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This do-it-yourself poultry waterer is easy to make and will make winter watering chores easier.
We have developed a line of poultry waterers, including this heated one you can make yourself. To construct the heated waterer, start with a 5-gallon bucket waterer with poultry nipples (visit Avian Aqua Miser for details). Additional supplies you’ll need include a second bucket, a 3-foot pipe-heating cable (aka heat tape, usually about $25) and duct tape. (Note: This project may not conform to the safety instructions provided by some heat tape manufacturers. —MOTHER EARTH NEWS)
First, cut the bottom off of your extra bucket by starting your hole with the drill, then make your cut with the jigsaw. Remove the handle. Starting from the bottom edge of the bottomless bucket, use a coping saw to make a small slit about 3 inches up the side, then set aside the modified bucket.
Wrap the heat tape around the outside of the unmodified bucket near the bottom, using duct tape to hold it in place. Then push the bottomless bucket onto the bucket waterer, letting the heat tape’s cord feed out of the slit. The bottomless bucket should extend a few inches beyond the bottom of the original bucket waterer.
A last, optional step is to wrap chicken-friendly insulation (such as Reflectix, a foil-backed bubble wrap insulation) around the sides and top of the bucket. Here in Zone 6, the resulting waterer provides frost-free hydration for our flock all winter long. For more information, you can visit our website (given above) and click on “Heated Waterers.”
Anna Hess
Dungannon, Virginia Source
The term life hacks is relatively new, but did you know that they have been around for a very long time? That’s right. In the 1900s, Gallaher’s Cigarettes started putting stiff paper in their packs of cigarettes to help add some strength because it made them last longer. Over time, someone came up with the idea that these pieces of stiff paper should have trivia, artwork, and pictures of famous people printed on them. This idea quickly caught on and they started to include “How To Do It” cards in each pack of cigarettes. Some of the tips were extremely useful, while others were more fun. Lucky for us, the entire collection which contains 100 cards is on display at the New York Public Library’s George Arents Collection. They also recently made these cards available online for all to see, but here are 40 of our favorite vintage life hacks from the Gallaher Cigarette packs.
When SHTF, your supplies will only get you so far. So what do you do when your stockpile is dwindling? Mother Nature always has an answer. Knowing how to make these simple, yet dangerous, survival traps using your resources can keep you alive in an emergency situation.
Booby traps may help you catch food and ward off unwanted intruders. These skills will also save you time and energy that need to be spent elsewhere. Check out these sneaky survival traps, guaranteed to catch who and what you want to catch....More from the source
We have an abundance of milk and eggs on our farm due to our milk cow and flock of laying hens. Production slows down a bit in the winter, but in the summertime we run two fridges just to keep up with it all!
I’m desperate to turn my second fridge into a cheese cave, so I began trying to find some different ways to preserve the precious bounty that would free up my fridge and also tide us over in the winter months.
To Freeze, Can, or Dehydrate?
I focused on freezing, canning, and dehydrating to preserve eggs and milk. Instructions for completing each method, pros and cons, my recommendations, and pictures of some of the results are below. This way, you can decide which method would be best for you and your family, and your food storage needs. Even if you’re not trying to free up a second fridge, you never know when there will be a power outage. Not depending solely on your refrigerator is important!
Freezing: Takes up a lot of space in the freezer, but prep is quick and easy
Freezing is the least time-consuming method for long-term storage, but it is also the most energy dependent one. Eggs and milk can be frozen in many different containers: freezer bags, jars, plastic freezer containers and they perform much like the fresh version when thawed and used. If you are using farm fresh raw milk, freeze the cream separately. Once thawed, the cream will sit on top of the milk in flakes and the two will not mix together, no matter how hard you shake the jar! To freeze milk, simply pour it into your chosen container, leaving room for the milk to swell. My container of choice are ziploc freezer bags. I pour 1/2 gallon of milk in a 1 gallon freezer bag and lay flat in the freezer until frozen solid so they will be easy to stack.
