Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

As of yet I haven't killed anything other than the catch of the day from the local waterways, but I'm seriously looking forward to killing our first chicken. The idea of farming them, slaughtering them, preparing and cooking them, and ultimately eating them makes me appreciate life. It makes me appreciate being human.

Your a tough audience Stuart:-)

I'd change that slightly to - "That is what people programmed by the inheritors of Ed Bernays techniques are buying/demanding/commissioning." Until people are introduced to the realities of life instead of being insulated from them, those carefully honed symbols, archetypes and triggers will keep them lusting after whatever the corporate world wants to sell them.

The tiny house people are, I think, on the right track - have a house literally just big enough for your needs, not wants - it reduces the energy footprint, the costs and the ability to own the glittery things so ubiquitous in our lives.

Guinea pigs are a very tasty meal, not at all bland like rabbit, and could easily be the best source of protein in an AP system that is expanded into a Microponics setup. I'd happily keep them along with chooks.

I was watching NITV that's the National Indigenous TV channel.

The program was called first footprints, I think, and in one particular episode they were examining some of the systems used by the earlier Australians to control animal populations for exploitation. The methods were obviously disparate as is the task but what was interesting to me was that it was native policy or native lore. Keeping animal plentiful and predictable seems to have been the main goal of much of their land management activities.

This idea of nation wide land management policy was at odds with what I had considered to be a simple hunter gathering existence. All the people were intimately involved with implementation of these policies for the good of the community and with an eye to the future and sustainability. I'm sure life wasn't all rosy but they were successfully immersed in the environment and pretty comfortable with it.

Today's one size fits all society of dreary suburban consumption may be just what most people desire. It is pretty comfortable and safe kind of like the McDonald's hamburger of existences. I don't know...I think I'd like a little more "wild and visceral" and less "tame and predictable" and be able to stretch the envelope of my life experiences, day to day.

Ultimately we are responsible for our own actions even though they are influenced by others and our environment. Just like someone under the influence of alcohol is responsible for their actions so is someone under the influence of other "motivators". Many people choose not to care and in making that choice they put their lives to a, greater or lesser degree, in the hands of others.

To deny this as fact is to deem that people are not capable* of making appropriate decisions for themselves, their families, their governance** and ultimately their society. To believe this is to believe that more educated enlightened types must take on this responsibility for them, for their own good and the greater benefit of society.

The paradox is that both positions seem to be true and that rather than their being a middle ground or a way of moderation rather what is needed is to except and believe in the power and impotence of the individual at the same time.

*willingness or ability to give a stuff is a capability
**as distinct from government.

There is a lot of evidence coming to light (no longer being suppressed) revealing the level of sophistication of Australian pre-colonial land management and agriculture. Burke and Wills diaries being re read being a prime example. Their accounts of crops, storehouse of harvested grain and the like are very interesting.

Mind you I glad to be alive now. Lets not get too carried away and all THH about it. Still vastly higher rates of murder and warfare, high infant mortality and many of the other features of low tech societies that are not exactly pleasant.

I cant stop thinking about this idea, part of me says its wrong and part of me thinks its so right. Funny how your mind plays tricks on you like that. Everyone Ive spoke to about it thinks its a little immoral but none of them would have ever had to butcher their own animals for meat and probably only ever known GP's as a domestic animal so its a little one sided. Have any others here spoken to family or friends about this and what were there honest reactions?

You should see some of the reactions on FB...

Check out this forum thread:

http://www.guineapigcages.com/forum/threads/12561-IN-THE-NEWS!-Guinea-pigs-being-bred-and-eaten-as-food-in-QLD

Just don't mention pigeons.

I was chatting with my husband about it the other week funnily enough, he said that while it's a good idea, he wouldn't eat them personally. He said he is never going to eat rodent...which was a bit funny given we were eating rabbit stew at the time, and they really aren't that far removed from GP's. Our daughters would eat them but I think they'd get too attached to them if we farmed them ourselves, even though they are no strangers to the actual origins of meat products.

I've got a friend who I've watched Bizarre Foods with and he would eat them without fuss, but isn't keen on slaughtering them, when we go fishing he has trouble killing the fish, lol. Other than that I haven't discussed it much, I know my older sister wouldn't go for it but that's because she's a vegetarian, lol.

Ive also been thinking yes, then no, then yes again, etc.
i think for me it is the hassle of farming them, i have read posts on another forum after this discussion come up where people simply let them freerange in thier yards and apart from inbreeding (does this matter when they are for food? a cull every few years and new blood should fix this??) the problem i have is i live in suburbia and am fast running out of backyard space so i could not set up a large "pen" for them and the neighbourhood cats would get them.

working long hours, working on 2 houses and just generally having more on my plate than i should is all that is stopping me from doing it, i wouldnt llike killing them (skinning isnt neccessary i dont think - blow torch the fur off) but i dont like killing and gutting my fish either, but i do it and woud process the GPs if i had too.

A friend of my mums in Brighton (Melbourne) had kids that let the guinea pigs out and I think they still have feral ones under their house and the houses of their neighbours. As far as I know they haven't spread further than that and when I was told about them it was years after the release.

LOL

yea the person who said they freeranged them said they are kept in a cyclone fencing pen (large i imagine) but they can get out, they simply dont because they tend to stick around thier "home", the only time they run out of the fence is when they are trying to capture them.

luckily for me if i did it, my house is on a concrete slab and they would be totally fenced in, so it wouldnt be too hard to do a total cull if needed, the cats would be a huge issue though.

Could you keep a couple in with chooks in a chook pen? I am going to build one at some point, I wonder if they can cohabitate?