ECON What Will You Do When Inflation Forces US Households To Spend 40% Of Their Incomes On Food?

[nomifyle]

We don't have room for our grocery bill to increase any more than what it already has. We're going to have to make ourselves buy less, and learn to eat cheaper than what we do. My grocery bill runs around $450 every two weeks. That's $900/month. I include in that cleaning products, toiletry items, etc. and dog and cat food. Don't know what percent of Cary's income that is, though. We don't have a garden large enough to sustain us, either, due to our health.

OMG, $900 a month on groceries, I wasn't spending that much when I was really stocking up. And besides my ss check is only a little over $1000 a month, although I do have a couple of other income streams but they don't add up to all that much. I haven't really grocery shopped in about three weeks, I have a small grocery list going on my phone and it only comes to about $60. I'm well stocked on other than food, although I have a couple of bars of fels naptha and zote soap on my grocery list. The bar has gotten smaller, but its still cheap. The smell of the pink zote makes me just about want to die, but the white bar is fine. I don't need any more laundry soup, just wanted to add a bit to the bar soap stash.

DH grew up very poor, and we had what we needed but almost nothing extra. Most people we knew were in about the same shape. That was when a family with four children lived in a two bedroom house with one bathroom and they were happy.

I know how to eat cheaply. I can easily do beans daily, although they do give me gas.

Speaking of chickens, we have quite a few, including way too many roosters. DH has put 5 big beautiful roosters out of the chicken yard and is not feeding them. They are not going hungry because they have quite amount of space to hunt and peck. And he does throw some corn out for the goats and I'm sure they get a few grains of that.

Our goats are our pets and all they have cost us is fencing, lots and lots of fencing. We have about 8 acres fenced, mostly woods. I don't then even my meat eater DH would butcher one and we are too old to milk them.

God is good all the time

Judy

 

[packyderms_wife]

If the current administration gets it's way and forces a $15 dollar an hour minimum wage then the prices of every thing will escalate, along with throwing the bottom classes into a new higher tax bracket costing them more in taxes. The end result will be an easy 40% or higher increase in food costs.

 

[raven]

as to the question "What will I do?"

I will do what I have been doing since 2012.
I will bake bread. I will use the crockpot once a week. I will buy cheese in 5# bricks and use the cheese slicer.
I will eat one egg on a tortilla for breakfast. I will be cold in the winter and warm in the summer.

I may be single again.

 

[Cacheman]

If the weather trends don't change in a short time all bets are off....

Dry weather in North and South America threaten crop conditions

Commodity prices head upward as drought expands.

www.agriculture.com

Dry weather in North and South America threaten crop conditions
Krissy Klinger

3 minutes



Unfavorable weather has put upward price pressure on soybean and grain markets over the past week with little relief in sight. The weather in growing regions of both the United States and Brazil presents significant risk to the health of crops, and those concerns will continue as we head into mid-May with below-normal precipitation expected.

Dry weather continues across a large portion of the Corn Belt in the second week of May 2021. According to data from WeatherTrends360, the week-ending May 16, 2021 will be the fourth driest in 30-plus years for the Corn Belt. However, if current forecasts for the week stay on track, there will actually be a pocket of above-normal precipitation from North Dakota to Minnesota.

North Dakota has been one of the hardest hit drought areas this year in the Corn Belt with topsoil moisture rated very short for 55% of the state, according to the USDA’s Crop Progress report issued May 3, 2021. Any rain will be welcome in this area, but in order to put a dent in drought conditions, which encompass most of the state, there will need to be a sustained pattern of wetter weather.





Dryness is also a concern south of the equator for Brazil’s safrinha crop. According to WeatherTrends360, the week-ending May 16 will be between the second and third driest in over 30 years for some of the major producing states, including Goiás and Mato Grosso. Since April 1, 2021, precipitation across Brazil has run well below normal from Goiás and south to Rio Grande do Sul.