Preparing eggs to be frozen is also extremely quick and easy. Simply break them into a bowl, beat to combine the yolks and whites or push through a strainer and pour them into your container and freeze. To save space, I pour the eggs into an ice cube tray and, once frozen, remove them from the tray and place in a freezer bag.
The beauty of freezing eggs in smaller amounts, such as in an ice cube tray, is that they thaw quickly and allow me to throw together a really quick meal. Between quiches, frittatas, and even “breakfast for dinner”, I’m never at a loss for a great egg-based recipe! Read more from the source
Survival antibiotics are often overlooked by preppers. One reason is because preppers don’t know which ones to buy or even where to get them. Another reason is because they haven’t needed them before so they forget they might need them in the future. That was the reason I hadn’t stocked up on antibiotics until a long, painful week set me straight.
Last year, on an ordinary evening shortly after dinner, my stomach started bothering me. It wasn’t nausea or a normal stomach cramp. It was a strange type of gnawing pain I’d never felt before. I tried antacids and Pepto Bismol, but nothing worked. I finally took some Tylenol and went to bed.
The next day the pain was still there, but now it had moved over to my lower right abdomen. And as the day continued, it got worse. And worse. Pretty soon it was so bad that I decided to go online and do some research. I thought it might be something like a torn muscle or my appendix, but nothing I found really fit my symptoms. That evening, the pain was so bad I could barely move. I had to walk hunched over and take tiny steps. Any type of sudden movement caused excruciating pain. It was so severe that my wife had to help me take my shirt off before bed. The following morning she took me to urgent care.
It was a long day. The doctor asked a lot of questions and felt my abdomen, but he wasn’t sure what it could be so he ordered blood work and a CAT scan. He thought it might be my gall bladder, in which case I would need emergency surgery. But again, he wasn’t sure if that was the problem because my symptoms just didn’t quite fit. Of course, my wife and I were both afraid it could be something life-threatening.
Eventually a radiologist looked at the scans and identified the problem: I had some type of infectious colitis in my ascending colon (similar to diverticulitis). Basically, my colon was severely inflamed by a bacterial infection. They couldn’t say exactly how it happened, but it’s possible I got it after eating some undercooked meat. That’s rare, but it can happen.
This infection could have killed me if not for the medication he prescribed. And what was this wonderful medicine that saved my life? You guessed it. Antibiotics. Specifically, Ciprofloxacin and Metronidazole. After 10 days of taking those, I was good as new! But I wondered, What if I hadn’t had access to a doctor or antibiotics when this happened? I probably would have died. See how important it is to stock up on antibiotics for survival?
Before we move on, a few disclaimers: First, I am not a doctor and I am not giving you medical advice. I’m just repeating some information I learned. I recommend you ask your doctor if he will write you some prescriptions for antibiotics so you can stock up, just in case. There are other ways you can acquire antibiotics. For example, you could buy the ones that are meant for control of common bacterial infections in fish and/or birds. I’m not saying you should consume them, I’m just pointing out how interesting it is that they’re the exact same as the ones prescribed by doctors.
And please, don’t take antibiotics every time you have pain or a fever. Antibiotics are not good for you and should only be taken in an emergency. You should have a good medical book on hand to help you diagnose the problem. And then, only when you are very certain that antibiotics will help, should you take them. I also want to remind you that if you take antibiotics and develop a rash or any other reaction, you should stop taking them immediately. If there is no reaction and your condition improves, continue taking the antibiotic for two weeks, even if you feel better after a few days. Though you might feel better, you want to make sure the infection is completely eliminated.
There are a lot of antibiotics, but I’ve narrowed it down to what I think are the 9 best. These should cover almost 99% of infections. You don’t need to get every single one on this list (for example, Cephalexin, Amoxicillin, and Erythromycin are all very similar, but you might have trouble finding a couple of them).
