15 Canning Mistakes to Avoid Making… No Matter What!

The sight of jars stacked in neat rows redolent with the taste of summer bounty will be inspiring for those who want to start canning their produce for their survival stockpile. Before your start, though, there are a few mistakes to avoid if you want flavorsome, tip-top quality canned goods through the winter.

1) Using sub-standard produce

When the recipe says choose ripe fruit or vegetables ensure they are crisp and firm.

Carrots that still look good but have lost that crack when you break them are not going to make good pickles. Similarly fruit that is just that bit past ripe is going to result in a poor jam.

The secret is getting the pectin right so the jam will set – slightly underripe and perfectly ripe fruit are better than overripe, which have a lower pectin content.

So, what is pectin and why do you need it?

Pectin is a starch (a heteropolysaccharide) that occurs naturally in the cell walls of fruit and veggies and in combination with the sugar and acid in lemon juice when making jams will cause the mixture to gel.

Quince and apples are particularly high in it, as are the skins of citrus fruit.

If you need pectin, you can get it in dry or liquid form but many traditional homesteading recipes use apple or quince to up the pectin content when making strawberry jam for instance – strawberries being soft and fairly low in pectin.

As soft fruits are lower in pectin, generally they will benefit from added pectin.

2) Using a boiling water bath instead of a pressure canner

For those new to canning one would think that a boiling water bath would do the same job as a pressure canner – but it doesn’t – the heat in the bath will reach 212 while the pressure canner will reach up to 425 Fahrenheit.

The boiling water bath is fine for food that has a high acid content, as botulism will find it difficult to survive the pH level of around 4.5 to 4.6.

Foods that can safely be processed in water bath are pickles, tomatoes – to which vinegar has been added, sweet preserves like berry jams as berries have a high acid content and other fruit.

You’ll notice lemon juice is often introduced in the recipe raising the acid level.

Food that is not acidic like vegetables (not pickled), soup, and meat must be done in a pressure canner to kill all traces of organisms that could spoil the food.

This explains the dangers of botulism which is fortunately fairly rare – but will only remain so if proper hygiene and sterilization is carried out in home canning situations.

The high temperature of the pressure canner will kill off the organisms that can cause food to spoil.

3) Not putting enough water into the boiling water bath

Once in the boiling water bath, the jars should be covered– that includes the lids – so make sure the water is deep enough so there is an inch or more of it covering the lids at all times during the processing.

This is important as all the produce needs to be heated equally during the process – you can’t have the bottom half of the produce heated to kill organisms while the part near the top is not sufficiently heated, allowing organisms to proliferate once the product is stored on a shelf.

4) Doubling the recipe for jam making

Especially when you’re making batches of jam or canning produce, it is tempting to simply double the recipe. After all you have the produce to use up, a large pot, the space in the pressure canner so there shouldn’t be a problem – should there?

Yes, it can be a problem. Once you double a recipe, you spend longer getting the ingredients to the right temperature – that can destroy the pectin, which is what you need to make the jam or jelly set.

When making jam you are usually advised to use a pot with a large surface area. The reason is it leads to evaporating the water in the fruit faster.

When the recipe is doubled, fruit will take longer to process and can become mushy under the weight of the rest of the fruit in the process. Cooking the jam quickly leads to fruit retaining its texture and shape – think lovely strawberry jam where you can identify the individual chunks of strawberry.

If you have a lot of produce what you can do is take two pots and make two batches at the same time, making sure to tend to them carefully so the jam doesn’t catch on the bottom and burn, then use that extra space in the pressure canner or boiling water bath.

If you’re using commercial pectin then you can double recipes as there is enough pectin to make the product set without having to lengthen the cooking time – but be careful of adding too much otherwise you end up with jam that is more like rubber.

5) Not testing for set in jams and preserves

If you follow the instructions, prepare the fruit, add the sugar and do not test whether it is forming a gel you my end up with fruit syrup instead of jam or a liquid that is too thick meaning the fruit you pack in the jars will tend to want to float to the top.

This is because fruit will vary in pectin levels depending on the time it was picked, the climate conditions, and between various cultivars, among other factors.

The way to get the set right is to keep testing – keep 4 to 5 tablespoons chilled in the freezer and put a teaspoon of the jam or syrup onto the chilled spoon, wait a few seconds and see if it sets.

If it doesn’t, keep cooking a little longer and test again with another chilled spoon until you are happy that the consistency is right.

Because you cooked the jam for 20 minutes the last time and it turned out perfect does not necessarily mean you can simply repeat – always test to avoid a disappointing batch.

If the result does turn out too runny watch this video to learn how to reprocess your product:

6) Not using a canning rack

It happens – kids get hold of the canning rack and use it for something else and when you get out your pressure canner there’s no rack. You may be tempted to simply put the jars in without a rack.

This isn’t advisable – the direct heat from the metal base and the bubbling and boiling heated water can cause the jars to bump against the base and crack in the high temperatures of up to 425 Fahrenheit in a pressure canner, and of 212 Fahrenheit in the boiling water bath.

If the rack has been misplaced, you can take a clean dishcloth twist it into a sausage and coil it to fit inside the canner. This will provide a buffer between the glass and the metal.

7) Using a reactive pot

Specifically you should use stainless steel or an enameled cast iron pot. Do not use untreated cast iron or an untreated aluminum pot – the acids in the preserves will react with the pot imparting a metallic taste to the produce – also aluminum pots, particularly, will discolor due to the acid in the batch.

If the pot is made from anodized aluminum, it will probably be fine – many people cook in these and claim there is no metallic taste.

The acid content keeps the food in the jars preserved by not allowing yeasts and molds to grow in the low – pH levels of around 4.6. Personally though, I prefer not to use aluminum pots for any cooking at all.

You will often see people preparing their batches in copper pots. Although copper is a reactive metal is does not give a metallic taste to the batch cooked in it.

8) Forgetting to check for imperfections in the canning jars and lids

Once the shiny new jars and lids are delivered check each jar and lid carefully for imperfections – there may be a slight nick on the rim, a hairline crack that occurred during transportation, a part of the lid where the sealing material is thinner or non-existent, a buckled lid.

