# Milk cow?



## budgetprepp-n (Apr 7, 2013)

I guess I'm lucky to live where I do we have lots of Farmers, Dairymen, Tons of poultry chickens 
lots of folks selling eggs and black Angus cattle everywhere. And some of my neighbors are Mormons. 

I stopped and talked to a dairy farmer to see if I could get some fresh milk (the kind with the cream on top)
We got on the subject of the economy and it was obvious that he was a little concerned about
where we might be headed. It seams like more and more pepole are starting to realize that Americas 
dollar isn't bullet proof. The idea of the dollar collapsing isn't something that just conspiracy theory 
nut cases think about. Yes,,Even the farmer in the dill is looking over his shoulder. 
I asked what in the world he would do with 106 milk cows with no way to milk them and no trucks
coming to get the milk even if he did have a generator to run the milking machines. He said
"I don't know" I ask if thought he would trade a milk cow for 20 chickens or a hog. 
He said "I probably would so I could have eggs and bacon to go with my milk for breakfast" and then 
he just smiled.

That got me to thinking if a guy was really on his toes when the shtf there will be a small window 
of time when chickens, cows, pigs or what ever will be pretty easy to get from the farmers. 
What are you going to do with 60 pigs if there is no market to take them to? 

I think I'm going to get to know the guys that have the chickens and pigs a little better. 

If you have any farmers anywhere close to your BOL it might pay off in the long run if you get to 
know them now before you need them. 

I live where it's desolate 15 miles away is still a neighbor


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## rice paddy daddy (Jul 17, 2012)

My neighbor raises cattle. We keep chickens. We also grow vegetables, and this year are putting in fruit trees.
If anyone lives in the country and does not do these things, they are living up to the old saying: "Those who fail to plan are planning to fail."


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## A Watchman (Sep 14, 2015)

Make sure you know how to dress your potential animal barters (chickens are a bitch!) and ensure you have the back up capability to store (keep cool) and cook.


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## budgetprepp-n (Apr 7, 2013)

A Watchman said:


> Make sure you know how to dress your potential animal barters (chickens are a bitch!) and ensure you have the back up capability to store (keep cool) and cook.


Store? I had chickens before and I just left them on two feet until the day I ate them.


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## tirednurse (Oct 2, 2013)

budgetprepp-n said:


> Store? I had chickens before and I just left them on two feet until the day I ate them.


I am not sure if Watchman plans to "dress" up his chickens and take them out dancing or what. Chickens are not hard to butcher, they are very simple and small so it doesn't take a whole lot of effort to do it.

Have you ever butchered a chicken budgetprepp? You can not expect to butcher and throw it in a pan. Just like any animal you will need to hang it or you will have one tough bird to chew.


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## A Watchman (Sep 14, 2015)

With all due respect Ms. Tired Nurse, whether you dress (common term among men for cleaning animals for meat) or dance with your yard birds....... that fact remains that plucking the feathers as compared to skinning a typical game animal...... I'll say it one more time...... is a real bitch.

One must have a methodology i.e..... boiling or other and patience.


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## XMULE (Nov 8, 2015)

I got pretty quick at it, but I still didn't want to do more than five birds at a time. I let them hang for a day, from morning until dusk. I would still get a tough bird now and then. Maybe that wasn't long enough. Overnight would have to have been indoors, otherwise I would think it would draw coyotes and *****, of which there were plenty.

And yeah "dressing". Butcher is for cows and pigs. Maybe it's a regional thing.


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## tirednurse (Oct 2, 2013)

A Watchman said:


> With all due respect Ms. Tired Nurse, whether you dress (common term among men for cleaning animals for meat) or dance with your yard birds....... that fact remains that plucking the feathers as compared to skinning a typical game animal...... I'll say it one more time...... is a real bitch.
> 
> One must have a methodology i.e..... boiling or other and patience.


Well Mr Watchman, the reason I suggest you take your chickens out dancing when you dress them, instead of just butchering is because it doesn't take any time at all to dispatch a bird and completely butcher from start to finish. I do a hundred at a time twice a year. takes me maybe 5 minutes per bird. 
here are a couple methods that may help you improve your skills


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## XMULE (Nov 8, 2015)

If thats you in the video, it took 10 minutes. if it took another 10 minutes to kill the bird and move it to where it is being butchered, thats 20 minutes. Times 100 thats 2000 minutes, those birds will be done in a timely 33.3 hours. 

Get to work, Watchman!

I'm not saying that it is the case here, but I had an ex GF, her sister was all over different forums claiming to be a dog breeder. and multi year trainer of cattle dogs, and had hundreds of chickens... In truth, she had 20 poorly cared for chickens in a terrible coop until her two untrained cattle dogs slaughtered most of them one night...


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## tirednurse (Oct 2, 2013)

XMULE said:


> I got pretty quick at it, but I still didn't want to do more than five birds at a time. I let them hang for a day, from morning until dusk. I would still get a tough bird now and then. Maybe that wasn't long enough. Overnight would have to have been indoors, otherwise I would think it would draw coyotes and *****, of which there were plenty.
> 
> And yeah "dressing". Butcher is for cows and pigs. Maybe it's a regional thing.











