CRITTER CARE - Time & Labor-Saving "Tips and Tricks"
Here's a tough quiz: Which would you rather have -
-
Animal products where the animals lived out their short lives in insanely crowded warehouses, with inhumane treatment, injected with growth hormones, subjected to antibiotics and fed cheep, wierd byproducts . . . OR . . .
-
Animal products from animals that spent their days enjoying fresh air and sunshine with room enough to dance the Macarena, eating their fill of high-quality natural goodies, healthy - not because drugs, but because of their lifestyle.
Hmmmmm . . . Hmmmmm . . . Hmmmmm . . . Which one?
There are so many folks who are answering that question the same way you did that the "Locally Grown" movement is on fire. We're wanting to grow and know our own food the way Grandpa and Grandma did or buy as close to home as we can get. We're collectively opting for humane and healthy.
Below is a growing collection of the best "How To" videos and websites to help you explore the possibilities. We're starting with some of the easy basic animals you can raise, but stick around! We're constantly finding new stuff . . .
Chickens and Ducks
Consider the forest and the jungle. They are teaming with large, healthy plant-life. The soil is rich and loose. Yet, no one takes a plow to them or makes any effort to fertilize them.
This fertile land is so successful exactly because it is left undisturbed - only adding to what's already there with fallen leaves, branches, trees and such.
So, the soil is loaded with microorganisms and micronutrients. The compost on top provides a cover that retains water underneath and repells weeds on top. Whenever it rains, the decomposing material deposits more nutrients into the soil.
This "Plant Paradise" can be re-created in any home and on any farm, easily and inexpensively with the "Back To Eden" method.
Fish
Aquaponics is a nifty way to grow both fish and produce in a synergysitc "buddy-buddy" way.
This technique is rapidly growing in propularity for good reasons!
-
You can grow a LOT of food in a little space.
-
It uses less water than traditional gardening.
-
Everything is clean and natural - toxin free!
-
You can set up a system just about anywhere, from an urban backyard to inside a home, to a 3rd-World Desert.
-
The system can be selt-sustaining and continue to produce food even during a crisis!
Black Soldier Flies
First there were bees and silkworms - but now there's a new domesticated insect on the block!
Black Soldier Flies are found naturally just about everywhere in the world and are able to compost in record time. But that's not the best part about these little guys!
The clean, harmless "BSF" starts life as a creepy-looking larva - loaded with protien! It's a favorite food of chickens, fish, pigs, ducks, etc.
Black Soldier Flies even harvest themselves, by climbing up a chute and dropping into a bucket.
Bottom line: BSF's turn garbage into free, high-quality organic feed for your critters!