These should not be used. You run the risk of seals not forming properly and in the case of cracked jars, them bursting in the canner.

9) Not sterilizing jars and lids properly

The jars and lids are all new and clean when they arrive in their boxes, so one may be tempted to skip the sterilizing step.

The problem is that if you do this, figuring the hot water bath or pressure-canning process will get rid of all the organisms that can cause spoilage you are putting whoever eats your produce at risk. Rather be 100% safe and sterilize those jars and lids.

Once the hot food is placed into the jars, organisms may have snuck in from being exposed to the air, hence the boiling water bath or pressure canning step to ensure the last of the baddies is killed off.

After all, who wants to be featured in the news as the person whose produce caused death or paralysis due to botulism?

The trouble with botulism is you can’t see, smell or taste it in comparison with molds that announce their presence with a whitish, green or sometimes orange growth on the surface of preserved goods. This video shows how to do it:

10) Not leaving the correct amount of headspace

Trusted recipes will tell you how much headspace to leave – this will vary depending on what you are canning as some produce may swell.

Leaving the right amount of headspace allows a proper vacuum seal to form in the pressure canner or boiling water bath.

If you have a little extra product that won’t quite fill the next jar, don’t be tempted to distribute it among the other jars and overfill them. You need the headspace for a proper seal to form with no product touching the seal area.

Rather take the extra produce and put into a container you can keep in the fridge for use over the next two to three days.

11) Forgetting to wipe the rims of jars where the lid and canning ring will fit

Omitting this step could mean small particles of product stop the formation of a good seal – the result being wasted food. Always keep a clean sterilized cloth at hand.

You can pop it into boiling water after you’ve wiped a couple of jars to prevent air borne organisms settling on it while you are working with large batches.

12) Forgetting to remove the rings

Once all the jars are all processed and filled with the bounty of summer it’s tempting to leave the rings on the jars. Don’t! They mask what is happening on the surface of the product so you won’t see mold growing in the headspace.

They keep the lid in place if a seal hasn’t formed properly, so you are unaware of the problem until months later when you fetch a jar from the storeroom to find it has spoiled.

The canning rings need to be removed, cleaned and stored for use with another batch.

13) Reusing old lids

The seal has a red rubbery type substance on it that ensures no air can get in. Once it has been used and opened the seal can be damaged and the will have started degrading over time.

Be safe and order new lids – you can reuse the jars and the canning rings provided they are in good condition. It is cheaper to spend on the new lids than to have to throw away produce, which has taken time, effort and money to process.

14) Fiddling with jars while they’re cooling

When jars are being removed from the boiling water bath or the pressure canner use canning tongs to avoid burns and place the jars in the spot where they are to be cooled.

Keep jars upright as you remove them. Once the cooling process has started avoid moving them around – tilting the jar allows the hot produce to come into contact with the seal and may result in a seal not forming properly.

15) Stacking jars directly on top of each other

This is a big no-no. The weight of the jars on top of each other can cause the seals to pop as this video explains:

Instead, design shelves for storage that will accommodate the height of the jars or use a thin piece of plywood over the first row of jars to distribute the weight.

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Raising Chickens vs. Ducks – I Look at Every Aspect

When most homesteaders think of getting poultry for any purpose, the very first birds that spring to mind are chickens, naturally. And that’s with good reason! Chickens are cheap, highly productive, generally easy to care for, and a cinch to keep even if you have a small backyard.

But ducks are also quite popular, historically and today, and they are really gaining steam in terms of popularity lately. They can, after all, offer you the same things that your chickens do in the form of meat and eggs.

For this reason, some people think they are broadly interchangeable when it comes to care and keeping, but there are major differences that you need to know about before you bring home a flock.

I’ll be comparing every aspect that these two species share in this article so you can make a well-informed decision.

	Chickens	Ducks
Size	Generally smaller, 5.25-6 lbs on average	Generally larger, 6.25-8 lbs on average
Space Requirements	8-10 sq ft run, 4 sq ft coop per bird	10-15 sq ft run, 5-6 sq ft house per bird
Shelter	Elevated coop, roosting bars, nesting boxes	Ground-level, no roosts, open shelter
Water Requirements	Drinking water only	Drinking, eating, cleaning, swimming
Dietary Requirements	Omnivores, lower protein and niacin needs	Omnivores, higher protein and niacin needs
Cleanliness	Messy	Extremely messy, especially with water
Climate Tolerance	Good cold tolerance, better heat tolerance	Excellent cold tolerance, less heat tolerant
Vulnerability to Predation	More vulnerable overall, better chances of escape	Less vulnerable generally if on water, easier prey on land
Noise Factor	Noisy during day, quiet at night	Quieter overall, but active at night
Friendliness	Can be friendly, some breeds standoffish	Generally friendlier, more likely to bond with humans
Egg Differences	Smaller, 2 oz, oval shape	Larger, 3 oz, more elongated
Egg Output	Many breeds lay 300+ eggs/year	Generally fewer, some breeds match chickens
Lifespan	Up to 6 to 10 years on average	8 to12 years on average

Size

On average, chickens are smaller than ducks and weigh less, usually between 5 1/4 and 6 lb on average. Your average domestic duck, in contrast, usually weighs between 6 1/4 and 8 lb.

But, there are exceptions on both ends of the spectrum for both breeds. Bantams might weigh only a pound or a little more, while tiny ducks like the diminutive and noisy Call breed might weigh no more than a couple of pounds.

Large breed chickens like the Jersey Giant or Malay can easily clear 10 lb, while big ducks like German Pekins or Muscovies will weigh about the same or even heavier.

Space Requirements

As a rule of thumb, always plan on ducks needing more room than chickens inside their shelter, in the run, and on your property when allowed to free-range.

As a general guideline, your average chicken will need around 8 to 10 square feet of space in the run, per adult bird, and four square feet of coop space.

Ducks need significantly more space in their coop, anywhere from 10 to 15 square feet per adult bird in a run, and five or six square feet per adult in their house (the common term for a duck shelter).

