Comments on: Little Livestock for Urban and Suburban Gardens http://sharonastyk.com/2009/02/12/little-livestock-for-urban-and-suburban-gardens/ Finding the keys to the future…and trying not to lose them in the mess. Thu, 24 May 2012 04:38:10 -0700 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: Links Sale http://sharonastyk.com/2009/02/12/little-livestock-for-urban-and-suburban-gardens/comment-page-1/#comment-49589 Links Sale Wed, 17 Aug 2011 13:43:07 +0000 http://sharonastyk.com/2009/02/12/little-livestock-for-urban-and-suburban-gardens/#comment-49589 Precisely what great existing! And also work outs the precise controls together with the thought process when you go by using first-class experience make some occupation that you can think about the request accordingly. Precisely what great existing! And also work outs the precise controls together with the thought process when you go by using first-class experience make some occupation that you can think about the request accordingly.

]]> By: Selene Baron http://sharonastyk.com/2009/02/12/little-livestock-for-urban-and-suburban-gardens/comment-page-1/#comment-41151 Selene Baron Wed, 18 May 2011 21:55:22 +0000 http://sharonastyk.com/2009/02/12/little-livestock-for-urban-and-suburban-gardens/#comment-41151 Wedding vows are so much an indispensable part of a wedding celebration. When it was my wedding, I depended on an excellent wedding vow guide book to get that essential task executed and I was incredibly ecstatic with the ultimate results! Wedding vows are so much an indispensable part of a wedding celebration. When it was my wedding, I depended on an excellent wedding vow guide book to get that essential task executed and I was incredibly ecstatic with the ultimate results!

]]> By: David Boston http://sharonastyk.com/2009/02/12/little-livestock-for-urban-and-suburban-gardens/comment-page-1/#comment-41065 David Boston Tue, 17 May 2011 03:22:42 +0000 http://sharonastyk.com/2009/02/12/little-livestock-for-urban-and-suburban-gardens/#comment-41065 I'm so freakin excited that I found this great website. Hope you keep updating it, I really enjoy your posts. :D I’m so freakin excited that I found this great website. Hope you keep updating it, I really enjoy your posts. :D

]]> By: Asphyxia http://sharonastyk.com/2009/02/12/little-livestock-for-urban-and-suburban-gardens/comment-page-1/#comment-30956 Asphyxia Sun, 28 Nov 2010 03:30:22 +0000 http://sharonastyk.com/2009/02/12/little-livestock-for-urban-and-suburban-gardens/#comment-30956 Hi Sharon, I live in Australia, and your book, Depletion and Abundance, has had a profound impact on my life - thank you! Since I read it I've replanted my garden (we are now sufficient in vegies, growing lots of our fruit), joined the Riot For Austerity (our family's footprint is now 7% of the average), learnt to preserve and store food (I got us right through last winter this way), added an angora rabbit and worms to the chickens we already had.... and I've learnt to spin - have been knitting my first garments. I'm so grateful to you for giving me the vision I was looking for, to work out how to respond to peak oil/climate change, and decide how to live. A quick question for you - do you know if it's possible to raise my own food entirely for my angora rabbit? I've been searching and searching on the net but have been unable to find anything that says they can have their nutritional needs met (and hence still grow a great coat of fur) just from garden produce. I've only found discouraging comments such as fur production dropping off when pellets were dropped from the rabbit's feed. In the same vein, do you know how we can feed our chooks without buying in food for them? Thank you enormously! Asphyxia PS if it's ok to reply by email I'd appreciate that - I'm often unable to surf the net due to internet connection problems. ta! Hi Sharon,

I live in Australia, and your book, Depletion and Abundance, has had a profound impact on my life – thank you! Since I read it I’ve replanted my garden (we are now sufficient in vegies, growing lots of our fruit), joined the Riot For Austerity (our family’s footprint is now 7% of the average), learnt to preserve and store food (I got us right through last winter this way), added an angora rabbit and worms to the chickens we already had…. and I’ve learnt to spin – have been knitting my first garments. I’m so grateful to you for giving me the vision I was looking for, to work out how to respond to peak oil/climate change, and decide how to live.

A quick question for you – do you know if it’s possible to raise my own food entirely for my angora rabbit? I’ve been searching and searching on the net but have been unable to find anything that says they can have their nutritional needs met (and hence still grow a great coat of fur) just from garden produce. I’ve only found discouraging comments such as fur production dropping off when pellets were dropped from the rabbit’s feed.

In the same vein, do you know how we can feed our chooks without buying in food for them?

