Let's talk about meat, dairy, eggs, hunting, and cooking on the homestead

[frustratedearthmother]

There's strength in numbers. I'm with the others who think it's all about the relationships you have with family/friends/neighbors. Those of us who are well prepared would very likely be a target.

I also live on a dead end road with hard working neighbors for the most part. We would help each other with anything we could. But do you trust them with your life? Most of my neighbors - yes! One person in particular - nope. I think he would be one of those who would try to take what he wants instead of work for what he gets. He's an ex-marine, well-armed, but definitely has character flaws. Like - he's the guy you don't leave alone with children. Documented and fact with the court record to prove it. Scary weird kind of guy. In a SHTF situation - if I saw him walking toward my house I'd have protection in my hand.

There's no doubt in my head that my dogs would be a force to be reckoned with. But, they could be taken out in a heartbeat by a bullet or even poison. Fences are a good deterrent - but could fall to the first person with bolt cutters. Electronic surveillance? Would it function without power or at least a large bank of batteries, I don't know.

I try to be aware of my surroundings, but I don't lose sleep worrying about these things. I'm more of a "if it happens I'll deal with it" person. Hope I never have to!

 

[Hinotori]

I've really thought about getting a few guineas. They do make a nice early alarm system. I've actually thought about a handful of geese for passive defence.

 

[baymule]

We have a good neighborhood. We have 8 acres that backs up to a high wire fenced ranch. There is woods on one side of us and 6 more places of 2 acres that back up to us on the other side. 5 are good neighbors, 1 is a jerk that nobody likes. There are other neighbors in the area that would make good allies. We have made it a point to meet and greet people, some are easy to get to know, others not so much. We have people of different talents, almost all are armed.

Our place is completely fenced, our house sits 200' off the road. We have 4 big dogs and one puppy that thinks she is big and bad. Someday she will be. But like @frustratedearthmother said, wire cutters and shoot the dogs would take care of that. There was a known thief in the neighborhood when we moved here. He skulked around at night stealing anything he could. He never came here. Even before we got it fenced, he didn't come here. We had a gate across the front, but no fence.

Security wise, we are 2 people. Even with close neighbors, we are too spread out to put up a formidable front. Haha maybe we need a yappy Chihuahua in the house to warn us of intruders.

 

[Mini Horses]

I have 15 acres, so pasture is available. BUT for those with 1-2 acres, goats are doable. They CAN be kept with good hay & some grains. A good milk doe can give you plenty of milk. Cheese, butter, yogurts, etc. can be made. Chickens, we all know -- small area & you have eggs/meat (turkey, duck). Rabbits, again small area with cage & production of meat is very good. 1-2 acres gives room for a house, small yard, goat yard, garden, animal shelter, etc. Of course, number of people to support is a factor as to what you need. I'm a loner.

I've always felt a garden, chickens & a goat would keep me self supplied with most basics in a small area. A pig can be raised in fairly close quarters -- there's meat & lard -- & can be done in 5-6 months for some breeds. Fruits can be raised...vine, cane, trees, bushes.

There is plenty of wildlife here but, I don't hunt. If SHTF happened, I sure could! Then there's the reproducing of animals you raise, for replacements &/or food source. Planning is important as to time of year/seasonal, when needed, etc.

The preservation of your foods is as much a concern as the "capture" of it. Depending on where you live, many factors will have to be considered. Growing seasons, heat/cold, snow, water, feed sources, personal financial situation. Canning might be one of the most used as it can extend from veggies to meats. There is also dehydration, which has been historically used for centuries. Some countries salt & dehydrate fish extensively. Canning & dehydrating can be done "off-grid"..... fire and solar. Small animals can be butchered "as needed" storing live until.

I'm sure there are more options. These are just my thoughts.

 

[Rammy]

I raise rabbits, chickens and have 2 cows Im raising for beef.
I have a large garden with green beans, tomatoes, cauliflower, cabbage, onions, squash, cucumbers, kale, and beets. In containers Im growing carrots, banana peppers, red peppers, and radishes.
Before all this crap happened, I decided to start being as self sufficient as possible, starting with growing a garden and canning as much as possible, getting away from buying stuff from the store. Saw too many reports about contaminated food.
Ive been stocking up on non-perishables too.
I think we will have to grow our own food if we are going to survive. Riots may get worse, especially if the food in stores becomes scarcer.
I also have the means to protect it if necessary.

 

[Britesea]

I have lived without AC before and acclimated to it. In this double wide, it would be pretty awful. I think I’d be under the porch with the dogs.

