• 
  
  Burgeoning U.S. national debt
  
  


• 
  
  Islamic fundamentalist terrorism
  
  


• Continuous spewing of Fukushima radioactive water into the Pacific Ocean


• Instability in the dollar’s position as the world’s reserve currency


• Ebola outbreaks


• Growing tensions edging towards a new world war


• Unfettered immigration


• Peak Oil


• Global warming


• Earth’s possible impact with the asteroid Apophis in 2029…

These and many other current issues are part of the growing concern over what some believe may be the inevitable TEOTWAWKI (“the end of the world as we know it.”) Whether you accept that the “sh** is about to hit the fan,” it is undeniable that prepping and survivalism is part of our current national zeitgeist.

Aaron Frankel, an urban survival expert and podcast host on the subject, joins me on the Urban Chicken Podcast to discuss chickens as a key tool in any survivalist’s preparations for the worst. Aaron also shares his personal insights on keeping his large flock of “tactical” chickens on an industrial city lot in urban Houston, Texas. 

It is estimated that approximately 3.7 million Americans are active “survivalists” who are making preparations for tough times ahead. In a recent study, 76% of self-described preppers think that economic collapse is the most likely global disaster looming in the near future.

Even if you are disinclined towards the attitude that the world is nearing its event horizon on any number of global crises, it is hard to deny that personal difficulties will likely visit each of us during our lifetimes. It is the mundane disasters (e.g. catastrophic illness, loss of a job, divorce, death of a spouse) which commonly bring financial ruin and turmoil in the average person’s life.

Aaron Frankel and his co-hosts on “In the Rabbit Hole – the Urban Survival Podcast” regularly discuss how to best prepare for the worst case scenario.   Unlike the vast majority of prepping experts who recommend getting out of the cities now and setting up in a bug-out location, Aaron takes the opposite point of view.  He has no interest in leaving his life and all of the benefits of urban-living, despite the possibility of future disaster.  Instead of fleeing the city, the ethos of the In the Rabbit Hole crew is to learn to prepare to survive a crisis while remaining in the city.  In other words, learn to be ready to make your stand against whatever may come from where you already are.

Aaron’s Special “Tactical” Chicken Breed – Photo Courtesy of Aaron Frankel

Aaron challenges others to take a critical look at how much personal responsibility they accept for their own lives. He encourages people to ask the difficult questions – if you met with crisis in your life today (whether that is a global, national or a personal disaster), how long and how well could you take care of yourself?  The answer to such self-examination can be difficult to swallow.  It is very uncomfortable having a disturbing truth about oneself illuminated and to thereby discover that you are wanting in that area.

Even if you find that you are not well prepared to deal with unexpected hardships, you may be reluctant to turn into a “prepper.”  Perhaps the term “survivalist” evokes images of nuts in ghillie suites with AR-15s play commando in the hills.  If so, you might be very surprised to learn that the backyard chicken ranks much higher than a ghillie suit on the thoughtful survivalist’s preparedness list.  You don’t have to be a “nut” to be a prepper necessarily.

Aaron Frankel of In The Rabbit Hole – Urban Survival Podcast

Aaron would argue that being a true survivalist is actually about being able to take care of yourself.  To that end, learning some self-reliance and responsibility by providing a part of your food supply from a healthy and sustainable source (i.e. your own backyard chickens) is an important step towards being prepared for whatever life brings.  So whether you’ve ever thought of it in terms of survivalism, your backyard flock is already giving you a level of preparedness that you may not have ever considered before.

CHICKEN NEWS:

• iTunes technical support sort of stinks (I explain the UCP’s tale of iTunes woe)


• Daniel Hayes of Simple Life Together (fixed the UCP tech troubles – YAY!) – LINK

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