Thank you enormously!
Asphyxia

PS if it’s ok to reply by email I’d appreciate that – I’m often unable to surf the net due to internet connection problems. ta!

]]> By: leather agendas http://sharonastyk.com/2009/02/12/little-livestock-for-urban-and-suburban-gardens/comment-page-1/#comment-30407 leather agendas Thu, 18 Nov 2010 10:40:49 +0000 http://sharonastyk.com/2009/02/12/little-livestock-for-urban-and-suburban-gardens/#comment-30407 I had chosen a that devises a qualification for a. I had chosen a that devises a qualification for a.

]]> By: Chicken Coop http://sharonastyk.com/2009/02/12/little-livestock-for-urban-and-suburban-gardens/comment-page-1/#comment-13986 Chicken Coop Fri, 03 Jul 2009 13:58:10 +0000 http://sharonastyk.com/2009/02/12/little-livestock-for-urban-and-suburban-gardens/#comment-13986 I’ve been seriously considering raising chickens and rabbits, but I do have to get over the ick factor of butchering. Maybe if I could build a guillotine, I’d be okay - lol! I’m just afraid of not making a clean cut and hesitate at the wrong moment, there thereby causing a painful death. I’ve been seriously considering raising chickens and rabbits, but I do have to get over the ick factor of butchering. Maybe if I could build a guillotine, I’d be okay – lol! I’m just afraid of not making a clean cut and hesitate at the wrong moment, there thereby causing a painful death.

]]> By: Bella http://sharonastyk.com/2009/02/12/little-livestock-for-urban-and-suburban-gardens/comment-page-1/#comment-13985 Bella Thu, 11 Jun 2009 22:25:48 +0000 http://sharonastyk.com/2009/02/12/little-livestock-for-urban-and-suburban-gardens/#comment-13985 Hi Claire, Do I have the book for you! Get a copy of the "Home permaculture garden" by Linda Woodrow.(published by Penguin Books Australia 1996) Its all about how to raise chooks ( chickens) in a small area AND have them do all your gardening work for you AND grow all their food onsite - Its a fabulous book and you can take her method of crop & chook rotation and do it in a very simple easy to manage way OR go hard and have an extremely complex and beautiful mandala system providing all the meat and eggs vegies & fruit your family needs. Diana is famous in the permaculture world for her techniques - not quite as wild and chaotic as a standard permie food forest- but great for those with small space, or a case of OCD as its very neat and controlled. Cant help you with the butchering difficulties as I'm in the same boat there ... going to give it a go though, some day. Good luck! Hi Claire,

Do I have the book for you!
Get a copy of the “Home permaculture garden” by
Linda Woodrow.(published by Penguin Books Australia 1996) Its all about how to raise chooks ( chickens) in a small area AND have them do all your gardening work for you AND grow all their food onsite – Its a fabulous book and you can take her method of crop & chook rotation and do it in a very simple easy to manage way OR go hard and have an extremely complex and beautiful mandala system providing all the meat and eggs vegies & fruit your family needs. Diana is famous in the permaculture world for her techniques – not quite as wild and chaotic as a standard permie food forest- but great for those with small space, or a case of OCD as its very neat and controlled. Cant help you with the butchering difficulties as I’m in the same boat there … going to give it a go though, some day. Good luck!

]]> By: RC http://sharonastyk.com/2009/02/12/little-livestock-for-urban-and-suburban-gardens/comment-page-1/#comment-13984 RC Fri, 20 Feb 2009 02:08:03 +0000 http://sharonastyk.com/2009/02/12/little-livestock-for-urban-and-suburban-gardens/#comment-13984 Adult roosters are not the best eating, too sinewy. I'd prefer not to eat them, and those folks who regularly do are people I never met. The list was great Sharon {I've raised and eaten a lot of the critters you mention, but you forgot snails and pheasants}. Chinese quail are a variety we use in the high heat here and they make terrific tractors, although the tractors are only 3' X 3' X 1'. We just lift them around, no wheels. They lay a lot of eggs. They are very tiny and I wouldn't recommend them for meat, too much butchering and too little eating. But the egg, their manure, and their weed eating are valuable. They are also terminally cute. I hate peacocks, other than to look at. They scream a great deal {they sound like cats in pain} and they do destroy certain crops, among them, marijuana. If you are Rastafarian, skip the shiny turkeys. My new forage crop is four foot iguanas. We will be barbecuing the tails over mesquite charcoal. 100% local, iguana and charcoal. We have to kill them {they are invaders here, escaped pets} or we will have no crops left. They are very prolific breeders and hatch out of the egg at 8 inches. Adult roosters are not the best eating, too sinewy.
I’d prefer not to eat them, and those folks who regularly do are people I never met.
The list was great Sharon {I’ve raised and eaten a lot of the critters you mention, but you forgot snails and pheasants}. Chinese quail are a variety we use in the high heat here and they make terrific tractors, although the tractors are only
3′ X 3′ X 1′. We just lift them around, no wheels. They lay a lot of eggs. They are very tiny and I wouldn’t recommend them for meat, too much butchering and too little eating. But the egg, their manure, and their weed eating are valuable. They are also terminally cute.
I hate peacocks, other than to look at. They scream a great deal {they sound like cats in pain} and they do destroy certain crops, among them, marijuana. If you are Rastafarian, skip the shiny turkeys.
My new forage crop is four foot iguanas. We will be barbecuing the tails over mesquite charcoal. 100% local, iguana and charcoal. We have to kill them {they are invaders here, escaped pets} or we will have no crops left. They are very prolific breeders and hatch out of the egg at 8 inches.

