I've been thinking about small food animals.

[SwimModSponges]

I'd like to be more self-sufficient when it comes to food (like I'm working on with booze), so I'm trying to think of some critters I could grow and eat.

I got enough space for chickens I figure, but I can't eat eggs so they wouldn't do me much of any good except for just killing the chicken, and  that seems like an awful lot of work to put into something you only get to eat once.

Same problem with rabbits. Probably just shoot squirrels and get the same return on investment.

There's crickets, which pound for pound would yield about the most protein, especially when you factor in the ease of care...

I could just do that in my basement though, and I've got a chunk of outside space I was figuring on using.

Any suggestions?  

[wacky1980]

you're not going to raise enough meat in town to fill that need. and if you're not deterred, you might need to get permits or risk being fined for it.

better off planting a garden and learning the joys of canning.

[SwimModSponges]

[scoobdog]

3 minutes ago, wacky1980 said:

you're not going to raise enough meat in town to fill that need. and if you're not deterred, you might need to get permits or risk being fined for it.

better off planting a garden and learning the joys of canning.

You world be surprised where animal husbandry is still zoned.  I live smack dab in the middle of the Metropolitan LA and the neighbor behind me still raises chickens.

[SwimModSponges]

6 minutes ago, wacky1980 said:

ybetter off planting a garden and learning the joys of canning.

Got a spot out back I want to put a food forest, but otherwise we were planning on getting a garden going closer to the house.

[RainyDayJizz#35]

5 minutes ago, wacky1980 said:

you're not going to raise enough meat in town to fill that need. and if you're not deterred, you might need to get permits or risk being fined for it.

better off planting a garden and learning the joys of canning.

Very true with all conditions named. You can hunt deer and get someone to make tons of jerky for you. You're in Wisconson, someone near you makes deer jerky. I think I left a pound of jerky at my sister's house and it is distressing me.

[SwimModSponges]

We get venison every year and to the best of my knowledge *checks local laws* I can legally hunt deer using a crossbow in my back yard.

[André Toulon]

Create a pond and fill it with catfish. We had a family pond for years until some asshole loosed his pet gator in there and fucked up the ecosystem.

The catfish were fatty and delicious when I was a kid...last I had one out of there, the meat was grey and it was brittle....might not all be on the gator (which is probably dead now) but that swamp is fucked.

Edited April 29, 2021 by André Toulon

[RainyDayJizz#35]

I had a thought about chickens, I think you could effectively raise them for meat and not egg but it would take a couple years, I'm unaware of the chicken lifespan and maturity, but 30 chickens could possibly turn into your personal farm and unused byproducts could become a small profit or a neighborly gesture.

[SwimModSponges]

32 minutes ago, André Toulon said:

Create a pond and fill it with catfish. We had a family pond for years until some asshole loosed his pet gator in there and fucked up the ecosystem.

The catfish were fatty and delicious when I was a kid...last I had one out of there, the meat was grey and it was brittle....might not all be on the gator (which is probably dead now) but that swamp is fucked.

Thats a great idea but i don't have quite enough space for it. 

[stilgar]

33 minutes ago, RainyDayJizz#35 said:

I had a thought about chickens, I think you could effectively raise them for meat and not egg but it would take a couple years, I'm unaware of the chicken lifespan and maturity, but 30 chickens could possibly turn into your personal farm and unused byproducts could become a small profit or a neighborly gesture.

After 8 months chickens can be slaughtered for meat.

[SwimModSponges]

Not in town, I'd have to pack them into the car and drive outside the city limits to chop their heads off.

And I can only have 5 at a time.

[André Toulon]

27 minutes ago, SwimModSponges said:

Thats a great idea but i don't have quite enough space for it. 

Ours was probably only like  40 yards from one end to the other.... maybe less since I'm remembering it through kids eyes.

[SwimModSponges]

Yeah I got like 10x20 feet I figured I could throw a coop or a hutch on or whatever.

[André Toulon]

2 minutes ago, SwimModSponges said:

Yeah I got like 10x20 feet I figured I could throw a coop or a hutch on or whatever.

I tend to forget you live on your own now...I remember you parents shit and y'all had fucking animals...I know there was room for a man made pond

[SwimModSponges]

They've already got one and it's big.

Edited April 29, 2021 by SwimModSponges

[Poof]

10 minutes ago, SwimModSponges said:

They've already got one and it's big.

So all along the real question in this thread was how to usurp your parents and take over the pond since you’re unable to build one

[SwimModSponges]

Nah, they can keep their stuff, I just want to see what I can do on my plot.