I prefer this method. makes things pretty simple. I do 4 at a time. stick them upside down in the cones and slice their necks. let them bleed out as they die and then butcher. and throw in ice water. takes me a good full day to butcher and get them hanging. the next day I cut them up and can the breast meat and package the rest









pre butched chickens. I think they look pretty good. some dress out to close to 10 pound birds.


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## tirednurse (Oct 2, 2013)

XMULE said:


> If thats you in the video, it took 10 minutes. if it took another 10 minutes to kill the bird and move it to where it is being butchered, thats 20 minutes. Times 100 thats 2000 minutes, those birds will be done in a timely 33.3 hours.
> 
> Get to work, Watchman!
> 
> I'm not saying that it is the case here, but I had an ex GF, her sister was all over different forums claiming to be a dog breeder. and multi year trainer of cattle dogs, and had hundreds of chickens... In truth, she had 20 poorly cared for chickens in a terrible coop until her two untrained cattle dogs slaughtered most of them one night...


no these are not my videos. I thought that girl was pretty slow too. Just an example I found on skinning chickens which I do not do. mine are plucked


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## A Watchman (Sep 14, 2015)

Watchman, has made his stance on chicken coops quite clear in this forum several times. I'll leave tending to the yard birds with others, and stick with cleaning my wild game.


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## shootbrownelk (Jul 9, 2014)

tirednurse said:


> View attachment 13592
> 
> 
> I prefer this method. makes things pretty simple. I do 4 at a time. stick them upside down in the cones and slice their necks. let them bleed out as they die and then butcher. and throw in ice water. takes me a good full day to butcher and get them hanging. the next day I cut them up and can the breast meat and package the rest
> ...


 10 pound Chickens are the reason that God created the pressure cooker! I've had big chickens like that, the dog couldn't get a tooth in them without a Pressure cooker session. They were pretty tender and tasty after that.


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## A Watchman (Sep 14, 2015)

The OP's intent was to strike up relationships with local farmers who had various livestock, and perhaps have them as an option for supplemental food supply. Of course , he will not be he only one with the same idea.... and many will take the farmers life or food supply if things turn real bad.

I have raised beef for butcher, milked 120 cows twice daily, slaughtered pigs, but here is one the OP or others might try ........ in HS I started out with 8 rabbits and in a year or so had over a hundred that I bred (28-32 day gestation cycle) and sold 4 week old fryers from. Their required footprint for raising them is small and therefore might be an option for many as an alternate food supply. Warning.......plan ahead for growth or develop an appetite for rabbit.


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## Swedishsocialist (Jan 16, 2015)

How many us farmers will be able to produce food if the grid goes down & they cant get acess to fuel?

Here in Sweden it would be wery few.


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## tirednurse (Oct 2, 2013)

A Watchman said:


> The OP's intent was to strike up relationships with local farmers who had various livestock, and perhaps have them as an option for supplemental food supply. Of course , he will not be he only one with the same idea.... and many will take the farmers life or food supply if things turn real bad.
> 
> I have raised beef for butcher, milked 120 cows twice daily, slaughtered pigs, but here is one the OP or others might try ........ in HS I started out with 8 rabbits and in a year or so had over a hundred that I bred (28-32 day gestation cycle) and sold 4 week old fryers from. Their required footprint for raising them is small and therefore might be an option for many as an alternate food supply. Warning.......plan ahead for growth or develop an appetite for rabbit.


I have always kept rabbits. they are the perfect source of protein for some one trying to lay low and not be noticed. the only thing lacking is fat. Fry them in oil and you have that covered. 
They are the quietest farm animal, take very little room, don't smell unless the dropping are wet, you don't have to buy food for them since they can survive on what ever green stuff you give them. They are also simple to butcher, just like chickens and they taste like chickens too.

During the great depression my grandpa told me this was the main source of protein. the children had the job every day to go walk down the roads filling a gunny sack full of grass and feed it to the rabbits.


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## Slippy (Nov 14, 2013)

tirednurse said:


> I have always kept rabbits. they are the perfect source of protein for some one trying to lay low and not be noticed. the only thing lacking is fat. Fry them in oil and you have that covered.
> They are the quietest farm animal, take very little room, don't smell unless the dropping are wet, you don't have to buy food for them since they can survive on what ever green stuff you give them. They are also simple to butcher, just like chickens and they taste like chickens too.
> 
> During the great depression my grandpa told me this was the main source of protein. the children had the job every day to go walk down the roads filling a gunny sack full of grass and feed it to the rabbits.


Excellent point tirednurse.

But darn it, I like squirrel better than rabbit. :-?


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## A Watchman (Sep 14, 2015)

Slippy said:


> Excellent point tirednurse.
> 
> But darn it, I like squirrel better than rabbit. :-?


Ummmm Slippy, this isn't a pick your choice at the all you can eat buffet here......... Were in a SHTF situation here and you will eat the damn rabbits and not bitch about it!


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