# Why do I do this to myself?



## lazydaisy67 (Nov 24, 2011)

We've had a couple of great days here over the holidays. DH built some ginumbus shelves for the basement, which then led me to organization, which led me to taking inventory. That then led me to the net to look for some sort of pre-made checklists and/or helpful hints, etc. 35 youtube videos later and I'm once again completely freaked out. Why do they put those suggestions at the right hand of the page anyway?? vract:

My biggest concern going into the new year is protein. Deer hunting was a bust this year for us. The numbers were down going into the season, so we were a little concerned, but still felt like we'd have venison. We don't. Soooo...contemplating our old stand-by of chicken, I calculated the costs of raising our own, which we have done in the past, and it ends up being more expensive to buy the feed for chickens than it is to buy whole chickens in the store. I know the arguments about raising your own so you "know" what's going in to them, but unless you're buying organic chicken feed, they're full of just as much GMO as store bought chicken so I don't really see the point. Plus, we'd have to buy at least 60 chicks to get us through a year of eating a home canned quart jar of chicken once a week for a year. Ok just typing that freaks me out! Haven't heard of any more plans for a hog hunting trip, so I really hope that is still in the works, but if it's not we're up a creek for meat this year. I wish we had the $$ to go to the locker and get half a cow, heck even a 1/4 would be wonderful, but we just don't. So I'm trying to come up with alternative protein sources that I can afford AND that I can make kid-friendly meals with. Peanut butter is great, but I can't form that into patties and put it on a bun with ketchup and mayo, lol. I've looked at vegetarian recipes, but they call for things that I have not only never heard of, but wouldn't have a clue where to find in my neck of the woods. Frustrating.

Going in to the new year seems very daunting to me right now. I just still have this "feeling" that bad things are going to happen, but am not sure if I can even articulate that in any other form than just to keep putting things on my shelf. I don't even know if I'm asking a question or just venting here, sorry.


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## ContinualHarvest (Feb 19, 2012)

Deer hunting was a bit of a bust for me too. Only one doe. More people than ever were at the farm we hunt. At one time there were 15 hunters out on the field for lunch.


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## BillS (May 30, 2011)

I've heard of people trapping rabbits. I have no idea how it's done but I know my sister-in-law and her family ate a lot of them at one time.


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## lazydaisy67 (Nov 24, 2011)

I've thought about rabbits too, mostly because people say they're relatively cheap and easy to raise and obviously reproduce super fast, but then have also read articles about 'rabbit starvation' or whatever it's called. May be worth it to give it a try again. The last time we raised rabbits, they all died on us for some reason and never did raise a litter of babies past a week old.


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## GrinnanBarrett (Aug 31, 2012)

I really feel for you when I read your post. It points out a major flaw so many Preppers face and that is the idea of living off the land at a moments notice. There are finite numbers of deer and other game animals in the wild now. Many are being driven into urban areas just to find food for themselves. Raising our own food is going to be more and more an issue for all of us at some point. Hunting for food that isn't there will lead many to starve. 

We have a fairly good size piece of property in the Ozarks. Even though we are next to a large national forest the number of game animals we saw on our cameras this year was way down. I am sure that drought contributed a lot to the problem. If we had some venison or beef cattle we would ship you some but like so many we don't have large reserves of fresh meat anymore. I sold off my last cattle after a health problem a few years back and have never gone back to working the farm. 

As a cost saving method I even went to stocking in more TVP (textured vegetable protein) products. I am not nuts about them but with some creative cooking they work okay. Right now we are having to rotate some canned hams that will go out of date this year. We have an extra refrigerator that we keep canned meats in to extend their shelf life. 

Enough of that. I will keep you and yours in our prayers and thoughts. Best wishes on a more joyous New Year. GB


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## timmie (Jan 14, 2012)

try catching meat on sale at your local grocery store. I know what you mean about wild game , but if push comes to serve I will gladly stock up at the store. I prefer wild meat and so does my family. you are in my thoughts and prayers. have a happy new year.


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## Hooch (Jul 22, 2011)

hay ...dont be so hard on yourself...your way ahead of the general herd.

Maybe if you feel yourself getting way to distracted on a project next time, take a sec to stop n refocas back to the origional project. 