Unfortunately, as we look to the second half of May, there doesn’t appear to be any substantial relief on the way with drier-than-normal conditions expected widely across the southern half of Brazil. Additionally, we’re moving closer to their dry season, and it is unlikely we’ll make up for current rainfall deficits anytime soon. For a look at the long-range forecast, go to WeatherTrends360.com.

 

[Josie]

What Will You Do When Inflation Forces US Households To Spend 40% Of Their Incomes On Food?

And the other 60% is taken in taxes?

 

[SouthernBreeze]

OMG, $900 a month on groceries, I wasn't spending that much when I was really stocking up

Here I was thinking that $900/month was about average what everyone spent. Remember, I include dog food, cat food, their treats, cleaning products, toiletry items, personal care products, etc. in that monthly bill as well. If I have money left over from buying groceries every two weeks, it goes into my personal spending fund. I buy household items and clothing with that little fund I have set aside. Everything is bought with cash, including groceries.

 

[summerthyme]

Looking at getting into rabbits this summer. I worry about how they would do in my climate (hot and humid). I want to keep it small, especially at first. Is one buck and two does enough to start?

Sure, and I always encourage people to start small... if they work out for you, and you enjoy the meat, its very easy to ramp up the operation.. keep a couple young does and buy an unrelated buck.

Heat IS a problem. Bucks will go sterile in the hottest part of the year. But then, we usually avoided breeding in the 2-3 coldest months, due to problems with chilled babies, etc... so it evens out.

You do need to set them up in the shade, preferably someplace with a good breeze. I strongly recommend all wire cages... any wood will eventually get urine soaked, chewed or rotten. An all wire cage allows all the poop and urine to fall out of the living area.

An older book that I found very helpful when I was starting (a long time ago!) was Raising Rabbits The Modern Way by Bill Bennett. Really good *basic* resource. He advocates for feeding all commercial pellets... and explains the health issues you can run into feeding greens, etc. I don't completely agree with him... it definitely is possible to keep rabbits on top quality alfalfa hay plus grass, etc. But I do think its best to start out the "official" way (free choice commercial pellets plus free choice water)... once you learn how healthy rabbits look and act, you can experiment with other feeds.

As an example of the potential issues with alternative feeds..

I just got a call from a lady I sold 8 chickens to last fall. They've suddenly gone from 7-8 eggs a day to one.. or none. They shouldn't be molting (July hatched chicks) and I know they are being cared for... obsessively. <grin.. they all have names >

So I inquired into what they are feeding. Free choice layer mash ... good. "Treats"... grass clippings, table scraps, fruit perls, etc... ok, yes, they love them and they have some nutrition. Cracked corn plus scratch? Aha... I think I found the problem.

Chickens need a minimum of 16% protein in their overall diet to lay eggs. Layer mash is 16%. Its designed to be fed alone, as a complete feed. In the warm months, when my birds are free ranging, I supplement with cracked corn (much cheaper than layer mash), as well as various treats from the garden. But! They are free ranging, meaning they are getting tons of extra protein in the form of bugs and seeds.

Her birds are confined to a yard. I figured they are probably getting around 14% protein overall... which explains egg shortage. If she doesn't get that back up, they'll quit laying and start molting.

With rabbits, inadequate protein shows up in the form of does eating their litter! Not pretty! They will do it for other reasons usually because they feel threatened- but even without any outside stimulus, protein shortage will cause it.

Good luck! Rabbits really were fun. I stopped raising them because we prefer chicken, but if I was in a place where chickens couldn't be raised, I'd go with rabbits again in a heartbeat.

Summerthyme

 

[KFhunter]

Yep... when you have to make little jackets for the hens because the tom has ripped a 6" gash down both sides of her back... thats ridiculous.

As I told hubby... if I wantbig birds that crap everywhere, I'd keep geese again. They, at least, are smart enough to protect and raise babies, and they eat grass! Cheapest meat, bar none. But they're pretty social, so its difficult to keep them down in a pasture. And they make a huge mess wherever they go.

