Virginia Gun Owners Forum - VGOF

...toward food independence.

Got my first laying hens last week, meat birds to follow next spring. Don't know why I didn't get into this sooner.

Did you build a coop or buy a pre-made one?

Now you have to watch out for the various predators that will make a meal of your birds.

OakRidgeStars wrote:Did you build a coop or buy a pre-made one?

Now you have to watch out for the various predators that will make a meal of your birds.

Even your own dogs. A friend got some hens only to have there sweet lab eat one. And a few weeks later another one!

Bad dog

No biscuit!


For now I have them in a homemade tractor, Home made coop is in the works.
Tractor is made from recycled sheet metal studs from a renovation job I'm on.

Miss having them! Did you get specific laying breeds for eggs and planning on the meat breeds to eat? The hybrids arent worth the trouble if you have room for specific types which do their thing better.

No, my ideal is to have 5 or 6 breeds of the heritage dual purpose type, and manage them to keep the lines going. Then I'd raise my own crosses (sexlinks) for eggers and the table. The 'meat birds to follow' comment hinges own how well my 6yo homeschoolers take to the idea growing then eating them. My daughter has already secured amnesty rights for these Australorps that we just got...

Wasn't until recent years that I realized the seriousness of the lack of diversity of our food system. We're not that far removed from our own "potato famine" of sorts... When my brother comes down out of the hills of NC to build back home here in CeVa, he plans on keeping birds too, so that will help the breeding stock issue even more.

Oh by the way, I love a good cheese as much as the next guy.

Jake has a good point about dogs and chickens. Once a dog eats a chicken, your chickens will never be safe from your dog. However, if you are able to make it perfectly clear to your dog that the chickens are definitely off limits, you may end up with a great protector of chickens.

We had a dog when I was growing up that almost got one of the chickens, but my father caught the dog just in time. He spoke a few stern (and loud) words, and probably smacked the hell out of ol' Red, and Red made sure those chickens were safe from then on out. I reckon that Red didn't want to be blamed for the loss of any chickens, lol.

If you have the space, I recommend that you get a couple of goats. Goats provide milk and produce great fertilizer for your garden. Goats are also easier to care for than cattle.

Just remember, y'all - chickens are the "gateway drug" of farm critters...chickens then goats, pigs and so on. I do solemnly swear - no llamas, alpacas, emus or ostriches, though. Just sayin'...

He ain't lyin'! Bebe Girl was talkin goats just this evening.
What have I done!

Gotta get some "fainting goats" - lol.

They are so friggin' cool to watch.

Palladin wrote:...toward food independence.

My idea of food independance is telling my wife, "No, I won't eat your squash!"

Chickens would be nice, but i'd add some red-meat producing animals as well. Rabbits maybe?

SHMIV wrote:Goats are also easier to care for than cattle.

AND they TASTE better!

I agree goats are much better tasting then lamb to me, but I was reared on a farm in OK and we raised goats, chickens, rabbits, pigs, horses ect....
One of my favorite memories is getting to butcher the rabbits and goats. We sold the meat for money and gave some to our local church to help out families. Goat jerky is the best jerky ever!! A little soy sauce, ginger and smoke flavoring..... I gotta get a goat!

Cajun goat burgers are the best...

3lbs meat
3oz soy sauce
1tbsp worcestershire sauce
1tbsp Cajun seasoning (voodoo ash)


Also makes a GREAT jerky!

cyras21 wrote:

SHMIV wrote:Goats are also easier to care for than cattle.

AND they TASTE better!

Never eaten goat. I'm not opposed to it, but I'd probably get attached to any goats that I'd raise. I think I'd have to do some bartering with another goat farmer for any sort of goat meat.

TheGodfather wrote:

Palladin wrote:...toward food independence.

My idea of food independance is telling my wife, "No, I won't eat your squash!"

What self respecting Sicilian doesn't eat squash?!
Mama - " You gotta lova my zucchini poppalini!"

cyras21 wrote:Cajun goat burgers are the best...

3lbs meat
3oz soy sauce
1tbsp worcestershire sauce
1tbsp Cajun seasoning (voodoo ash)


Also makes a GREAT jerky!

I still think Rick needs to make a VGOF recipe page...