Letter Re: Sustainable Chicken Farming

Mr. Rawles, I’ve had chickens for about three years now, but in doing some research before I got mine I stumbled on the best source for chicken info: BackyardChickens.com.

Now, I hear things all the time about chickens that people will discuss with me that I already knew because I read an in-depth discussion on the subject already on the forum. Also the moderation is very good so the site is kept very family friendly. For instance did you know Apple Cider Vinegar is good for their health? If so did you know you shouldn’t provide it in galvanized containers? Plus if you have a question you can ask on the forum and usually get a super fast answer (due to the high membership at any given time there are hundreds of members online, although the forum is the most active in the spring as it’s rearing season).

Though I did learn from Sheila, I didn’t know that about the Roosters, but I don’t have any rooster as mine are not in compliance with local ordinance I maintain a stealth flock. Addressing one of her concerns; you can buy/sell/trade on the site, vastly improving access to heritage breeds with broodiness and the like still in their bloodline. Plus you can get birds outside of the short window the stores keeps chicks in stock. – M.E.

Letter Re: Jim Rickards Comments on “The Financial Equivalent of the Atomic Bomb”

Hi Mr. Rawles,
King World News featured an interview with James Rickards, Senior Managing Director at Omnis, Inc. and Co-Head of the firm’s practice in Threat Finance & Market Intelligence. The audio is linked within, as is the Jim Rickards article it stems from. Here are some excerpts:

“There are legitimate concerns over the safety of citizens in the event of a financial collapse in the United States where confidence is lost and the dollar plunges. We are mired in a depression, and the central planners continue to look for solutions to keep the monetary system from completely buckling. In his latest interview, Jim Rickards warned of a coming financial catastrophe and civil unrest.”

Also within it is Rickards’ presentation to the “2009 Unrestricted Warfare Symposium”.

“National Security has never been more captive to economic security than it is today… [Through] global capital flows and the capital and commodities markets that accommodate those flows, . . . currencies can be destroyed,

inflation can be transmitted, reserves can be depleted, and financial institutions can be destabilized.”

Additional, more direct links:

Rickards’ interview with King World News can be heard here.

The PDF of Rickards’ presentation to the 2009 Unrestricted Warfare Symposium can be found here

For me, both the Broadcast and the PDF Document are “Keepers.” Safely be… Blessings, – G2

Economics and Investing:

Reader M.T. sent us this link: Gerald Celente: The Crash Is Underway

H.L. sent this: Fears of Global Slowdown Hammer Stock Market

Payback Time – Budget in the Red, Illinois Has Stopped Paying Bills (thanks to B.B. for the link.)

Items from The Economatrix:

Obama Says US Economy “Strengthening” Despite Weak Data

US Auto Sales Seen Slowing with Recovery in Doubt

City Budgets Snuffing 4th of July Fireworks

Joint Chiefs Chair Reiterates Debt Is National Security Threat

BP Shares Soar on Takeover Talks

Greek Austerity Rage Spills Into Athens Streets

One Million Protest Italy Austerity Package

Crackdown! Is the Massive Wave of Strategic Defaults About to Come to a Screeching Halt?

Gold: Don’t Get Out Before the Bankers Get In

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"With hearts fortified with these animating reflections, we most solemnly, before God and the world, declare, that, exerting the utmost energy of those powers, which our beneficent Creator hath graciously bestowed upon us, the arms we have compelled by our enemies to assume, we will, in defiance of every hazard, with unabating firmness and perseverance employ for the preservation of our liberties; being with one mind resolved to die freemen rather than to live as slaves." – Declaration of the Cause and Necessity of Taking Up Arms, July 6, 1775

Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 29 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round will include:

First Prize: A.) A course certificate from onPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses. (Excluding those restricted for military or government teams.) Three day onPoint courses normally cost between $500 and $600, and B.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees, in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $392 value.) C.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $275 value), D.) A 500 round case of Fiocchi 9mm Parabellum (Luger ) with 124gr. Hornady XTP/HP projectiles, courtesy of Sunflower Ammo (a $249 value), and E.) An M17 medical kit from JRH Enterprises (a $179.95 value).