But you can collect a couple dozen of the huge eggs before leaving them for the hen to set, and she'll raise 8-12 babies which will be delicious roast goose by fall. Overwinter a gander and 2-3 geese... it won't break you to feed and house them. Then turn them loose in the Spring and you'll have a couple hundred pounds of high quality protein by Fall.

Summerthyme

Kids want me to get ducks or geese, but I have a river in my backyard. I think they'd be downstream and gone.

 

[1-12020]

I can't afford 40%.
I got four kids

 

[nomifyle]

DH tried to raise rabbits several years ago. The heat and humidity and even the cold we get in the winter made it not worth while. And besides I would not eat any or cook it. I guess I've never been that hungry and besides I'd rather eat beans. And I have lots and lots of beans.

Our pastor is going to raise rabbits, he has a couple of females and one male, he's bought them young and he's waiting until they are grown to bread them. He has a nice set up, all enclosed and he plans to put in a small window unit if necessary. He has three small children and another on the way.

As for expenses, we have some credit card debit that we are chipping away at, but we have no mortgage. DH bought a 30 year old mobile home for cash and he has added many many rooms, all with cash.. Unfortunately our electric bill continues to climb, although I'm waiting until absolutely miserable to turn on the a/c. We have no cross ventalization.

God is good all the time.

Judy

 

[KFhunter]

I can't afford 40%.
I got four kids

You'll get ration stamps

 

[20Gauge]

This is why I made SURE that I got a place I could pay cash for, even though a lot of people wouldn't have called it livable. Houses can be fixed. But if you don't have any money, or can't buy food, how are you going to pay a mortgage?

Kathleen

This is why we are holding off improvements and instead are working on debt reduction asap. We have the last rental paid for this year and the house will take a few more.

 

[20Gauge]

What Will You Do When Inflation Forces US Households To Spend 40% Of Their Incomes On Food?

And the other 60% is taken in taxes?

This is more of a concern. I can deal with the food part.

 

[billet]

I'm planning on a life of crime, stealing from the weak and unarmed, especially old women and people with disabilities. It's gonna be great.
Sarcasm off.

 

[packyderms_wife]

Here I was thinking that $900/month was about average what everyone spent. Remember, I include dog food, cat food, their treats, cleaning products, toiletry items, personal care products, etc. in that monthly bill as well. If I have money left over from buying groceries every two weeks, it goes into my personal spending fund. I buy household items and clothing with that little fund I have set aside. Everything is bought with cash, including groceries.

Same here, and that amount also includes gas for the vehicles and equipment. Some of us don't sort it out by individual categories, we have a monthly household budget, outside of utilities, etc., and I'd say that we're around $900 for the two of us and the cat and dog. Sometimes it's more, sometimes it's less. In the summer when I have fresh produce growing in my garden it's less, often times way less.

 

[packyderms_wife]

I'm planning on a life of crime, stealing from the weak and unarmed, especially old women and people with disabilities. It's gonna be great.
Sarcasm off.

Hmm didn't realize you worked for the government.

 

[pauldingbabe]

Got chickens? Easy meat that won’t run away from home and good eggs without additives. Of course feed us going to get more expensive but from late spring to mid fall my chickens filled up on vegetation and bugs not eating many pellets at all.

Efficient little buggers aren't they? Ducks are easy as well. They are messy, but they will eat every snail, slug, beetle, stink bug, etc you have. Also a duck egg is equal to 2 chicken eggs. Great to bake with and the whites will give you a mile high merang (sp?) On your pies!

