Surviving Off the Grid: Milking Cows & Skinning Rabbits

[wolram]

If the power went off, could you milk a cow, skin a rabbit, or even catch a rabbit?

 

[Ryan_m_b]

Yes, I've skinned and cooked rabbits over fires before. Not caught one but that shouldn't be too much of a problem. There's a pet store about a mile from me and if the power went out I'm sure their burglar alarm wouldn't be working.

 

[Evo]

Yes, I've skinned and cooked rabbits over fires before. Not caught one but that shouldn't be too much of a problem. There's a pet store about a mile from me and if the power went out I'm sure their burglar alarm wouldn't be working.

GASP!

 

[Borek]

I don't have hands on experience with rabbits, I would go fishing.

That is - assuming it is power that went off, not the whole world at once. I have a fishing rod and everything that is needed.

Now that I think about it, if the power went off, I would have to wait till the morning to find the fishing rod. It is too dark in the garage.

 

[wolram]

What about the walking larders, cows, sheep, pigs, would anyone have a clue how to slaughter them?

 

[Ryan_m_b]

I live in a city, if the power went out for the length of time that we have to revert to unpowered food storage my food preparation knowledge is the least of my problems.

 

[russ_watters]

What about the walking larders, cows, sheep, pigs, would anyone have a clue how to slaughter them?

How hard can it be? Just poke 'em with something pointy.

 

[zoobyshoe]

How hard can it be? Just poke 'em with something pointy.

He's talking about the procedure after they're dead.

You have to remove everything from the abdomen, chest cavity, and throat, as soon as possible or it will spoil the meat. Usually people remove the head as well. Then you have to hang the animal upside down by it's back legs for some reason for a while. Then there's the issue of different cuts of meat, though that's not so important if you just need to eat.

The liver and heart are edible, and since they'll spoil first they often eat those first before getting to the meat.

 

[wolram]

Quite true Zooby, in the UK we all so have to remove all brain and spinal tissue.
Here is how to slaughter a cow http://www.wikihow.com/Slaughter-Cattle could you do it?:

 

[zoobyshoe]

Quite true Zooby, in the UK we all so have to remove all brain and spinal tissue.
Here is how to slaughter a cow http://www.wikihow.com/Slaughter-Cattle could you do it?:

Yeah, there's a lot to it, and it's gross.

It brings to mind an exchange I read. Some white bureaucrat called Indians "lazy" and an Indian replied, "You think it's easy to slaughter a buffalo?"

In most cases they'll save the hide to make into leather, and that's a whole separate, difficult process unto itself.

 

[DaveC426913]

Practically speaking, I am far less concerned about how I would survive than how everybody around me would survive. I am fairly certain they would insist on my sharing anything I might have - in a 0:100 split.

 

[Borek]

The liver and heart are edible

As are kidneys and lungs, if you know how to prepare them. Not to mention sweetbread. And everything, I doubt there is a part that is not eaten somewhere:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Offal

 

[DaveC426913]

How you going to preserve all this meat?

 

[wolram]

Salt would be an essential preservative.
http://www.thenewsurvivalist.com/food_preservation_techniques.html#mbp_toc_21

Chapter 5 Food: Page 4
Practical Game Processing and Deer Butcheringhttp://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=... could do all this without a lot of practice.

 

[Evo]

What about stalking the wild vegetables? if the electricity went off and was widespread, I would help to use the supply of fresh and frozen meats and vegetables in the stores first, then go to the canned and dry prepared foods. If we could preserve the enormous stores of refrigerated and frozen meats, that could last quite a while.

 

[WWGD]

Ditto here with Evo. I have a stash in case of disaster : canned food, distilled water. Maybe I should get some water purification tablets. And maybe one of those (reasonable, non-apocaliptic) survivalist courses would help.

 

[wolram]

What about stalking the wild vegetables? if the electricity went off and was widespread, I would help to use the supply of fresh and frozen meats and vegetables in the stores first, then go to the canned and dry prepared foods. If we could preserve the enormous stores of refrigerated and frozen meats, that could last quite a while.

I think panic buying and rioters would soon empty any reserves we have, if not the rich would last longest buying at exorbitant prices ,
So in the end city slickers would try to migrate to the country looking for food.