And as always, more is better for preventing stress, lowering cleaning requirements, and improving overall well-being. For both species, larger individuals or breeds will need even more room, whereas you can get by with less room for smaller breeds.

Shelter

The first major difference we encounter when comparing the two poultry birds is their shelter requirements.

Chickens generally need a slightly elevated shelter that has elevated roosting bars for sleeping on the inside. That’s because chickens instinctively seek out higher ground when they go to bed at sundown.

Chickens, given any other choice, are not active at night. A good chicken coop will also feature nesting boxes so that hens can have a safe and consistent place to lay their eggs.

Ducks, on the other hand, are happy to sleep at ground level and can make do with a simple structure that doesn’t need roost bars and usually won’t need nesting boxes either.

Domestic ducks tend to lay eggs in out-of-the-way places or anywhere else that gets the hen’s attention.

However, ducks are typically active at night because they take periodic naps throughout the day. You shouldn’t shut ducks up inside a shelter at nightfall if you can avoid it because this can make them anxious and antsy.

An open three-sided shelter with overhead protection or a four-sided shelter with an easily accessible duck door is perfect for them, but this has other consequences we’ll have to deal with later.

Water Needs

Chickens and ducks both need water to live, of course. Both species must have access to an unlimited supply of drinking water in order to stay hydrated.

But as expected, ducks have even greater water requirements than chickens do because they need water in order to eat properly, clean themselves, and swim.

This doesn’t mean you need a lake or even a pond on your property, though the latter is great to have. You’ll need a small water feature or pool, or at the very least an in-ground water trough, that your ducks have unlimited access to.

You’ll notice ducks taking and dipping their food in the water to help them swallow it and routinely dunking their heads and bodies to help them stay clean and take care of their feathers.

Chickens don’t take conventional baths but instead take dust baths. They greatly prefer to avoid being immersed in water if they can avoid it.

Dietary Requirements

Both species are omnivores and eat a similar diet that consists of insects, grains, seeds, and plant matter. Ducks will also eat a wide variety of aquatic organisms, snails, slugs, and so on.

Nutritionally optimized feed is, as always, a great choice for both birds. Chickens can eat duck feed, and ducks can eat chicken feed with no ill effects as long as it’s not medicated, but neither is ideal for the other.

Specifically, ducks need more protein and a lot more niacin, or vitamin B3, compared to chickens.

It’s possible for ducks to subsist on non-medicated chicken feed as long as you give them supplemental protein and niacin to help make up the difference, though this practice is generally discouraged by seasoned duck keepers.

Cleanliness

I’ve got bad news for you here: both species are pretty messy as they poop often left and right. Left to their own devices without your intervention, both will turn their shelter and their run, and any other places they frequent, into a stinking, mucky mess.

But if you thought chickens were bad, you haven’t seen anything yet: ducks are incredibly messy. They splash water everywhere when they are eating and grooming, and when they take a dip in the pond or pool and get out, they will track water everywhere.

Mud and mold are two constant problems you’ll have to stay on top of if you’ve got ducks.

Climate Tolerance

Both of these birds are famously tolerant of cold weather, but ducks have the edge. They have a thicker layer of fat for insulation, generally, and their feathers are supremely waterproof.

This means that most ducks are more than comfortable well below freezing, and as long as they have a dry shelter to retreat to, you won’t have much to worry about…

You’ll need to pay more attention to chickens when the temperature dips towards freezing, but they are more tolerant of high temperatures compared to ducks.

Most chickens do okay at 80°F / 26°C or a little warmer, but keep an eye on ducks that are outside in the sun at the same temperature and ensure they have access to water for swimming so they can cool down.

Providing shade is a must for both species.

Vulnerability to Predation

More bad news: both chickens and ducks are highly vulnerable to ground-bound and flying predators, but chickens tend to stay on the menu more often.

All sorts of critters like foxes, coyotes, raccoons, possums, domestic dogs, snakes, birds of prey, mountain lions, bears, and more will love nothing more than to make a meal of either bird, though smaller predators like raccoons and snakes typically prey on chicks, ducklings, and eggs.

The larger size of ducks may prove a deterrent to some of the smaller birds of prey, and if they have access to a substantial water feature, they will readily take to the water to escape terrestrial predators.

However, they are clumsier and slower on land compared to chickens, and so are an easier target if they aren’t on the water.

Noise Factor

Both of these birds are noisy, though you’ll have to pick your poison depending on your preferences.

Chickens, particularly roosters, tend to be very chatty during the day, though this varies from breed to breed and flock to flock. Ducks tend to be quieter overall, but because they are active at night, you’ll have to listen to them quack and hiss even during hours of darkness.

Somewhat surprisingly, it is female ducks that tend to be a lot noisier than males. This is because females are more social and spend more time communicating with their flockmates and also with their humans.

Friendliness

Chickens and ducks can be quite friendly with people, given proper upbringing and interaction.

Once again, breed differences play a big part here: some chicken breeds are famous for friendliness, like the Buff Orpington and Faverolles. Ducks, though, tend to be friendlier and closer with their people than chickens are, all things being equal.

If you spend a lot of time with and baby your ducks, don’t be surprised when they follow you around whenever they can see you. In contrast, chickens are more likely to be standoffish or keep to themselves even if they do like you.

This is just a rough guideline, though, and you’ll find that individual birds and flocks have their own personalities and preferences in this regard.

Egg Differences

For so many keepers of ducks or chickens, eggs are the number one reason why they got into poultry in the first place.

Both can be great choices if you want a steady supply of the freshest and best-tasting eggs you’ve ever tried, but there are still considerable differences you’ll need to know about.

Egg Characteristics, Shape, and Size

Chicken eggs, as a rule, are smaller than duck eggs and are usually a little lighter, averaging around 2 oz. They have a tapering, oval shape with gently domed ends.

Duck eggs are bigger, though, they weigh around 3 oz or a little more, and are noticeably more elongated with a prominently rounded narrow end. Duck eggs are also more commonly colorful or speckled compared to chicken eggs.

Duck eggs have a markedly richer taste compared to those from their chicken cousins, and this is due to higher amounts of fat and protein.

Output

Chickens and ducks vary a little bit when it comes to output, and most chicken breeds are more prolific layers than your average duck.