Second Prize: A.) A “grab bag” of preparedness gear and books from Jim’s Amazing Secret Bunker of Redundant Redundancy (JASBORR) with a retail value of at least $400, and B.) two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value).

Third Prize: A.) A copy of my “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course, from Arbogast Publishing, and B.) a Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21. (This filter system is a $275 value.)

Round 29 ends on July 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that articles that relate practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

The Frontier Diet: The Proven High Speed, Low Drag Travel Foods, by Hambone

As you make your plans to beat feet to a pre-selected retreat site or evacuate your area of operations for a short-term emergency, food has to be part of that planning effort.  As I read through SurvivalBlog site, I see folks posting their ideas.  These ideas fall into some general categories – freeze dried / dehydrated and MRE style meals, with the remainder looking at commercially wet-pack canned or other prepared food.  All have much to offer to a person or family looking ahead and seeing the possibility bad times.  They all have some drawbacks, as does any set of foods, when you travel.

Food and water are major constraints to any movement cross country, the longer you plan to be on the move or the greater the distance you must travel – the greater the burden you face to supply yourself.  Add in the need to have food that is nutritious, needs little if any preparation, and that can be eaten cold – you really have something of a planning problem. 

I would like to suggest you can look to the history of this Nation and draw on the successes of past long distance travelers – from the fur trader to the civil war soldier.  I have identified a set of four basic foods that I believe will meet the need for portable food, are lightweight, flexible and offer the basic nutrition you require while traveling. 

This I call the Frontier diet – four high-speed, low drag foods that can get where you are going without weighing you down.  I’ll cover each of the four in some detail, explain why they were picked, link to recipes and why I think they are worth your consideration.

The four foods are: Coffee (or tea), hardtack, parched corn, and pemmican.  All are easy to make at home, with the exception of the coffee and all offer excellent storage lives, ease of preparation, and all may be eaten cold if necessary.  Each offers a specific set of advantages and they all can be used together to provide a bit of variety in your meals.

The coffee I am talking about is the commercial, freeze dried product found in small, one-cup packets.  I would not consider any other type of packaging – the packets are air-tight, waterproof and frankly, I find the flavor to be superior.  I suffered through many years with the “coffee product” found in C rations, Long Range Patrol Rations, and more recently in MREs.  All were pretty nasty, at least in my opinion.

The value of coffee in the Frontier diet is in its use as an appetite suppressant.  Strong tea (green, black or other non-herbal teas) will also provide the same effect.  Tea normally requires hot water to provide a satisfactory product – though cold soaking tea bags for several hours will provide a drinkable product.  Freeze dried coffee will quickly mix with water at any temperature.  Either will provide a way to knock down hunger pains until you can reach a suitable or protected rest position for a better opportunity to feed yourself or your crew.  The coffee can also be used to soak your hardtack (hard bread) to make it somewhat easier to eat.  Which brings us to hardtack.

Hardtack or hard bread has been part of a soldiers ration since Roman times.  Often reviled, always hated, hardtack (or sailor/pilot bread) serves to provide a long lasting, lightweight food that offers needed calories for travel.  Commercially baked hardtack or hard bread is a staple in both Alaska and Hawaii.  Modern commercial hardtack is seen as “Saloon Pilot” crackers in Hawaii and in Alaska as my favorite “Sailor Boy” pilot bread.  Very long lasting when stored properly and eatable by itself cold, hardtack is improved with anything you might have, from peanut butter to apple sauce.

You can make your own hard bread, SurvivalBlog has several recipes already posted or you can use this one.  Remember, if you add salt to your home made hardtack, it will reduce the storage life as the salt attracts moisture.  Store in a cool, dry location and physically protect the product, lest weevils become part of your travel diet.  Should the product become infested, use the old Union Army method of preparation – break up the hardtack into your coffee, skim off the larvae and enjoy!

Actually, hardtack can be crushed and added to your coffee or to hot water for making a kind of porridge.  Not the world’s best perhaps, but at least different.  Crushed hardtack can be used in dumplings and other related foods.

