october, 2013 volume 1, issue 8 building an affordable...

feeding the

millions of

hungry in

the world.

They be-

lieve there

will come a time when

there will not be enough

eggs to meet the world’s

demand.

One of the things we

think about as we prepare

to survive a crisis or dis-

aster is how to make sure

our supplies do not run

out. Turns out philan-

thropic billionaires like

Bill Gates and PayPal’s

Peter Thiel have the same

concerns. While you worry

about feeding your family,

they are worried about See CHICKENS, 8

BILLIONAIRES PUSH GMO

CHICKEN-LESS “EGGS”

BUILDING AN AFFORDABLE AND

SCALABLE SOLAR POWER SYSTEM

What’s the one thing that

almost all widespread

SHTF scenarios have in

common, from financial

collapses to natural disas-

ters? While there are sev-

eral commonalities, the

answer I’m looking for is:

Blackouts.

While most Americans

depend on electricity in

almost every aspect of

their daily lives, how

many actually know the

difference between a watt

and a volt? What exactly

do amps measure? How

many kilowatts does your See POWER, 2

VOLUME 1, ISSUE 8 OCTOBER, 2013

BUG OUT BASICS : Operational

Security

This is the fifth article in

my 6-part series “Bug Out

Basics,” designed to help

you prepare your house-

hold for the immediate

aftermath of a major crisis

scenario. Enjoy!

PAGE 12

HUNTING FOR

READINESS

There's no doubt that

hunting is a skill that

could come in handy in a

SHTF scenario. When the

supermarket shelves are

picked clean, supply lines

are disrupted, and panic

has set in across all urban

areas, well, let’s just say

your family probably isn’t

going to be frequenting

your favorite neighbor-

hood pizzeria...

Likewise, eating MRE’s

and canned tuna for every

meal, well, that will get

old quick. Not to mention,

most “survival” foods are

high in sodium and other

preservatives, which could

exacerbate a variety of

health problems for mem-

bers of your family.

Needless to say, bagging

some fresh animal protein

from time to time would

put you at a major ad-

vantage, from both a

health and a quality of life

standpoint.

See HUNTING, 11

Photo Credit: Zepfanman, Flickr

2 PATRIOT CALLER OCTOBER, 2013

home need to function?

Frankly, our electrical

knowledge is appallingly

limited...

When power grids go of-

fline for several days, like

what happened during

Hurricane Sandy, the sys-

tems we depend on grind

to a halt. Communications

go down, lights goes out,

elevators stop working,

and food begins to spoil.

It’s not a pretty picture.

Just recently, a major sec-

tion of downtown Detroit

lost power for an entire

afternoon and evening.

Buildings had to be evacu-

ated as ventilation and

elevators were unable to

function. Even as utility

workers were restoring

power, residents were

asked not to turn on un-

necessary lights or air-

conditioners in order to

preserve the unstable

grid. Power grids all

across the nation are in a

similar state of disrepair,

which is why many patri-

ots know their best bet

from POWER page 1

lies in an off-the-grid solu-

tion.

Setting Power Goals

When it comes to produc-

ing energy, it’s important

to determine you goals.

Not only will this allow

you to appropriately size

your system, but it will

also help you budget for

your costs. The first major

decision you must make is

to choose between a sup-

plemental or primary sys-

tem.

Let me explain. The vast

majority of solar or wind

power systems out there

are designed to function in

a supplemental capacity.

That is, most generators,

solar panel arrays, and

battery banks are de-

signed with the idea that

a functioning power grid

is a given. Hospitals in-

stall massive generators

in case of a lengthy black-

out, but they’re not de-

signed to function “off-the-

grid” for the long-term.

Likewise, most solar ar-

rays are actually connect-

ed to the power grid in

order to supply “feed-in”

power and offset electrical

costs for the owner.

In fact, it’s pretty rare

that you run across a true

“off-the-grid” solar system,

i.e. one designed to run a

household independently

of any other power source.

It can be done, and done

reliably. However, it’s

much more expensive and

requires more mainte-

nance than the supple-

mental model.

The goal of this article is

to help you understand

the fundamentals of solar

power, allowing you to

make your own decisions

about the size of your sys-

tem and your goals. In

fact, my objective is to

give you the basic blue-

prints that will allow you

to build a scalable system

that you can expand as

your goals change. That

way, at each phase in the

construction process, you

have a complete, function-

ing power source that will

serve you in an emergen-

cy.

With that said, it’s im-

portant to think very spe-

cifically about the appli-

ances you’d like to run in

a long-term power crisis.

Refrigeration is a big one.

Without refrigeration,

your ability to store food is

severely limited. A refrig-

erator, even a small one,

or a deep freeze, should be

factored into your power

plan.

