Homesteading: A Path to Self-Sufficiency and Sustainable Living – Raising Chickens
We need to look at the lost art of homesteading known as self-sufficiency. Homesteading become a popular form of survival prepping. More people are buying land tracts to live self-sufficient lives, striving to disconnect from the grid and work to ensure their long-term emergency preparedness.
Read this: WikiHow – How to Take Care of Chickens
Homesteading is known as subsistence agriculture involving food production mainly for the family. For example, a family grows grain and uses that grain to make enough bread for themselves, but not to sell. Preserving what they have grown as crops. Some may make crafts and clothing to sell.
Read this: 4 Reasons NOT To Get Chickens
Homesteading is done differently around the world and was different in different historical eras. It was known as a permanent communal settlement. The use of the term in the United States dates back to the Homestead Act (1862) and before. The Act was a federal law granting 160 acres of public land to virtually anyone willing to work the land and build a residence within 5 years.
By Kwameghana – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0
Diversifying Food Sources: The Key to Unlocking Long-Term Sustainability
Part 1. Raising Chickens for Protein Sources on a Homestead
Introduction: Chickens as a Beginner Homesteader’s Choice
They give two protein sources – meat and eggs! Chickens are often considered one of the easiest animals to raise for beginner homesteaders. I don’t currently raise chickens, but my next-door neighbor does. They built a big coop using a carport frame for the base and filled it in with wood planking. This protects them from critters at night. They get let out during the day for free-range.
I get my chicken meat and sometimes eggs, from my health-food co-op. I have a big dog that likes to chase and eat chickens, so it is not a great choice for us to raise chickens, at least not free-range.
Here we will discuss the benefits of raising chickens, considerations for coop size, the nutritional value of eggs and chicken meat, and the potential for breeding and long-term sustainability.
Related – About Teri and Her Old Homestead
1.1 Appropriate Coop Size and Considerations
When raising chickens, providing them with an appropriate-sized coop is essential. Coops have a capacity limit, and exceeding this limit can cause stress to the chickens. Ensure the coop is spacious enough to comfortably accommodate the number of chickens you intend to raise. Pre-made coops are readily available for purchase, or you can build one if you have the necessary knowledge and tools.
1.2 Nutritional Value of Fresh Eggs
Chickens can provide a daily supply of fresh eggs, which are highly nutritious and a great source of protein. Get out of the house and go collect some eggs from the coop! Make this a part of your daily routine. Get the kids involved. Fresh eggs from backyard chickens are generally considered more nutritious than store-bought ones. Use them for all kinds of various culinary dishes – breakfast dishes, baking, making casseroles, quiche (yum!) Eggs provide you with a versatile protein source. The variety of egg preparation methods can be very beneficial in a survival situation.
1.3 Nutritional Value of Chicken Meat
In addition to eggs, chicken is high in protein, is very nutritious, and provides essential nutrients. You need proper knowledge of dressing and butchering chickens to prepare them for eating.
1.4 Importance of Feed Analysis and Proper Storage for Maintaining Feed Quality
Feed analysis surveys have revealed the existence of feed quality problems, such as variations in calcium and phosphorus levels and the inactivation of essential nutrients like phosphorus, calcium, and vitamin D. These issues often arise due to long-term storage in hot and humid conditions, which can lead to chemical changes and degradation of feed quality. To ensure optimal nutrition for your chickens, it is crucial to implement feed analysis practices and adopt proper storage methods.
Animal feed can be susceptible to microbial contamination, especially cereal grains, forages, and vegetable matter. Proper feed storage is essential in minimizing microbial contamination and preserving feed quality.
With the ability to raise and process chickens on your homestead, you can have a consistent supply of meat for your dietary needs.
1.5 Breeding for Long-Term Sustainability
To breed your female chickens, get them a rooster! This can contribute to a long-lasting food source. While keeping the rooster separate to control breeding is important, intentional breeding can ensure a continuous supply of chickens. Chickens typically have a limited laying period, usually a few years, after which their egg production declines. By breeding new chickens, you can maintain a sustainable source of eggs and potentially meat.
For many details on raising, moving, butchering, and tips on chicken issues, see ChickenMethod.com for funny and insightful articles on how he does chickens.
I hope you enjoyed this article. Thank you for reading. Let me know in the comments if you have any questions, and I will be more than happy to help you.
Next: Rabbits! So Cute. Do I Have to Eat Them?
Read – 7 Reasons Why Raising Rabbits is Great for Survival Preppers
I’m the daughter of 2 original survivalists who moved from the north to sunny Florida. My mother, along with her parents, bought 30 mostly uncleared acres in 1938. The first home was made of pecky-cypress and built by a house-raising. My mother raised 10,000 chickens.
My divorced mother met and married my father in 1948. From pine trees on our property, he hand-built a log cabin. He also built a tarpaper-lined 65’x45′ pool with duck pond overflow. We had an artesian well for our water and powering our hand-built waterwheel for the pool. He built a substantial cantilevered roof workshop with a car pit in the massive cement floor.
Since my early teens, I have read a ton of books about survival, prepping, the bomb, an apocalypse, homestead living, and SHTF situations. As an adult, I continue to read sci-fi, survival prepping, and science. I practice a prepper lifestyle albeit a bit modified, read a lot, buy a lot, pack/store a lot of anything survival related.
Read my About Me post for more details on our self-sufficient living. I lived there until I went to college in 1968.
My SurvivalPrepperSupply.com blog strives to educate individuals on coping with natural and human-caused disasters using article posts about preparing for emergencies.