]]> By: Green Hill Farm http://sharonastyk.com/2009/02/12/little-livestock-for-urban-and-suburban-gardens/comment-page-1/#comment-13983 Green Hill Farm Tue, 17 Feb 2009 04:14:13 +0000 http://sharonastyk.com/2009/02/12/little-livestock-for-urban-and-suburban-gardens/#comment-13983 Eating farm animals keeps them alive. Many old varieties of farm animals are extinct and many are endangered because they are not suited to "modern" ag. They were and still are often great for small farms. I'd guess that most (even close to all) old breeds are alive only due to small farms, some museum farms and some dedicated breeders working to save various varieties. If these farm animals have no "job" they go extinct so raising to eat yourself (or use for eggs, dairy or fiber) or sell keeps their small farm adapted genes alive. We have a small herd of Highland Cattle, and about 50 assorted chickens a few of which are unwanted roosters. I'd ignore the roosters and let them be pets :), but they usually don't cooperate and attack us, each other or overly mate the hens sooo the get sold or eaten. I have two now for which no tear will be shed, nasty creatures. I take them to someone else for processing, for now that works it may not if transport becomes a problem but I'll cross that bridge when I get to it. Possibly some bartering of talents as we recently did with a highland (I'll write about that in animals bigger than a breadbox). Beth in Massachusetts getting a few more eggs each day :) Eating farm animals keeps them alive. Many old varieties of farm animals are extinct and many are endangered because they are not suited to “modern” ag. They were and still are often great for small farms.
I’d guess that most (even close to all) old breeds are alive only due to small farms, some museum farms and some dedicated breeders working to save various varieties.
If these farm animals have no “job” they go extinct so raising to eat yourself (or use for eggs, dairy or fiber) or sell keeps their small farm adapted genes alive.

We have a small herd of Highland Cattle, and about 50 assorted chickens a few of which are unwanted roosters. I’d ignore the roosters and let them be pets :) , but they usually don’t cooperate and attack us, each other or overly mate the hens sooo the get sold or eaten. I have two now for which no tear will be shed, nasty creatures.
I take them to someone else for processing, for now that works it may not if transport becomes a problem but I’ll cross that bridge when I get to it. Possibly some bartering of talents as we recently did with a highland (I’ll write about that in animals bigger than a breadbox).

Beth in Massachusetts getting a few more eggs each day :)

]]> By: Carol B http://sharonastyk.com/2009/02/12/little-livestock-for-urban-and-suburban-gardens/comment-page-1/#comment-13982 Carol B Mon, 16 Feb 2009 01:08:06 +0000 http://sharonastyk.com/2009/02/12/little-livestock-for-urban-and-suburban-gardens/#comment-13982 Once we ordered fish from a commercial hatchery for our pond. They also sold bullfrog tadpoles. Their catalog explained that you cannot buy adult bullfrogs because they have a "homing instinct" and won't stay in your pond. I found that delightful. Wouldn't that be grist for a great children's book? We used to raise peacocks. We never butchered them but I used to threaten them when they hung around the porch too much. They are not destructive in the garden like chickens. And they LOVE Japanese beetles. They will hop to get the big ones on top of the rose bushes. Once we ordered fish from a commercial hatchery for our pond. They also sold bullfrog tadpoles. Their catalog explained that you cannot buy adult bullfrogs because they have a “homing instinct” and won’t stay in your pond. I found that delightful. Wouldn’t that be grist for a great children’s book?

We used to raise peacocks. We never butchered them but I used to threaten them when they hung around the porch too much. They are not destructive in the garden like chickens. And they LOVE Japanese beetles. They will hop to get the big ones on top of the rose bushes.

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