Next, parched corn.  Corn has been a staple of frontier ‘dining’ since before the United States was an independent nation.  Made from dried corn, parched corn offers a very long term storage item, a useful addition to your diet and adds both calories and variety to the food you eat.  You can make your own or purchase a commercial product.  I will have to say parched corn is an acquired taste but offers many options as a food.

I make my parched corn in a cast iron skillet with just a bit of olive oil.  Start with dried corn, heat the skillet and add the corn one layer (or kernel) deep.  Keep the corn moving in the pan until it plumps and turns brown.  If the corn starts to pop, reduce the heat slightly.  Dump the parched corn in a bowl to cool.  It is ready to eat.  Add any spices or salt after the corn is cooked. The corn should be browned, plump and soft when you bite into it.  If not try again.  Start with small batches until you are happy with the results.

I pack mine in a wide-mouth water bottle (airtight container), and store in the cool location.  I also grind some of the parched corn in the wheat grinder with the stones set in an ‘open’ position to give a course meal.

Most people find the taste of sweet corn most palatable.  I use dried field corn as the fiber content is much greater and serves to keep constipation at bay while in the field.  While diarrhea is killer while in the field (I carry some Imodium tabs as a precaution) I have found that constipation is the bigger issue with most troops on cross-country movements, especially while eating MREs.  Hence my choice of the field corn as a basis for the parched corn.
The dried corn is available in many stores – use only corn sold for food.  Feed corn in 50# sacks runs under $15 here in Alaska, so it should be less expensive in your area.

Parched corn can be eaten cold (dry), it can be added to hot water with or without hardtack or pemmican to make a soup.  You can even carry some parched corn that you have ground in advance as pinole.  Add 6 to 8 tablespoons to cold (or hot) water and some sugar, either brown or white and enjoy a popular drink.  Pinole may be added to milk if available.  Pinole is suitable to be eaten dry as well.  Store pinole in an air tight container such as a dry water bottle.  This dry, ground corn product was also called “Rockihominy”.

Your parched corn can be soaked overnight to make a kind of Nixtamal.  Normally the corn is soaked with lime, but on the trail, this is normally not possible.  The corn can be soaked with ashes from your campfire and the resulting mixture washed thoroughly before use.  Do not use your aluminum cookware for this, as lye and the metal do not mix.  Use only a steel container if you wish to try this.

The corn, once soaked, should have swollen and the hull separated.  This corn may be used in soups, fried with any leftover grease you may have or simply eaten cold.  This product does not have all the nutrition advantages as lime (lye) soaked corn, but it is easier to chew.

The last item in our travel food bag is pemmican, food of trappers, fur traders and Antarctic exploration teams.  A mixture of tallow and dried meat. It is a staple that has a long storage life. It may be eaten cold and contains nutrients needed to keep you going in tough times.  The famed explorer Amundsen used pemmican made with dried peas, a key reason his party survived with the Scott expedition did not.  Made from tallow and dried meat, pemmican is an energy dense food with excellent keeping properties.

Several folks have posted their recipes on the site, so use the keyword search as “Pemmican”.  If the thought of eating fat leaves you a bit queasy, you can try pemmican made with peanut butter.
This version of pemmican uses peanut butter rather than melted suet or lard as the binding agent, which is likely more palatable with the younger members of your family.  Grind [or pound] the dried meat to a mealy powder. Add any dried berries, seeds or nuts if peas are not to your taste. Heat the peanut butter until softened. Blend all ingredients.  When cooled, store in a plastic bag or sausage casing in a cool dry place. It will keep for months if stored properly.  Some pemmican recipes call for honey, cayenne pepper and other spices.  Experiment now, while you can.

If you purchase a commercial product, check the ingredients closely.  Classic pemmican is about 50% fat and 50% dried meat.

So now you have four high-speed, low drag foods for the G.O.O.D. bag – all which can be eaten cold, dry or as part of mix using all the foods listed – just add water for a better tasting meal.  You can roll your own, except for the coffee, and adjust the taste to suit you – not some mythical ‘public’.  You should now see the advantages for tactical travel, the added value of making these food items for your self and tailor them to your tastes.  All have long term storage potential, and do well in most climates.

Including all or some of these foods into your planning can give you a better outcome.  Adding some simple items like sugar, condensed milk, salt and spices can expand on your meal choices.

