The Everything Guide to Living Off the Grid (22 page)

Although pigs will eat large quantities of just about anything (that’s where we get the term “eating like a pig”), they also need a balanced diet of grains (not just corn) in order to gain weight and have the correct meat-to-fat ratio. Pigs can be fed leftovers from your kitchen, the local vegetable processing plant, and even the local cheese processing plant. You just want
to be sure that what you feed your pig is healthy and natural. Research what’s available in your area and talk to your local Extension agent for more information.

Raising Goats

Goats are wonderfully social animals. They are intelligent, curious, and friendly. They are herd animals, so you should always have more than one goat or you might end up being drafted into their herd. Goats have developed a bad reputation for eating everything in sight, when, in fact, they are fairly picky eaters. Goats are closely related to the deer family and like to nibble on tree branches and brush. Goats can actually starve if just fed grass. They need a combination of grass, brush, weeds, grain, and, of course, clean, fresh water.

Goats’ intelligence and curiosity can often get them into trouble. They will find any weakness you have in your fencing. They will sneak into your orchard and nibble off the new growth on your apple trees. They will eat your prized rose bushes. They will also eat things that are not good for them, such as milkweed, azaleas, and laurel, which are actually poisonous to goats. Be sure that you research plants in your area that are hazardous to goats and either eliminate them or be sure that you have a strong fencing system.

You can raise goats for meat, dairy, or fiber. Goat meat is called
chevon
. Young goats (kids) can be sold for meat at Easter time, especially in areas that have a large Greek Orthodox population. Goat milk, goat cheese, goat milk curd, and goat yogurt are excellent commodities and can bring in extra income. Angora and Cashmere goats produce fleece that is highly prized, and you can earn as much from their fleece as from sheep’s wool.

Raising Cows

When you decide to raise a cow, you need to understand that you are looking at a long-term commitment. A cow can potentially live twenty years. During that lifespan, she can produce a calf every year and be milked for most of that time. The calves can be raised either for meat or to increase your herd.

The factors you need to consider before purchasing a cow are (1) space, (2) feed, and (3) your needs. A cow will need at least two acres of good pasture. During the time that she can’t graze, you will need about 30 pounds of hay per day per cow. If you need to feed your cow hay from the beginning of November to the beginning of April, you could easily need 2½ tons of hay per cow. You will need a place to store the hay, as well as straw for bedding. Your cow will also need grain supplements throughout the year.

Depending on the breed you choose, an average cow can produce about six gallons of milk per day. After giving birth to a calf, a cow can produce milk for over a year. However, a cow is generally rebred sixty to ninety days after the birth of her last calf and only milked for seven months while she is pregnant. The total gestation (the length of a pregnancy) time for a cow is 9½ months. A newborn calf will weigh about a hundred pounds, depending on the breed, and will be able to walk within an hour of being born.

Dairy cattle tend to be gentler animals than beef cattle and are better suited for a family farm. Within the dairy breeds, Jerseys, Guernseys, Brown Swiss, and Holsteins are the friendliest. Because of their smaller size and the high butterfat content of their milk, Jerseys can be the perfect cow for someone just starting out.

Raising Sheep

If you have ever driven by a sheep farm in the spring and seen new lambs frolicking in the green pastures, you will understand the attraction of sheep. Sheep are generally docile animals and are easily handled. They produce both a wool crop and a meat crop. However, you need to get in touch with a local sheep association before you purchase your sheep to better understand the local market.

Like goats, sheep are herd animals, so it is better to buy more than one. Unlike goats, sheep, for the most part, are not highly intelligent. In
The Encyclopedia of Country Living
, Carla Emery writes, “Of all the big domestic animals, sheep are the most vulnerable to catastrophe. They have no natural defense against predators, not much good sense about things in general, and a frequently disastrous instinct to follow the leader, no matter what. If you have one sheep in trouble, you likely have more than one in trouble.”

You can raise sheep for wool, meat, and milk. Fine-stranded wool comes from breeds suited to warmer climates; medium-stranded wool from breeds suited to temperate zones, like England; and coarse-stranded wool from breeds that come from cooler, damper climates. White sheep wool is the standard and has a higher market value. When you raise sheep with black wool you need to find alternate markets, like specialty spinners, in order to make any money. Meat breeds produce wool, too. However, if you are raising sheep for your family to eat, be sure they like the unique flavor of lamb and mutton.

If you are looking for an animal specifically for milk production, you are better off getting a goat or a cow. But if you are raising sheep for meat or wool, milk is an extra benefit. Sheep’s teats are short and they have a limited lactation (milk production) period, but they can produce up to a quart of milk a day during that time. Because of the higher amount of solids in sheep milk, you will get two or three times more cheese than you would from cow’s milk, and it makes superior ice cream and yogurt.