I know sometimes I have a tendency to start a day early in the am.. feeling like Wonder Woman!.. and although Im a good multi-tasker, it can get way outta control and I end up jumping from one task, to another, to another and another. I either start getting spread way to thin n stressing to get it all done then I dont eat or sit down till 8 pm n exhausted.. Or I end up leaving a few things undone n stress about it because I overwhelmed myself, still stressed that I have stuff left unfinished. Im sure we all do that now and then, but hay...were all doing something good.:flower:



So...maybe make a plan for the day..write it down n stick to it. Scratch it off when you complete a task and figure out what time n energy will allow next. Lately, I've had to resort to picking a quitting time while on my weekends...otherwise I tend to keep going till I drop and end up way to tired to read or watch my Star Trek dvd's. I gotta get better at giving myself down time..so Im working on that...lol..


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## moondancer (Dec 21, 2013)

Rabbit is one of the highest proteins you can have . I have 12 chickens I get on ave 8 eggs a day . And one buck rabbit and two female I alternate breeding back and forth I always have one raising a batch an the other resting and greeting preg . With rabbits you eat them younger then ya might think so I have a steady supply . And the chickens keep the rabbit poop scratched up that I then compost


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## FatTire (Mar 20, 2012)

I recently asked myself the same question.. different topic tho.. you are way ahead of the game, just keep after it and dont be too hard on yourself... take a minute and look where you are really good... you have a Team Mate, who will stick with you thick and thin, you have a great attitude.. if it helps, I am very envious of ya... my Team Mate decided to move on, and I too am eating tag soup this year...


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## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

moondancer said:


> Rabbit is one of the highest proteins you can have . I have 12 chickens I get on ave 8 eggs a day . And one buck rabbit and two female I alternate breeding back and forth I always have one raising a batch an the other resting and greeting preg . With rabbits you eat them younger then ya might think so I have a steady supply . And the chickens keep the rabbit poop scratched up that I then compost


I'm curious what breed of rabbits you have.


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## lazydaisy67 (Nov 24, 2011)

I know I am further ahead than most, so I do take comfort in that fact. I guess I just need to take a deep breath and keep going. I will talk to DH about raising rabbits. We DO have laying hens, so I can get protein from that source as well, and again, I am glad to have them, but I think when I look at charts and graphs and consider time periods lasting more than 365 days, I get really worried because there will definitely not be any more deer to hunt and squirrel and **** will be scarce as well. 
I don't mean to sound like a cry baby. For the most part, I have high hopes of a successful year. I'm not looking forward to the executive orders that will probably get signed into law while we're all watching the ball drop tonight, but hey that's another thread all together. I hope all of you have a absolutely wonderful new year filled with blessings and accomplishments beyond your expectations.


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## BillS (May 30, 2011)

lazydaisy67 said:


> I've thought about rabbits too, mostly because people say they're relatively cheap and easy to raise and obviously reproduce super fast, but then have also read articles about 'rabbit starvation' or whatever it's called. May be worth it to give it a try again. The last time we raised rabbits, they all died on us for some reason and never did raise a litter of babies past a week old.


My wife's nephew used to catch rabbits using live traps with bait and a trip wire.
I wouldn't raise my own unless I couldn't trap them. I think that the typical rabbit population is high enough to eat a couple of them a week without ever running out of them.

If you have other foods with fat then you won't have to worry about rabbit starvation.


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## dixiemama (Nov 28, 2012)

Do you have a 'meatless' day in your menu? I'm going to start that regularly this new year. I've tried it this year and its worked well for us. 

Sent from my MB886 using Survival Forum mobile app


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## RevWC (Mar 28, 2011)

My Dad and I were talking about this tonight. If we had to live off squirrel and birds we wouldn't last long...would have to include lizards, frogs, snakes, and fish...maybe and occasional wild boar..


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## AdmiralD7S (Dec 6, 2012)

lazydaisy67 said:


> I've thought about rabbits too, mostly because people say they're relatively cheap and easy to raise and obviously reproduce super fast, but then have also read articles about 'rabbit starvation' or whatever it's called. May be worth it to give it a try again. The last time we raised rabbits, they all died on us for some reason and never did raise a litter of babies past a week old.


It's even referred to as "rabbit starvation" and "protein poisoning". Essentially, rabbits are very lean, so you get the protein but almost no fat. If you can get your fat sources from another dish, you'll be fine.


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## Caribou (Aug 18, 2012)

Beans and a grain give you a complete protein, that is why you see beans and rice on every mexican dinner. Tomorrow we will have our traditional beans and cornbread for New Years. Even a nice slice of bread would do the trick.

If you fry your rabbit on occasion that will add oil to your diet. If memory serves, rabbit starvation only occurs when you eat only rabbit. You may be a bit low on protein but my guess is that your larder is well stocked with other foods. 