 

[Ryan_m_b]

I don't think us in the city would migrate so much as almost all die off. It's an edge case I know but take my city: London. There are 8.63 million in the metropolitan area, assuming no food deliveries we'd probably be out of it in a matter of days (no supermarket stores a lot of food, pretty much all modern food logistics is Just In Time). To even get through the countryside we'd have to travel tens of miles through all the outlying towns and I very much doubt that the closest stretches of English countryside could support such a population.

I doubt most in the country would do much better over here. Most of it is still quite urbanised. But probably the most damning stat is that the UK imports 40% of its food so even if we had perfect logistics of home grown in this super-blackout 40% of us (26 million people) would starve. Given that we aren't going to have perfect logistics and the riots/conflict from lack of resources and I'd expect at least 90% of us to die within the first month.

So just going by the odds no I wouldn't survive, even if I did know how to gut a cow.

 

[OCR]

So in the end city slickers would try to migrate to the country looking for food.

To even get through the countryside we'd have to travel tens of miles through all the outlying towns and I very much doubt that the closest stretches of English countryside could support such a population.

Just like in the book.... No Blade of Grass ...

At one point, when their food supply runs out, they kill a family to take their bread.

Lol... just stock up on about 50 cases of "Materials Resembling Edibles", and hide them away.

They're really not too bad, and you can warm your hands, or what not, with the included FRH, it really works, it gets damn hot ...

I've eaten lots and lots of MREs while working on wildland fires ...

 

[wolram]

Just like in the book.... No Blade of Grass ...

Lol... just stock up on about 50 cases of "Materials Resembling Edibles", and hide them away.

They're really not too bad, and you can warm your hands, or what not, with the included FRH, it really works, it gets damn hot ...

I've eaten lots and lots of MREs while working on wildland fires ...

Can i have a steak with my MREs

 

[Evo]

It was amazing how they managed to ration food and come up with substitutes in London during WWII, I watched a show on it some time ago, but of course the population wasn't nearly as large and the government was involved in the rationing, and people came together for a common cause, not turning upon each other as could happen in a more chaotic situation, well that sounds rather dumb, what's more chaotic than being bombed relentlessly?

 

[wolram]

It was amazing how they managed to ration food and come up with substitutes in London during WWII, I watched a show on it some time ago, but of course the population wasn't nearly as large and the government was involved in the rationing, and people came together for a common cause, not turning upon each other as could happen in a more chaotic situation, well that sounds rather dumb, what's more chaotic than being bombed relentlessly?

And all the children and young women were evacuated into the countryside or abroad.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ww2peopleswar/stories/02/a2065402.shtmlThe Evacuation was the greatest single movement of population in history, a decision taken only the day before in which ultimately 3,500,000 children would be taken away from their homes to avoid the inevitable bombing and gas raids we had been told would come on the very first day. It was an astonishing feat of organisation, but certainly not perfect. Some fortunate children were sent to Canada and America but they were certainly NOT from East London, us lot were considered too ‘lower class’ and rough ! They were carefully selected from ‘posh’ middle and upper class areas, and schools

 

[Lord Anoobis]

I think panic buying and rioters would soon empty any reserves we have, if not the rich would last longest buying at exorbitant prices ,
So in the end city slickers would try to migrate to the country looking for food.

I wonder how long one would have to queue to get money out of a bank in a case like this. Or for how long after the power dies would it even be possible, if at all. Then again, would money retain its value for anything more than a few days or weeks in this situation?

 

[zoobyshoe]

I wonder how long one would have to queue to get money out of a bank in a case like this. Or for how long after the power dies would it even be possible, if at all. Then again, would money retain its value for anything more than a few days or weeks in this situation?

No electricity: no banks. When the power went out here a few years back, all the stores even closed: cash registers don't work. I was able to locate one lone store where the guy was doing cash transactions with a calculator.

 

[OCR]

Can i have a steak with my MREs

How would you like* your steak, Sir ?

Plain beef steak, grilled beef steak, or beef steak with mushrooms... either plain or grilled ?

Would you also choose to enjoy some Heinz 57 or Worcestershire Sauce, as a condiment in addition ... or both, or neither ?

Your choice of wine, Sir ??

*Note: Hah! Every thing is well done ... so no choice there.....

Lol...

 

[OCR]

Done already Sir?