Related Links for Further Research
http://www.coolantarctica.com/Antarctica%20fact%20file/science/food2.htm (mentions scurvy)
http://www.wellsphere.com/eating-disorders-article/rabbit-starvation-syndrome/226634
http://www.wellsphere.com/healthy-living-article/4-reasons-you-think-you-are-hungry-when-you-aren-8217-t/923338  (hunger issues)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pemmican
http://www.natureskills.com/pemmican_recipe.html
http://www.newton.dep.anl.gov/natbltn/200-299/nb257.htm  (this also mentions scurvy)

Three Letters Re: Surviving A Home Invasion Robbery

Good Day James Wesley,
I’ve been learning from your site for years and today became a Ten Cent Challenge subscriber.. Thank You!

I too was struck how easily a standard residential entry doors can be opened either by lock “bumping” and even more easily with a stout “kick”.

When I retired last June, one of my first projects suggested by my darling wife was to replace all entry doors to our 1959 brick veneer ranch style house with attached garage.

We wanted at minimum insulated, solid core, steel doors but also spent quite quite a bit of time looking/considering the various fiberglass alternatives. We wanted robust and were less concerned with appearance and were surprised that in virtually all instances, “Big Box” and Contractor Supply “Residential” replacement doors feature “minimalist” wooden frames, or pricey 20 gauge steel [frames], which as pointed out in a prior post, need heavy reinforcement to survive any determined assault.

We therefore chose heavy duty commercial steel doors from Steelcraft. The ones that we bought have 16 gauge galvanized frames and 18 gauge galvanized doors with 90 minute fire ratings.

The Steelcraft choice was due to it’s Ohio operation (freight cost economies, for us) as well as the familiarity we had with local Contractor Supply companies. Regionally, there are a number of similar manufacturers and suppliers for these commercial standard products.

Once we determined the basic specifications we did “shop” the order to three supply houses and one “Big Box” retailer with whom we had positive experience with in sourcing a replacement patio door.

Unfortunately with the Big Box experience we found that their wholesale supplier could provide the doors we wanted but had a “policy” of charging 40% above Contractor pricing!

Needless to say that made for a very simple decision and we ordered from the selected Contractor Supply company three doors [ 2-30×80, 1-36×80 with 4″x24″ tempered glass “lights”] for $1,800 with tax and delivered and an estimated two week lead time due to the three “special” frames needed, as they are made in 1/8″ increments.

We estimated that we could install each door in two days and were almost on target after the first one. (The first one took four days.)

The biggest effort was removal of the old doors/frames and reinforcing the channels in the metal frames to permit their being further secured with 5/8″ x 3” lag screws into the house joists/framing.

Final paint/trims completed the re-dooring and we installed aluminum wood core “storm doors” with exterior openings, Commercial #2 lock sets and reinforced jam openings completed the project to “buy time” in the event an unauthorized entry attempt.

The installation directions from the door manufacturer were right on and I’ll point out that I haven’t done any construction in over 30 years.

Am pleased with the results and would encourage your readers to consider similar action if events continue to evolve since my first read of “Patriots” in 1999. Warmest Regards – Bob F.

 

Mr. Editor:
To all of those recommending spending money on major door reinforcements, consider that unless the rest of your house is a steel box, this is largely just window dressing. Literally that. The strongest door in the world isn’t going to keep someone out of a house that has man-sized glass-covered holes in it on every wall. We call those windows. Unless you’re on a high floor of an apartment building, or unless you’ve added security grates to all your windows, the best lock in the world might give you peace of mind, but does little more in the way of true security. You might only ever come in through the door, but criminals don’t. – Troy

 

James,
This is a follow up to the Surviving a Home Invasion Robbery article. If any of your readers have exterior doors that swing outward, they probably have exposed hinge pins. If so, removing the hinge pins can allow an adversary to somewhat quietly and easily remove a door.

A possible solution is to use a couple of specially designed hinge security screws on each hinge. Here is an example of this type of screw. This is not an endorsement for any particular brand of hinge security screw, but just to show your readers what to look for.

