Are You Prepared for a Water Emergency?

The water crisis in Virginia should be an eye-opener to all of us. More than half a million people are unable to use the municipal water for drinking, cooking, bathing, laundry, or cleaning due to a chemical spill into the Elk River. No one knows how long the disaster will affect water supplies, and unprepared residents are now at the mercy of FEMA. Staff members at Thomas Memorial and Saint Francis hospitals were told not to use water except for flushing the toilets. At the Charleston Town Center Mall, marketing director Lisa McCracken said Thursday evening, “We’ve closed our restaurants and we closed our treateries. We’ve turned off all the public restroom faucets, and we have issued an advisory mall-wide to the tenants, telling them not to use the faucets in their establishments. It’s like the apocalypse,” she said, half-jokingly.

If you don't have a fresh water source from a well, have a way to purify water, or a good amount of stored drinkable water, you could be in life-threatening trouble very quickly. The average person can go only 3-5 days without water, less in hotter climates. According to the Department of Defense and the Office of Civil Defense, it's recommended that a gallon of water per day per person be stored for food preparation and drinking. A gallon provides added comfort and accommodates increased fluid needs at higher altitudes or warm climates. An additional one-half to 1 gallon per day is recommended for bathing and hygiene, and to wash dishes. Disease and infections become a serious risk when sanitation is compromised.

Unfortunately water is heavy and bulky but it is more important than food so find a cool, dark place such as the basement to store some water. It's recommended that every household have at least 3 days worth as a bare minimum. Here are some items that can literally save your life and the life of your family. Don't wait until an unexpected crises happens when it's too late.

Aquamira Frontier Emergency Water Filter System $10.57
LifeStraw Personal Water Filter$19.99
Potable Aqua Water Treatment Tablets$5.99
Katadyn Vario Multi Flow Water Microfilter$79.98 With Free Shipping
SteriPEN Traveler 3-in-1 Water Purifier, Blue$44.36 With Free Shipping
waterBOB Emergency Drinking Water Storage (100 Gallons)$19.70
British Berkefeld® Gravity Water Filter with four 7" Super SterasylTM Ceramic Water Filter Elements$210.99 With Free Shipping
50-gallon Collapsible Rain Barrel$36.64 With Free Shipping

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Are Ducks Better Than Chickens For Livestock?

This is a wonderful article by Lisa Steele October 8, 2013, that I just had to share. If you are considering small livestock, consider ducks.

"Over the last few years, keeping chickens has become all the rage. Whether it’s wanting to know where their food is coming from, a desire to be more self-sufficient or merely wanting to go back to the basics, chicken coops are popping up in suburban backyards of families all across the country. But might ducks actually be the better choice?
I have been raising ducks alongside our chickens for nearly five years. That has given me ample opportunity to compare chickens and ducks, and I have to admit that if I had to choose between them, I would pick the ducks.

1. Ducks are  healthier
Because they spend so much of their time in the water, ducks are less apt to get mites, lice and other external parasites. Ducks also have hardier immune systems, tend to stay in better general health and are less likely to contract illnesses than chickens.
2. Ducks are more cold-hardy
Ducks have an added layer of fat and a thick down ‘undercoat’ that chickens don’t have. They also have waterproofing on their feathers to protect against the elements and keep them warm and dry in the rain and snow.
3. Ducks are more heat-tolerant
Ducks handle heat quite well by floating around in their pool all day. During the hot southern summers we endure, while our chickens stand around panting, crowded in front of the fans we have set up in our run, the ducks paddle about quite contentedly in their pool.
4. Ducks are quieter
Maybe hard to believe, but our chickens actually make more noise than our ducks. Chickens cackle and carry on after they lay an egg, before they lay an egg, when there’s another hen in the nesting box they want, and for no apparent reason at all. Female ducks on the other hand, although can quack loudly when agitated or excited, normally just quietly chitter-chatter.
Roosters, contrary to popular belief, don’t just crow in the morning. They crow all day long. In contrast, drakes (male ducks) don’t quack at all. They make only a soft raspy wheezing sound. On the whole, ducks are much quiet
 5. Duck eggs are larger and better for baking 
Duck eggs are larger and richer in flavor than chicken eggs.  They are excellent for baking due to their higher fat and lower water content. Duck eggs are also slightly more nutritious than chicken eggs. Due to their thicker shells and membranes, they also have a longer shelf life and are less likely to break than chicken eggs.
6. Ducks lay more regularly
Our ducks consistently outlay our chickens – even through the winter without any supplemental light in their house. Most domestic duck breeds are also very unlikely to go broody (broodies don’t lay eggs, so they are detrimental to your egg production).
7. Ducks adhere to a far less aggressive pecking order
Ducks welcome newcomers far more quickly than chickens do. Whether the newcomers are chickens or ducks, our ducks seem unperturbed and seldom bother new additions to the flock. Chickens, however, take any new additions to the flock as an affront to their rigid pecking order. The result is squabbling and confrontations that can get quite serious until the new order is established and tranquility returns.
8. Ducks are easier on your lawn
While it’s true that ducks can, and will, eat anything green within their reach, as long as you plant bushes and trees that are tall enough so they can’t reach the tops, you can successfully landscape your run or backyard, even with ducks inhabiting it. Chickens, on the other hand, within days of being introduced to a new lawn will have it scratched down to bare dirt. Chickens will continue to not only eat every bit of green that tries to grow, but also dig deep depressions in the earth in which to take their dust baths or cool off in the summer. Ducks may trample your lawn a bit, but they won’t create a barren wasteland of your backyard like chickens will.
9. Ducks are wonderful for pest control
Ducks will eat every slug, worm, spider, grasshopper, cricket, fly, beetle and grub they can find. They are wonderful for natural pest control. Given the opportunity, they will also eat small snakes, toads and even mice. Chickens are more picky about the fare of bugs. Some of our hens won’t even look twice at a worm.
10. Ducklings are adorable! Okay, this is my personal preference, but baby ducklings are irresistibleOn the whole, ducks are far more easy-going and less likely to get their feathers ruffled than chickens. They are generally calm, smart, alert and downright funny at times. Ducks win out as my top choice for a backyard flock and they will always be an important part of ours."

Original article: Ducks Are The New Chickens

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$2.23 and up CLICK HERE:   Little Giant Hanging Metal Poultry Feeder Cover

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