Member Susquehanna-Homestead
MemberForum Replies Created
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The benefit of an elevated coop is decreased rat habitat and entryways into the coop, but being able to comfortably walk into your coop is probably more important. Remember, you’re going to be going in and out of the coop everyday, and if it’s a hassle to do so your coop might not be kept as clean and maintained as it should be.
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Pinball Preparedness posted a chart he uses that shows when to fertilize plants with organic fertilizers. It can be found on his forum.
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What I’m trying to figure out is if I should plant these thorny bushes along the road in front of my house, since the house is within 90 ft of the road. The land across the road is relatively open, and beyond that about 800 ft is an interstate, where I suspect most marauders would come in from. My property is obviously not located in the best place for defense, but it’s what I’m working with for the time being. Thanks for your ideas!
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You can use mulch. You can try using polymer moisture crystals such as SoilMoist or Watersorb, which I have not used myself but have heard good things about.
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It would be a good idea to situate your gardens and orchard as close to your house as possible. You may want to invest in a side by side or tractor so you don’t have to carry things around. Also, situate your animal pens so you can do your chores while walking in a circle, to decrease the distance you have to walk. I try to show this in the picture. Just an example. Excuse the bad scribbling. The dotted line represents the path you take each morning to do chores.
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Prepping came as a natural extension of homesteading. However, I really stepped up my game when Covid started.
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Even the weather channels are admitting it now!
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1. Cover windows With curtains in summer to keep the sun out
2. Let sun in in winter
3. Unplug things that you are not using
4. Put towels at the base of drafty doors
5. Keep your thermostat turned to lower temp.
6. Use a washcloth with dish soap and water instead of Clorox wipes
7. Buy a water filter instead of drinking bottled water
8. Turn brown bananas into banana bread
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I would recommend Black Australorps, Barred Plymouth Rocks, Buff Orpingtons, and Easter Eggers. All of these breeds should be easy to find and are great egg layers that also gain enough weight to make a good eating bird. Over the past few years I have raised Dominques because I liked that they have good survival traits: foraging and protective roosters. However, I don’t free range them due to predators so I have decided to go back to the breeds I mentioned previously. It now makes sense for me to raise the more productive breeds because it costs about the same to feed them as the less productive breeds like Dominques. But Dominques might be a great fit for others. Everyone’s situation is different.
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The rooster being with your hens will not affect the quality of the eggs you eat. I would keep him with your hens unless he is aggressive towards you- then I’d butcher him.
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I cannot plant on the other side of the road but thank you for the ideas!
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Yes, I don’t understand why people like to set up complicated hydroponic systems and think that those systems will help them in a survival situation.
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They will do fine with 4 square feet for each chicken in the coop and 10 square feet per chicken in the run. Of course, the more room you give them the better.
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Dogs can be the worst enemy of chickens if they are not trained to not harm your chickens. Your chicken pen should to be built so that dogs cannot get in, or you might have to find a way to contain or remove the dogs.
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You can keep your up front costs fairly low if you build your own chicken coop and keep it simple. The coop will probably be your biggest investment. For me, I can buy regular layer feed from a local mill for $14, but I opt to buy soy-free layer for $23 a bag. My 10 hens go through a 50 Lb bag each month.