by Bulldog, Survival Blog:
I have lived a prepping/survivalist lifestyle for a lifetime. I was born and raised in the Midwest to parents, who even by mid-20th century standards grew a huge garden every summer. A garden large enough to feed 6-8 large families, either selling or giving the excess to others. They canned and otherwise preserved more produce than anyone I knew at that time. In addition, we milked about 150 head of Holsteins. We were the largest dairy farm in about seven counties. Of course, all of the milk used in the household came out of the bulk milk tank. Prepping was a family affair and my paternal grandmother always willing to do her part would take my brother and I on outings in the woods at least a couple of times a year to harvest mushrooms and pick herbs. We were typically able to return from such forays each with a brown paper grocery bag full of these delicacies. Upon return, my mother and grandmother would meticulously clean, sort and cut up these mushroom and wild greens treasures in preparation for canning. For my brother and I we knew the trip would result in a large platter of fried mushrooms along with the wild greens added to the evening meal.
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We typically had one of our steers butchered annually. If for instance, on rare occasions a cow or yearling became injured and was not savable we would butcher a second time. In instances like these, however, we did the butchering rather than take it to someone else to process. In like manner fall deer season meant further opportunities to test one’s butchering skills. As a youth, when pelts were still worth something, raccoon season meant further opportunities to practice one’s skinning skills.
Due to the size of the farm, and the fact that we double-cropped many of the fields, equipment repairs were often needed. As a result, I learned to weld before I completed the 8th grade. By my junior year I was demonstrating to the ag instructor how to weld things that he said were impossible to weld. My brother and I learned early to work with our hands. To build barns and sheds, to build fences, and repair equipment. We likewise learned responsibility early. The hours on a farm such as this were often quite long, sometimes hard, but I always have fond memories of them.
Then came adulthood. Military service, college, nursing boards …and working while doing so. For the next 32 years, I worked as a registered nurse in very diverse settings. Along the way, I would pick up additional medical schooling, obtain first my technician and then my general amateur radio operator license. During the last few years in my nursing career I would also attend law enforcement academy working first as a reserve officer for our local police department and that of an adjoining county. This was followed for a short time as a full-time officer before returning to the medical field. I say all this to make a point. As I reflect back, it seemed everything in life has prepared me for the events unfolding today.
Today, my wife and I live on a small farm and only a few miles from where I grew up. We keep two or three Jerseys, for fresh milk and cream. I only hand-milk them. I strongly feel that machine milking only increases the instances of mastitis. Besides, if there were no electricity tomorrow they would have to be hand milked. With their milk, my wife makes her own butter and flavored butters. She makes us cheeses and sour cream, some of which we give to others. We also have milk goats which subsidizes our milk supply during lean times and supplies milk to feed any calves. We have found that feeding calves goat milk we have zero losses. Especially with recent difficulty obtaining antibiotics, this can be very important. The occasional bull calf provides extra beef and in similar manner young male goats — wethers (castrated males) — adds to our meat supply here. The latter will provide meat for sausage and the like. Our chickens supply us both eggs and meat. We keep to distinct breeds here in separate chicken tractors; both the old Delaware breed and Buckeye. The Delawares were one of the early broiler breeds used before the Cornish cross came into favor. By simply switching the roosters in the spring we have a cross, although not as heavy as the Cornish they do not exhibit the problems associated with overfeeding of the Cornish cross. In addition, they are fantastic grazers. We keep 4 or 5 Colombian Wyandotte hens housed with the Delawares to use just as sitting hens. They are used to supplement hatching chicks raised in the incubators. Each day we alternate letting each group of chickens out to graze.
In addition to the above livestock we always keep Khaki Campbell ducks, although we have a few other breeds that have been given to us by neighbors. We have found the ducks seem to forage even better than our chickens. They seem to get by with minimal supplemental feed. Their eggs are used in my wife’s baking. My wife is progressively shifting to making all of our bread needs here rather than being purchased.
Many prospective preppers would look at our various livestock and say, I can’t do that. Many of those objecting would fall into one of two categories; 1) I just don’t have enough grazing land or 2) I don’t have the infrastructure built yet. In response, I would point out that we didn’t get here overnight. You will have setbacks. There is a learning curve! If you are just starting, or considering moving to the country, talk to long-time farmers in your area. Speak with your local University Extension specialists. Just as in our gardening, there is a learning curve. If your plan is to start…one of these days, it may not work out. One can simply not learn this on the fly. As to considering grazing land keep in might that cattle to an extent do not have the same grazing patterns as goats. To that end, I have found there is only a minimal increase in pasture needs to mix the two species in our grazing pastures. I always keep in mind that my grandparents mixed different livestock for similar reasons. The chickens and ducks followed the cattle and hogs finishing up undigested grains, particularly corn from the waste of the later.
