Chickens
The title "Chickens" may seem kind of strange for a survival blog, however, that is what I am going to be talking about this time. I believe that anyone that has the location and the opportunity should raise chickens. This is an idea that came to me within the last couple of weeks. I have raised chickens in the past and found that it is not difficult.
How to go about it is what I have been working on for my own flock. Also I have been working on how many and what type. Anyone can raise chickens if they have some room and the area where you live does not have an ordinance against it. Even many smaller cities and especially towns and villages allow a few chickens in the backyard. For those of us that live in the country, we have a lot less to worry about.
Here is what I have come up with and what I am going to do. There is just my wife and myself to feed so I feel that six laying hens will be about right. That should give us between two and three dozen eggs per week in the summer (too many) and about a dozen to eighteen eggs per week in the winter. I am going to find a small animal auction or a poultry show at which to purchase my chickens. I intend to purchase full grown hens of about a year to two years old. This is when hens are at their peak for laying. I intend to buy a larger breed of hens in the range of Rhode Island Reds or Brahmas. I will get to why I am purchasing the heavier breeds in a moment. I also intend to purchase a rooster and either one or two Bantam hens.
The reason for the rooster is to make sure that the eggs are fertile. The reason for the Bantam hens is that most hens will not set on a nest and hatch eggs out and Bantams will. During the summer when there is a surplus of eggs, I intend to have the Bantam(s) sitting on eggs and hatch perhaps as many as fifteen or even twenty-five chicks. Each year I will replace the three oldest hens in the flock with three young hens which I have raised. The hens that I replace will be butchered and used for soup. The rest of the young chickens will be raised to the appropriate size; some for fryers and some for roasting. Being able to have a good roasting chicken is the reason I am going to the heavy breeds. Also, many of the heavy breeds lay brown eggs and we prefer brown eggs.
I intend to build a small chicken coop and have a fenced yard for them to get their exercise in. I intend to keep a supply of lawn clippings in the yard for them to scratch in and also to put all table scraps into the yard. Mixed with the manure that they lay down, this will make excellent compost for the garden each time it gets too deep and I have to clean it out.
There you have it; all of your fresh eggs, three soup chickens and possible fifteen fryers and five roasters. The fryer and roaster mix depends on your preferences. I will probably have to purchase some laying mash, but between the lawn clippings, garden waste and table scraps, that should be about all they will need. I believe this is an excellent way for a survivalist to have some of their own meat. If things get really rough, you would not even need the laying mash. All that would do is to cut down slightly on the egg production. Probably the best animal that a survivalist can raise for food.
Until next time check out my other blogs:
posted by Knifeman | 8:24 PM
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