 

[raven]

This is why we are holding off improvements and instead are working on debt reduction asap. We have the last rental paid for this year and the house will take a few more.

an alternative way to think about this . . . the paying off of debt . . ..
is the replacement of secured debt with unsecured debt

your auto loan is secured debt. their is a legal lien on the title of your car.
if you can't pay, the repo man comes in the dead of night and takes your car.
your credit card is unsecured debt
if you can't pay, they mark down your credit rating.

with your car payment, it is a fixed amount . . . you will pay $400/mo . . . period
you pay $399 and you missed a payment and you get a late fee.
with your credit card, the fixed payment is usually low . . . so low that it will never get paid off . . . $25/mo
but as long as you make that $25 payment, you are not late - no late fee.

if there is a lien on your car, you must have comprehensive insurance. Full coverage is expensive and you have to have insurance.
If that car payment is moved over to a credit card, you don't need comprehensive insurance. You only need liability in order to drive the car. You become self insured for the value of your car.
Liability insurance is much cheaper.

Transferring secured debt to unsecured debt can drastically reduce your monthly cash flow.
It requires you to accept more responsibility . . . which for some can be a problem.

 

[Tristan]

40% may be just the start...

The options basically boil down to Pay It, Grow It, or Steal It.

This is based on the experience of many people around the world who have lived through economic dislocations due to currency destruction.

I will be operating in the first two categories.

 

[pauldingbabe]

Heck it only takes a delay in delivery of Chicken Nuggets to start a riot in the USA.

Do you remember when EBT went down in metro ATL for 8 hours a few years ago? There were damn near riots and people went to any authority figure and were screaming that their "chilrens was hongry and how were they going to feed they chilrens."

It was disturbing to say the least.

 

[SouthernBreeze]

Same here, and that amount also includes gas for the vehicles and equipment. Some of us don't sort it out by individual categories, we have a monthly household budget, outside of utilities, etc., and I'd say that we're around $900 for the two of us and the cat and dog. Sometimes it's more, sometimes it's less. In the summer when I have fresh produce growing in my garden it's less, often times way less.

Yeah. I guess you can call ours a household budget, too. I withdraw a certain amount of cash from our checking account, and that is my bimonthly grocery ( household budget) money. Cary pays for all the gas for the vehicles, and any other things he might want or need. His money isn't included in my budget money.

Like I said earlier, sometimes I have money left over after groceries and stuff is bought. I add that to my clothing and household item fund. That fund is what I use for clothing, bed sheets, towels, bath cloths, etc. Anything I need for the house. If I itemized our grocery budget to just include food, it would be a lot less than $900/month. This is our largest monthly expense, by far. All of our other monthly bills combined don't come close to adding up to this amount.

Let me also add. We don't pay property, state, or federal taxes here in Mississippi because of Cary's age.

 

[Freeholder]

Most months, animal feed only adds another $60-80 to our $300/month food budget, and that does include all our paper and cleaning products. Twenty years ago, youngest DD and I were buying all that stuff on $100/month, including food for a big dog (though we did have a garden). So $300 feels pretty luxurious to me. (Which may not be true in another year or so.)

We only go to town (most months) two or three times, so gas isn't costing us very much, either. Don't have enough income to pay income taxes; property taxes are less than $500/year. I don't have insurance on the house. Probably ought to, but when we first moved here our income was half what it is now and couldn't afford house insurance. We do have insurance on the truck, because it's required.

My goats are mostly feeding themselves, even through the winter. I'll probably put some hay in the barn this summer, but it should last a couple of years. Ditto for the yard chickens, though I do throw out some scratch for them. The chicks have to be fed until they can be turned loose, then they'll get supplements, too. I do give the goats a little grain once in a while (mostly, they help themselves to the chicken scratch), but that's more to keep them home than anything else. Now, if we got hard winters here, or in a dry climate like where we lived in Eastern Oregon, it would be a different story. Which is one reason why we moved. And why, as I'm considering moving farther south, Arizona was only a passing thought (one of my brothers spends the winter in Arizona). Water is a necessity of life, and I don't want to live someplace where we have to either haul it, or depend on unpredictable rainfall.

Kathleen

 

[cyberiot]

Heck it only takes a delay in delivery of Chicken Nuggets to start a riot in the USA.