I hope your meal was enjoyable... if your steak was not apposite to your tastes, Sir, we are adding menu items, yearly... Now, for your pleasure, perhaps you would desire a nice digestif ? ... Drambuie has always been my

penchant for an "after MRE" , indeed though, the choice is always yours .

Or, where other services may be acquired , a visit to our lounge might be to your liking...

( Whoops, strike that, I read about your bathtub incident!... )

Meanwhile, while you consider your choices, I'll remove these wrappers and tinfoil from your table...

Sir, always remember our motto... "10 % satisfaction guaranteed, or go hungry!"... ... Lol

 

[HowlerMonkey]

If things got so bad that we had to skin rabbits, then many nuclear power plant workers would have long abandoned their posts and more than a few would have gone smoking hole...meaning...there really isn't any place on Earth you can survive for long.

 

[edward]

Rabbit is one of the easiest of the game animals to prepare for cooking. The skin + fur pulls off easily. There are a lot of birds that are edible. The dove is probably the easiest and fastest to prepare although you don't get much meat from one dove breast. Fish are easy to prepare for cooking and there is little time involved compared to warm blooded critters.

 

[Silicon Waffle]

Rabbit is one of the easiest of the game animals to prepare for cooking. The skin + fur pulls off easily. [...]

I expect the rabbit is eaten after its skin and fur get pulled off, but some people still don't want to.

 

[edward]

I expect the rabbit is eaten after its skin and fur get pulled off, but some people still don't want to.

There is a difference between missing a few meals and starvation. That kind of hunger is painful and most people will hit that "I do want to stage" in a few days. Removing the digestive tract of any warm blooded animal takes some "intestinal fortitude". Since the skin comes off of a rabbit so easily it is possible to start at the front of the spine and cut off filets without removing the digestive tract.

All in all with a prolonged power failure in the winter many people would be faced with hypothermia very quickly.

 

[newjerseyrunner]

I think if the grid went off for an extended period of time, food would be the least of your concerns. Everyone else is hungry too, when people get low on resources, they get violent.

Me personally? Yes, I know how to hunt, trap, and clean an animal as well as how to start a fire with a friction drill. I'm also not picky and know that in a pinch, dog food is eatable, certain plants that live where I do can be eaten. Squirrels and geese are common around here. I also know how to fish.

In the absolute worst case: an true apocalypse, the society has broken down to it's most animal level, and my family is starving, I'd like to think that I wouldn't, but in the moment I think I'd make the decision to hunt down another human for their supplies (and they themselves are eatable.)

 

[wolram]

I think if the grid went off for an extended period of time, food would be the least of your concerns. Everyone else is hungry too, when people get low on resources, they get violent.

Me personally? Yes, I know how to hunt, trap, and clean an animal as well as how to start a fire with a friction drill. I'm also not picky and know that in a pinch, dog food is eatable, certain plants that live where I do can be eaten. Squirrels and geese are common around here. I also know how to fish.

In the absolute worst case: an true apocalypse, the society has broken down to it's most animal level, and my family is starving, I'd like to think that I wouldn't, but in the moment I think I'd make the decision to hunt down another human for their supplies (and they themselves are eatable.)

Oh no your not eating me, i think i would build a hut in the holt wood and trap partridge.

 

[edward]

I think if the grid went off for an extended period of time, food would be the least of your concerns. Everyone else is hungry too, when people get low on resources, they get violent.

Me personally? Yes, I know how to hunt, trap, and clean an animal as well as how to start a fire with a friction drill. I'm also not picky and know that in a pinch, dog food is eatable, certain plants that live where I do can be eaten. Squirrels and geese are common around here. I also know how to fish.

In the absolute worst case: an true apocalypse, the society has broken down to it's most animal level, and my family is starving, I'd like to think that I wouldn't, but in the moment I think I'd make the decision to hunt down another human for their supplies (and they themselves are eatable.)

I have thought about taking from others as a last resort. The big question is; Will others have anything to take?

 

[wolram]

I have thought about taking from others as a last resort. The big question is; Will others have anything to take?

I would imagine the rich would keep the black market stuff for them self's, but as money would not mean any thing they would have to pay with possessions.

 

[nuuskur]

How would you like* your steak, Sir ?
*Note: Hah! Every thing is well done ... so no choice there.....

I like my steak medium rare :<

 

[wolram]

I have just been over the fields to see what i could catch, the only thing i came home with was a measly basket of black berries.