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Two Letters Re: Livestock for Survival
Jim:
I would like to clarify a point in the article, "Livestock for Survival" by
Bobbi A. Regarding hens going "broody" - Probably not. There are very
few breeds in which the hens will sit on their eggs, and even among broody breeds
(such as Buff Orpingtons, which I raise) only a few hens will become broody.
The broodiness trait has been intentionally bred out of chickens because a
broody hen does not lay eggs. If you plan to raise your own chicks, have an
incubator and power source as a backup.
Also, a suggestion: I have made arrangements with others in my area who
also raise chickens. If I were to lose my rooster or all of my hens for some
reason,
my friends will re-supply me with chicks. I will do the same for them if the
need arises. Having a backup arrangement like that could be crucial. - Stephen
in Florida
JWR Replies: Here at the ranch, our no-tech solution has
been to buy a couple of Bantam hens, for use as
adoptive brooders in any year that we want to raise chicks
from eggs. Since they are raised mostly for "show" rather than egg
production (ha!), banties are notoriously broody.
James,
I don’t know any farmers (or any other group for that matter) who agree
completely on everything. They may agree on a point, but place different values
on the importance of that point. Bobbi knows what he is talking about and his
solutions fit him. I do think he didn’t cover one point well.
I am in the process of bugging out to a very isolated area. (No roads within
miles, etc.) I also suspect that the various municipalities, states etc will
be hard pressed to keep some services such as water going. Cleanliness is next
to godliness as far as disease is concerned, so I expect the filth produced by
lack of water and garbage collection to produce a huge vector for disease. In
a very isolated location, most human to human transferred disease will be unlikely
to be a problem.
Studies have shown that rabbits convert pound for pound of food into about the
same amount of protein as chickens per annum. Certainly no cook would consider
doing without eggs, and rabbits just don’t cut it there. On the other hand,
rabbits are not very prone to getting bird flu either. That is one disease that
my isolation will not help, with crows, etc. having unrestricted license to fly
where-ever they please. I haven’t yet totally decided to have no fowl,
but I am concerned enough to give it very serious consideration. Now chickens
are a much lower priority than rabbits in my book. In my location, getting land
cleared and a first year crop off is easier with hay than seed grains, and rabbits
eat hay. However, your mileage may vary. - Allen
