Saving money by not raising critters

[sea2summit]

Supposedly even a clean shot will leave enough lead residue on the way through an animal to kill an eagle.

I'm going to call boloney on that, sounds like something known by cancer to cause California. I've spent most of my life in Alaska and never heard of an eagle dying of lead poisonings. Now I do know a lot of waterfowl were going down to phosphorus from an artillery range shooting into a wetland.

I also harvest pretty much everything. When I butcher chickens all the leftovers go in with the pigs. Large chunks of hide and bone go to compost but a lot of other material goes to the pigs. Small critters/parts usually go to the outside dogs. Can't afford to waste much with how much it costs to grow or how hard it's getting to harvest.

 

[Eagle1]

I understand what you're saying but that doesn't work for everybody.
I've shot a lot of birds (grouse) in fall and leave the remains in the woods. Usually it's with a .22, but sometimes with #6.
Also, if I shoot a woodchuck I leave it for the ravens and fox.
I've dragged deer as far as a 1/2 mile out of the woods in the past, so have no plans of going back to get the gut pile.

Supposedly even a clean shot will leave enough lead residue on the way through an animal to kill an eagle.

I gave up field dressing and dragging deer. Just haul the entire deer back to the barn with quad or a tractor and deal with it where you have a place to hang and water to rinse. Makes for much cleaner meat and beats crawling on the ground.
Same applies to steers, drop them in the pasture then haul to the barn on a tractor or a trailer and hang them to be skinned and gutted.
I can way more than a mile out in the woods and no way I'm dragging a #250 buck by hand that far again.

If I shot a woodchuck it would feed dogs, as do beaver and muskrat, etc

BTW we have Bald Eagles nesting and feeding from the Lead mine tailing ponds and have for many years as do many other bird species. Lead fishing weights and lures are way more likely to be eaten and cause problem. Fishing line discarded by careless fishermen kill lots of critters every year, I get to catch and then remove it from ducks/geese all year long in my little lake.

 

[MossRoad]

I'm going to call boloney on that, sounds like something known by cancer to cause California. I've spent most of my life in Alaska and never heard of an eagle dying of lead poisonings. Now I do know a lot of waterfowl were going down to phosphorus from an artillery range shooting into a wetland.

I also harvest pretty much everything. When I butcher chickens all the leftovers go in with the pigs. Large chunks of hide and bone go to compost but a lot of other material goes to the pigs. Small critters/parts usually go to the outside dogs. Can't afford to waste much with how much it costs to grow or how hard it's getting to harvest.

Some interesting reading.

Groundbreaking Study Finds Widespread Lead Poisoning in Bald and Golden Eagles | U.S. Geological Survey

A first-of-its-kind, eight-year study has found widespread and frequent lead poisoning in North American bald and golden eagles impacting both species’ populations.

www.usgs.gov

 

[sea2summit]

Some interesting reading.

Groundbreaking Study Finds Widespread Lead Poisoning in Bald and Golden Eagles | U.S. Geological Survey

A first-of-its-kind, eight-year study has found widespread and frequent lead poisoning in North American bald and golden eagles impacting both species’ populations.

www.usgs.gov

Primary source for Golden eagles is birdshot from ground squirrels? Not sure how that conclusion came about. Either way, the study talks about "modeled" reproduction impacts from lead poisoning but I'm not seeing anything about one carcass shot one time poisoning an eagle.
This study references not limiting testing to lead, common in bullets, but included other heavy metals like mercury but no mention of those levels or impacts? Odd, especially considering my wife had to be tested for mercury levels for three of our children when she was pregnant because of where we lived and how much of our diet came from the ocean at the time.
Also interesting to me that the pacific flyway had less than half what the central flyway does. That makes me curious.

 

[scaredychicken]

We raise a lot of chickens, a few rabbits, dogs, and sell eggs etc. The income is negative to meager, compared to the expenses and efforts.

For us it is the country lifestyle that wins.

Of course the fact that there are Tax Credits / financial benefits (beyond income), means that I claim the assets - tractor, trailer, truck, building, as well as feed and general expenses. It pays off in what you can claim / write off, not so much the hobby income.

The tractor, equipment also add value to the property, without the need to rent equipment or hire help. I can do so much more to improve the landscape etc, adding value overall.

Eventually, I will lighten the efforts but that is probably a 10 yr plan.