[//>wagz./]

//> you could grow fish ina tank or pond ./

[RainyDayJizz#35]

33 minutes ago, SwimModSponges said:

Not in town, I'd have to pack them into the car and drive outside the city limits to chop their heads off.

And I can only have 5 at a time.

Well, check if your neighbors are okay with you having a shitload of chickens and share the wealth you can. CHANGE THE WORLD ONE MAN AT A TIME!

[RainyDayJizz#35]

Fuck the law, make anarchy your bitch anywhere you can!

[Poof]

44 minutes ago, SwimModSponges said:

Nah, they can keep their stuff, I just want to see what I can do on my plot.

You could get goats and a fence and not have to mow again

[PhilosipherStoned]

Goats are easy and provide free lawn mowing services and milk thats not the greatest but it's ok. 

[PhilosipherStoned]

3 minutes ago, Poof said:

You could get goats and a fence and not have to mow again

Get out of my head. 

[Poof]

1 minute ago, PhilosipherStoned said:

We are the goat. 

I know right!

[PhilosipherStoned]

They are the most entertaining farm stock in my opinion.

 

[SwimModSponges]

Goats are way too big and require way more care than I can provide, plus slaughtering them would be more of an issue than the chickens.

[PhilosipherStoned]

1 minute ago, SwimModSponges said:

Goats are way too big and require way more care than I can provide, plus slaughtering them would be more of an issue than the chickens.

I mean theres still milk and as long as you got property you'd be surprised how easy the care actually is. Goat shit and a potential goat on your car probably isn't worth it though. Most breeds are natural escape artists as well. Maybe try a fish farm then? 

[SwimModSponges]

Growing up my cousins had goats and my parents have sheep now.

I'm well aware of what goes into their care, and especially how good they are at escapes.

We already talked about the fish thing. 

[PhilosipherStoned]

Then what does that leave pigs? I take it you really just want to farm insects at this point. 

[SwimModSponges]

Fuck pigs.

Never farm pigs.

Disgusting creatures when farmed.

[PhilosipherStoned]

Just now, SwimModSponges said:

Fuck pigs.

Never farm pigs.

Disgusting creatures when farmed.

I agree. I took care of pigs, and cows when I was younger. Not my families stock, but we rented out acres for use and tended to the animals people put there.  I wouldn't want to raise pigs either really. 

[stilgar]

So sponges, what are you trying to get out of this thread?

[André Toulon]

3 minutes ago, stilgar said:

So sponges, what are you trying to get out of this thread?

An excuse to eat bugs

[wacky1980]

ok look. just go buy/rent a few acres of pasture outside of town. on six acres of grass with a natural water source, you can raise two cow/calf pairs. butcher the spring calves in the fall for your food. you'll have to inseminate the cows in june, feed/water/shelter them all winter, and possibly assist with the birthings in march, but you'll get two whole beef cows for the freezer every year.

[SwimModSponges]

5 minutes ago, stilgar said:

So sponges, what are you trying to get out of this thread?

Ideas.

The fish suggestion was one I hadn't thought of before, figured there was probably some other small edible critter I hadn't thought of that somebody'd be all like "Hey, why not ______?" and I'd be all like "Huh, you know I never thought about that hang on let me check the city ordinances." and then a little bit later I'd be like "Wow, looks like I could totally grow _____ in my backyard. That's awesome."

@André Toulon I've already looked up Kangaroos- I don't need a permit but they're pricey.

[SwimModSponges]

2 minutes ago, wacky1980 said:

ok look. just go buy/rent a few acres of pasture outside of town. on six acres of grass with a natural water source, you can raise two cow/calf pairs. butcher the spring calves in the fall for your food. you'll have to inseminate the cows in june, feed/water/shelter them all winter, and possibly assist with the birthings in march, but you'll get two whole beef cows for the freezer every year.

That'd be great, but I'm looking for sustainable stuff I can do on my relatively small lot.

That's why chickens would be about the perfect choice, except I can't really get anything out of them.

[wacky1980]

you're not going to effectively farm chickens for the meat on a city lot, unless you only want a couple meals a month for your efforts. maybe you can trade your chicken eggs for meat from a local farm/processor.

[PhilosipherStoned]

6 minutes ago, SwimModSponges said:

That'd be great, but I'm looking for sustainable stuff I can do on my relatively small lot.

That's why chickens would be about the perfect choice, except I can't really get anything out of them.