Leghorns, Australorps, and Orpingtons can lay upwards of 300 eggs yearly for the first few years of their life as long as they are in good health. Still, some birds might stop laying in the wintertime when days get shorter.

Most duck breeds are not that prolific, though some, like the Khaki Campbell, can clear 300 eggs a year. Most ducks are also more likely to lay eggs year-round; something to consider if you’re worried about a winter stoppage.

Lifespan

The lifespan of these two bird species is similar, on average, but ducks tend to live a little longer. Most chickens will top out at around 10 years old, though those living older than that and in relatively good health are hardly uncommon.

Your average domestic duck breed will live between 8 and 12 years, or even older, in ideal conditions. However, some duck breeds, like the American Pekin, are known for a relatively short lifespan, around 6 years on average.

Raising Chickens and Ducks Together

All in all, it is possible to raise adult ducks and chickens together as long as you take care of the shelter and space requirements for each.

Trying to keep them in the same shelter, unless it is an oversized coop or a small barn, is probably not worth it considering how messy ducks are. They’ll make the bedding inside wet, and that will cause problems for your chickens, and fast.

Something else to worry about are pecking order issues between the two breeds, specifically if your chickens have one or more roosters in the flock.

Under no circumstances should you allow hens from either species to raise young in a mixed flock; ducks are likely to trample chicks due to their greater size, and aggression between protective parents is common.

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Preppers Are Not Safe from SHTF and Tragedy

All of us know that disasters great and small are dangerous. You don’t really prepare for things on this scale if they aren’t truly so… Natural or man-made makes no difference; any given event will carry with it dozens of ways to die.

And so we prepare. We train. We plan. We stockpile. All in the hopes that when the reaper comes around we can say “not today” and slam the door in his face. That’s the way these things go. Right? Right…

Or is it? Is anything ever guaranteed in life? Is our survival assured at any cost? How about the lives of our loved ones?

For even the most skilled and confident will have doubts. Small ones, grim ones, in the dark recesses of their mind. “What if I don’t make it? What if it isn’t enough? What if I am unlucky? Too slow? Too late?”

Fair questions, all. Hard to ponder. Terrible to consider. But understanding risk and facing fear head on is something all preppers must be able to do.

In this article, I’ll take a break from my usual instructive and skill building content to discuss the darker side of disaster. The side where, perhaps, your number comes up…

What Are The Odds?

If only I could answer that question, I would not only be a wealthy, wealthy man but would also surely forestall my own death.

The variables present in any disaster, especially a severe one, are so numerous, so mutable and produce so many cascading second and third order effects there is no way to calculate them.

Consider also how much influence you have over the event, and your response. Your training, plan and material preparations could certainly influence the outcome.

Broadly speaking, we know that unless something comes along and kills you outright, if you are prepared with the right knowledge, skills and equipment your chances of surviving most disasters are pretty good.

Consider your average tornado; a storm of such power it can wipe entire towns right off the map, leaving tattered remnants of civilization in its wake…

Even in very severe instances, deaths from tornadoes are rare. Surprising considering the sheer violence of the event. It goes to show a little preparation (shelter), early warning and acting before things get bad will see most people survive its passage with nary a scratch.

Deaths typically result from those caught in the open, exposed to airborne missiles or have no choice but to shelter in flimsy structures.

Your chances of survival in other events may not be so good. Plagues and pestilence are two classical disasters that can sow death far and wide before you have a chance to react and medical countermeasures can catch up.

How can you protect yourself against something before you know it has arrived?

The bottom line certain types of disasters will have a greater chance of killing you outright versus others. These usually inflict casualties in a “burst” of carnage. Some are slower acting, but no less lethal, and will kill the unwary, lazy or foolhardy should they remain in the area of affect.

Any regional or national-scale disaster may damage the infrastructure of society badly enough that death from follow-on effects or living in the aftermath is a real possibility.

I’ll talk about a few scenarios below that fall in either category as well as mishaps, misadventures or plain old bad luck that could lead to your untimely fate.

And Just Like That…

Some threats will arrive with little or no warning, and be so dangerous that anything short of immediate action may see you killed.

Events like these are likely to place you into the “wrong place, wrong time” category of death. Think high lethality, little or no time to react and rapid onset. Potentially these events may have a wide area of effect.

Disasters in this category are things like a nuclear detonation, large asteroid or meteor impact, quickly forming severe weather (blizzard, tornado, strong thunderstorm), car wrecks, flash flooding, landslides, major earthquakes, plane crashes and so forth.

Quieter but no less lethal instances could be certain chemical and biological agents released over a wide area discreetly affecting a large number of people and leaving no time to react before symptoms set in.

The basis is, if you are unlucky enough to be in “ground zero” when one of these events occurs, you’ll need serious luck on your side to survive. That’s the brakes. It happens to people every day, hapless bystander and hardened prepper alike.

1. Slower, But Still Deadly

Some disasters are either predictable, to a certain degree, building or moving slowly enough they afford you the time to formulate a response or implement you escape and survival plan.

Make no mistake, many disasters of this kind are still highly lethal, and not to be trifled with. One insidious element they sometimes manifest is instilling a “wait and see” mentality in some.

“Maybe it will stop. Maybe it will go around. Maybe…”

Disasters in this category include hurricanes, wildfires, conventional flooding and simmering social unrest prior to it erupting into full-blown rioting and Hell-raising.

Note that all of them give ample warning as to their approach. None of them erupt onto the scene out of nowhere. The wise will go while the going is good… if they have a choice. The brave or foolish will linger hoping to ride out the worst of it.

These events are typically survivable, no matter how severe they are, because you have time and opportunity to react and get away from danger!

Nonetheless, you will always see reports of deaths resulting from these and other similar events because someone who could have gotten out of the way chose to stay.

Perhaps it was simply a bad judgment call. Perhaps it was pride. It won’t matter when you are dead. Fires shift. Hurricanes intensify. Mass demonstrations turn violent and badly. Don’t be lulled into a false sense of safety because it hasn’t “turned” yet.