Economics and Investing:

Chris G. sent us this troubling news article: House Democrats ‘Deem’ Faux $1.1 Trillion Budget ‘as Passed’

Recession cut into employment for half of working adults, study says. (Thanks to frequent content contributor B.B. for the link.)

Items from The Economatrix:

BofE Rate Setter Fears New UK Recession

Nearly 1 in 3 First-Quarter Home Sales a Foreclosure Sold at Steep Discount

Central Banks Warn of New Crisis if Exit Left Too Late

China Slowdown Fears Hit Global Markets

It’s Everyone for Themselves After Toronto Failure

Europe’s Recovery Falters

Double-Dip Recession Warning Signs are Everywhere! Batten Down the Hatches!

Payrolls Drop by 125,000, Jobless Rate Falls

Stocks Inch Up After Government Says Job Growth Slow

No Bucks, No Boom for The Fourth

Oil Drops Slightly After US Jobs Report

New Data Shows US “Recovery” in Peril

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"In every government there necessarily exists a power from which there is no appeal, and which, for that reason, may be formed absolute and uncontrollable. The person or assembly in whom this power resides is called the sovereign or supreme power of the state. With us, the sovereignty of the Union is in the people." – Charles Pinckney, 1788

Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 29 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. This one is too short to qualify for consideration in the judging, but had enough merit to justify posting. (I encourage writers to include greater depth of detail and references.) The prizes for this round will include:

First Prize: A.) A course certificate from onPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses. (Excluding those restricted for military or government teams.) Three day onPoint courses normally cost between $500 and $600, and B.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees, in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $392 value.) C.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $275 value), D.) A 500 round case of Fiocchi 9mm Parabellum (Luger ) with 124gr. Hornady XTP/HP projectiles, courtesy of Sunflower Ammo (a $249 value), and E.) An M17 medical kit from JRH Enterprises (a $179.95 value).

Second Prize: A.) A “grab bag” of preparedness gear and books from Jim’s Amazing Secret Bunker of Redundant Redundancy (JASBORR) with a retail value of at least $400, and B.) two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value).

Third Prize: A.) A copy of my “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course, from Arbogast Publishing, and B.) a Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21. (This filter system is a $275 value.)

Round 29 ends on July 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that articles that relate practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Sustainable Chicken Farming, by Sheila C.

I have been raising chickens for eggs during the past several years, and I would like to share some of the secrets I have learned for long term food production. I like free range eggs, but have found that chickens pose certain conflicts with other necessities that can be quite frustrating. And reproducing chickens can be quite a trick these days. Chickens are a very good source of sustainable food from eggs and meat and also have side benefits, but it’s good to know some of the tricks. I hope this article can help preppers get ready and give a couple good chuckles along the way.

First of all, I found that most varieties of chicks sold at a local feed store have been genetically selected for egg production and the “broodiness” has been intentionally bred out of them. In other words, they do not set on their eggs and hatch them. I grew up on a farm, and I just assumed that chickens would naturally have babies like they did on the farm. For several years I waited for my hens to set, eagerly looking forward to the familiar chirp of little voices following a clucking hen around. I finally visited with a woman I consider a “chicken expert” about my dilemma and she enlightened me. I am now raising reproductive chickens and encouraging broodiness in my little hens.

The secret [of reliable broodiness] is using bantam chickens. There are several breeds of full-size chickens that will set, but infrequently and unreliably. I have purchased some banties that run around with my full-size chickens. I try to cross breed as much as possible. I have some half-size chickens now that set on eggs and cluck around with babies. My reproducible chickens have become somewhat of an obsession for me, as I try to perfect the kind of chicken that we had back on the farm.

The next problem I noticed with the chicks I bought at the local feed store was the roosters. They are just plain mean. I’d never encountered such mean roosters before and I was baffled. I noticed that the second-generation roosters who were raised by a mama hen were gentler with the hens and less aggressive with everybody else. I have one little rooster from last year that is quite a romantic and the hens love him. I have established a no violence policy with my roosters and have been known to get the shotgun out and settle the problem a couple of times after watching the roosters beat up some poor hen.

