I was wondering in case of SHTF and you have horses and other animals ( other than cows and goats ) will you think of drinking their milk ?

I am illiterate in ths field, so does a mare produce as much milk as a goat for example ?? Looking at their sizes, it is logical that the volume of mare's milk will be greater than that of a goat. But I never heard of anyone doing that in an emergency. But then agian, I never heard of anyone skinning a snake and using the skin as a water canteen before seeing Dave Canterbury do it in Dual Survival.

Mare's milk?
Wikipedia states that it has 40% more lactose than cow's milk, but less fat and protein. While it is fermented with added sugars, it is generally not drunk in its' unfermented form because it is a strong laxative. And supposedly, fermentation destroys the lactose, making it safe (or safer?) for a lactose-intolerant person to drink.

Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kumis
http://www.mongolfood.info/en/recipes/airag.html


When SHTF, unconventional food sources will be a matter of when desperation meets knowledge or creativity meets the skill required to harvest it. Tis best to start developing the skills and knowledge while it's still just an academic study.

I had a neighbor in the adirondack hills who was a child in Berlin during ww2. His dad had been a milkman (milchmensch?). When war seemed imminent, dad butchered and canned his two horse milk wagon (milchwagen?) team, and the family lived on the proceeds through the food shortage years. His cabin in the foot hills was a retreat he planned to use if needed, and it was chock full of canned goods, and strongly built. He chose not to keep horses. Or eat them. My old man used to dine on the occasional horse tenderloin during the depression. He was attending vet school: money was tight, and dead horses were plentiful.

Horse steak was on the menu at the Harvard Faculty Club until the late seventies

Gehnghis Khans warriors dined on a horse blood, using their mounts as mobile snack bars, and permitting long term non-fatal harvesting of horse protein.

OTOH, cats, dogs, rabbits, chickens and guinea pigs are easier to raise and commonly eaten.

Bon appetit.

I wonder just how receptive a mare that has never been milked by hand before will be. When milking cows, we had to put them in the stanchion to get them to stand still long enough without knocking over the bucket.

Just a thought. A horse can kick pretty hard.

Cows kick by swinging their hind leg forward; horses kick that way, or by kicking backward with one or both legs, or by sitting back on their hind legs, and flicking their front legs forward. They also bite, having both upper and lower teeth, head butt and stand up on their hind legs and strike with their fore legs. Doing anything with horses is more hazardous than working with cattle. Bleed them first, to weaken them, then try to milk 'em. Better y.et, shoot 'em and can 'em.

I've been investigating different storage techniques for long term food storage ... I started with dried staples, and was hoping a small EarthBox type garden would supply some aromatics and fresh greens...but for an interim period till they mature..I've been sprouting some of the beans...used both great northern and pinto beans (the popcorn didn't do well) to check out my technique... anybody given this a thought for long term "fresh" vegetables that don't need to be planted? it's like the jar never runs out of food...need a new name for "mung bean"

Good timing. I've been thinking about this too. Chickweed was a pioneer staple for early spring greens; very tasty and very early, though larger amounts have laxative properties.

But also consider: Quackgrass. The invasive bane of farmers and gardeners.

Apparently edible. My dogs and cats seek out fresh green shoots and chew them up. I put a spadeful in a plant pot to give them some spring tonic. Cattle and horses graze it too.

It's said to be dieuretic, so watch the amounts.

Reports indicate the roots can be ground into flour and the seeds are edible (watch for purple tips, though, I've seen hints of ergot fungus).

You have to be mighty determined to kill this stuff. And even then, your victory will be temporary.

Anyway, I'll never run out. (I'm trying to look on the bright side.)

http://journeytoforever.org/edu_quackgrass.html

http://www.eattheweeds.com/quack-grass/

SMH @ mike. As a small rancher I find that a bit insulting.

Foraging wild edibles is another option, the guy who does the Eat the weeds web site puts on classes all over Florida. I just went to the one at John Chesnut Park (in Palm Harbor FL.) and can highly recommend it. I plan on attending the next one there also as it is a lot of information to assimilate. There is a lot of food around, also a wide variety, if you know what to look for.

Apaches used to kill a wind blown horse and eat it, then used the intestines to carry water. I think I saw mention of Bear Grylls using a snakeskin to carry his own urine around his neck. Personally I'm happier with a canteen or even a hot pink water bottle.