SHTF Animal Feed

How are we going to maintain our animals in a SHTF situation? Good question from Leigh over at 5 Acres & A Dream. She and her husband continually work to improve their land and self-sufficiency goals, so this in an interesting question. This article has quite a few links to previous articles that discuss some of our efforts at providing for our animals. A lot of what we do now is based on how things have developed since we moved to this homestead. Here is Leigh's question.

"Here's a preparedness question. I would really like to know how you are feeding and managing your goats. Feed self-sufficiency has been one of my goals for as long as we've had goats, but I keep being thwarted and frustrated at so many turns. We grow some of our own feed and hay, but not enough and I'm constantly feeling time pressured to achieve this goal. I have to say I've learned a lot from research and experimentation; and made huge changes in my feeding philosophy, but I'm not there yet. I'd love a blog post on how you're managing this."

We currently buy grain from the feed store for our goats and chickens. Along with that, they all have access to forage. Right now we keep the chickens penned up until about noon or early afternoon, then let them out to range. If we no longer have access to grain for them, we will let them out each morning to 'fend for themselves'. We also supplement with garden scraps, comfrey and amaranth leaves when available.

Our current Nubian goat herd consists of three does, eight wethers and two bucks. The males and females are separated into different pastures. Our ten acres is cross fenced into four pastures which is way more than enough for the number of animals we have. We rotate them between pastures during different times of the year for grazing preferences and to help control intestinal parasites. One of the main things we use for parasite control are copper boluses. We have acquired a large supply that will more than last our lifetimes in a SHTF situation, and hopefully will be adequate to help maintain the health of the animals. We also grow a number of plants that help deter worms. I don't pick and feed them daily like I used to, but they are out there if we need them. After we started using the copper boluses, the goats have been very healthy most of the time.

We have always had a plan for standing hay. It's warm enough in our location that there is usually something green growing most of the year for the goats to graze, and if not, there is still a lot of forage of the standing dried variety. If we are unable to buy the small amount of hay we use each year for bedding during the birthing season, that is another issue. We currently do not have a solution for that, it's something we would have to work out. We have plans, but not finalized plans because it is something we have never done.

We realize our milk and kid production would decrease substantially since the does would not be receiving a milking ration of grain. The same would be true for the chickens and their egg production. To hopefully offset some of that, we have some things growing that could be used to supplement the grazing. We have a small patch of Jerusalem artichokes and comfrey.

One crop that grows very well here is cowpeas. We would increase our planting and dry some of these in the greenhouse for winter supplement. There are parts of the country that grow them extensively for animal feed for their protein content. We also have Austrian winter pea seed that has remained viable for about a decade, that loves the cold weather. It doesn't make a 'pea' per se, but the foliage is edible for man and beast and is very nutritious.

The scraps from the garden and winter greenhouse are always saved and taken to the animals, usually the chickens. We were talking about how to save the corn stalks for silage the other day. We haven't tried it yet, but that might also be doable.

Another crop we are trying for the first time this year is amaranth. So far so good. It is growing very well, we will just have to wait and see how it produces. The plant can be dried and chopped for the goats. It's highly nutritious and I got the idea from Leigh after reading about it years ago on her blog.

I haven't concentrated on SHTF animal feed in quite a while, but it's a good reminder to do so. When we moved to this homestead 11 years ago there were many things to do to increase our self-sufficiency and prepare for the collapse. Now that many of them are in place I am much more peaceful about our preparedness level. The current challenge is our aging bodies and what we can still physically accomplish. We continually reevaluate what we need to downsize or alter to continue to accomplish our goals.

We have watched others try to grow non-mechanized grains and hay. This is something that has always been too labor intensive for our life styles. And now that we are older, this could never be a consideration for us. We have downsized our herd of goats to a more manageable level as we realize our limitations and how they will continue to affect our abilities in the future whether there is a collapse or not. We have to be realistic. Adding in the belief that the SHTF sooner rather than later, we add our aging bodies and waning physical abilities to the equation and adjust accordingly.

Thank you for the question, Leigh. It is a good review for us and helps to refocus on how we might be able to continue providing for our animals, which in turn will provide for us. Milk, meat, and eggs will go a long way toward sustaining us.

Let's hear from everyone. What other recommendations or experiences do folks have to share? Again, we are all in this together.

Until next time - Fern

New Herbs and Stuff

It appears that this will be the year I get the herb bed really established. I found a new company, Companion Plants, that I really like. They ship a good quality product with reasonable shipping. This means I have added many new plants to my herb bed. This is the beginning of the herb bed I have always dreamed of. I hope in the next few years it will mature and be self-sustaining. We have future plans to increase some of these plants in larger patches in other locations. Here is the tour with a brief description of each.