Lighting is another major

consideration. Lighting is

important for both safety

and convenience, but it

presents a challenge for

some solar setups because

it consumes power at

night, when the sun has

stopped charging your

batteries. Thus, it’s very

important to store ample

power to run your lighting

systems throughout the

nighttime hours.

Refrigerator: 188 Watts

Freezer: 273 Watts

Incandescent Bulb: 60 Watts

CFL Bulb: 18 Watts

Water Heater: 479 Watts

Toaster: 1,100 Watts

Coffee Machine: 1,500 Watts

Ceiling Fan: 74 Watts

Portable Fan: 100 Watts

LCD TV: 213 Watts

Laptop: 50 Watts

Wireless Router: 7 Watts

Window Unit A/C: 1,000 Watts

Central A/C: 5,000 Watts

Cell Phone Charger: 4 Watts

Electricity Consumption of Common Appliances:

PATRIOT CALLER 3 OCTOBER, 2013

es, and how much wattage

they use at different set-

tings.

With this information, you

can make informed choic-

es, consider alternatives,

and get a realistic idea of

how much electricity your

system will need to pro-

duce in order to achieve

your powers goals.

There are several moving

pieces that you must think

through and account for,

but before we get into

that, it’s time to review a

few power basics.

Watts, Volts, and Amp

Hours, Oh My

First things first, solar

panels only produce opti-

mum power for a few

hours each day. Your peak

usage, on the other hand,

will extend long into the

evening and the next

morning. This is why bat-

tery banks are essential.

Your batteries will store

the power you collect with

your solar panels. In fact,

it’s probably more accu-

rate to think

of your home

as battery-

powered, ra-

ther than

solar-

powered. In

theory, you

could charge

your batter-

ies with a

diesel gener-

ator, or a

wind turbine,

if you wanted

to.

When you look at the list

on page two, you can’t

help but to notice the out-

liers. Several appliances

soak up a disproportionate

amount of juice. Central

A/C, for example, requires

more wattage than every-

thing else on the list com-

bined.

Still, there are others,

such as your toaster or

coffee maker that draw an

unexpected amount of

juice. These are the types

of “sleeper” energy hogs

that you need to identify

in advance. Your coffee

pot and toaster alone can

be a significant drain on

your battery bank if you’re

not careful. That’s why

this power budgeting exer-

cise is so important.

You absolutely must take

an objective look at all of

the appliances you’d like

to power with your solar

panels before you start

purchasing components.

Devices like the Kill-A-

Watt (see photo on page 2)

can help you measure the

electricity consumption of

your household applianc-

Considering your Max Load

Batteries, like the solar

panels themselves, pro-

duce DC (direct current)

power, while the applianc-

es in your home use AC

(alternating current).

That’s why you’ll need an

efficient power inverter to

get useable power from

your battery bank to your

lights, refrigerator, water

pumps, etc.

Here are a few more terms

that you’ll need to get very

familiar with when plan-

ning your system:

Volt – A volt (V) is the

difference of electric po-

tential between two points

of a conductor carrying a

constant current of one

ampere, when the power

dissipated between these

points is equal to one

watt.

In more practical terms,

voltage is relevant to the

quality of power your bat-

teries will output. The

batteries you’ll be dealing

with will most likely be 6V

or 12V batteries, which

will be converted into

110V (most often) or 220V

currents by your inverter.

Ohm – Ohms measure the

resistance the charge fac-

es as it moves through a

conductor. A derivative of

Georg Ohm’s Law is used

to calculate the power

available in your system

(more on that later).

Amp – The constant cur-

rent between two parallel

conductors, equivalent to

one coulomb per second.

In plain terms, amps

measure the current that’s

moving through a con-

ductor. When power

surges through a break-

er or fuse at a current

that exceeds the proper

amperage, the breaker

flips or the fuse burns

out. This protects the

appliances from being

damaged by a surge in

amps.

Watt – A unit of power

defined as one joule per

second, equal to the

power in a circuit when

a current of one ampere

flows across a difference

of one volt.

When used as a meas-

urement (as in the near-

by list of “Common Ap-

pliances”), a watt gener-

ally refers to a watt-

hour (Wh). For example,

a 60W incandescent

light bulb consumes 60

watts per hour.

Now that we’ve covered

the abstract bases, I’ll

give you an analogy that

will hopeful tie them

together. The easiest

way to remember what

each of these terms ac-

tually signifies is to use

a plumbing analogy:

Voltage is similar to

the water pressure in a

pipe. Amps measure the

rate of the water flowing

through the pipes.

Ohms are relative to

the size of the fittings

that the water must

pass through. In this

analogy, watts serve as

the gallons of water

used, measured by your

water meter. Photo Credit: Nyaya Health, Flickr


Now that you’ve had a

brief refresher on the key

terms involved (I hope it

jogged your memory a bit),

it’s time to take a look at

the big picture from a

thousand feet. The most

crucial piece of infor-

mation that all off-the-

grid operators must know

is how much power they

actually have available

from their system.