 

[Eagle1]

Studies are set up to prove a point. Now I would bet that lead from fishing equipment is way more prevalent than from hunting. If from hunting, bird shot is more prevalent in carcasses than rifle fragments. Few folk use cast lead projectiles these days. Lead as mercury in the aquatic food chain can travel up the chain. I don't expect the same from big game hunting, where the rule is pretty much one shot (One projectile) per kill. Unless you like messed up meat you don't gut shoot anything, anyone that hunts for food would rather pass the shot than gut shoot. It's a mess.
Now the morons that only take the back strap and/or horns leaving the rest to rot should be jailed in my opinion. Stuff happens but I have fed a lot dogs recovering deer in the woods left to rot with only a missing back strap. Or the ones gut shot that traveled miles to die in one my creeks. I recover one or 2 every fall that are only good for the dogs since I do not know when they were shot.

 

[Eagle1]

BTW I did not intend to imply I've not been guilty of bad shots, and mostly likely will again. However I try to avoid them at all cost and pass on way more shots that I take, with bow or firearms.

 

[shooterdon]

We raise a lot of chickens, a few rabbits, dogs, and sell eggs etc. The income is negative to meager, compared to the expenses and efforts.

For us it is the country lifestyle that wins.

Of course the fact that there are Tax Credits / financial benefits (beyond income), means that I claim the assets - tractor, trailer, truck, building, as well as feed and general expenses. It pays off in what you can claim / write off, not so much the hobby income.

The tractor, equipment also add value to the property, without the need to rent equipment or hire help. I can do so much more to improve the landscape etc, adding value overall.

Eventually, I will lighten the efforts but that is probably a 10 yr plan.

You made my point. It does not pay to raise critters for most people. To have tax credits, you need to have income...well at least in the US...I see you are in Canada. It becomes a business.

I understand the "life style" rationalization. That is great if it is what someone wants to do, but there is a price to do it. And I understand the self-sufficiency aspect as well. But economics and the work involved do not change.

My friend raises meat chickens for personal use. He spends far more per pound than I do. He and his wife are poor, and barely make ends meet, but they do it anyway. It is a lifestyle. Guess what their "special treat" is? Getting a bucket of KFC!!! Hard to believe but true.

 

[Eagle1]

It is a life choice, not for everyone. I had a long career in specialty IT, paid very well indeed. Had nice house and big yard just outside the burbs, new cars and toys. Now I don't make much but am so much happier and satisfied than when I had money. I just rather shovel chicken crap than set another foot in an office building, well actually any town setting. Walking with dogs, hanging out with cattle, etc is good for my mental, physical and spiritual health. There are days when it gets to you down and then the cows go walk about, but for me there is no going back. I think it was the first tractor in the burbs that changed my life.

Most people waste money they don't have on hobbies, well my hobby is my homestead. Currently still partly a campground for income, for a couple more years. Our families and friends were sure we could not make it in the middle of nothing and at times we were close to quitting the dream. 15 years later we are grateful that we stuck it out and stayed in our slice of heaven.

Big treat for us is fast food burger, at least an hour drive to get one....

 

[NoTrespassing]

Some interesting reading.

Groundbreaking Study Finds Widespread Lead Poisoning in Bald and Golden Eagles | U.S. Geological Survey

A first-of-its-kind, eight-year study has found widespread and frequent lead poisoning in North American bald and golden eagles impacting both species’ populations.

www.usgs.gov

That is interesting reading from United States Geological Survey. They claim the increase in population of bald eagles is slowing.

About 1 month later this was released by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The headline is: America’s Bald Eagle Population Continues to Soar

According to scientists from the Service’s Migratory Bird Program, the bald eagle population climbed to an estimated 316,700 individual bald eagles in the lower 48 states. This indicates the bald eagle population has continued to increase rapidly since our previous survey.

America’s Bald Eagle Population Continues to Soar | U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

Populations of the American bald eagle — the bold national symbol of the United States — have quadrupled since 2009, according to a new report by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and its partners. Bald eagles once teetered on the brink of extinction, reaching an all-time low of 417 known...

fws.gov

I found it interesting since one was sitting next to a road I travel daily last week. They are becoming very common here in east central Illinois I'm waiting for one to land on my chicken coup any day LOL

It's hard to believe that two government agencies would disagree to such an extent.