Homesteading

[J T]

I don't know the answer, it just seems apparent to me that as medical science increases average life spans while simultaneously it enhances reproductive abilities, we have a situation where the human population will grow exponentially. We need an ethical way to slow that process before there are not enough resources on the planet and we face untold chaos as a result of overgrowth. I think we too often take it as a given that population will increase, and we design our cities and policies around that, rather than stopping to question whether there is a viable way to reduce population growth. Hell, I hear some people calling for more population growth so that there are enough people to get social security money from to take care of baby boomers as they become elderly. Again, I don't have the answers, but I think few people ever even raise the topic because there is such a strong belief in the sanctity of reproductive freedom.

[J T]

Back to the topic though, sustainable living is a noble goal for managing resources and homesteading has some potential for helping to achieve that. Sorry for the derail fastbilly.

[fastbilly1]

I believe it was Sampson that said that goat meat tasted like venison- I don't know if I can agree with that. This isn't necessarily something you where you can state how it tastes, because different people will pick different flavors out, and how you cook it can make a difference. Goat is like hog or sheep meat where it varies a lot depending on age, sexual maturity, whether or not it was castrated (if male), overall weight, and gender. Overall, I'd say it tastes closest to beef, although more gamey. I wouldn't mark it down to any one thing though, because cabrito is different than mature nanny meat is different than billy meat is different than wether meat. There's too much variation.

How people interpret the taste of meat is mostly based around how much fat is in it and what kinds. This is why most people say everything taste like chicken. Most Americans eat alot of chicken and their mind tricks them into making low fat lighter meats taste the same. This gets into a complicated game of how the carbonchains are received that I am not awake enough to get into - and its been awhile since I had to whiteboard that. Gogo Food Science Degree.

Personally, goat meat taste an awful lot like mature lamb, not quite mutton. It has a slightly gamier taste on average but is quite good cooked into a variety of dishes. My favorite is fire roasted, cut thin, then served with tikka masala sauce on the side. Or with some tzatziki in an open gyro.

I'm not sure who did it, but referring to nannies as fillies is a no no. That's more of a pet peeve overall, my animal science classes and years of ranch life give a knee jerk reaction where I hear that. Billy and nanny can be interchangeable with buck and doe though, as some groups are pushing for the latter because it sounds a bit more refined.

That was my mistake. Simple typo.

Saying chickens eat vegetation is right, although far from the preferred diet. They eat parts of a plant, mostly seeds, fruits the plant may produce, etc. They do eat young, tender vegetation. Its preferable to have insects and other invertebrates around, if at all possible. Protein is a major thing with chickens, for both growing to eat and egg production. Its hard to "graze" chickens like it is other livestock.

Chickens will eat vegetation down to the stem, they will even eat the stem if they do not have enough rocks in their gullet. This is why people have homestead with them for decades. Before we had weed whackers, it was not uncommon for people to use them (or goats) to eat the grass and brush from around their house. It is not their preferred diet, but no one made that claim. I have seen plenty of people use chicken tractors to fight off kudzu or just to eat down brush. But to make sure I was not off base on this, I asked my wife who has a Masters in Animal Science, and two friends (one a Doctor in Zoology and his wife who has a Doctor in Zoology and a Doctor in Veterinary Science). They all agreed that chickens can be used as a replacement for goats in the landscaping department IF you keep them in a pen/tractor.

The advantage of a tractor is that they wont lay eggs in random places.

[Ack]

I don't know the answer, it just seems apparent to me that as medical science increases average life spans while simultaneously it enhances reproductive abilities, we have a situation where the human population will grow exponentially. We need an ethical way to slow that process before there are not enough resources on the planet and we face untold chaos as a result of overgrowth. I think we too often take it as a given that population will increase, and we design our cities and policies around that, rather than stopping to question whether there is a viable way to reduce population growth. Hell, I hear some people calling for more population growth so that there are enough people to get social security money from to take care of baby boomers as they become elderly. Again, I don't have the answers, but I think few people ever even raise the topic because there is such a strong belief in the sanctity of reproductive freedom.

There is. It's called stress and overwork. Look how effective it has become in Japanese society.

[prfsnl_gmr]

There is. It's called stress and overwork. Look how effective it has become in Japanese society.

The birth rates in most developed countries is fairly low; so, I think that the key to controlling the earth's population in the long term is probably: (1) higher standards of living in "third-world" countries; (2) improved women's rights in "third-world" countries; and (3) improved access to effective and inexpensive birth control.

[marurun]

I don't know the answer, it just seems apparent to me that as medical science increases average life spans while simultaneously it enhances reproductive abilities, we have a situation where the human population will grow exponentially. We need an ethical way to slow that process before there are not enough resources on the planet and we face untold chaos as a result of overgrowth. I think we too often take it as a given that population will increase, and we design our cities and policies around that, rather than stopping to question whether there is a viable way to reduce population growth. Hell, I hear some people calling for more population growth so that there are enough people to get social security money from to take care of baby boomers as they become elderly. Again, I don't have the answers, but I think few people ever even raise the topic because there is such a strong belief in the sanctity of reproductive freedom.

There is. It's called stress and overwork. Look how effective it has become in Japanese society.

It also explains why immigration is the only reason the American birth rate isn't below replacement (2.1).

[J T]

There is. It's called stress and overwork. Look how effective it has become in Japanese society.

The birth rates in most developed countries is fairly low; so, I think that the key to controlling the earth's population in the long term is probably: (1) higher standards of living in "third-world" countries; (2) improved women's rights in "third-world" countries; and (3) improved access to effective and inexpensive birth control.

Sad truth Ack.

And good poitns prfsnl_gmr. I think we could add to that list "improvement in gay rights and a cultural shift against homophobia", which cuts down on the number of sham marriages with pregnancies. Gay couples obviously do still have kids, but at about a third the rate straight people. They are also more likely to adopt, rather than use in-vitro or surrogate parents. Improvements in gay rights would also make it even easier for them to adopt, because they have to face a lot of unfounded fears that gay people make for poor parents.

Improved sex education is also an important factor, despite the fears of parents that if we factually talk to their darlings about sex that their children will suddenly become lust filled maniacs (don't blame the education for what the hormones did).

[Forlorn Drifter]

@fastbilly-
I wasn't trying to say you were wrong, I didn't use the right wording on the chickens. I might have misread. If you're using them to eat down vegetation, then go right ahead. "Brush" is a weird term to use in my mind, because I think of mesquite, huisache, cedar and such, but if you're talking smaller stuff it makes a lot more sense.

[dsheinem]

So if I have a lot of land and an annual garden and once owned a horse (and still have the barn) can I call myself a "homesteader" now? Because it sounds like some kind of hipster nonsense term for taking the dramatic step of acknowledging that you can interact with and benefit from the nature in and around where you live.

Or maybe I am missing something?

[prfsnl_gmr]

So if I have a lot of land and an annual garden and once owned a horse (and still have the barn) can I call myself a "homesteader" now? Because it sounds like some kind of hipster nonsense term for taking the dramatic step of acknowledging that you can interact with and benefit from the nature in and around where you live.

Or maybe I am missing something?

I have mulberry trees in my 1/3 acres backyard, and my wife makes jame out of the mulberries. I also tend to a small garden in the spring and summer months, and my home is 1800 sq. ft. partially-renovated 1920s craftsman bungalow. Am I an urban homesteader?