You made me have flashbacks to when folks were duking it out over Popeye's chicken sandwiches awhile back. Still haven't tried one--are they worth it?

My diet is pretty modest--lotsa fruits, veggies, beans and grains. A little dairy, meat and eggs to amp up the protein. My pantry is deep, my garden is coming along, and there's enough wiggle room in my tight-fisted little budget to keep me going for the foreseeable future. The only thing that might bite me in the butt is a coffee shortage.

 

[pauldingbabe]

Yep... when you have to make little jackets for the hens because the tom has ripped a 6" gash down both sides of her back... thats ridiculous.

As I told hubby... if I wantbig birds that crap everywhere, I'd keep geese again. They, at least, are smart enough to protect and raise babies, and they eat grass! Cheapest meat, bar none. But they're pretty social, so its difficult to keep them down in a pasture. And they make a huge mess wherever they go.

But you can collect a couple dozen of the huge eggs before leaving them for the hen to set, and she'll raise 8-12 babies which will be delicious roast goose by fall. Overwinter a gander and 2-3 geese... it won't break you to feed and house them. Then turn them loose in the Spring and you'll have a couple hundred pounds of high quality protein by Fall.

Summerthyme

And the goose fat. Rendered goose fat makes some of the best soap, lotin, salve, light oil etc. Good as crisco or lard in my book.

Bear fat is also good. I wonder about bison fat?

 

[Tristan]

Do you remember when EBT went down in metro ATL for 8 hours a few years ago? There were damn near riots and people went to any authority figure and were screaming that their "chilrens was hongry and how were they going to feed they chilrens."

It was disturbing to say the least.

Disturbing, but also enlightening.

 

[Cacheman]

The only thing that might bite me in the butt is a coffee shortage.

That's jumping up too...

 

[hd5574]

The only thing that might bite me in the butt is a coffee shortage.

My DH's cousin in AZ has super sealer...she has been buying coffee and putting in the bags and sealing it then freezing..she can store long term that way. She says it works great.
I have heard that instant coffee keeps a very long time.

 

[pauldingbabe]

I've had geese before, and they were so mean. They were very sweet at first, but then they became vicious. I'd have them again, if I knew how to keep them friendly.

Keep a stick in your hand and they will back off. You have to really socialize them and handle them for geese to be "pets". Then your momma and they will protect you with they're lives. My geese will attack anyone who comes around me. I always keep sticks around just in case so I can heard them off if someone comes to the house. Breed also matters a lot. I have a male Chinese White and a female Roman Tuft (sp?). I can pick up my female but not The Dude. I believe Pilgrams (mother goose type) are friendly. At least that's what research and talking to other goosie type folks say.

 

[20Gauge]

Do you remember when EBT went down in metro ATL for 8 hours a few years ago? There were damn near riots and people went to any authority figure and were screaming that their "chilrens was hongry and how were they going to feed they chilrens."

It was disturbing to say the least.

Yep and it will repeat again and again.

 

[20Gauge]

Here I was thinking that $900/month was about average what everyone spent. Remember, I include dog food, cat food, their treats, cleaning products, toiletry items, personal care products, etc. in that monthly bill as well. If I have money left over from buying groceries every two weeks, it goes into my personal spending fund. I buy household items and clothing with that little fund I have set aside. Everything is bought with cash, including groceries.

Everyone looks at it differently. Most way underestimate what they spend.

 

[raven]

Everyone looks at it differently. Most way underestimate what they spend.

and no one really knows what they spend on utilities
they become so accustomed to "just paying the bill" that they never recognize when the bills start creeping up.
I can promise your utilities will be going up

 

[Henry Bowman]

Got chickens? Easy meat that won’t run away from home and good eggs without additives. Of course feed us going to get more expensive but from late spring to mid fall my chickens filled up on vegetation and bugs not eating many pellets at all.

This is something I have considered at length.