You might think this was

a given, but let me assure

you that it’s not. In fact,

you should hear some of

the conversations I’ve had

with people who owned

very elaborate, expensive

systems. They have no

idea how much power they

have, only that they have

1,000W of solar panels, or

that it cost $15,000 to in-

stall.

Understand the Big Picture

Suffice to say, many of the

people who can afford to

install off-the-grid power

systems have little inter-

est in maintaining these

systems. And let break it

to you, there is mainte-

nance involved.

Let’s consider a hypothet-

ical for a moment. All

days are not created equal

when it comes to harvest-

ing sunlight. What hap-

pens when you have a se-

ries of unusually cloudy

days? The answer: You

have to budget, or even

ration, your power for the

things you truly need.

If you have no idea how

many kilowatt-hours your

system can deliver, you

literally have no way to

measure when you’ll run

out of electricity. One sec-

ond you’re making some

toast, the next you’re sit-

ting in the dark… and you

won’t be able to turn the

lights back on until your

panels are able to re-

charge your batteries.

Solar Panels

Just to reiterate, the pow-

er coming from your solar

panels is not the power

you’re actually using.

Thus, it has no direct

bearing on the amount of

power you have available.

Once again, you’re actual-

ly operating off of battery

power. The power from

your panels is going

through a charge control-

ler and into your batter-

ies.

Let’s say you have four

200-Watt panels. That

means you have a maxi-

mum charging potential of

800-Watts when the sun is

perpendicular to your pan-

els and shining its strong-

est. That doesn’t mean

you’re limited to 800 Watt

-hours (0.8 kWh) of elec-

tricity.

Basically, the solar panels

effect how fast you can

charge your batteries and

how many batteries you

can fully charge in a given

amount of time. That’s

why it’s important to be

mindful of the balance.

There’s no reason to buy a

massive battery bank if

you have no hope of charg-

ing it. In fact, that may

have a negative impact on

the life of your batteries.

Battery Bank

Most battery banks will consist of 6V or 12V batteries,

wired together to increase the voltage and amp-hours

of your system. Batteries wired in series (positive to

negative) double their voltage, the amps stay the same.

For example, four 6V batteries wired in series will act

like one big 24V battery.

Batteries wired in a parallel configuration (positive to

positive) will double the amp hours, but the voltage

stays the same. If you wired two 350 amp-hour batter-

ies in parallel, you’d have 700 amp-hours.

Ohm’s Law: Watts = Volts x Amps

The reason this is important is Ohm’s Law, and the

reason that law is important is because it determines

how much power you have in your system.

So let’s say you have eight 6-Volt deep cycle solar bat-

teries rated at 350 Amp-hours apiece, two groups of

four wired in series. The two groups are connected to-

gether in parallel.

We’ve already established that the four 6V batteries

wired in series results in 24V, and the parallel connec-

tion doubles the Amp-hours to 700. Of course, this

equation assumes that your batteries are fully

charged, which may or may not be the case. So the

math looks like this:

24V X 700Ah = 16,800 Watts

That means you have a total of 16.8 kWh of electricity

per charge. For a solar powered system, that’s a fairly

good deal of power. The batteries in a system like this

may cost well over $2,500, and that’s just the begin-

ning. You still need to purchase your solar cells,

charge controller, inverter, etc.


cally shorten their

lifespan.

Ideally, you should plan to

use only 30% of the availa-

ble power per day, leaving

your batteries 70%

charged. Properly main-

tained batteries can last 8

-10 years. While batteries

that are completely run

down day after day might

last 2-3 years. So it’s im-

portant to make battery

maintenance a priority.

Using our imaginary bat-

tery bank, we’ll multiply

Understand the Big Picture (continued)

Other Considerations

The average American

home uses 11,280 kWh

annually, according to the

US Energy Information

Administration. That

works out to roughly 30.9

kWh per day. That’s near-

ly twice the maximum us-

age that our imaginary

battery bank can support.

But wait, it gets more

complicated. Overtaxing

your batteries will drasti-

16.8 kWh by 30%, which

leaves us with 5.04 kWh

per day. As you can see,

that’s not very much pow-

er, relative to what most

Americans are used to.

If this is not going to pro-

vide you with enough pow-

er, you have two options,

both of which you should

use to your advantage.

The first is the most obvi-

ous: Scale up your system.

This means additional

panels, batteries, and cost.

Don’t worry; you can do

this incrementally, more

on this in a moment.

Your second option is to

change the way you use

power. Choose extremely

efficient appliances. Use

propane to boil water for

coffee or heat meals. Pur-

chase low-energy LED

light bulbs. Charge your

laptops and phones in the

daylight hours, while your

batteries are still receiv-

ing a charge from the sun.