Mishaps, Misadventure, and Accident

Death may find you through far less exciting channels. Life expectancy in the modern world is so long only due to the prevalence and abundance of so much we take for granted:

Regular and emergency medical care, plentiful food and clean water, efficient and expert emergency services and miraculous technological solutions to problems our ancestors spent their lifetimes attempting to master.

When reacting to a disaster, you might find yourself in a situation that any other time would be an inconvenience or merely scary when you can summon aid with the press of a button.

In a time of uncertainty, fear, and chaos, even once minor problems may take on life-threatening, even deadly significance.

Consider what you would do if you were bugging out on foot through a remote area. Just you and your BOB. You pushed yourself a little hard and, with day turning to dusk, slip, stumble and badly break an ankle. If this were a pleasure hike, someone may eventually find you, or come looking for you.

Considering you are fleeing a situation on unbridled chaos, with power out and cell phone networks down, you will certainly not be able to count on that, and will be unable to call for help.

Stranded, basically immobilized and exposed to the elements, sheltering yourself will take on agonizing, life-and-death importance. Your food and water supply are both limited, and gathering more may be impossible. What will you do now? There have been tougher, better men die in lesser circumstances.

Alternately, lethal misfortune may arrive in the form of simple accident: a cut or gash becomes badly infected. Some of your food went bad and you contract botulism or dysentery.

You wind up catching a bullet in the brain from a gunfight occurring 5 blocks away. Falling debris impales or flattens you. You are struck and killed by a panicked motorist. What a way to go; you survive The Big One only to meet your end from so small a thing.

No prepper worth their salt imagines it will happen to them, but history has furnished us with plenty of examples t the contrary.

Old Age and Infirmity

It is a cruel truism and nature that the very old or infirm suffer the most when disaster strikes. Survival situations exact a terrible toll on brain and body, a toll that the elderly may not be able to bear in any case, but will probably not be able to bear at all on their own.

Injury, illness and exposure hit the very old far harder than the rest of us. A common bug that would only hamper or sicken a healthy adult in their prime or middle age will decimate a senior citizen, perhaps even kill them.

The same goes true for wounds; an aging, failing body will not sustain as much damage as a younger one.

No matter how motivated you might be, or how well prepared, if you are a prepper at or past your Golden Years you may be confronted with a situation you cannot hope to negotiate without aid. No force of will can overcome a failing body.

1. Taking Your Chances

Ultimately, a certain amount of risk and uncertainty will always remain when you are coping with a disaster.

Anything you do may get you killed, including doing nothing. Hindsight is, well, you know. The best you can do is manage what risks you can, and take steps to guard yourself against preventable death and threats.

If you have been prepping any length of time, you have likely already accomplished that. So much loss of life can be avoided with just a little preparation.

If you are truly well prepared with a stash of food, water, shelter items, tools and the grit and know-how to make use of all of it in a rough spot, you’ll have done much to mitigate risk to life, and hopefully, barring plain bad luck, you won’t wind up like those staring and lost souls clinging to the ragged edge of life wondering how all this happened.

Even so you’ll take risks. Some will be big. Others will be small. If you have prepared accordingly you don’t need to worry about the small ones very much. The big risks will be worth careful consideration, as no amount of preparation may prevent tragedy should you roll snake-eyes.

The decision to shelter in place or bug-out. Fight or flee. Help a stranger or take no chances. Who to trust. Things like that.

Some will be so big, your one-in-a-million chances, that there is not much you can truly do to defend against them at all.

Long-Term Concerns

After the smoke has cleared and the rubble has settled in the aftermath of a serious catastrophe, society may be fundamentally changed, along with all the things we depend on and take for granted in everyday life. Food, medicine, clean water, power, and more may be disrupted, intermittent or absent entirely.

Depending on the severity of the situation, your long term plan and assets, you may be living only as long as your supplies last. Lack of food, water or fuel may doom you.

Without the wheels of commerce to supply what we need, you’ll be relying on what you can scavenge, barter, grow, hunt, gather, harvest or make. Sustainment living, homesteading, whatever you want to call it, is doable but very hard work, and requires considerable skill.

Without the skill and the land, you’ll be alive as long as your supplies hold, and not much longer thereafter.

Fear and Faith

Dealing with fear and accepting the things you cannot change or influence will require a certain amount of faith. Believers will draw strength and confidence from God. Anyone can draw confidence from the amount of work, blood, sweat and tears they put in to prepare for this fateful day.

Believe in your own strength and skill. Have faith in yourself: you are skilled enough, smart enough and strong enough to not only survive but thrive in such terrible circumstances.

Visualize a positive outcome, with you and yours safe and sound. Race car drivers will tell you that you steer where you are looking, so you don’t look at what you don’t want to crash into. You can do the same thing mentally.

Don’t focus down on the things you don’t want to see happen. This will only serve to cloud your thinking and magnify fear and dread. Only focus on the things you can do to improve your situation now. If there is, very literally, nothing you can do, don’t spare it a molecule of worry.

Conclusion

Death will lurk around every corner when the SHTF, waiting for the slightest lapse in concentration, judgment, or focus. While there is much your work and preparation to this point will do to ward off risk to life and limb, you simply won’t be able to eliminate risk completely.

Understand this and get over it so your mind is not clouded by uncertainty and doubt when you need to be sharp and task-oriented when under stress.

The post Preppers Are Not Safe from SHTF and Tragedy appeared first on Modern Survival Online.

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How to Care for Your Ducks in the Winter

Ducks are very resilient to cold. They can tolerate snow quite well because they have natural insulation in their bodies that help them keep warm. They have a thick layer of fat underneath their waterproof down feathers that helps them ward off the cold wet snow and rain.

Is this a guarantee that your ducks will do fine in winter with the same living environment you have provided for them all summer long?

No, definitely not!

For one thing, they can freeze to death if they do not have a warm shelter from the wind and the elements. They should have a fully enclosed coop with windows or ventilation openings to ensure the air they are breathing is clean and healthy.

Second, their feet do not have fat to protect them from the cold ground or snow. They can get frostbite if the ground is too cold, and they do not have a protected area with warm bedding or insulated ground on which to walk and lie down.