The only problem is I have a hunting dog, A pocket pointer ( Brittany) to be exact . It will drive him absolutely nuts to have them running around.

Does anybody have any experience with a hunting dog and chickens ?

Sorry for the thread drift.

 

[summerthyme]

Keep a stick in your hand and they will back off. You have to really socialize them and handle them for geese to be "pets". Then your momma and they will protect you with they're lives. My geese will attack anyone who comes around me. I always keep sticks around just in case so I can heard them off if someone comes to the house. Breed also matters a lot. I have a male Chinese White and a female Roman Tuft (sp?). I can pick up my female but not The Dude. I believe Pilgrams (mother goose type) are friendly. At least that's what research and talking to other goosie type folks say.

Yep.
One trick... cut a piece of 3/4" black plastic water pipe, and use it for a "stick" to move any livestock. It makes noise, even with a fairly light tap, but can't cause injury like a wooden stick can. Its all we ever used handling cattle...

Summerthyme

 

[mistaken1]

I'm planning on a life of crime, stealing from the weak and unarmed, especially old women and people with disabilities. It's gonna be great.
Sarcasm off.

You beat me to it. This is a prepper board, this thread is filled with replies of how I am ready or will be able to deal with massive inflation but the point is the rest of the country who does not hang out on a prepper board everyday is not ready to deal with it and never will be.

That is the real concern; the zombie hoards demanding the government take from the food rich and give it to the food poor .... all nice and legal like.

I used to prep but gave it up in 2008 when I saw that those who did what was right in managing their business and personal finances were screwed over by the government intervening and saving those who mismanaged themselves and their businesses into the ground. Black is white, up is down, bad is good .... scorched earth baby ... there is nothing the government can take from me to give others because I own nothing.

Now where is my bailout!

 

[SouthernBreeze]

Everyone looks at it differently. Most way underestimate what they spend.

Absolutely. It irritates me to no end to hear folks say that they only spend X amount at the grocery store for groceries every week. Then, turn around, and tell me how many times they've been back to that same grocery store during the same week. They don't count those trips, though. Or, they will spend X amount at the grocery store on food, but fail to count all the other stores they shop at for other products on a weekly basis, like household products. I know people like this. They spend way more than what they give themselves credit for.

 

[WildDaisy]

Here I was thinking that $900/month was about average what everyone spent. Remember, I include dog food, cat food, their treats, cleaning products, toiletry items, personal care products, etc. in that monthly bill as well. If I have money left over from buying groceries every two weeks, it goes into my personal spending fund. I buy household items and clothing with that little fund I have set aside. Everything is bought with cash, including groceries.

I spend that as well for a family of four. We eat every single meal at home, and maybe to takeout of or fast food once or twice a year. You have to figure what it costs in total to FEED your family. Do you do fast food during the week, cafeteria at work? Add that to that "grocery figure". Just because you spend $100 a week on groceries, then get Mickey D's three times a week for $50 a pop for a family of four, you actually spent $250/week on "food".

Remember, it also depends on where you live. Costs of living are higher or lower depending on what part of the country you live in. I live in CT. We bought our "fixer upper" home that was in foreclosure for $400K. For others in the country, that amount would have gotten us a luxury castle.

But we have no mortgage, we own older cars with no loans, own no credit cards, no student loans, and have no debt.

 

[SouthernBreeze]

I spend that as well for a family of four. We eat every single meal at home, and maybe to takeout of or fast food once or twice a year. You have to figure what it costs in total to FEED your family. Do you do fast food during the week, cafeteria at work? Add that to that "grocery figure". Just because you spend $100 a week on groceries, then get Mickey D's three times a week for $50 a pop for a family of four, you actually spent $250/week on "food".

Remember, it also depends on where you live. Costs of living are higher or lower depending on what part of the country you live in. I live in CT. We bought our "fixer upper" home that was in foreclosure for $400K. For others in the country, that amount would have gotten us a luxury castle.