Comfrey. I had already obtained five new roots, but I added a couple more. Now I have eight established comfrey plants to harvest for animal feed supplement, as well as medicinal uses.

Marshmallow. Tender leaves can be used in spring salads. Roots, flowers, dried or fresh.

Wild yams. Fresh or dried root decoction.

 






Camphor wormwood. Insect repellent and animal wormer. It also doesn't get along with other plants very well, so it needs a corner of it's own.

Bergamot (monarda fistulosa) and Bee Balm (monarda didyma). Leaves and flowers, fresh, cooked or dried for tea. Attracts pollinators.

Anise hyssop. Seeds whole or crushed. Leaves for salad

 

 

Uva ursi. Leaves, berries for infusions.

Butterflyweed. Just because it's pretty. Attracts pollinators.

Angelica. Roots, stems or leaves, dried or fresh.

English lavender. Flowers and leaves for infusions or oils.

Mexican marigold. Leaves, fresh or dried, flowers for dye.

Wild ginger. Roots, dried or fresh.

Ground nuts (apios americana). Tuber, protein, starch, isoflavones

 









The old and new hops now have another permanent home. I had originally put them on the west side of the old shed. When Frank tore it down, I dug up the old plant and put it in a pot on the porch for a while. I ordered two more plants, and now all three are residing on the west side of this shed and doing well. They have been joined by a clematis that needed a new home as well.

Sweet, edible bamboo in it's new location. Some of it died while it was in a pot on the porch during the winter, but it's started sending up new shoots again. This should be a good spot for it to spread and grow.

Our new batch of sun chokes, or Jerusalem artichokes. They are doing very well.

Our old patch of sun chokes are also growing well this year. They need to lose a few weeds and pesky scrub growth, but that will have to wait for another day.

The meadowsweet we planted back in the winter is doing well beside the branch here. I've tried to locate a few companions for this plant, but haven't found any yet. I have some seeds as well, but haven't had the time to start any seedlings lately.

  

Roses. I had some in a pot on the porch for a while, and finally decided where to put them. In the meantime, I found a good sale and ordered more. So far, so good. If they're going to be very picky, they won't make it. Most plants have to be pretty hardy to make it around here. I like to call it loving neglect. I love to have them around, but they have to stand some neglect.

I grow all of these things for specific reasons. If you are interested in any of them, or curious why I grow them, do some research and see what they can be used for. I have spent many hours reading and researching. Some of these plants may never be used for my intended purpose, but they are here if I want them. Using herbs for anything except culinary purposes is frowned upon in many circles. If you choose to use them, research them thoroughly first. Make wise, informed decisions about your own health and the health of your family. Along the way I will share some of the things we are doing, like feeding comfrey to the chickens and goats. The rest is up to you.

There are many different things we can grow that are fairly self-sustaining, even if they are somewhat neglected. We try to find ways to tuck in some plants that will produce in spite of us. They may provide a source of food, nutrients and/or possible medicine if the time comes that they are needed. And besides all that, it makes for another spot of beauty that surrounds us. Learn about and work at whatever needs doing around your place. It is time that is never wasted.

 Until next time - Fern

The Tale of the Sunchokes

We have long wanted to have a patch of sunchokes or Jerusalem artichokes. We tried years ago at our first homestead. From everything we read they would grow just about anywhere and spread profusely. Not for us.

After we arrived here we wanted to get a patch started, after all, they are very nutritious for livestock and humans. We planted the first batch in the garden, yes, really, in the garden, just so we could get them started because we didn't have anywhere else to put them at first. They were very happy and grew quite well. (All of the pictures here are compliments of Google images.)

In the fall we dug them up to move them to their new home. Well, things happened and they stayed in the wagon until they all died. Yes, all of them. Well, except for the few that came up in  the garden the next year, but they were easy to recognize and pull up, so, no, they did not spread all over the garden.

The next year we planted a very large patch out in one of our smallest pastures where we were going to start an orchard and try to grow some other feed crops. Not long after they were planted it rained and it rained and it rained. They were standing in water for weeks. And then.....we had one of the hottest, driest summers in a long time. So the ones that didn't rot, cooked and died. All of the fruit trees we planted out there died as well.

Two summers ago we decided to try yet again. Since we had been through two years of very hot, dry weather the ground was difficult to work. We got the bright idea of using the auger on the tractor to dig some holes for the sun chokes. So we did, about 30 of them. After they were dug, we filled the holes back in with the dirt and planted our new patch. We were happy with the process, it wasn't near as back breaking as trying to dig all of those holes with a shovel. Then it rained and the dirt sunk down into the holes about six inches. That's when we figured out that we had planted them way too deep. They still came up and grew last summer, but they didn't get as tall as I expected and they never bloomed like the first batch did.