These are just a few exam-

ples; you get the idea…

Now for the part that you

have been waiting for:

Affordable solar (two

words that don’t often

appear together). If

spending upwards of

$10,000 on a solar system

just isn’t in the cards for

you right now, don’t be

discouraged. You can

build a very capable and

upgradeable system piece

-by-piece, especially if

you goal is to create a

backup power supply for

an emergency situation.

Let’s face it, living off the

grid is a worthy goal, but

Recently, a friend and I

were having a conversa-

tion about how affordable

solar equipment has be-

come, and that got me

thinking. Lots of people I

talk to seem to be on the

fence about purchasing all

-in-one solar panel sys-

tems from retailers like

Harbor Freight (see near-

by photo). While these

45W systems will accom-

plish some small energy

goals, the downside is

that they’re not scalable.

In other words, they may

power your oscillating fan

at night, but they’ll never

do anything more.

Instead, my advice is to

build a scalable system,

acquiring high-quality

parts that will accommo-

date more power as you

go along. You can do this

for just a little bit more

than one of these “all-in-

one” systems.

it’s not necessarily practi-

cal. If your property has

reliable electric service,

then there’s no immedi-

ate need to splurge on a

completely independent

system. It is prudent,

however, to create a

backup system.

BUILDING A SCALABLE AFFORDABLE SYSTEM

See BUILD, 6


For $500, you can build a

scalable solar power sys-

tem that can power your

home’s lighting system

and charge your devices.

Now that may not be the

extent of your off-the-grid

ambitions, but it’s a good

place to start. Unlike the

all-inclusive kit, this $500

investment is not a dead

end.

This is a system you can

build upon, piece-by-piece

to handle greater energy

needs as you can afford to.

You can eventually build a

complete, whole-house

system using these compo-

nents.

For this system, you’ll

need the following compo-

nents (examples of each

shown in the images to

the right):

One 100-Watt photovol-

taic solar panel—$150

The photo shows a 100W

cell I found on eBay, listed

at exactly $150. With a

little more searching, I

have no doubt that you

can find cheaper 100W

panels.

Rather than save money,

my advice is to spend

more in order to get more

value. I chose the 100W

panel for budgetary rea-

sons in this exercise. In

the long run, it would ac-

tually be cheaper to pur-

chase 200W panels, since

you would only need half

as many as you expand

your system.

from BUILD page 5

bor Freight, so it’s afforda-

ble and it will get the job

done.

Low-end inverters like

this one produce a

“modified sine wave,” basi-

cally a slightly inferior

imitation of an AC cur-

rent. Modified sine wave

currents are fine with

most appliances, though

they can have issues with

certain high-tech devices.

Once again, I’m present-

ing you with the budget-

friendly options. A more

expensive inverter will

produce a cleaner sine

wave, which will go easier

on sensitive appliances

over time. If your goal is

to run your whole house

on solar power, rather

than to create an emer-

gency backup system, you

should consider investing

One charge controller

30 amp—$40

Once again, it’s better in

the long run to invest the

money up

front to buy

the highest

quality con-

troller with

the most am-

perage that

you can af-

ford. A 30-

amp control-

ler is rated

up to 450W

of solar panels,

enough for a back-

up system but not

necessarily enough to run

an entire home.

One deep-cycle

battery—$100

As I said earlier in this

article, your batteries can

easily cost as much or

more than your actual so-

lar panels. Battery tech-

nology quite expensive,

but it’s also come a long

way in the last few years.

One way to save a little

money is to purchase a

deep-cycle battery like the

one in the photo from a

big box store. This one is

available for $100 at

Walmart. Marine batter-

ies and some golf cart bat-

teries have the capacity to

run your nighttime light-

ing systems and other

small loads.

If your ambitions are to go

completely “off-the-grid,”

it pays dividends to think

long-term. If you can af-

ford to go with a battery

like the Trojan T105 ($208

on Amazon) or a Deka So-

lar L16 ($305), these

choices will pay off as you

begin to expand your sys-

tem. The Deka model, for

example, is rated at 370

Amp-hours. These batter-

ies are designed from the

ground up for solar appli-

cations and will last long-

er in such an environ-

ment.

Inverter, 2000 Watt,

Modified Sine

Wave— $160

If you plan to run any

large appliances, such as a

refrigerator, you’ll want to

get an inverter that sup-

ports at least 1500 contin-

uous watts. The 2000-watt

inverter pictured below is

available for $160 at Har- See BUILD, 7

One charge

controller 30

amp—$40

One 100-Watt photovoltaic

solar panel—$150

One deep-cycle

battery—$100 Inverter,

2000 Watt,

Modified Sine

Wave—$160


in equipment that produc-

es a true sine wave.