But we have no mortgage, we own older cars with no loans, own no credit cards, no student loans, and have no debt.

Yeah. That $400k would buy a mansion down here. Our cost of living in Mississippi is very low. That $900 I spend on groceries buys a whole lot, too. In places where the cost of living is higher, the same amount of items would probably cost almost double what I pay.

 

[packyderms_wife]

Yeah. I guess you can call ours a household budget, too. I withdraw a certain amount of cash from our checking account, and that is my bimonthly grocery ( household budget) money. Cary pays for all the gas for the vehicles, and any other things he might want or need. His money isn't included in my budget money.

Like I said earlier, sometimes I have money left over after groceries and stuff is bought. I add that to my clothing and household item fund. That fund is what I use for clothing, bed sheets, towels, bath cloths, etc. Anything I need for the house. If I itemized our grocery budget to just include food, it would be a lot less than $900/month. This is our largest monthly expense, by far. All of our other monthly bills combined don't come close to adding up to this amount.

Let me also add. We don't pay property, state, or federal taxes here in Mississippi because of Cary's age.

For just food I'd put that at around $300 per month, that does not include things like TP, toothpaste, and laundry soap, or pet food. We do quarterly shopping for stuff that's not fresh, which I started this past weekend, spent $97 at Aldi this past weekend, however, I now have enough fresh fruits and veggies in the house to last us two weeks.

I'll finish my quarterly shopping at the larger Sam's Club in the next city over on Wed, this is when I buy things like dawn dish soap, dishwasher pods, coffee, coffee filters, tea bags for iced tea, TP, paper towels, laundry soap, etc. Apparently my windex bottle went awol so will pick up a new one at the dollar store when I'm out running errands I have a larger bottle for refilling the small bottle.

The price of fresh produce has creeped up and in some instances the increases have been quite steep.

 

[mecoastie]

Looking at getting into rabbits this summer. I worry about how they would do in my climate (hot and humid). I want to keep it small, especially at first. Is one buck and two does enough to start?

Cant help with the hot and humid part but we started with 2 does and a buck. Turned into 2 bucks and a doe. Pair of does wasnt sexed by the breeder right when we got them and we were too clueless to check. We got a second doe. We will be keeping one of the does from our first litter so we will be at 3 and 2. We feed mostly pellets and hay. In the spring and summer my daughter supplements with a lot of green stuff. She has done a ton of research and is very particular about what she feeds them. We dried some of our own hay and greens and they loved them in the winter. All wire cages are the way to go. Easy to clean and sanitize. In the summer we use frozen water bottles in the cages or we freeze tiles. The rabbits lie on the tiles and next to the bottles. We also have plenty of air movement with an oscillating fan. We are still steep on the learning curve but I like them. They would also be much easier to bring indoors vs the chickens if theft became a concern.

 

[CaryC]

This is something I have considered at length.

The only problem is I have a hunting dog, A pocket pointer ( Brittany) to be exact . It will drive him absolutely nuts to have them running around.

Does anybody have any experience with a hunting dog and chickens ?

Sorry for the thread drift.

Some it depends on that you're looking for, as far as experience goes. Ton's of different kinds of dogs, so tons of different kinds of experience.

Your Brittany is what would be called a Bird Dog. Trained to hunt birds. It's in their blood, so to speak, so for it, birds are their lively hood, stock and trade. Even though the Brittany is not as much used as a bird dog, it's still there. Sort of in the same vein as Cocker Spaniel's and Irish Setters. Both bird dogs. More than likely won't be able to train her to mind chickens being around.

If thinking of another hunting dog, it depends on what you want to hunt. Retriever's while retrieving birds, they are usually dead birds, so live chickens probably won't matter. Hounds can sleep while chickens walk all over them.

So Like I said depends on what kind of experience you are looking for. But to train the Brittany to not go after chickens you are talking some intense, costly training by a pro. Or keep the chickens in a well built pen.