I have tripled the size of my garden this year and the chickens were determined to make sure they had a taste of everything first. They dig up the seeds, they eat the seedlings and they generally wreak havoc. I love to have free range chickens, so this was a dilemma for me. I finally built a small fence out of a dog kennel outside of their chicken house and I “ground” my chickens when they start getting into things they shouldn’t. I know it sounds funny, but they seem to behave better after spending a good part of the day cooped up and they seem to understand that they should stay away from the garden now. When one of the hens strays into the garden, I notice the rooster tries to lure her out before she gets caught.

I have had several boxes added to the outside of my chicken coop with hinged doors. I really began feeling a sense of dread for walking through the poop to get the eggs. The hens seem to love the boxes, and the eggs are clean and easy to gather. I also found that adding perches up high encouraged to the chickens to stay out of the boxes for taking a nap and hanging out. Before I had the extra-high perches, I had chickens leaving a mess in the nesting boxes because they liked hanging out in them.

I have been using the chicken manure for garden fertilizer this year. People have told me that it is too “hot” to use like you would horse manure or cow manure. So I added a small amount when I tilled and then I have been scooping dried manure onto the ground around the base of the plants. My garden loves it. I have also found that the chickens are a wonderful bug brigade. I have almost no insect troubles. Even though the garden is off limits and fenced, the chickens have cut the bug population down and for the most part the bugs are gone.

I love chickens, and I believe that in a survival situation they will be a good source of wholesome food. I hope my pointers can help others.

Letter Re: A Brief Review of the Movie “Right at Your Door”

James Wesley:

I watched the [R-rated] 2006 movie Right at Your Door on a cable movie channel this weekend. [It is also available as a “Watch Instantly” streaming video from Netflix.] The scenario was that there were multiple dirty bombs in Los Angeles– initially thought to be chemical, later revealed to be viral agents. [The film follows the protagonists’s reactions to] real-time self-defense (duct tape and plastic), the chaos of getting to the “retreat” of one’s home, reveals some poor thinking and planning and its consequences, and shows the deadly nature of likely governmental “help” for some victims in such a scenario.

Great for getting simple preparedness motivation going, and a good one I’d say for acclimatizing the skeptical spouse. My wife and I found ourselves discussing what we’d do differently in similar circumstances. – E.C.B. in Illinois

Letter Re: The Stamp of Idiocy

James:
Here in Michigan Food Stamps are paid electronically to each person’s account. The recipients are then issued a card to pay for their purchases. The card has a picture of the Mackinac Bridge on the front so they are referred to as “Bridge Cards.”

The Mogambo Guru’s Stamp of Idiocy article states that over 40 million people receive Food Stamps. This is scary to think about. But a few of my observations makes one wonder how many people actually deserve the benefits.

When I picked my daughter up from school last month both my wife and I were appalled at the amount of food that was being thrown out. The dumpster was full of frozen food. When I asked my daughter about this she said many of the girls are very wasteful with food because they purchase the food with their “Bridge Card.” Our daughter said she was one of the few girls there who did not receive Food Stamps.

When I went to a local supermarket last week I noticed many people paying for their purchases with their “Bridge Cards” They were buying expensive processed food and even cases of bottled water. I have also seen people pay with their “Bridge Card” then pull out cash to pay for alcohol and cigarettes since these items cannot be purchased with the card. I was [in the queue] behind one person who paid with a “Bridge Card” and when I went to the parking lot I could not help but notice that they were driving a newer sport utility vehicle.

I also know friends whose children are receiving Food Stamp benefits, many of these children have not worked for years and are doing nothing to look for employment or acquire additional training or education. My cousin’s son has a “Bridge Card”. He dropped out of high school, is 35 years old, lives at [his parent’s] home, does not work, and has had two children with two different girlfriends.

Yes, the economy in Michigan is bad, but there sure is a lot of waste in the Food Stamp program and in my opinion many people are receiving the benefits that are not even making the slightest effort to take care of themselves. – Mark G.

Three Letters Re: Surviving A Home Invasion Robbery

James:
First thank you for your site; helping others and spreading the word of Jesus Christ. A few years ago I came across a company called Armor Concepts and their product Door Jamb Armor. After watching video on their site, I decided to purchase three sets for every entry door to my home. I’m 100% positive that no one will kick in my door – in fact, one of their videos shows how hard it is to bust the door in even with a police battering ram. I’ll admit it’s not the most decorative, but I can almost guarantee very effective. (I’ve never had anyone try to break in).