We have planted a bunch of sunflowers along the southern wall of the house to shade it from the hot sun in summer. I've been told doing this can reduce the inside temps by as much as 10 degrees which can make a serious difference in the comfort factor. I also want to put a window on the north side of the house (which currently only has a tiny clerestory window in one bedroom) because that is where our afternoon breeze comes from. The north side of the property is heavily shaded, which further cools the breeze before it hits the house, and gives us a cool breeze going through the entire house before it exits on the south side. Shade cloth awnings will be built along the western wall (living room and bedroom) to cut the heat from the afternoon sun. Overall, I think this will really help to make our house more comfortable even without the use of air conditioning or electric fans. Other than that, I guess we'll just have to suck it up, like our ancestors did. In the Mediterranean, and other warm climates, the siesta is a traditional way to deal with the heat. They get up at dawn and work until about noon; then knock off for about 4 hours- they nap, drink cool drinks in the shade, etc. This is also when they eat the largest meal. Then they go back to work until it's too dark to see- 9pm-ish, eat a light meal, and hit the sack around 10 or 11, when it's finally cooled down enough to fall asleep.

 

[BarredBuff]

So, I have been intending to weigh in on the security question, but I have not had the time to set down and really lay out my thoughts on it. First, I think, as we hear about efforts to defund the police, that this is as timely as ever. How do we really secure our homesteads?

Ideally, we would live in isolated and sparsely populated areas of the country. Personally, if I could still go to church and earn a wage and live on a homestead that is only accessible by float plane that would be awesome. However, that's not reality for me or many others.

First, I think you need to have a good idea on how to defend your home from the inside. I purposely have loaded guns stashed in hot zones throughout the house. I have a loaded shotgun behind my bedroom door, and my every day carry 9mm by the bed. I have a flashlight right by too for my usage and to potentially blind or distract an intruder. I also have a loaded gun stashed in the kitchen/living room area and in my bathroom. All are easily accessible for me and hidden in plain sight. In the garage, I have my gun safe accessible with a loaded handgun in it. If I had another handgun, I think I would be satisfied with the accessibility. I routinely (not every day) carry a loaded gun on me and I do have my permit to conceal one. I think that is a big help especially if you are ever stopped by law enforcement.

Second, the house is fairly secure. We have good sturdy doors, and windows that lock. We have no immediate neighbors, and the front of the house is accessible by the road, but there is nothing but cattle and cliffs across the road. The property has an old, overgrown fence that only has one easy to cross hole in it for two legged varmints. The bedrooms are accessible by the deck via windows if you ever needed to escape the house. You could do so easily. We have some watch animals. The German Shepherd is kenneled, but does a great job of barking and letting you know what is out there. He barks differently at varmints, humans, and coyotes. Ideally, he would be loosed and kept in with an underground electric fence. If our current situation persists, that might be something I do next year. I also have a free roaming gander that will literally throw down with anyone or anything that comes into this yard and he will let you know when company or UPS is here.

I think security also encompasses building secure facilities for your livestock to minimize pest problems. I routinely trap for raccoons and opossums too. You should also keep your food storage areas pest free and constantly make sure that it is being protected.

Some problems with our security here (or potential problems):

1. Visibility outside is terrible. This property has been heavily landscaped over the years, and it is terribly overgrown in places. It creates a lot of unusable space (I could triple gardening space, and build a hog house) and creates a lot of cover for humans and varmints. It's pretty and it is nice to have at times, but in a survival situation it would really hinder your efforts.

2. There are two homes on this property, and that makes a centralized security strategy hard to handle when you are the main person for that task.

 

[Lazy Gardener]

You've just disclosed how many guns you have, and where they are located. Security breach right there! This is a difficult subject to discuss, for the simple reason that disclosure increases vulnerability. I will say that we are armed, and have ready access. I feel that our home lacks security b/c of side lite windows at both sides of the front door, raised ranch, where any one could enter through basement, or front door with ease. Increased visibility to outsiders from all directions since we took down a lot of trees. Visibility can be an asset or a liability. Allows us to see what's going on around us, yet, sometimes it feels like we are living in a fish bowl.

 

[farmerjan]

Here are my candidates for freezee camp.

View attachment 14172

That jersey will make the best beef if you get him finished out right. A little sweeter than some meat, but they all will have better flavor than anything that is raised in a confinement type facility. And a little grain doesn't hurt them....

 

[8710]

If I was truly in need of self reliance, I'd keep laying hens that would see a massive diet shift. They'd go from feed to learning to rely 100% on free-range and garden scraps real quick. I've done the math and I simply wouldn't have the means to grow enough for them. I'd butcher all but a couple hens and a rooster come winter, and feed them to get through the winter, and hopefully restart with more chicks. If that didn't work, then I guess no more laying hens.

I'd try my hand at rabbits as well.

If rabbits and chickens fail, my only meat source would be from hunting. I already grow amaranth and corn for grain. It would be no problem for me to switch to beans for my protein source.

I have a pond on my property, but right now it is in bad shape. I'd love to get it fixed so I could have a self-sustaining fish population and a couple ducks. I had ducks growing up and we never fed them! They ate minnows and bugs and survived just fine on their own. They blessed us with plenty of huge eggs.