Wiring and Cables -

$50+

The cost of wiring can

come as a surprise for

many first-time electri-

cians. When you think of

their role in your system,

however, it’s easy to un-

derstand why it’s worth it.

Think of you wires as if

they were your home’s

pipes, only more im-

portant. When these pipes

leak, they don’t flood your

home, they set it on fire.

Do you really want to

skimp on your pipes?

For distances shorter than

5 feet, a 4-gauge wire is

adequate. For longer dis-

system is the most obvious

choice. The system I’ve

described should accom-

modate up to 450W of so-

lar panels. Beyond that,

you’ll need a more power-

ful charge controller. Most

likely, you’ll also want to

upgrade your inverter at

that point.

If you don’t use your sys-

tem every day, then per-

haps the best option is to

simply upgrade your bat-

tery system. Even a sin-

gle panel, given enough

time, will be able to

charge multiple batteries.

For a backup system or

even a weekend home, it

may be more important to

you to have a large re-

serve of power available

all at one, even if it takes

several days to recharge.

tances, a 2-gauge or larger

wire is recommended.

FYI, your inverter should

be placed within 5 feet of

your battery bank. Use

extension cords to get the

power from the inverter to

where you need it (DC

power doesn’t span dis-

tances well).

When it comes to wiring

your system, I highly rec-

ommend getting the help

of an experienced electri-

cian, solar power expert,

and reading a book on

home wiring safety. Wir-

ing a solar system isn’t

necessarily difficult, but

mistakes can be quite

costly.

Upgrading Your System

As you’ve already noticed, the best way to make solar “affordable” is to approach it from a modular perspec-tive. Each stage in your development should be a potential stopping point. That way, your system is always functional should you need it in an emergen-cy.

Once the first phase of your system is complete, it will be fairly easy to deter-mine how much you’re willing to invest in the next phase of your system. Let me tell you, the sky’s the limit when it comes to expense.

Doubling the wattage of your photovoltaic panels as well as your battery

from BUILD page 6


THE INSIDER’S GUIDE TO BACKYARD CHICKEN

FARMING [PART 1]

Their solution: Chicken-

less eggs. Right now, these

billionaires are backing a

new product called Be-

yond Eggs, a plant-based

substitute egg pow-

der made specifically for

replacing eggs in cookie

recipes. The powder is

made from ground peas,

from CHICKENS page 1

keep egg-laying chickens

than to manufacture some

crazy soy-tofu replace-

ment with lower nutrient

levels.

The other major problem

is that you are basically

replacing a natural food

that is a staple part of

many people's diets with

yet another Frankenfood.

In my June article “Does

Monsanto Own Your Gar-

den,” I revealed that 96%

of all soybeans grown in

the US are GMOs. Thus,

we have to assume that

this Beyond Egg powder

will be chock full of

GMOs.

We have no clue what the

future health ramifica-

tions will be as GMO per-

meate every facet of our

food pyramid, but we have

reason to be suspicious.

Tofu Frankeneggs? Gim-

me a real one any day.

soybeans, sorghum,

and a few other ingre-

dients.

Exactly what are those

ingredients? I can’t tell

you, because that’s ap-

parently proprietary

information. They plan

to sell Beyond Eggs on

the premise that it low-

ers cholesterol by using

plant-based protein.

The initial product is

for baking cookies only,

not for making omelets

or baking cakes. Cakes

require a lot of struc-

turing and leavening.

This powdered egg substi-

tute certainly has a higher

profit margin than chick-

en eggs. Half a cup of this

powder costs more than 3-

dozen real eggs! The next

generation of this stuff is

something called Just

Scramble, a plant-based

egg substitute that actual-

ly scrambles up just like

the real thing. It's slated

for a March 2014 release.

The marketing push here

is lowering cholesterol,

with the eventual aim at

another way to feed the

world's hungry masses.

From a survivalist's point

of view there are two

things wrong with that

argument: 1) The choles-

terol problem is a result of

our modern sedentary life-

style, not egg protein 2) In

an extreme crisis or disas-

ter that lasts for an ex-

tended time, the nutrients

contained in real chicken

eggs will be a benefit, not

a problem.

In an economic collapse or

a catastrophic natural dis-

aster, most people won't

be going to the office to sit

on their butts. Their days

will be spent securing

food, shelter and safety for

their family. Frankly, it’s

much more efficient to

The GMO factor is just

another reason to consider

raising your own chickens,

even if you live in the city.

Even if you don’t already

enjoy keeping animals,

chickens are a highly pro-

ductive and easy to care

for.

Here are a few additional

reasons to consider raising

chickens:

is up to you whether you

want to take the risk of

being fined and all the

other consequences.

TIP: It’s also important to

keep a good relationship

with your neighbors if you

live in close proximity. I

recommend you promise a

no roosters policy and offer

to share your fresh eggs.