I should also note that we got into the habit of always locking the doors behind us as well. You never know when someone may just try to walk in and take you by surprise.

Thank you again, and God bless. – Kurt W.

 

Sir:
I am a Vet and retired policeman and I would like to add a couple of my thoughts to Susan’s recent blog post about her home invasion experience. First of all, I admire Susan’s decision to fight for her and her husband’s life. Most of these type of events occur very rapidly which leaves the homeowner very little time to respond. Therefore, having a plan to deal with an event like this is critical. Just thinking about what you would do in the case of a home invasion puts you way ahead of most people. Develop a plan that is suitable to your family’s situation and practice it. If you don’t have small children in the home it gives you more options for placing weapons in strategic locations. If you have children in the home maybe you can fortify one room in the house to act as a safe room to allow time to call the police and retrieve a gun from a safe or lock box. Most home owners have no clue how easy it is for a normal size person to kick in a front door to a home that hasn’t been reinforced properly. I have read many articles regarding home invasions and the vast majority of these cases involve the criminal kicking in the front door allowing him instant access to anyone in the home.

In addition to Susan’s conclusions she learned from her experience, I would like to add two additional items. First, install quality security screen doors made out of heavy agriculture aluminum or steel and make sure they have a least one heavy duty dead bolt. Two deadbolts are even better. These doors are installed in their own metal frame and attached to the house using one-way screws. These type of doors prevents a person from gaining rapid entry to your home because they can’t just kick these doors in since they are made of strong material and close inward towards the door jam. An invader would have to virtually pull the door away from the house to gain access. If the invaders were still serious about going through a security door, at least it would buy the homeowner time to arm themselves and call the police. When these doors are properly installed and locked, a home invader would most likely try entry through a window which takes longer and can buy you time. So, you must also lock your windows as well.

Secondly, I strongly recommend anyone planning to defend themselves in their home from any criminal, to choose the caliber and type of weapon they intend to use carefully. I have no problem with .22 [rimfire] caliber, but I
would never choose it for a defense weapon. I’m not writing this to recommend any specific type of weapon or caliber since that has been discussed many times on this and other blogs. However, I am saying to choose a weapon that is capable of doing the job with as few shots as possible. And last, don’t place the weapon in a drawer or safe and never practice with it. The more you practice, the more efficient you will be in the event you ever experience anything like Susan did.

It is amazing how proper training kicks in during stressful situations. I don’t believe Americans should be paranoid about being a victim of these types of situations. By arming yourself and with the proper
practice you can have the confidence to fight for your life and perhaps save your family from harm. Regards, – Steve P.

 

Sir:
I wanted to reply to the “Home Invasion Robbery” article that was recently posted.

I noticed that the “front” door gave way (IMO) very easily. Most doors are framed by 1 inch board so that they can be dropped right into the joist arch. This also means that even a steel door would only have a little wood to hold on to. I would address that problem (weakness) as I have with my own doors.

First, the lock latches – I would screw a steel 1/8 inch thick 2 inch wide strip stock 3 to 4 foot long onto the door frame with 3 inch screws. Use a chisel to remove some of the wood (1/8 inch) so that the steel strip is level with the wood frame. Center the steel strip to the door latch and deadbolt. Drill holes for the door latch and deadbolt to go thru. Use at least 5 screws positioned along the strip stock, try to put one between the door latch and deadbolt. Screws are cheap, use 6 or more if you want. This will “distribute” the brunt force over a much greater area and into the home framing as well.

Second, the hinges probably only have 1 inch screws for both door and frame. Replace all screws with the 3 inch length to go thru the door frame to the joists. Steel doors may have tapped holes and short screws – I would still put longer screws in (2 inch) because screws can strip. I would put in a 3rd hinge if I didn’t have that now.

I will not say that your door won’t be broken but, you will have added valuable seconds (at least) to your defense time for the cost of screws and a 4 foot long piece of steel. Mike C