Because of their warm coats, shelter isn’t as much of an issue for sheep, unless you live in a polar region. Pregnant ewes (females) will need shelter during cold weather and at lambing time. Also, sheep will need shelter after they are sheared if you live in a colder climate.

Sheep can live entirely on green grass, but check with you local Extension agent to see if there are any plants in your area that are poisonous to sheep.

CHAPTER 14
Hunting

Hunting is simply harvesting wild food. In most places, an experienced hunter is as important to the ecosystem as are food, water, and shelter. A hunter limits the size of a herd or flock, so animals don’t overpopulate an area and end up starving to death or becoming diseased. You need to understand, however, that just as you consider the needs of your own domestic livestock, wild animals need to be shown respect and consideration when you hunt.

Know Your Quarry

To be a successful hunter, you need to educate yourself about the game you are hunting. One way to learn about your quarry is to understand its specific characteristics. Animals can be identified by four basic characteristics: markings, sounds, movement, and group behavior.

• Markings:
  the distinctive colors or patterns found on the body of the animal. For example, a male mallard duck (drake) has a teal-colored head, and the female mallard duck (hen) has a light brown–colored head. A male lion has a mane, and the female does not. It is important for you to be able to clearly distinguish your prey, not only by male and female, but also by species, to ensure you are not hunting out of season or hunting an endangered animal.
  
• Sounds:
  you are probably very familiar with the sounds of a cardinal or a woodpecker. Their distinct calls and sounds alert you to their proximity. Knowing the sounds of your prey will help you track them.
  
• Movement:
  does your prey leap or burrow when startled? Does it fly straight upward, or start low and then gain altitude? Knowing what to expect from your prey will help you to be ready when you aim your weapon.
  
• Group behavior:
  you have probably seen geese fly in a V-formation. Understanding group behavior like this will help you place yourself in an optimal position when hunting.
  

Although these basic characteristics are the most important, studying other animal traits, such as migratory and feeding patterns, animal prints, animal droppings, behavior, and how your quarry protects itself from natural predators will only increase your chance of a successful hunt.

Preparation

The first thing you should do before you plan to hunt is to become educated. Hunter education programs are not only about safety; they also include information to help produce responsible and knowledgeable hunters. There is so much more to hunting than buying a gun and some ammunition. Hunter
education programs give beginning hunters a good foundation, and they also can help veteran hunters by reminding them of safe hunting practices.

The four areas most hunter education programs stress are responsibility, safety skills, knowledge, and getting involved to keep hunting a respected sport.

• Responsibility:
  A true hunter behaves responsibly. This includes courtesy to other hunters, landowners, and those who are charged with maintaining lawful hunting. A responsible hunter will never poach, act carelessly, consume alcohol (or any other mind- or behavioraltering substance) before or during shooting, or endanger those around him. Responsible hunters will also learn and obey local hunting laws, practice gun and hunting safety, and wait for a good chance at a clean kill before shooting. A clean kill is when you are able to kill an animal with the least amount of pain and suffering.
  
• Safety skills:
  A firearm is a very useful tool, but it can be a dangerous weapon in the hands of those who do not know how to correctly use it. Safety skills for hunting are gained through hands-on training and practice. It is important to learn these skills from an experienced hunter or a hunter education program.
  

Is hunting safe?
According to the National Safety Council, Injury Facts 2008 edition, hunting is by far the safest sport. Figures show that while football players suffer 2,585 injuries per 100,000 participants, baseball players suffer 1,122 injuries per 100,000, and even billiards players suffer 15 injuries per 100,000 participants, the incidence of injuries suffered during hunting activities was only 2 per 100,000.

• Knowledge:
  Hunting isn’t only about knowing your quarry, it’s also about understanding the limits and uses of your gun, safe gun handling, and hunting skills. No single firearm will be able to meet all of your hunting needs, and each unique firearm has its own strengths and limitations.
  
• Involvement:
  Because hunting is often a misunderstood sport, part of becoming a good hunter is supporting organizations that work to promote understanding and mutual respect. Organizations like the International Hunter Education Association (IHEA) work to “continue the heritage of hunting worldwide by developing safe, responsible, and knowledgeable hunters.” Through these types of organizations, hunters work together to educate others and work with landowners and game wardens to encourage good relationships as well. There are also organizations that are specifically conservation-minded, working to help preserve wildlife habitat and promote wildlife management.
  

The International Hunter Education Association (IHEA) is the professional association for 67 state and provincial wildlife conservation agencies as well as the 70,000 volunteer instructors who teach hunter education in North America. Hunter education classes reach more than 750,000 students annually. Since 1949, more than 35 million students have been trained.

Equipment

There are several different kinds of equipment that you can use for hunting—firearms, bows, rod and reel, and snares and traps. The most common piece of equipment used for hunting is a firearm.

Firearms

A firearm is a mechanical device that is designed to force a projectile through and out of a metal tube by using pressure from a small explosion. All contemporary firearms have three basic sections—the action, the stock, and the barrel.