How To Feed Pets & Livestock Without Commercial Food

Outside of feeding ourselves during an emergency or disaster, how do you plan to feed your pets or livestock?

We live off grid and are trying to be as self-sufficient as possible for everyday life and certainly during an emergency. We do still buy commercial feed, but doing our best to get fully away from it. When it comes to our animals we’re always looking for ways to feed them without having to buy commercial food.

People used to feed their animals without commercial food for thousands of years.

Every time we think about getting another animal, I always think about how we can feed them without having to buy any feed.

Here are some ways to feed pets and livestock without commercial food:

One option is to store extra bags of pet food. You can safely save a bag of dry pet food in ideal conditions (cool, dark place) for about 6 months. The oils in the food make it go rancid rather quickly. We use one bag and store another. Then when we buy a new bag, we rotate and use the old one, replacing the old one with a new bag. Our pet food usually lasts about a month, sometimes longer, so we’re always rotating.

Another option is to store canned/preserved foods that your animals can eat. For instance…

Dog can eat:

• Rice
• Cooked white or sweet potatoes
• Meat; chicken, beef,
• Salmon
• Carrots
• Corn
• Peas
• Spinach
• Cooked eggs
• Blueberries
• Pumpkin
• Peanut butter
• Olive oil (as an additive for extra fat and healthy skin and coat)
• General table scraps

Cats can eat:

• Lean meats such as chicken and turkey
• Fish
• Eggs
• Carrots
• Peas
• Pumpkin
• Spinach
• Rats – if you have outdoor cats, rats and mice will be good eatin’ for them and they hunt it themselves!

Keep in mind, cats need taurine to live. Taurine is usually provided through commercial cat food or through fresh meat, such as rats or mice.

Many of these items we already store in our freezer, freeze dried/dehydrated foods or canned. Of course, what you feed your animals is completely up to you. Many people may not be comfortable feeding their dogs peanut butter or cheese, but we do and our dogs not only love it but tolerate it. It’s up to you, these are just ideas.

The point is, we need think outside the commercial pet food box.

If you’re already storing canned foods for yourself, then store a couple extra cans for your pets as well.

You can also dehydrate foods yourself and store those for later.

Or you can purchase freeze dried foods, such as meats and vegetables.

Feeding livestock might be easier, but it might be trickier, depending on the animal.

Horses, for instance, eat grass. However, people generally feed them hay and sometimes grains. In general, if your horses free range and they have plenty of food to eat in their free ranged area, they may not need any hay at all. However, you may have to plant the necessary cover crops in order to feed them, if there isn’t enough natural food available.

Chickens can eat quite a bit and in fact. If you grow a garden, I’d suggest growing a specific chicken garden just for them. You could also grow cover crops around their coop, let them out in certain areas and sort of ‘rotate’ them around so you’re planting new stuff and they’re always getting fresh forage. You can also grow crops around their run so they can peck at it through the fence.

Here are a few items you could plant in the garden for chickens:

• Alfalfa sprouts
• Borage
• Basil
• Spinach
• Lettuce
• Melons
• Cilantro
• Dill
• Fennel
• Lemon balm
• Lemon grass
• Mint
• Oregano
• Parsley
• Oats
• Clover sprouts
• Sage
• Wheat
• Blueberries

I’d also suggest either farming your own meal worms or buying large quantities of the freeze dried meal worms.

Chickens can eat quite a lot, many scraps such as bread and many fruits and veggies can be given to your chickens.

I also sprout from seeds and give them the sprouts, which they love. They also love microgreens.

I have a designated ‘chicken garden’ that I pull from and feed them, but you could also make several plots to allow them to free range in different times of the year.

Rabbits are a popular meat option for many people so what would you feed them outside of commercial feed?

Here’s what rabbits can eat:

• Hay (or alfalfa sprouts)
• Carrots
• Spinach
• Broccoli
• Dandelions
• Lettuce
• Fennel greens
• Kale
• Cucumber

See some similarities between rabbits and chickens? Absolutely. You could have a ‘chicken/rabbit’ garden where you pull food for both those animals.

Look at your what your pets and livestock currently eat then think of alternatives. Whatever you can store or grow yourself is obviously an advantage. If you can’t grow it yourself, find a local source now.

Of course, don’t forget about their water needs.

Start now. Don’t wait until after SHTF to plant that chicken garden or grow that field of grass for your horses. Do it now, that way it’ll already be in motion.