Fertilizer prices affect feed prices. Bird flu and culling is killing millions of chickens. Demand is high and supplies are dwindling. If you think your grocery bill is high now, just wait.
Agree on keeping hens. Six Isa Browns will produce more eggs than a family can eat. Double layer chicken wire dig in 2 ft down is a must, or critters will find a way in and make short work of the hens.
We can chicken for our dogs. Canned for 120 minutes makes the bones mush. It was cheaper than buying canned dog food and we add the chicken to their crunchies. But this last canning was probably the final time we'd find leg quarters for 88 cents/pound. So we might can it for ourselves. It works for most any recipe that would use a rotisserie chicken. We have directions on canning ground beef but never have done it. We have 10 cornish cross on order to pick up April 12th and half dozen turkeys. Those will be butchered and into the freezer. Also have 1 rooster and 6 layers (will add a couple next week) and 2 steer and 2 heifers. Will butcher the steer and split with a couple of neighbors and AI the heifers and see what we get next year. Would hate to have to butcher the heifers/cows but if necessary would do so.
ok well if we're talking extreme prepping, why not consider eating squirrels? There's lots of them in southern CA everywhere. Get a few Conibear 101 traps and you'll be rolling in squirrel meat. Supplement that with a 50 lb bag of beans and some seasonings and you'll have the meat/protein issue covered.
I'm taking you seriously JD, but reading these comments makes me want to add some humor. Clearly I'm going to be one of the first to starve! I already have a very uncomfortable relationship with meat and tbh killing my own food will never be an option for me. It's why I'm prepping with everything else. And my husband will never let me have chickens, and I'm not going to shoot someone for stealing one of them, and I'm not going to kill them! But our feline carnivores are another matter. I'm more concerned about food for them than I am for me bc we make it ourselves.
Chickens are doubleplus good (a term for the times), but be aware that they will likely attract predators; so if you have cats or small/medium size dogs, you may need to take precautions.
Agree on keeping hens. Six Isa Browns will produce more eggs than a family can eat. Double layer chicken wire dig in 2 ft down is a must, or critters will find a way in and make short work of the hens.
We can chicken for our dogs. Canned for 120 minutes makes the bones mush. It was cheaper than buying canned dog food and we add the chicken to their crunchies. But this last canning was probably the final time we'd find leg quarters for 88 cents/pound. So we might can it for ourselves. It works for most any recipe that would use a rotisserie chicken. We have directions on canning ground beef but never have done it. We have 10 cornish cross on order to pick up April 12th and half dozen turkeys. Those will be butchered and into the freezer. Also have 1 rooster and 6 layers (will add a couple next week) and 2 steer and 2 heifers. Will butcher the steer and split with a couple of neighbors and AI the heifers and see what we get next year. Would hate to have to butcher the heifers/cows but if necessary would do so.
ok well if we're talking extreme prepping, why not consider eating squirrels? There's lots of them in southern CA everywhere. Get a few Conibear 101 traps and you'll be rolling in squirrel meat. Supplement that with a 50 lb bag of beans and some seasonings and you'll have the meat/protein issue covered.
I'm taking you seriously JD, but reading these comments makes me want to add some humor. Clearly I'm going to be one of the first to starve! I already have a very uncomfortable relationship with meat and tbh killing my own food will never be an option for me. It's why I'm prepping with everything else. And my husband will never let me have chickens, and I'm not going to shoot someone for stealing one of them, and I'm not going to kill them! But our feline carnivores are another matter. I'm more concerned about food for them than I am for me bc we make it ourselves.
Chickens are doubleplus good (a term for the times), but be aware that they will likely attract predators; so if you have cats or small/medium size dogs, you may need to take precautions.