Animal Husbandry
I am planning on raising chickens and gathering eggs as the first brick in the food self-sustaining wall. Eggs are an excellent source of protein and fat and chickens produce regularly, some almost every day, depending on the species chosen.
A design for the coop and run will need to chosen, then constructed and installed. Possible designs include portable coops like tractors and coops on wheels, fixed coops which act as the hub and the run can be moved around the coop to provide fresh growth to the chickens and allow used ground to recover, and fixed designs that require more maintenance and cleaning.
Chickens which lay eggs in many colors are available but I will be choosing chickens based on their laying and egg size habits, as well as their climate sensitivity. Some chickens will lay better in cold weather than others and other chickens will lay better in warm weather. Determining the proper mix will help to keep egg production more consistent through the weather changes during the year.
Once the chickens are past their laying age, they can be processed and frozen to provide meat for the table. Additionally, a separate coop can be maintained for certain species of meat chickens to maximize the protein output.
Other possible sources of animal products could be raising rabbits, aquculture which would provide fish such as catfish or tilapia, cow for milk, and other animals. Larger animals require increasing more resources, including fencing, feed, water, and time. This needs to be balanced to maintain a favorable resources in to usable products out ratio.
Hunting is also an option but the natural resources must be balanced carefully so as not to overload the ecosystems ability to maintain herd strength and popluation locally.