Chickens are easy and

inexpensive to main-

tain (compared to

most pets)

Fresh eggs are nutri-

tious and taste great

Chemical-free bug and

weed control (good for

you garden and your

family's health)

Poultry manufactures

the world's best ferti-

lizer (great for your

survival garden)

Chickens make for fun

friendly pets with per-

sonality (yes, you read

that right)

The first step is making

sure that you can legally

keep chickens in your city.

Double check your local

ordinances and homeown-

er's association rules if

applicable. If not, then it See BACKYARD, 9


Where to Buy Chicks

and Chickens

Local Feed Stores often

carry a variety of day old

chicks from February to

June. If there is a small

egg ranch in your area,

they sometimes have too

many chicks and will sell

you a few.

You can also hatch eggs

you buy online or from an

egg ranch. Eggs should

hatch in 21 days after the

incubation period begins,

though like babies some

may hatch a day or 2 early

or late.

A "day" is counted as a

full 24 hours, so Day 1

would be the first 24 after

“setting” (setting marks

the start of the incubation

period) the egg, Day 2 co-

vers the next 24 hours etc.

If you set eggs on a Mon-

day, it's usually a safe bet

that they will hatch on a

Monday, 3 weeks later.

Select clean, even shaped,

undamaged eggs for incu-

bating. If possible, do not

store them too long pre-

incubation. Ideally, eggs

should be set (placed in

incubation) within a week

after being laid. After 10

days, the chances of the

eggs hatching drops sig-

nificantly.

Shipped eggs should be

allowed to rest for 24

hours prior to setting, to

allow the contents of the

eggs to settle. Place

shipped eggs upright, with

the fat end of the egg up,

in an egg carton, or some-

thing similar. Shipped

eggs often have loose or

damaged air cells.

The purpose of the air cell

is to provide a pocket of

air for the almost mature

chick to breath. Separated

by a thin membrane, it

can be breached easily by

the chick's beak and al-

lows the chick to breathe

as the membrane begins

Choosing the Right

Chickens:

Obviously, you will have

to decide on what kind of

chicken would be best for

your circumstances. Do

you want eggs only or do

you want chickens for the

table as well?

Are you going to only buy

chicks and older birds or

do you eventually want to

hatch some yourself?

(Remember fertile eggs,

those that have chicks

inside, require a rooster.)

The answer to that influ-

ences what kind of equip-

ment you will need to buy.

Orpingtons

Orpingtons are a heritage

breed, friendly, gentle,

good egg producers (even

in cold winter months),

winter hardy. They like to

be held and petted, good

with children and other

pets.

If you have a mixed flock,

they get picked on unless

you have more of them

than the other breeds.

Australorp

These guys are great lay-

ers, great with other

birds, very human-

friendly, nice to look at,

hardy, long-term layers.

They are simply every

chicken keepers go-to

breed. They are very har-

dy in both cold and hot

weather. Tolerate temper-

atures around 100 with

high humidity and winter

nights down in the single

digits with wind chill and

snow. Amazing layers of

XXX Large brown eggs.

Ameraucana

Docile, really cold hardy,

lay beautiful blue green

eggs, good for free range

or confined environments.

As long as they have a

shady place to relax they

do well even when it is

really warm.

from BACKYARD page 8

See BACKYARD, 10


small, but may help when

it comes to internal

“pipping” (using the beak

to break through mem-

branes).

From Day 21, I incubate

the egg in a position with

the air cell uppermost

though still raised at the

blunt end at a 45-degree

angle. The egg is auto-

turned side to side but the

mid position is always

with the air cell upwards.

By stopping full 180 de-

gree turning early and

setting in this position, it

maximizes the chances for

the chick to settle into a

normal hatching position.

When the time for draw-

down of the air cell occurs,

the air cell appears to take

up almost two thirds of

that side of the egg. The

air cell is closer to the

chick's beak in its hatch-

ing position, and it stands

a fair chance of being able

to internally pip normally.

In Part 2 of my Insider’s

Guide to Backyard Chick-

en Farming article, I’ll

explore some of the daily

routines that keep your

hatching healthy and pro-

ductive.

ing side to side at a 45 degree angle helps to keep the air at the top. Other-wise, leave well alone and don't remove for weighing.

During the sec-

ond week the

chorio-allantoic

membrane

(generously sup-

plied with blood vessels)

grows out from the chick

to line the complete inner

surface, including the air

cell. Think of it as inflat-

ing a balloon within an

already inflated balloon.

The air cell is now re-

sealed and from 15 days

can be treated normally,

though gentle handling is

needed.

In some cases, eggs are

laid with the air cells in

the wrong position and

have to be managed

slightly differently to com-

pensate for this. Usually

the most common abnor-

mal position of the air cell

is on the side of the egg.