Just seems like your looking for some magical self replicating creature like that thing from Star Trek at this point. Raising rabbits was already suggested and all you really need is like a bunch of still mesh to fashion a bunny tunnel out of and let them do there thing. Combine that with a garden for their food source, and it should be sustainable. 

Edited April 29, 2021 by PhilosipherStoned

[bnmjy]

Mealworms; low maintenance and all your essential amino acids.

[stilgar]

10 minutes ago, SwimModSponges said:

Ideas.

The fish suggestion was one I hadn't thought of before, figured there was probably some other small edible critter I hadn't thought of that somebody'd be all like "Hey, why not ______?" and I'd be all like "Huh, you know I never thought about that hang on let me check the city ordinances." and then a little bit later I'd be like "Wow, looks like I could totally grow _____ in my backyard. That's awesome."

@André Toulon I've already looked up Kangaroos- I don't need a permit but they're pricey.

Guinea pigs.

[PhilosipherStoned]

4 minutes ago, bnmjy said:

Mealworms; low maintenance and all your essential amino acids.

See I thought about worms, but for some reason I only thought silk worms and brushed off the idea of meal worms. So is sponges about to go on the captive tarrantula diet or what?

Edited April 29, 2021 by PhilosipherStoned

[SwimModSponges]

13 minutes ago, wacky1980 said:

you're not going to effectively farm chickens for the meat on a city lot, unless you only want a couple meals a month for your efforts. maybe you can trade your chicken eggs for meat from a local farm/processor.

A couple meals per month would be about perfect, I'm not looking to replace all my meat with home gown, but a little bit would be nice.

12 minutes ago, PhilosipherStoned said:

Just seems like your looking for some magical self replicating creature like that thing from Star Trek at this point. Raising rabbits was already suggested and all you really need is like a bunch of still mesh to fashion a bunny tunnel out of and let them do there thing. Combine that with a garden for their food source, and it should be sustainable. 

I mean, most animals replicate if you give them enough time and mates (which doesn't work for chickens in town because no roosters). Rabbits is honestly a decent idea, I'd have to do more research into them though.

14 minutes ago, bnmjy said:

Mealworms; low maintenance and all your essential amino acids.

I'd love to start an insect farm but convincing the wife is going to be a tough sell. She's  down for chickens.

11 minutes ago, stilgar said:

Guinea pigs.

*looks it up* ... I think we got a contender here.

[stilgar]

Also, get some bee hives.

[SwimModSponges]

Folks already got me covered as far as that goes too.

[Doom Metal Alchemist]

Not sure I ever heard of people eating guinea pigs. But why not, I guess.

[André Toulon]

6 minutes ago, Doom Metal Alchemist said:

Not sure I ever heard of people eating guinea pigs. But why not, I guess.

Just pens

[SwimModSponges]

https://modernfarmer.com/2015/12/cuy/

Quote

Is America Ready for Farm-to-Table Guinea Pig?

[...] Guinea pig, or cuy as it is known, is a delicacy. The meat is prized and tastes like a cross between duck and rabbit. When properly prepared, the meat of a guinea pig is rich, fatty, and flavorful, while the skin, when roasted over a hot fire, gives pork crackling a run for its money. [...] enterprising entrepreneurs attempted to bring the meat to the American market back in the 1920s. [...] Serving guinea pig is legal. Under federal law, it’s considered an exotic meat – also referred to as game or “non-amenable species” – and its sale is regulated by the FDA. [...] If you are ready to raise and process your own muddle of guinea pigs, one of the first steps is to call your local Department of Agriculture. Be prepared for a puzzled response but know that the federal law should be on your side.

This is exactly what I hoped to get out of this thread.

[Doom Metal Alchemist]

6 minutes ago, André Toulon said:

Just pens

I never said swallow.

More like when someone would chew on a toothpick.

Spoiler

Now you're gonna act like I pulled that outta my ass and i'm gonna waste the entire damn day trying and failing to find a clip of Dusty Baker chewing on a toothpick on youtube.

 

Edited April 29, 2021 by Doom Metal Alchemist

[André Toulon]

1 minute ago, Doom Metal Alchemist said:

I never said swallow.

More like when someone would chew on a toothpick.

  Hide contents

Now you're gonna act like I pulled that outta my ass and i'm gonna waste the entire damn day trying and failing to find a clip of Dusty Baker chewing on a toothpick on youtube.

 

No I'm not, I chewed coffee stirrers for years....when I smoked. I never said it didn't happen, I said if you still have that fixation, you still smoke.