances. Quail and rabbits can be raised in small moveable cages and will probably go unnoticed by neighbors cause they don't really make any noise to speak of. If you can take care of a cat/dog you can probably take care of a rabbit.

If your landlord won't let you put in a garden then do some research on container gardening if you are interested in growing some of your own food. Start with stuff that is pretty foolproof like cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, bush beans, lettuce, and spinach. They can easily be grown in containers and moved if you move.

If he won't go for that then I suggest you find out when and where your local farmer's markets are. See if there is anyone local that will sell you milk, either cow or goat, and learn how to make yogurt and cheeses. Start by learning how to preserve your own food, buy in bulk from local farmers and put up enough food to get you through a specific time frame...say, 4-6 months. Learn how to can or freeze or dry food for later use. See if there are local sources for meat that you could trade services/products for or offer to help with processing in exchange for meat or a discount. That way you learn a skill and get something out of it as well. Make friends with local farmers...it can only help in the long run.

Learn how to sew and do clothing repairs yourself instead of throwing things out. Make your own detergent/soap. Start researching different projects so that if you ever end up in a place of your own someday, you'll know what to look for based on what projects you want to do.

All of these things are steps towards being more self sufficient. It is a process and if you tackle too much at once then you may set yourself up for failure and give up completely. So, focus on one or two things right now that you can learn and move forward with it.

 

[BarefootMom]

There are no right and wrong ways of being self sufficient

Bartering your goods and services is a great way.

We trade eggs for milk sometimes.

You can grow many vegetables in containers, if you have other talents- such as sewing, soap making, candle making, etc many people will be more than willing to work with you. To me that is being self sufficient. I have canned for people that did stuff for me. You will be surprised in the amount of people that are willing to bypass the monetary way of things. I have made bread and cakes for a new apron, I have canned for more vegetables (did it on shares).

No one will ever totally be self sufficient - all you can do is keep moving forward. You ask if this was even Practical- yes practicality at its best is the key. But you can't be practical unless everyone in your household is on board. I found that out the hard way. It took a few "discussions", you tube videos, movies, and reading to get him convinced. But now I can gladly say all are on board - the kids just don't realize it.