Often this defect is not

noticed until first can-

dling.

This is why I candle all

my eggs for closer inspec-

tion BEFORE commenc-

ing incubation. In the case

of an air cell on the side of

the egg, I incubate with

the egg positioned at a 45-

degree angle. By doing

this, I'm using gravity to

keep the heavier egg con-

tents to the bottom and

hope the air cell expands a

little towards the blunt

end. The changes are

to fail. So the location and

size of the air cell is of

critical importance to the

hatching process. Some-

times, nature finds a way

but the mortality rate of

poorly positioned chicks is

higher.

After shipping, the eggs

may have been thrown

about all over. These eggs

require individual and

careful management if

they are going to hatch

successfully. First, check

they are not contaminated

with egg contents from

other broken eggs and if

necessary wash.

How to Incubate Your

Eggs

There are many makes

and models of incubators

for sale, and they vary

greatly in price, quality

and user-friendliness,

some even turn the eggs

for you. There are plenty

of DIY choices online as

well, from using a cooler

to a defunct microwave,

fridge or freezer.

Before putting your eggs

into an incubator, plug it

in and make sure the tem-

perature is steady. In a

forced air incubator (with

a fan), the temperature

should be 99-99.5°F. In a

from BACKYARD page 9

still air incubator, the tem-perature should be slightly

higher, 101-102°F meas-ured at the top of the eggs.

I use a thermometer and a hygrometer (which measures humidity) in my incubator. Hygrometers can be purchased quite cheaply at a cigar shop, Radio Shack, or even Walmart. You want 45-50% humidity for day 1-18, then 65% for the last few days.

TIP: Use a non-toxic marker and mark eggs with an X on one side and an O on the other, so when you are turning them you can make sure they all got turned.

Candling and Setting

Candling is the process of inspecting the eggs with a powerful light that illumi-nates the contents. This can be done with a power-ful flashlight, a candle, or a specialized instrument. Candling can sometimes reveal hairline cracks, air bubbles, and fluids mov-ing freely into the air cell space.

Damaged eggs should be marked with pencil, and then stored upright in a cool room for 24 hours. This period allows the egg contents to settle and en-courages any free air bub-bles (which may be tiny) to settle at the top of the egg where the air cell should be located.

All eggs should then be set into the incubator in a vertical position and not turned for 36-48 hours, after that turning by tilt-

Photo Credit: Grailbeard, Flickr


might come in handy in a survival situation? Would-n’t it be nice to have a good relationship with someone that knows how to raise livestock? Not someone who “understands” how to keep livestock, someone who KNOWS how… and can teach you.

I love attending wilder-ness survival seminars, and many of the ideas I get at those functions are brilliant. Still, I’ve found no better way to learn the fundamentals than hunt-ing.

Takeaway If you’d like to pick up a new hobby that can pro-vide just as many benefits in your life today as it will in a survival scenario, con-sider hunting a local game species.

I wholeheartedly encour-age you to get out in the woods and learn about the sport of hunting first hand. Then, should you ever need to use your skills in a SHTF situation, you’re more than just mentally prepared, you will know exactly where to go and what to do.

you’ll be studying the ter-rain, geology, and water-ways, etc. The value of not just knowing your sur-roundings, but under-standing how the fit to-gether, cannot be overstat-ed. Most people have zero knowledge of their local ecosystems.

Study after study shows that spending time in na-ture, surrounded by the sights and sounds of ani-mals, plants, and trees has a calming effect. In other words, it helps you maintain your sanity. Sure, this calming exer-cise may come in handy during a SHTF scenario, but it’s also very im-portant in your daily life.

Another important benefit is relationships. Far too often, we underestimate the simple power of shar-ing information and skills person-to-person. When you take up deer hunting, you develop contacts and relationships with farm-ers, ranchers, and other hunters. In other words, it's a networking oppor-tunity with landowners in your region.

Do you think that person-ally knowing a farmer

Venison (AKA deer meat) is an excellent source of protein and other nutri-ents like iron and vitamin B. It’s also an extremely lean protein, delivering its life-giving nutrition with-out high levels cholesterol and fat.

Suffice to say, venison is essentially “health food.” In fact, if Americans were to eat more venison and less beef we would almost certainly be in much bet-ter physical shape.

And, actually, that’s what I’m really trying to get at in this article: Wellness.

Hunting is a Lifetime

Sport In the same way that pre-paring is a healthy exer-cise, hunting can have a much greater impact on your wellness — your mental health, fulfillment, peace of mind, and enjoy-ment — than most people realize.

The best survival skills are those that can bring you joy in your daily life, but are also useful when the SHTF. That’s why I always say that hunting is a “lifetime sport.”