So, guess what? We're going to plant some more this year in a different place and try to get yet another patch growing. We have ordered them, and they should be here before long. We will show you the new patch as we plant them and the 'too deep' patch as they come up. We are still determined to have a patch or two of these perennial tubers as another source of food. Even if they just grow and spread for a number of years without being harvested or eaten, they will be another source of nutrition, another source of food storage, if you will.

This is a story of, if at first you don't succeed, try, try again, and again and again. There are many such stories in each and every life, yours, ours and everyone you know. The important thing is to keep trying. Period. Does that mean we don't 'give up' for short periods of time every now and then? No. But then we go back to that big bucket of gumption we have been storing up, grab a handful, put it in our pockets and get back at it. Life is a precious journey and the most important part of it is what you make of it. Make it worth the time you spend living it.


Until next time - Fern

Planting Meadowsweet and Bamboo

The weather was decent, 60 degrees with a little wind and beautiful sunshine, so I decided to get a few plants in the ground that had been lingering in pots for over a year. I know, that isn't the ideal place, but that is where they had to live for a while.

Meadowsweet, mine does not look like this now

I had bought some Meadowsweet a year or so ago and tried to plant it over by the chicken house. But the next day they discovered this small plant and decided it was tasty. So before it totally disappeared, I dug it up and put it in a pot until I had a better place for it. A few days ago, I was reading more about medicinal herbs and came across the benefits of Meadowsweet again. I had read this before, that is why I bought some to begin with, but it had been a while. Rereading this information gave me the motivation to go out and find it a permanent home. 

My meadowsweet looks like a pot of dirt.

I will probably order another plant to add to the mix and see if I can get a good, permanent planting established so that I can harvest and dry my own supply. In the meantime, I ordered some from Monterey Bay Spice Company. We will be adding this to a celery seed, chamomile tea combination that we have added to our daily medicinal intake. My hope is that I can grow enough for our needs this summer, that way I won't have to depend on another source.



The benefits of Meadowsweet listed in my medicinal herb books include:

• salicylate properties similar to aspirin
• astringent
• anti-inflammatory
  
• diuretic
• antacid and calming for overactive digestive system
• acid stomach, heartburn, ulcers, hiatus hernia
• helpful for rheumatism and arthritis
• clears sandy deposits in urine 

Meadowsweet prefers a moist area with semi shade. This location is on the edge of a small branch that is wet much of the year. It will go dry during a hot dry summer, but is generally fairly wet. I hope it will thrive in this area.

The other plant that has been living in a pot on the porch for too long is a sweet, edible bamboo. I did quite a bit of research on bamboo to find one that produces edible shoots and is hardy in planting zone 7. The one I bought is a sweet shoot bamboo, Phyllostachs Dulcis.

This is a running, spreading type that will have plenty of room here to grow. It will also provide some natural camouflage for this building. Many bamboos cannot tolerate the cold weather here and I was glad to find one that could. 

 
But, I think the really cold weather we have had recently has killed off part of this plant so I want to get it in the ground to see if it can be saved. This is another one of those little chores that was postponed for too long. But the plant seemed to be doing fine on the porch until just recently.



My motivation for investigating edible bamboo was the effort to find some perennial vegetables that I could get started here that could provide some food on a consistent, yearly basis. In this day and age, the types of food that are perennial are not usually part of our diets. Jerusalem artichokes, bamboo and asparagus don't go with many things that we eat regularly. At least, we don't. But we do have all three of these things growing here. And if the time comes that we need to depend upon what we can produce to eat, they will add a few more meals to our table. 

Sun chokes

Both the bamboo and Jerusalem artichokes (which we call sun chokes) in some circles are considered to be nuisance weeds because of their invasive, spreading nature. But I like things rather wild and unkept looking, so they will suit me just fine. Besides that, the more they spread, the more food they provide. The sun chokes are good for people and livestock. The nutritional content includes protein, inulin, potassium, iron, fiber, niacin, thiamine, phosphorus and copper. 

There are so many things we can grow that are beneficial and amazingly productive, even if you baby them with total neglect. Do they taste like potato chips, donuts and ice cream? No. Will they lend a hand to provide excellent nutrition with little to no effort on my part? Yes. The more I learn, the more amazed I am at the tremendous sources of life that are right at our fingertips. Isn't that just great? Learn something new today. Something that makes you smile and increases your ability to provide for your family. 


Until next time - Fern