jeudi 27 septembre 2018

Small livestock and the single homesteader

It's late (had a callout, as is not unusual it was done about the time I got there.) And now I'm sitting up with the adrenalin dropping (wild ride) and trying not to throw up. (Pressure on spine, reflex reflux.... Joke.) No biggie it'll pass. Just a warning this will probably ramble more than I already have:

Reading in the July\Aug backwoodsman, there's an article: "Keeping Chickens Woodsloafer style"

Now I've kept chickens before (more accurately WE did) but we free ranged them. Can't do that here (tried it) the critters snack on them all eventually. (Game hens and bantims will be tried.)

Now based on numbers.... There's quite the run needed (lots of wire)
But this article talks about a 7x10 for up to 10 chickens.
That enough? (I know in inhumane conditions chickens are kept in such small cages they cannot stand up... I don't like that, they deserve better.)

That was thought #1.

I currently have rabbits.... Because post Easter rabbits were $2 and less.
No harm to butcher when they become a bother. (Between poor health\not traveling well and my EMT class I knew I wasn't going anywhere for a while.)

Come Christmas I'll need a bunny sitter or freeze them all.

This article on chickens talks about the 3 gal waterer lasting a week, and the 30lb feeder lasting 3 weeks.

Now I have the usual 1 quart or so watterer for my rabbits, and little feeders (although they are currently getting daily grass vs pellets.)
But I'm interested in "larger options"

...say something so that I could be comfortable asking a buddy to check the rabbits (or chickens, if I'm going to keep one, may as well get the other) 1x\week and then be fine.

I'm sure many know that the issue being a single person is that the critters always need to be cared for.... When there's someone else to spot you for a day when your sick or gone.... No big deal.
But solo.... They can become a real problem.
In October I'll be caring for friends critters for 2 weeks, I may just being the rabbits over there in some cases when I leave....

I've not worried about it as I have 2 near sources for livestock should it be becessary, and I have the "stuff" put back ( have raised various types in the past.)

In winter freezing will also be a problem. I can envision a bucket gravity flowing to individual nipples through PEX so it doesn't break, but it won't get water to the bunnies

In short:
Mainly rabbits and chickens, but throw in quail or something else if you like:
What technology "cheats" do you use so that you can get water and feed to the small livestock so that they can be ignored (understanding its not good and not my normal methods) for days at a time?

Hope that wasn't too difficult to follow

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Small livestock and the single homesteader

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