This weekly Snippets column is a collection of short items: responses to posted articles, practical self-sufficiency items, how-tos, lessons learned, tips and tricks, and news items — both from readers and from SurvivalBlog’s editors. Note that we may select some long e-mails for posting as separate letters.
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A video from blog reader A.K.: Build your own Portable Poultry Coop!
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Reader C.B. sent this: A Concerning Winter Storm Is Coming…
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New Yorkers Moving to Florida in Record Numbers.
“More people from New York moved to Florida in 2022 than any year in history, according to the New York Post.
The newspaper, attributing its information to data from the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, said 64,577 New Yorkers took out Florida drivers’ licenses last year.
The number eclipsed the 61,728 New Yorkers, who moved to Florida in 2021, the newspaper said. And it marked a 39% increase over 2019, the last pre-pandemic year.”
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In Europe ‘a new generation of bank robbers’ target ATMs with explosives, stealing millions. (Our thanks to reader C.B. for the link.)
Tractorguy wrote:
“A suggestion in response to “Doing Laundry Off-Grid and DIY Soap Recipes” by E.H. is to do laundry in a mop bucket with a built-in wringer. You can get professional-grade mop buckets at the home improvement stores, and the built-in wringer keeps you from having the wring the clothes out manually and returns the water directly to the bucket. I bought a mop bucket, a new toilet plunger to agitate the clothes in it, and an umbrella-type clothes dryer for around $100 all told.”
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C.B. sent this predictable news: California: Ludicrous Body Armor Purchase & Possession Ban Introduced!
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‘Invisible’ camouflage clothes can hide you from security cameras – and tricks them into thinking you’re an animal. (Thanks to Andre for the link.)
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From reader H.L.: Air Force general predicts America will be at war with China by 2025.
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Amber wrote us:
“After reading about your hardship finding chicken feed I wanted to share that I get my non gmo feed from natural farm feed here. I looked on Craigslist and there is similar places in Idaho. I usually get a tote of broiler as I raise a broad range of birds and all mine free range. I just order oyster shell from azure and supplement that for laying hens. U can get totes or sacks. It is cheaper than store bought and our is family run/ owned so I know who I am supporting.”
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Crushed Bug “Additive” Is Now Included In Pizza, Pasta, & Cereals Across The EU.
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More of our national sovereignty has been chipped away: Declaration of North America (DNA). (Thanks to J.B. for the link.)
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SaraSue sent this snippet:
“No milk. My first cow, a Jersey, has been artificially inseminated a 4th time and I’m hoping she’s bred. She is not in milk. Having the second cow, a Guernsey, helped me to identify “standing heat” for the Jersey, but the A.I. tech wasn’t so sure when he arrived. Sigh. Then, the Guernsey was acting very strange one morning. I had to coax her out of the run-in barn to bring her up to milk. Her udder was scarlet red. It almost looked like a chemical burn.
I called the vet, on a Saturday, and a vet made it to the farm around 5:30pm. The vet was quite young and the Guernsey was quite out of sorts, violently kicking at anyone who got close. It took 3 of us to get her treated. The vet decided to treat her for mastitis as a matter of course, without testing her milk or taking her temperature. Her milk had been beautiful, so I was sure it wasn’t mastitis.
Due to the treatments I couldn’t keep her milk for a week, so I counted on the steer calf, who is quite big, to keep her empty. I consulted a number of dairy people and no one had seen an udder like that. We finally concluded that she had bedded down on a fire ant hill, and we do have those here. Her udder is looking much better now, and I will start milking her again this week. I have a head gate, an anti-kick bar, and hobbles, should they be needed, but I don’t like to stress my cows out by trussing them up like a turkey. I prefer to earn their trust and have them willingly give milk.
This cow, a first-time mama, was not easy to train, so I’m afraid this has set us back quite a bit, and I’m not interested in getting kicked in the head. I thought getting a second cow would ensure the family always had milk, but no. I had to stop myself from getting a third dairy cow, wishing I had more acreage! I’m hoping we can get back on track without incident. “
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Public Safety Under Attack as Biden Releases Criminal Migrants.
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At WND: This is heavy: Warning sounded on extra weight from electric vehicles.
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D.H. had this suggestion:
“I wanted to share a tip from something I learned regarding keeping stock tanks open for the livestock to drink from. We have cattle and used to have a lot of goats here in the Midwest. The electricity usage from running all the stock tank heaters during winter would cause our electric bills to soar. I observed from the pond in our backyard that where our aeration system was placed, the water never completely froze (14′ deep). I implemented that principle in our stock tanks. I use aquarium air pumps (double outputs better than single) to provide a stream of warmer water from the bottom (small weight affixed to air stones) of the tank to keep an area of the tank from freezing. When the temps are single digits or low teens, I have to add a stock tank heater but can use one with lower wattage (250W or 500W sinking heater).
I also enclose the air lines in an old piece of garden hose to keep nosy calves from chewing on them. I house the pump in a small enclosure and fasten it just outside the livestock paddock. Hopefully, this helps. Thanks always for the website, its info, and the community it supports.”
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D.S.V. sent this news item: Jackson, Mississippi, preparing to go without water periodically for up to 10 years as crisis continues.
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Video: Prepping in 2023: If I Had to Start Over.
Please Send Us Your Snippets!
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