Chickens are great for food and self-sufficiency. They are the oldest domesticated animal in the world, which means people have been using them for eggs, meat, manure compost, and insect control for thousands of years. If you’re thinking about starting your own flock, consider the following.
Why do you want chickens? There is an investment of time and money involved, so consider your return. These are the things you’ll have to do if you keep chickens:
- Build a PREDATOR PROOF coop and run
- Decide what kind of birds and how many
- Raise the chicks or buy adult birds
- Clean the coop regularly and compost or dispose of manure
- Feed and water them
- Deal with disease and/or destructive habits
- Collect eggs regularly
- Winterize your flock
- Butcher and process them
If you live in a town or city check city ordinances before you start your flock. Most municipalities will allow a certain number of hens, but no roosters. A rooster is not necessary for your hens to lay eggs, but it is for more baby chickens. Investing the time and money to build a strong, secure coop and run can’t be overstated. It is devastating to work hard raising a flock only to have it wiped out by predators, disease, or cannibalistic habits that arise from stressful conditions.
A word of warning for first-time chicken keepers. Some people get attached to their chickens, and eating your pets gets weird. Do not let your kids take them into your house. They actively carry salmonella and other bacteria that’s harmful to humans. They are not house pets. It may seem silly to bring it up, but people who didn’t grow up in the country struggle with this.
Most people order chicks in the spring for egg and meat production. Chicks need a heat source for about three months before you can put them outside, depending on your climate and when you get them. They’ll require an inside area (it will get stinky and noisy) where you can install a heat lamp and have enough space for quickly growing critters. They need at minimum 1-2 square feet per bird as they grow. They also need constant access to food and water, and daily cleaning. It takes an average of 4-5 months for chickens to start laying eggs. Meat birds mature between 3 and 5 months depending on the breed. On average, after three years, egg production declines and then your hen becomes dinner or a pet.
If you decide you’re ready, check back for articles on the next steps; choosing the right breeds and raising chicks.
. He had been traveling with a companion who he says died at sea several months ago.
Think you could have survived?
AndroVid can be purchased off the Google “Play” application market. The free version will allow you to do all the operations required to select any image as a photo from a video, Pro will gives you additional features.
Here’s a slightly different version we found too, let us know if you try making either!
In this discussion of lightweight shelters we will be looking at 5 basic shelter options for use in back country travel and discuss some of the advantages and drawbacks of each system in terms of protection they provide.
The scope of the shelter systems we will inspect are:
No Shelter, Water Resistant Breathable Bivy, Waterproof Breathable Bivy, Open Tarp, and the Mid Tarp.
With each option we will be discussing the attributes of each shelter system in terms of its protection from dew, wind, rain, snow, and insects.
No Shelter-
No Shelter– Having no shelter provides little protection from inclement conditions. However, the study of wilderness survival skills can help mitigate risk and provide shelter as adequate as the skills, tools, time, and materials that are available to an individual or group.
Water Resistant Breathable Bivy– Provides slightly more protection than no shelter. It is a popular option to combine a WRB Bivy with an open tarp to create a more adequate shelter system.
Waterpoof Breathable Bivy– Although WRB Bivy provides better protection from wind and rain, during a snow storm they are subjected to snow loading. Snow loading is the accumulation of snow on a shelter which can affect the integrity of the shelter. With both WRB and WPB bivy sacks the snow accumulation can compresses the insulation in a sleeping bag which will result in a loss of warmth.
Open Tarps- When analyzing the adequacy of open tarps in inclement conditions it is important to note that protection depends on how and where the tarp is pitched. Understanding campsite selection techniques may increase the ability of an open tarp to provide protection in these conditions. Remember in most situations open tarps will usually have at least one or more open faces to the wind. Open tarps are also subject to snow loading because the structure lacks support. Snow loading can warp the tarps structure and possibly lead to seam failure.
No Shelter– Very little protection from bugs without a shelter. However, during cold seasons bugs may not be an issue.
WRB Bivy and WPB Bivy– As long as the bivy is closed it provides excellent insect protection.
Open Tarps- Open tarps by themselves offer very little insect protection. However, open tarps can have no-see-um mesh sewn around the perimeter that can provide adequate protection from bugs. The mesh can also bring small gains in rain protection as droplets accumulate in the lining.
Mid Tarps– Although the bottom of a Mid tarp remains open allowing crawlers open access, the mid tarp provides better protection from flying bugs because the tarp has no open sides. Additionally, flying bugs may seek warmth which gathers towards the top of the tarp, remaining out of the area of the occupant. Mid tarps can also be paired with no-see-um mesh which will increase its bug protection.
Many of the shelters discussed can be less than one pound and smaller than a large water bottle.
But what shelter provides the most protection? It may depend.
Displayed in the chart below are the averages from each of the ratings that each shelter was given from above.
No Shelter– Having no shelter provides very little protection but has the lowest weight. Carrying no shelter is ideally suited for experienced travelers in good weather when the objective is to keep pack weight at the maximum minimum.
WRB Bivy– Provides more protection in inclement conditions than not having a shelter and provides excellent protection against bugs. A popular option is to pair a WRB bivy with an open tarp to create more adequate protection from dew, wind, and rain.
WPB Bivy– Provides greater protection against dew, wind, and rain than a WRB Bivy but may carry additional drawbacks. Waterproof breathable fabrics such as Gore-tex have come a long way but still lack adequate protection against condensation. You may be dry from the rain, but inside the bivy you may find that condensation and sweat can build up and dampen your bag internally and lead to uncomfortable sleeping conditions. Additionally, bivys provide little in respect to livability.
Open Tarps– Open tarps create the most debate about its adequacy of protection. When dealing with open tarps outdoor experience plays a major role in how the shelter will serve. Open tarps allow flexibility in the ways it can be pitched to accommodate different scenarios. With the addition of mesh lining around the perimeter, the tarp can supply adequate bug protection. When combined with a WRB bivy its protection can be strengthened against wind, rain, and bugs.
Mid Tarp– Receiving the best overall rating, mid tarps provide a wide variety of benefits when compared to other light weight shelter options. It has great performance against dew, wind, rain, and bugs. When encountering snow it is the only shelter analyzed that doesn’t succumb to snow loading due to a steep wall design. Mid tarps are a common shelter system used by a wide variety of the world’s most influential lightweight backpackers.