I can’t tell you everything you need to know in one post. I suggest you look for some books on antibiotics so you’ll know what and how much to use. It’s my hope that this post will at least get you started. Here then, are the 9 Best Survival Antibiotics. I’ll begin the list with the two that helped me.
Ciprofloxacin – Best for things like urinary tract infections, prostate infections, respiratory tract infections (such as bronchitis or pneumonia), bacterial diarrhea, anthrax, and diverticulitis or infectious colitis (when combined with Metronidazole). It should never be used by children, pregnant women or nursing mothers. (Do a web search for “Fish Flox”)
Metronidazole – Usually used for getting rid of anaerobic bacteria which is found in the intestine. Like I said, it can treat diverticulitis or colitis if you take it with Ciprofloxacin. But it can also treat bacterial vaginosis, diabetic foot ulcer, joint or bone infections, lung or brain abscesses, meningitis, and a few other infections. This also shouldn’t be taken by children, pregnant women or nursing mothers. (This one is also sold as “Fish Zole”)
Cephalexin – Great for almost any type of respiratory infection (bronchitis, pneumonia, strep throat, etc.) and middle ear infections. It is safe for pregnant women and children and only has a few side effects. (Do a web search for “Fish Flex”)
Amoxicillin – This will handle most of the same types of bactiera as Cephalexin. It’s also safe for pregnant women and children and has very few side effects. However, some people are very allergic to it. In that case, you should try the next one on the list. (This is also sold as Fish Mox”)
Erythromycin – Like the previous two, this one can also treat most respiratory infections and middle ear infections. It’s also good for Syphilis, Lyme Disease and Chlamydia. And it’s safe for women and children. So why not just forget the other two and store this instead? Because it has several potential side effects including abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.
Doxycycline – Treats the same types of infections as Erythromycin. However, Erythromycin can be hard to find whereas this one is often sold as “Bird Biotic.” This is not labeled for human consumption. I’m just pointing it out. This one can also treat sinus infections, Typhus and Malaria. However, it should not be used by children, pregnant women or nursing mothers and there are some side effects including kidney impairment and sensitive skin. (Dixycycline is actually just a newer type of Tetracycline, also sold as “Fish Cycline”)
SMZ-TMP – That is short for Sulfamethoxazole and Trimethoprim. Together, these can treat most respiratory infections, but they’re mainly used for urinary tract infections. But the best thing about SMZ-TMP is it can treat MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus), also known as resistant staph. This is a strain of bacteria that spreads easily and is resistant to most antibiotics. (Do a web search for “Bird Sulfa”)
Azitrhomycin – This one is similar to numbers 3 through 6 because it treats respiratory infections and all sorts of things like Chlamydia, Lyme Disease, PID, Syphilis, Typhoid, etc. Side effects include abdominal pain, nausea and diarrhea but that is rare. It’s a great antibiotic to have because it treats so many different things. The problem is that it’s hard to find and can be a bit expensive.
Ampicillin – Similar to penicillin, but more effective against things like anthrax and less likely to cause an allergic reaction. Also useful for respiratory tract infections, bacterial meningitis, urinary tract infections, gastrointestinal infections and many other things. (Do a web search for “Fish Cillin”)
If you don’t want to get every one of these, you should at least get the first three on the list. Those three will cover 9 out of 10 infections you might get. As far as storage, just keep them in the refrigerator. You don’t have to, but it will extend their shelf life. Don’t freeze them, though! That can permanently alter their chemical composition and they might not work anymore. They should continue to be effective for years after the expiration date, with one exception: Tetracyclines (which includes doxycycline). These can become toxic if they get too old.
Don’t be caught with a life-threatening infection when it’s too dangerous to go out or after the stores have run out of antibiotics. They don’t cost much and they could save you or a loved one’s life. Source
so you’ll know what and how much to use. It’s my hope that this post will at least get you started. Here then, are the 9 Best Survival Antibiotics. I’ll begin the list with the two that helped me.