Like most other lifetime sports, you can enjoy

hunting well into your golden years, but that’s not exactly what I'm get-ting at here…

Hunting is a lifetime learning process. It’s study in a range of life-saving skill sets: Weapons training, safety, wilder-ness navigation, fire build-ing, camping, and spend-ing time outdoors with your close friends and family.

It’s a little bit of every-thing, rolled into one very exciting and addictive hobby.

Benefits of Learning to

Hunt Because the benefits of knowing how to handle weapons and find food are obvious, I’ll only mention them in passing. There are a number of ancillary survival skills involved in hunting that often get overlooked.

For starters, there’s what I like to call “orienteering.” Hunting helps you get familiar with navigating from point to point in rural ter-rain. The simple activity of finding your hunting blind in the pre-dawn hours, or marking the lo-cation of a downed animal are the very same skills you might use to find use-ful resources in a survival situation.

As you explore the rural areas in your region, you’ll become familiar with the landmarks, native species, and plants that could be useful in a survival situa-tion. In a passive way,

from HUNTING page 1


way, if you have to leave

your car parked some-

where for a period of time,

it won’t be an obvious tar-

get for looters.

Martial Law

Another topic that makes

many Americans uncom-

fortable is the concept of

martial law. During a cri-

sis, chances are good that

authorities will take

“extraordinary measures,”

to put it lightly.

Checkpoints, roadblocks,

quarantines, and other

police state measures are

likely to crop up in a seri-

ous national crisis. Keep-

ing a low profile is the

best way to stay below the

radar. Having a car

packed to the gills with

guns, food, and supplies is

NOT a good way to accom-

plish that.

If you arrive at a check-

point with only a few

backpacks in your trunk,

however, you won’t raise

any flags. In next month’s

article, I’ll discuss a few

ways to blend-in, elude,

and evade potential loot-

ers and authorities as you

make your way to your

bug-out location.

Bug Out Basics: Operational Security In this article I’m going to

cover something that may

be uncomfortable for some

patriotic Americans to

talk about. I know I felt

uncomfortable the first

time I encountered the

subject.

Despite your kneejerk

feelings, it’s important to

realize that ALL opera-

tions observe this practice

at some level, the armed

forces, city hall, and even

the local burger joint. All

organizations must create

a protocol for withholding

sensitive information from

those who might exploit it

to do harm.

In my household, we call

it “Operational Security”

or “Op-Sec” for short. In

short, Op-Sec is the prac-

tice of controlling infor-

mation about your fami-

ly’s preparations.

Op-Sec is accomplished by

blending in, keeping a low

profile, and frankly…

keeping others out of the

loop about your prepara-

tions. It’s a good idea to be

judicious about who you

tell about your crisis

plans…

It isn’t necessary for any

of your acquaintances or

neighbors to know about

your specific preparations,

or even to know that you

are prepared. In fact,

broadcasting that infor-

mation could be a major

liability in crisis scenario.

Why Keep It a Secret?

I know. It’s hard to imag-

ine you neighbor Bill rob-

bing you or looting your

supply cache…

Desperation brings out

the worst in people. Many

of them default back to an,

“it’s either my family or

yours” mentality. But

even if that isn’t the case,

couldn’t it be possible that

Bill told someone else that

your family was stockpil-

ing food and supplies?

Once the information has

passed beyond your con-

trol, it’s gone. The infor-

mation is out there.

During the course of daily

life, people who make dis-

aster plans are often la-

beled as “paranoid kooks.”

And the talk gets around,

believe me. In times of

crisis, the same people can

become targets of panick-

ing, desperate looters.

This is why it’s important

to sit down with your fam-

ily and discuss who it’s

okay to talk

about your fami-

ly’s prepared-

ness plans with,

and more im-

portantly who

they shouldn’t

discuss these

things with...

The same phi-

losophy applies

to your bug-out

plan. If all of

your neighbors

know that you

have supplies,

chances are

good that they’ll

immediately

bombard you

with requests

for help. If you

have to stop to

answer ques-

tions or hand out supplies

in a disaster scenario,

you’re losing precious

time. Your precious plan-

ning may go to waste.

Bug-Out And Blend In

Just like you don’t want

everyone in your town to

know that you have an

emergency supply of food,

water, and cash… you

don’t want your vehicle to

broadcast that infor-

mation either.

Ideally, your bug-out vehi-

cle will be nondescript,

neither a Maserati nor a

Sherman Tank. Many

SUVs and pickups have

impressive off-road capa-

bilities from the factory,

without any modification.

No matter what make and

model you’re driving, you

don’t want it to be loaded

down like the Joads from

The Grapes of Wrath. If

your car is bursting at the

seams with cargo, it will

be obvious that you are

making a break for it.

Don’t store items on your

roof rack, and do your best

to keep cargo limited to

the trunk and cargo areas

within your vehicle. That

october, 2013 volume 1, issue 8 building an affordable...

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