Future Hoop Garden, Jerky and the Ebola Virus

Store bought coop, inside a dog kennel, fenced  in with T-posts.

We started with a wooden store-bought chicken coop left on the property by the owners. Knowing that it wouldn't be big enough for five birds, I placed it inside of a large (4' x 10' x 5')  Lucky Dog Kennel.  After our pup Lucky almost killed four of them, I added an additional perimeter using T-posts and donated fencing.

"The Girls" are doing such a terrific job eating all the weeds and fertilizing the ground that I decided it was time to expand their living quarters. I spent a few hours today setting up a large area for a future set of His and Hers hoop gardens. Once the girls are done clearing the land and fertilizing, I'll start building the hoops.

Old coop is in far view, grassy area is all the new area.

Using free fencing from a friend and 15 t-posts, I walked out a 10 x 15 foot area and went to work. I used left over electric fence wire, cut into six inch sections, to tie the fence to the posts. I had enough fencing to cover the whole area with a little left over.

I recently acquired five more chicks and they have lived out the first three months in our laundry room. I kept them in a portable dog kennel (actually, a cardboard box WITHIN a dog kennel) and changed the cardboard frequently. Once they were a few months old, I carried the kennel outside and placed it into the chicken coop. I figured this gave the older gals a chance to meet the new gals without any chance of harm. After a week or so outside, I let them out of the cage and watched the show. Lots of bumping and shoving with minimal pecking. Then I removed the small dog kennel from the chicken coop and brought it back inside.

Found these in the backyard today. Anybody know what they are?

This worked so well to transition new chicks into the group that I think I'll start using this method to bring in more chicks. Since we've been using the eggs for homemade noodle soup AND scrambled eggs for breakfast, we still don't quite get enough for daily use. Of the original five, only four are layers and SOMEBODY doesn't lay every day. Out of four chickens, we usually get three eggs a day. Rarely do we get four but it does happen. I'm told this is fairly normal. Remember, this is the farthest we've gotten with chickens. Before our move North, our German Shepard killed all five of our chickens before they could lay.

Dehydrator: gutted, cleaned and working like new.

Anyway, I got a lot more done today: took apart our jerky dehydrator and cleaned it out to make a fresh batch of jerky. I took pictures for a future post on how to clean it out; I made my usual noodles that go in my homemade noodle soup but cut them larger and am experimenting with making lasagna noodles. Wifey will be baking my first ever completely homemade lasagna tomorrow. I took "how to" pictures of that too.

Lastly, a good friend of mine visited us tonight who works closely with the CDC. He is some type of scientist/pathologist/microbiologist guy who was a good contact for discussing the ebola virus. I pumped him for any news of the development or spread of the ebola virus and he confirmed that his big-wig boss had been in contact with the CDC regarding the ebola outbreak AND they had several departmental meetings about it. I can tell you more about that in another post but can tell you he's is NOT at a high level of alert...yet. We will be discussing the potential need for setting a community meeting with like-minded individuals to discuss the "what if's" and how to prepare for an ebola outbreak.

Take Care,

~OJD

Preps I Used During a Severe Thunderstorm Flooding

Last summer we had a severe thunderstorm roll through that dumped several inches of rain in just a few hours. The street out front flooded, the backyard turned into a pond, and the power flickered for most of the night. It was exactly the kind of situation I had been prepping for — and I'm happy to report that our preps held up well.

Here's a rundown of exactly what I used and what I wish I had more of.

Power Outage Preps That Came Through

The power went out around 9pm. Within 30 seconds I had a flashlight in my hand and LED lanterns lit up in the kitchen and living room. No fumbling in the dark, no panicking family members. That's what good prepping looks like.

We kept the refrigerator closed as much as possible to preserve food. I had a battery-powered weather radio running to track where the storm was headed and whether any tornado warnings were issued nearby.

Flood Preps — What Worked

We had sandbags on hand. I only had about a dozen, which wasn't quite enough to fully block the garage door gap, but it definitely reduced the amount of water that seeped in. I'll be doubling my sandbag supply before next season.

The sump pump in the basement was the real hero. It ran continuously for nearly 3 hours keeping the basement dry. I'm now looking at a battery backup sump pump as well — if the power goes out during a flood, you need that pump running.

Communication During the Storm

Cell towers were overloaded and calls kept dropping. This is a common problem during widespread emergencies — everyone is trying to call at once. I had a battery-powered NOAA weather radio that kept us updated without needing cell service. Texting worked better than calling during the peak of the storm.

What I Wish I Had Ready

A few things caught me off guard. I didn't have a waterproof document bag ready — important papers like insurance documents were in a file cabinet that could have been at risk if flooding had been worse. I also didn't have extra garbage bags on hand, which are incredibly useful for keeping gear dry, protecting furniture legs, and makeshift waterproofing.

Lesson learned: a proper go-bag staged near the door would have made everything faster. When you're watching water creep toward your garage in the dark, the last thing you want is to be hunting for supplies.

My Thunderstorm/Flooding Prep Checklist

Based on this experience, here's what every prepared homesteader should have ready before storm season:

• Battery-powered NOAA weather radio
• LED flashlights and lanterns (with extra batteries)
• Sandbags — at least 24, more if you have a large garage/door gap
• Battery backup sump pump
• Waterproof document bag for important papers
• Heavy duty contractor garbage bags
• 3-day emergency water supply (1 gallon per person per day)
• Portable phone/device charger (power bank)
• First aid kit

The whole experience reinforced something I already believed: prepping isn't about being paranoid. It's about not being helpless when real life hits.

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• Emergency NOAA Weather Radio — Battery-powered with hand crank backup. One of the most essential preps for storm season, 4,000+ reviews.
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• LED Emergency Lanterns — Bright, long-lasting, and hands-free. Essential for power outages. Top-rated options with 10,000+ reviews.
• Flood Barrier Sandbags — Pre-filled or fill-yourself options. Have more than you think you need.
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• High-Capacity Power Bank — Keep your phone alive during extended outages. #1 Best Seller options with 50,000+ reviews.

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