If they develop frostbite on their feet, they will not be able to walk to a safer spot to rest, their legs will not be able to hold them up to walk to safety, and they will literally freeze.

Domestic ducks tend to do better in the cold than wild ducks, who migrate every winter. The reason is simple: human intervention!

You, as a homesteader, are able to provide a standard of care that they become accustomed to, building trust towards you. They know that with you, they will have shelter, food, water, and comfort. They will therefore be comfortable enough to stay rather than fly off.

There are many things you can do to help keep your ducks comfortable in winter. Sometimes the easiest answer to a problem can be solved by looking to the wild animals to see what drives them south and then navigating through those issues to care for your own flock.

Can Ducks Stay Outside in Winter?

Domestic ducks will happily go out in the snow on warmer days, provided they can still get into their coop if they want to, and provided they have a windbreak to protect them from the wind.

You can make a windbreak by hanging a tarp or groundsheet, or by making a wooden wall to block the wind.

Many people block only the side that the wind comes from the most, I prefer blocking the wind from the exit on the coop on both sides. Give them corners where they can get out of the wind but still enjoy the sun’s heat.

You should also consider growing hardy shrub bushes along the inside of your windbreak. Trees and shrubs are great windbreaks, but if you live in a particularly windy area, nothing beats a constructed windbreak.

Growing the shrubs on the inside of the wall will add an extra layer against the wind, and if it is an evergreen shrub, it will give your ducks the opportunity to forage while they are out on the town.

Ducks will do fine outside up to a low temperature of 20 degrees Fahrenheit. If the temperature is below that, it is better to keep them locked up in the coop where they can stay warm.

Signs Showing That Your Duck is Cold

If you are going to keep your ducks safe and healthy through the cold winter months you should understand a few things about a duck’s version of hypothermia.

Be alert for these symptoms that will show you that your ducks are at risk because they are too cold:

• If the temperature is below 20 degrees Fahrenheit (-6 Celsius), your ducks will stumble or hobble on their feet. Remember the ground temperature will be colder than the air temperature, and those feet get cold easily.
• If they start developing black spots on their feet, they are in grave danger. The black spots are frostbite and require immediate attention. Frostbite can lead to amputations, or even death. Get the duck’s feet in a warm bath of water – not hot water – and give the feet some time to thaw out properly. Put the duck back in the coop with lots of hay or straw bedding to protect its feet.
• If your ducks look uncomfortable, constantly standing and then plopping back down over and over, if they are shivering, or if they are motionless it is important to get them indoors as soon as possible. Check the feet of each duck for frostbite before you put them in the coop and treat if necessary.
• If you see that your duck’s feathers are wet, dry them off immediately and get them into the warm coop.
• Finally, ducks are like humans in a surprising way: when they are cold, they eat! This is nature’s way of building up a layer of fat to protect their organs from the cold. If you see that your ducks are going through a lot of food, do not panic. They are building up their fat reserves. But do note that this is a sign that they are getting cold. Remove all wet bedding in the coop and add more clean dry bedding; make sure the ground is well insulated with a thick layer of hay or straw and that each nesting area has sufficient bedding in it.

Remember that your ducks will be doing what comes naturally in the coop which will leave the bedding wet and vulnerable to the cold. It will also cause a buildup of ammonia in the coop. Both of these could put your ducks at risk.

Clean the coop regularly, and replace the bedding or add fresh dry bedding on top of the old bedding. You should properly clean the coop at least once a month in winter. Watch for wet bedding or moldy bedding. If you see this, clean up immediately.

two roosters ducks and a donkey on the homestead

Tips for Keeping your Birds Warm and Comfortable in Winter

• Lay straw or hay on the ground in the pen and the coop. You can put straw or hay on top of the snow daily – on warm days when you open the coop – to protect your duck’s feet.
• Use wooden boards in the pen that you can lift when your ducks go to bed so that they are not covered in snow. This will help insulate their feet a little.
• Insulate the floor in the coop with treated boards on the floor under the straw or hay.
• Make sure they have access to clean water all day. The water should never be cold. Fill water dishes and ponds with lukewarm water every day. Check the temperature regularly and make sure it does not freeze. If they have a pond that is cold or frozen, use plastic, children’s shells as swimming ponds that you can fill with lukewarm water.
• Make sure you give them lots of food every day. In winter, ducks need twice as much food as they would eat in summer. They need the extra food because foraging is non-existent, and they need all the calories they can get to build up good fat reserves.
• Ducks need a lot of greens in their diet. Lettuce, cucumber, broccoli, spinach, kale, cabbage, and chard are essential to their diet.
• They also need plenty of fresh fruit and corn.
• You can add pellets to their diet to help build calories for energy and to boost their fat reserves.
• Provide a good-sized coop to shelter them from the elements – especially at night. The coop will also provide the ducks with shade in summer, so this is a very worthwhile investment. When building your coop, consider adding insulation in the walls, roof, and floor – but still add the hay or straw on the floor to keep the feet warm and to give the ducks a comfortable living environment.
• Your coop and pen should allow two square feet per duck.
• Build an outdoor shelter so that they can sit outside of the coop but away from the cold and damp.
• There is some controversy over this next one… Some folks say heat the shelter; others say the duck’s collective body temperature is all that is needed to keep your coop warm. If you live in an extremely cold area, I suggest you heat your coop with safe heating lights. This will just keep your ducks warmer. If you do use warming lamps, I suggest you have an electrician install them properly to reduce the risk of fire. Still, nothing is more important than that thick layer of dry straw or hay.
• If your coop has been properly designed with a proper power source to use safe heating lamps, ensure that they are high enough to be out of the reach of the ducks and that they are legal and properly maintained. The last thing you want is the coop to go up in flames while you are fast asleep or away from home. You can use a standard 250-watt lamp in your coop. Do not use floor heaters as these can be very dangerous – especially with the bedding.
• Duckling’s will definitely need to be under a 250-watt lamp as they are completely vulnerable to the cold.
• If you want your ducks to lay eggs or breed during winter, heating is also very important.
• You only need to turn the lights on for half an hour at the beginning and end of each day. You can set up a timer that turns the light on and off for half an hour before dawn and again half an hour after the sun sets.
• Unless you want your ducks to lay eggs and hatch them, artificial lighting is not 100% necessary. But it should be considered for the comfort of your cold ducks.
• Feeding your ducks with food that is high in protein is a must! The protein content should be 16% to 18%.
• Make sure the ducks have plenty of fresh drinking water, keeping it in the coop will protect it from freezing – but always remember to check it several times a day to make sure it does not freeze. Adding a few ping pong balls to the drinking water helps prevent the water from freezing by moving around in the water preventing an ice layer from forming.
• If they have a small pond to swim in, take empty gallon bottles and fill them halfway with ordinary kitchen salt. Put the lids on and let the bottles float around in the pond. This will also prevent the pond from freezing.
• Provide protection from the wind. Place straw or hay on the ground where the windbreaks are.
• Make sure your coop has windows or air vents. Keep these open a crack to let the moisture from their breathing outside. Make sure the vents are high up so that predators cannot get into the coop.
• Provide warm to cool water in wide pools on warm sunny days for the ducks to swim and play in. Empty the pools every night to avoid waking up to a frozen pond.
• Provide a windbreak for their pen.
• Provide outdoor shelter.
• Your coop should be constructed with treated wood to keep it warm and easy to clean.
• You can use a barn as a coop and a pen, this will help protect against the elements and predators. Remember the straw or hay. You can even use wood shavings as bedding. A barn is a large space to keep warm, it will take a lot of bedding to keep the ducks comfortable. But a barn is ideal as their feet will be safe and warm and they will have more space to move around. There is also less chance of desperate predators getting in to kill and eat them.
• Make absolutely sure your pen and coop are not accessible to starving predators.
• Double their food rations. You can add peanuts, oatmeal, shredded cabbage, and cracked corn to their food for a tasty treat. You should add these to their nighttime feed every night. Always give them water at every feed as they need the water to swallow and digest the food. You can even warm these items or partially cook them to give the ducks a warm meal.
• Remove the water sources every night. Water freezes affecting the temperature of the coop. it will also get slopped around causing the bedding to become wet and uncomfortably cold.
• Continue using the same food in winter as in summer. They need nutritious pellets, greens, and grains. Mealworms are a favorite delight to ducks, so add some of those.
• Place some floating snacks in the pond or pool, this has two advantages. One it helps prevent the water from freezing, and two it will give the ducks something fun to do.

