My SHTF Prep Plan
Posted by Viking_Farmer_1212@reddit | preppers | View on Reddit | 19 comments
I was wondering how this plan looks in case of a SHTF scenario. I don't own a home yet, but I'm planning to build one in central Wyoming that'll have to be off-grid (wind/solar) because of where it's situated.
Chickens - Orpingtons, 18 hens and 3 roosters. 6 hens per rooster. Used for eggs.
Goats - Nubians, 4 does and 2 bucks. Used for milk.
Rabbits - New Zealand, 4 does and 2 bucks. Used for meat, pelts, and leather.
Honey Bees - 3 hives, two in the middle of my vegetable garden, one smaller one in a greenhouse filled with fruit trees (9). There will be lemon (2), orange (2), cacao, cinnamon, cardamom, clove, and nutmeg trees, but the property will be Zone 5. My goal is to have the greenhouse meet Zone 11 requirements. If the non-citrus trees don't grow, they'll just be decorative, I guess. I know some of these trees are hard to grow.
Questions:
- Are there better breeds for me to use?
- Is there a different rabbit breed I should use for meat and coat color?
- Will these numbers be genetically diverse enough to last me 10 years or longer?
- If not, what numbers would be better?
- How long should I let the chickens lay before replacing and eating them?
- Is there anything I should do specifically about the bees? I know you can stack boxes, but how many should I have in the garden, how many for the tropical greenhouse?
- I've been thinking about breeding Australian shepherds. Is that a good idea? How should I go about it? I have experience with the breed as I own one. Is there a different breed I should choose?
- Are barn cats a good idea? How many to keep a healthy population?
- Any other notes?
I found homemade feed recipes that others have used that I could grow on my property: hard white/red wheat, oats, corn, sunflowers (seeds), field peas, flax, and barley. The only things I'll have to buy are oyster shells and grit. I was thinking peanuts for the roosters, too. I plan to have alfalfa sprouts for the rabbits. I'm thinking of housing the rabbits and chickens together, separating the males and females to avoid unwanted breeding.
Thanks!
phoenixtx@reddit
I would suggest you look a bit more into the logistics of growing lemons, oranges, clove, nutmeg, cinnamon, cardamom, and cacao. Even though it'll be in a greenhouse - how are you going to heat it in the dead of Wyoming winter? It's not easy to keep it 70 degrees or higher when it's below zero and you're off-grid...
And are you willing to keep trees around just as a decoration, like you said? That's a waste of resources - water, soil, compost.
Don't house rabbits and chickens together. High risk of rabbits getting cocci from the chickens. Chickens will eat baby rabbits. Chicken feed is awful for rabbits and vice versa.
Rex would be better than NZ, temperament-wise and fur-wise. They do grow slightly slower, though. If you're looking for a constant supply of meat, colony-run with a buck. For happier rabbits, colony raise rather than cages if you can. Does can be kept with other does, bucks not so much with other bucks.
Don't breed Aussies. At most, have one or two and a few LGD. Don't breed dogs unless you have years of experience with the breed and are willing to health test. You do no one any favors (yourself included) by breeding crap dogs.
No-Garden8616@reddit
Realistically, in Zone 5 climate, you cannot free-ranch all these animals year arounf. Need significant shelteling for winter and a multi-month stock of fodder. Bees are also risking starvation in your situation, especially for the first 10 year as your trees are young, so syrop should be stocked too. So in SHTF scenarios you are likely limited by fodder stocks.
Viking_Farmer_1212@reddit (OP)
I'm planning to plant a few hundred (eventually) serviceberry trees, and I want to try growing a small flower farm in my yard, so the bees will have an alright amount of things to forage for just on the property.
No-Garden8616@reddit
Understood. Take care.
OnTheEdgeOfFreedom@reddit
This sounds like a good start, but what's your source of water? I'd worry about Wyoming drying up completely. It's already tough in some places there.
Homesteading needs a lot of pure water. Make sure that well or whatever isn't going to be a problem.
Viking_Farmer_1212@reddit (OP)
I'd be using well water because it's out in the boonies. Someone mentioned problems with mineral deposits, so I need to research that a bit more. I was also thinking to do a water recycling system with my garden and collect rainwater. Not sure if Wyoming has restrictions on that. I'm doing land planning for now before I move on to water and energy.
shryke12@reddit
Orpingtons are great. I would get an incubator if you are hatching. They will get broody at the most annoyingly inopportune time possible if you naturally let them hatch. I process my hens for the freezer at two years, my superstars make it to three. I hatch a lot every spring at once.
You say the chickens for eggs and Nubians for milk but you will get substantial meat off those also.
You will need a lot of good land for lactating mothers if you are not doing off farm feed. You're not doing this on 5-10 acres without buying off farm feed/hay. Also Nubians are not great cold weather goats. Mine get crazy cold in Missouri and you are north of me. Good shelter is a must.
Lol at your zone 11 greenhouse and garden and everything else. My wife and I homestead and do 85% of this. Are you trying to do all of this yourself? Hopefully you have help. Do you have experience in this? I don't think most people realize how much work all this is.
Viking_Farmer_1212@reddit (OP)
That's why I'm prepared to let the trees be decorative😂 Because the greenhouse will be so hard, it's a last priority. And I'm planning more like 40 acres, so I can let the goats graze and give them feed, too.
MrHmuriy@reddit
In your state, to cover my monthly electricity demand (450-550 kWh), even in winter, as my meter shows, 5 kW of solar panels and a 20 kWh battery would be enough.
Perhaps to cut costs it would be reasonable to directly import battery and hybrid PV-T panels from China, which simultaneously generate electricity (500-540W) and produce hot water (\~800W thermal) - they cost about $ 200 per panel, and a 20 kWh battery with a built-in hybrid inverter - yet another $ 2,500.
