What prep items did you get recently?

[steves1911]

Bought an electric chicken plucker and small band saw designed for butchering purposes. Our goal is to provide all our own meat by the end of summer so we ordered 100 cornish cross peeps too.

 

[lazarus]

Bought an electric chicken plucker and small band saw designed for butchering purposes. Our goal is to provide all our own meat by the end of summer so we ordered 100 cornish cross peeps too.

The only issue is you also have to feed them.

At least if you are talking prepping, that's a lot of grain storage. Or you need a ton of forage space for 100 chickens. Not impossible, and you've probably thought of that, but I just wanted to point it out is that its only secure if you have the ability to feed the things that you are then going to butcher and eat.

I've got a friend with a small farmlet. Has half a dozen cows, a few horses, a couple dozen goats, a ton of rabbits and a bunch of chickens. As he put it "we are food secure no matter what happens!".

I gently pointed out that he also buys several hundred dollars of hay and feed every month to keep all of those animals alive as he doesn't have remotely the grazing space for them all to be grass fed (let alone you can't overwinter them here and be grass feed unless you've got a HUGE area). I know he keeps a couple of months of food around for them in his barn. But he doesn't have the space or ability to preserve all of that meat if he couldn't feed them. I guess he could rapidly downsize and keep a herd and flock just manageable enough on his space and it would likely provide a huge meat supplement for his family. But I don't think that is what he is thinking.

 

[Alea Jacta Est]

Rabbits and a rabbit tractor.

Chickens and free range.

Goats on side hill.

Good dog to oversee them.

FWIMBW, I met a fella one time that had designed a rabbit/chicken tractor…he’d run it from field to field and use scat for fertilizer to plant against.

Despite MDS occasional trend to contrary, chikken sh1t is really good for fertilizer. Look how some of our very own houseplants prosper.

 

[Ponder_MD]

I'm buying any sort of home maintenance consumable I think I might need.

Paint brushes, hardware, caulk.

Frantically trying to get projects done before prices go up again.

We public employees can't adjust our salaries like tradespeople can.

I also advise a length of spare PEX and various Sharkbite connectors and a couple of valves.

 

[Shoot4Keeps]

A woman who tolerates my stupid a$$, is good at farm work, and can shoot.

 

[FNFZ4]

a Shotgun lol... well looking for one.

 

[Kicken Wing]

I just got my assault jack for the jeep.

 

[Harrys]

I just got my assault jack for the jeep.

I need one for my Rubi Gladiator

 

[Kicken Wing]

I need one for my Rubi Gladiator

Excellent choice, sir!

 

[steves1911]

The only issue is you also have to feed them.

At least if you are talking prepping, that's a lot of grain storage. Or you need a ton of forage space for 100 chickens. Not impossible, and you've probably thought of that, but I just wanted to point it out is that its only secure if you have the ability to feed the things that you are then going to butcher and eat.

I've got a friend with a small farmlet. Has half a dozen cows, a few horses, a couple dozen goats, a ton of rabbits and a bunch of chickens. As he put it "we are food secure no matter what happens!".

I gently pointed out that he also buys several hundred dollars of hay and feed every month to keep all of those animals alive as he doesn't have remotely the grazing space for them all to be grass fed (let alone you can't overwinter them here and be grass feed unless you've got a HUGE area). I know he keeps a couple of months of food around for them in his barn. But he doesn't have the space or ability to preserve all of that meat if he couldn't feed them. I guess he could rapidly downsize and keep a herd and flock just manageable enough on his space and it would likely provide a huge meat supplement for his family. But I don't think that is what he is thinking.

The cornish cross grow out quick so I wont be feeding them for too long. I have 30 acres currently in pasture and another 70 thats getting converted back from crop into hay this fall. If it came down to it I could grow enough to sustain our animals. The chickens would be the hardest over winter but numbers could be dropped down in the fall and hatch more every spring to replenish. The cows are easy I currently have 16 head on 30 acres and they cant begin to keep up with it I have to bale it every couple months. The pasture is heavy in clover so it fattens them up nice without the need for feed. I currently spend $500 yr to feed that many and thats solely just treats we get for them the pasture provides everything they need. If I had to rely on bought feed I think it would be a lot harder to justify.

 

[Blacksmith101]

In a SHTF situation you also need to provide protection for your animals. If a bunch of neighbors as well as a bigger bunch of nomads are wandering around looking for something to eat and you have meat just walking around your losses will be significant without 24/7 armed protection and you probably also need protection for the protector.

 

[Alea Jacta Est]

Same with garden.

If you have stuff, you’re vulnerable.

The more that folks want stuff, the harder you’ll have to be to defend what you’ve got.

Solo is NG. There’s strength in numbers. No loads unwelcome.

Funny how various threat/outcome scenarios almost all demand some degree of character, competence and commitment.

Those things are today in short supply. Perhaps a hint as to how we got on the path we are on…

 

[kookymonstir]

All you have to do to figure out what you need is to pay attention to past storms, pandemics and general shortages. Once stuff happens, you have anywhere between a few hours to maybe 2 days to get what you need (or what's left). Past experience has shown that these items will be gone QUICK. Guns, ammo, fuel of all kinds including charcoal, generators, water, bread and other perishables, non perishables, pet food, warm clothes (in winter), cash and medicines. Oh and lets not forget toilet paper . After past storms in the NE, it took all of about 3 days or less before lawlessness started taking place in the major cities. The other thing that seems to be important as has been stated in other posts is to gather up with family, friends, neighbors and look out for each other. Keep a low profile and don't go around waving fancy guns, clothes or vehicles as it makes you target # 1. Get stocked up while the stocking is easy. Once anything happens, it's too late. Buy a little extra each week or so. Before you know it, you'll have a thousand rounds of every caliber, plenty of stores and fuels. My personal goal is to make it a month or two with what we have, then maybe work on longer.

 

[Alea Jacta Est]

Some great discourse here

Space and time. Those are the two keys.

I have planned based on getting by for two crop cycles after whatever might happen…if and when it does. Living at ~4000 feet, crops are more of a challenge as WX is still naughty in OCT and APR. I’m guessing that means two winters. They’re as much of a challenge as summers are where it’s hot and humid.

I guessed best case of a month of power from the local utility. After that, no mas.

Good news is locals are in many cases a half to a full generation from living with scarcity. That’s almost a lost art.

The only Karen’s and Kens here are imports. More, recently. Their staying power and readiness remain to be seen.

 

[Antarctica]

I just got my assault jack for the jeep.

Be careful. Used with a lack of experience, that thing will knock your skull right off your shoulders...

 

[Trepang]

Need my hominy
Wife keeps buying the wrong stuff so I ordered a couple cases of Bush's.

 

[Bullfrog]

Need my hominy
Wife keeps buying the wrong stuff so I ordered a couple cases of Bush's.

So what you're saying is, your wife didn't give you what you wanted so you got Bush elsewhere? Tsk tsk.

 

[Trepang]

So what you're saying is, your wife didn't give you what you wanted so you got Bush elsewhere? Tsk tsk.

Lol .... yeah, I guess you're right...

 

[dagmars]

I don't use Hominy much but I like it, I don't get bush much but that's my wife fault.

 

[Kicken Wing]

Be careful. Used with a lack of experience, that thing will knock your skull right off your shoulders...

And that ain't no joke. When using as a winch, one should know the limits of their recovery items and how to use them. The last thing I want to happen is for metal, straps, chains, rope, small tree, etc to fail under enormous stress and come hurling toward any of my body parts. Google "winch fails". It ain't pretty.