Conclusion

Many years ago, I was called because a neighbor had a swimming pool. It had been hijacked by a flock of 30 to 40 wild ducks who were confused by a particularly long hot summer into thinking winter was still far off.

The ducks were too late setting off on their migratory path and found themselves in freezing conditions. They found the closest thing to a source of water they could find and settled in.

They would have starved or frozen to death if the homeowner had not taken such rapid action to help the ducks by calling a few of us local duck owners for help.

We each took as many ducks as we had space for until every duck had a roof over its head. We took them home, dried them off, treated their feet, and stuck them in the coop with the other ducks. We kept a close eye on the new ducks to make sure there was no fighting.

Well, there was no fighting. In fact, when summer came the wild ducks stayed put. They quickly became domesticated and when they should have taken off to migrate before the next winter set in, not one left.

I believe they felt safe enough to stay. We had built up trust with them and provided for their every need.

In much of nature, human intervention is not a good thing. We hand raise lion cubs and blame the lion when it attacks, kills, and eats a person. We keep boa constrictors and are shocked when they crush the owner’s child to death.

But there are many ways in which humans give mother nature a helping hand for the good of the animals. The ducks that were found in the swimming pool are an obvious illustration of humans doing a good thing to benefit the ducks who would have died.

Your ducks deserve nothing less than your undivided care and attention.

Successfully keeping ducks in winter is as simple as this:

• Make sure they have a warm dry place to sleep.
• Give them plenty of extra food.
• Protect them from hungry, desperate predators.
• Watch out for frostbite.
• Monitor their health and take action immediately if you see any signs of them being cold.

Do your regular check-ups.

I hope this article will help you understand caring for ducks in winter, how to recognize that your ducks are in distress, and how to help them.

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How to Prep for and Survive a Plane Crash

As we know, there are many folks out there who are scared of flying. Most of the time, they picture the worst possible things that can happen, which includes a plane crash and having to survive on open water or a deserted island.

While it is true that statistically, cars crash more often than planes, it doesn’t mean that it can’t happen. Too often, the automatic reaction of people who are facing impending plane crash is to panic. It’s a normal human reaction when faced with critical situations…

However, when your life is at stake, you will have to fight through it. A great many people have a significant fear of flying, at least the people who will admit to it!

Whether you are one of these nervous flyers or not, you should know that the best antidote to fear is understanding, since one of the basic causes of fear is a lack of understanding about what you are dealing with.

The statistics, tips and procedures below are gleaned from the National Transportation Safety Board’s Bureau of Transportation statistics, particularly a study conducted during the first half of the second decade of the 2000s, 2012 to 2016.

Airplane Crash Fast Facts

The NTSB’s Bureau of Transportation statistics really, really loves their stats and it shows! I’ll avoid bombarding you with the full an unabridged data from the study, but the following should shed some light on what you are dealing with. When they sifted the data about the American fliers, they found:

• About 20% of Americans self identify as nervous Flyers.
• A little over 10% self identify as being positively afraid to fly.
• Men are less afraid of flying than women.
• Among that 30% of Americans who are anxious about taking to the skies:
  • Six-in-ten we’re worried about flying during bad weather
  • Nearly 75% were afraid of mechanical problems while airborne.
  • A little more than 1/3 were afraid to fly at night.

That’s a not-insignificant fraction of all American citizens who are a little shy about taking off into the wild blue. Is their anxiety justified? The Bureau of Transportation statistics also discovered the following:

• On any average day in America nearly 3 million people take to the skies in more than 35,000 commercial flights.
• Among these flights conducted by major airline carriers, An average person only has a one in 20 million chance of being involved in a crash that results in a fatality. Someone else’s fatality; not necessarily their own!
• An average passenger has a more than one in 3 billion chance of actually dying on any given flight during a plane crash.
• The overall survival rate of all crashes is about 95%.
• Among serious crashes, described as the aircraft suffering major structural damage and the occurrence of fire, the survival rate is 75%.
• During the course of the study, there were 140 aircraft accidents tallied; of those 140 accidents only two involved in any fatalities of passengers or crew at all.

