A to Z Challenge: DIY

Learning to do things yourself is very important when you're in an emergency situation. When everybody's thinking about their own well-being, they're less likely to come out to you to help you fix problems on your homestead. It is a good idea to learn a little bit about everything that you own. 

You should learn how your septic system works. You should learn a little bit about electricity and how your electrical system runs. You should be able to fix small wiring issues throughout your home. You should be able to build power supplies and windmills and turbines of some sort. These skills are invaluable when no one else can provide you with that kind of power.

You should learn how to trap and skin animals. If you can't get your meat from the grocery store you should be able to find it in your backyard. If you live in an urban area you should probably own chickens or rabbits. They will provide you with meat and eggs for several years if you plan things right.

Most people have tried gardening but to provide enough food for your family you need to be efficient at it. You have to be able to grow the plants that will sustain you through all seasons of the year. Know what will grow in late fall and know how to prepare and can your vegetables so they will help you survive the winter time. If you can't get these items at a grocery store these skills will come in handy.

Be able to make repairs to your home. Know how to fix a leak on your roof that way when it rains you're not sitting in a house that's getting wet. Know how to cut down trees that are threatening to fall on your property. These things can become a danger if you let them go and not having outside help will put your family at risk.

Learn how to do proper maintenance to your vehicle. It is a good idea to have a car that is simple enough for you to be able to make repairs to it. Have extra parts to replace like the water pump or the fuel filter and extra parts to make regular oil changes to your car. You should have spare tires and extra rims in case you damage your car on your homestead.

Hone your carpentry skills so you can build extra buildings onto your property. Learn how to build underground shelters and find ways to make enhancements that will increase the quality of your family's life in emergency situation.

A to Z Challenge: C - Chickens

Part of being ready for any emergency that might happen is knowing where your food is going to come from. If you have space on your property you should own some sort of livestock. I've seen people own rabbits but the easiest livestock I know to raise are chickens. They don't need a lot of space to survive and they will eat the greens you don't eat in your yard. You can also feed them chicken feed from your local feed store.

If you decide to raise chickens you need to learn as much as you can about them. It is very easy for chickens to catch diseases from other birds. You want to avoid contact from your neighbors birds or birds that you bring in from a supplier until you know the chickens are healthy.

I don't usually raise roosters because they make a lot of noise and my neighbors live pretty close. Hens are awesome because they lay eggs. You can figure one hen can lay one egg about every to every other day. I think this is the best reason for owning chickens. The eggs give you protein and many other nutrients you need to survive each day. If you have 4 to 6 chickens you will have enough eggs to feed a family of four for several years as long as your chickens are healthy and fed.

When your chickens get old enough and stop laying eggs then it's time to use them for their meat. Many people get attached to their chickens and treat them as pets. This makes it difficult for them to be killed and used for dinner. This is a hard fact of life to learn where your food actually comes from. It's my opinion that kids should be taught this lesson early. they might get attached to certain animals, but that animal is there to feed the family and they need to know that.

Have fun with your chickens. If you have a fenced in yard you can let them roam around. I've known farmers who let their chickens roam all over their yard without a fence and they come back because they know where they are being fed. The only problem with this is you have to worry about wild animals killing your chickens, eating them. They are easy prey and because they flock together it's simple for a coyote, wolf or even a neighbor's dog to pick one off.

If you can visit a friends homestead who owns chickens, this is the best place to learn how to raise them. You can see what your friends do and build upon their knowledge. If you can learn from them, I think the first-hand experience is better than any book you might be able to pick up. Learn what they do and mimic what works