As for your chicken idea, you only need to feed them for a couple of months then you can put most of them in a jar. Cook up the bones and can your own chicken stock.


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## OldCootHillbilly (Jul 9, 2010)

Yall low on deer? What ya do chase em all up here? Thins er a menace in these parts. 

Yall got a hog farmer round ya? On a regular bases, they get one what breaks a leg er sumtin similar. They can be bought perty resonable, er ifin ya can do it, some help ta the farmer might get ya one fer free.

As fer rabbits, ya would need a license but ya can snare a fair amounta em. Season comin upta a end here perty soon though.

As fer chicken feed, find yerself a farmer an see ifin ya can clean up round them grain bins. Might get it fer free er awful cheap. Make friends with yer local farmers, they can hep ya out many away.


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## lazydaisy67 (Nov 24, 2011)

OldCootHillbilly said:


> Yall low on deer? What ya do chase em all up here? Thins er a menace in these parts.
> 
> Yall got a hog farmer round ya? On a regular bases, they get one what breaks a leg er sumtin similar. They can be bought perty resonable, er ifin ya can do it, some help ta the farmer might get ya one fer free.
> 
> ...


We have hog confinements all over around us but if any of the employees get caught slinking a piglet out the back or (God forbid) selling one, they'd get fired and the confinement would get fined and it'd be a BIG deal. Believe me, I've tried. It's perfectly fine to smash them onto the concrete and throw them in a pile out back, but I can't buy one of them, prolapse or otherwise. I think we should try to raise a hog or two also, but hubby gives me the stink eye when I bring it up because he'd have to build something to put them in. Our old fences just wouldn't keep a pig in and if it got over to the neighbors house and touched their precious grass or flowers they'd fill their pants. He thought maybe trying to raise rabbits again would be a good idea. I'm game if he is, so maybe things won't be as bleak after all.


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## neldarez (Apr 10, 2011)

lazydaisy67 said:


> We've had a couple of great days here over the holidays. DH built some ginumbus shelves for the basement, which then led me to organization, which led me to taking inventory. That then led me to the net to look for some sort of pre-made checklists and/or helpful hints, etc. 35 youtube videos later and I'm once again completely freaked out. Why do they put those suggestions at the right hand of the page anyway?? vract:
> 
> My biggest concern going into the new year is protein. Deer hunting was a bust this year for us. The numbers were down going into the season, so we were a little concerned, but still felt like we'd have venison. We don't. Soooo...contemplating our old stand-by of chicken, I calculated the costs of raising our own, which we have done in the past, and it ends up being more expensive to buy the feed for chickens than it is to buy whole chickens in the store. I know the arguments about raising your own so you "know" what's going in to them, but unless you're buying organic chicken feed, they're full of just as much GMO as store bought chicken so I don't really see the point. Plus, we'd have to buy at least 60 chicks to get us through a year of eating a home canned quart jar of chicken once a week for a year. Ok just typing that freaks me out! Haven't heard of any more plans for a hog hunting trip, so I really hope that is still in the works, but if it's not we're up a creek for meat this year. I wish we had the $$ to go to the locker and get half a cow, heck even a 1/4 would be wonderful, but we just don't. So I'm trying to come up with alternative protein sources that I can afford AND that I can make kid-friendly meals with. Peanut butter is great, but I can't form that into patties and put it on a bun with ketchup and mayo, lol. I've looked at vegetarian recipes, but they call for things that I have not only never heard of, but wouldn't have a clue where to find in my neck of the woods. Frustrating.
> 
> Going in to the new year seems very daunting to me right now. I just still have this "feeling" that bad things are going to happen, but am not sure if I can even articulate that in any other form than just to keep putting things on my shelf. I don't even know if I'm asking a question or just venting here, sorry.


I think there are lots of us who can share at least a portion of your concerns on here...it's overwhelming sometimes...but what you're doing, putting stuff on shelves and learning new things is the way to go at it....you are still moving forward...You can only do what you can do and pray God to help you know what your part is and what His part is..........thinking of you tonight, hang in there and don't forget to breathe..........


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## moondancer (Dec 21, 2013)

Grimm I've just got New Zealand there fast growing large meat rabbit


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## Rain23 (Jul 18, 2011)

Have to second Caribou, add some beans/lentils to those protein calculations. If you can raise/shoot/catch anything at all, dice it and drop it in a quart jar with a cup of beans and it'll taste more like meat on the table. Plain pintos is something nobody should have to face noon and supper every day, but flavor them up and drop some animal protein in and you'll be surprised how far a squirrel will go. Beans, the other white meat


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