From this number of chickens of this breed, you can expect 200-220 dozen eggs per year. Whether this will be enough for you or not, I do not know.
Chickens can usually be kept for up to two years before you eat them, but the longer you keep them, the tougher their meat becomes (though even the oldest chickens are great for broths and soups)
If you plan to use goats for both milk and meat, Nubian is a great choice, but if you only want them for milk, you might want to look at Saanen.
I can't say much about rabbits - I tried raising them once, they all got sick and died, and I haven't bred them since.
Aside from that, you should consider whether the energy you put in is worth the results. What would be more efficient - doing your own work and buying what you need with the money you earn, or raising everything yourself? For example, if I buy a 4.5lb chicken and a dozen eggs in my country every day, that would cost me about $180 a month. If I need 400 kilograms of potatoes for two people for a year, it will cost me $140. Thats how I decided for myself that it is easier for me to do my own things and buy most of the necessary food in groceries or from neighbors than to spend a significant part of my health and energy growing food myself in anticipation of SHTF.
SunLillyFairy@reddit
I like your style... the different between dreams and goals are planning achievable steps and taking them.
I would take these questions and steps one at a time. And although this sub is great for prepping, when you start talking about specific breeds and areas you're likely going to find more knowledge in the self sufficiency and farming subs.
Viking_Farmer_1212@reddit (OP)
Dang, I'll try over there, too. Thanks!
NateLPonYT@reddit
Umm, I’d double check that hen to rooster ratio. I’d err on the side of caution with that, otherwise you’ll wind up with your hens dying due to the roosters needs
AdditionalAd9794@reddit
My grandma used to own goats, she would have shy of 20, maybe 25-30 when they had kids.
One thing I noticed that I found slightly odd. She never bred her bucks with her does. Her bucks were for breeding with the neighbors, friends, other people in the "goat club".
I guess so as to avoid inbreeding. I also remember she had 2 bucks, one was huge compared to the other goofy looking had coarse furs, tongue always hanging out. But for whatever reason everyone wanted their goats to breed with it.
There are probably other local organizations for chickens, and rabbits where you can find breeding partners. And connect with other goat, chicken rabbit owners. If so, disregard genetic diversity acquire friends.
My grandma would make cheese, sell/trade breeding rights to her ogre looking buck, sell/trade/auction kids. And I assume made a decent income, who knows maybe she just broke even.
I'm not anywhere near zone 5, from my understanding you can grow citrus in zone 5, but they suck, they are bitter, sour, low yields. Not worth it in my opinion, but if you have the space why not.
Less_Subtle_Approach@reddit
Going from renting to running a sustainable homestead is an enormous undertaking. Whatever plan you lay out now is going to change radically as you learn and practice. Don’t get too wedded to a particular design.
Start with rabbits or chickens for stock. Plan on more hens or fewer roosters for orpingtons. Cull hens in their 2nd or 3rd year. Barn cats are great for pest management but you need food for them, they can’t subsist just by hunting. It’s never going to make sense to host a colony.
unknownaccount1814@reddit
Rabbits aren't that great of a food source long term. Read up on "rabbit starvation".
Central Wyoming is some tough country, there are a lot of places you can't grow gardens due to temperature fluctuations, poor soil, and lack of water. Also a lot of the ground water can't be drunk because of mineral deposits.
A decent rule of thumb with chickens for cold hardiness is the size of their combs. The bigger the comb, the greater the issues with cold. It's not a perfect measure though. Orpingtons are supposed to be cold hardy. 2-3 years is average for an egg layer.
My wife raised goats before we got married, and we plan to have some when we buy a homestead. She suggested Toggenborgs ( try the milk, it's very goaty) as they are adaptable and cold hardy. Other breeds she suggested are Alpine, Guernsey, and Oberhalsi ( also very goaty tasting milk), and Saanen. Goats are susceptible to worms, so rotation grazing if you can is a benefit.
You will probably need to heat the green house and you will need a system rigged to keep it humid enough for the citrus trees.
I would suggest getting on the Wyoming sub to ask these questions as well.
PissOnUserNames@reddit
Have you considered ducks instead of chicken? Im a big fan of ducks. Not sure of the water situation in Wyoming thats the limiting factor for ducks as they need more than chickens and alot more to make them really happy and giving them a swimming area.
Duck eggs are slightly larger and contains gram for gram about 150% the nutrients of a chicken egg, so a single duck egg is roughly the same nutritional value as 2 chicken eggs. Ducks slow down egg production for winter but not as much as chickens slow. Ducks lay about the same amount as chickens and some breeds more than chickens. My mallard ducks give a egg every other day but my "egg layer 3000" is money back guaranteed 300 eggs per year. They are more cold hardy than chickens. They naturally have a higher immune system due to naturally living in swampy conditions so have about 20% the mortality rate of chickens. (Anyone that has raised chickens will tell you its not uncommon to just find one dead one day usually respiratory distress). Ducks are better at natural foraging, so feed cost can be lower than chickens.
Angrywhiteman____@reddit
Ducks or even some of the larger breeds of chickens. Jersey Giants are fantastic as they are not scared easily by dogs and can defend against a bird of prey. They were bred to compete with turkeys and lay extra large eggs + winter hardy.
Virtual-Feature-9747@reddit
I think you need a homesteading, farming or animal husbandry sub for these questions.
LookingForOwls_@reddit
Yeah each one of these is its own discipline. Raising chickens, beekeeping, training an Aussie shepherd…. Good on you for this plan but there won’t be a one-stop shop for answers.