It should be obvious to even a layman that flying is incredibly safe according to the statistics, and so long as you aren’t taking a rattletrap Pakistani puddle-jumper for a cutthroat rate you should not have anything to worry about.

Even if the plane should crash or experience an accident, your chances of dying are extremely low. How low?

Let’s compare the yearly deaths from flying on a major airline against other types of transit. These figures are taken from a 2017 study and subsequent analysis:

• There were 0 deaths attributed to any commercial airline flight.
• Over 37,000 deaths occurred on America’s highways (all ground vehicles).
• Over 750 deaths where are attributed to train travel.
• Over 694 deaths were attributed to boats or other waterborne vehicles.

So there you have it. I trust it is obvious to you now that flying is one of the very safest forms of travel by any type of vehicle in the United States and pretty much in all the world.

The chances that you will be involved in any kind of aircraft related accident are astronomically low, and the chance that you will be involved in one serious enough to result in fatalities are hilariously remote. Nonetheless, it pays to be prepared and that is what this website and indeed this article are all about.

Also there is one more statistic that the NTSB cooked up that should give you pause for thought: Out of all the fatalities that occur as a result of aircraft crashes, about 40% of those deaths take place in crashes that are considered survivable by passengers and crew.

That means something goes wrong or someone screws up in the aftermath and that is the situation that leads directly to their death, not death resulting from any immediate trauma as an effect of the crash.

So we know that while the chances of being involved in an aircraft accident are extremely small, they are not impossible, and should they occur it is your actions that take place after the crash that might be the most important.

And the subsequent sections we will give you procedures, tips and advice for surviving the crash itself as well as the chaotic and dangerous aftermath.

How to Prepare

Being prepared for the event of a plane crash is half the battle of surviving one. Knowing what to do and with your awareness, you can make fast work of following the safety guidelines, exit the airplane and help others if they need it. Here are a few tips that can help you prepare…

The Back of the Plane Isn’t Necessarily the Safest

You have almost certainly heard are the standard advice for surviving a plane crash: sit at the back! The idea that has long been popularized is that my sitting at the back of the plane you will have a much larger, impact-absorbing “crumple zone” ahead of you in the form of the plane’s fuselage and other structural components.

Who wants to be sitting at the very front in first class since they will be the first to get squashed, right?

Well, while it does make a certain amount of sense to the uninitiated this is what I call a “great wrong answer”: it seems logical, but it doesn’t make sense when you consider the totality of the circumstances involved in any given plane crash.

Chiefly, planes do not always smack the ground in the same orientation that they normally fly in, meaning nose first. A plane could hit the ground sideways, wing first. It could hit the ground backwards, believe it or not! There is no way to say for sure what the orientation of the plane will be during a crash.

For this reason, seating arrangements are sort of a roll of the dice as far as survivability on impact goes.

But there is one thing you can do that will statistically increase your chances of survival no matter what kind of crash you were involved in: Sit within five rows of the plane’s primary emergency exits.

It has been discovered time and time again through exhaustive analysis of plane crash survivors that most of them lived because they had an easy time getting off of the plane, meaning they did not have to fight through a debris-strewn interior or try to hustle past a herd of panicking people.

The closer you are to the exit the better your chances of surviving a plane crash, period. Getting off the plane fast after a crash is super important because…

You Must Get Off Quick after the Crash

As it turns out, a major cause of fatalities after the plane has crashed is the resultant fire that will almost inevitably spread through the wreckage (if it is intact).

This fire naturally will be fatal for any uninjured or wounded survivors who are trapped or otherwise stuck within when it occurs. This is a high-stakes situation: it will take less than 2 minutes on average for fire to completely engulf a plane after a crash.

Obviously time is of the essence, and lends some insight into the recommended seating arrangement above.

You can imagine how difficult this will be if you are trapped all the way forward or all the way to the rear and a crashed plane, wounded, dazed and with the cabin rapidly filling with smoke trying to claw your way past debris and other panicky people who are in the way.

The clock is ticking and the fire rises. You must prepare to get out of the plane as quickly as possible and also set yourself up for success to do so.

Stick with Large Planes

This is a simple recommendation they can absolutely increase your chances of surviving a crash. The reason why is easy for everyone to understand: large airplanes will absorb more impact during any kind of collision and that means less potentially fatal energy that is reaching the squishy passengers within.

Across all domains and all evaluations, smaller planes do far worse in crashes than larger planes. Part of the high fatality rate common to private aircraft crashes are due to the fact that the majority of them are small in nature compared to a national airline’s typical aircraft.

Beware Normalcy Bias

Understand that in any accident involving an aircraft, especially one that does not seem particularly violent or serious, you might have to overcome your own built-in normalcy bias in order to save your life.

What is normalcy bias? Normalcy bias is your brain’s programming that suggests everything will be okay because things have always been okay. Things like this don’t typically happen, and that means that what has happened is not that bad. Sound circular and self-defeating? That’s because it is.

This is not just an admonishment to not be dumb after a plane crash; studies and analysis have shown that too many people mill around in the plane after a crash instead of getting out.

They think that because the plane has come to rest despite the bumpy landing that the danger has passed, when there’s almost certainly a fire brewing or other dangerous conditions that exist to necessitate getting off the aircraft at best speed. 

After a crash,  no matter what, start affecting self-rescue!

Dress Reasonably

Mobility is an important aspect of surviving a plane crash, which is why you should dress comfortably, but sensibly. You never know when you might need to make some moves during a survival situation.

While airport fashion is something of a trend these days, you have to take into consideration that you might have to fight for your survival during the trip.

Wear flat shoes and the most comfortable clothes you have.

Be Alert During Takeoff and Landing

There is a maxim can the aviation industry that is known as the rule of “Plus Three Minus Eight”. This “consonant salad” serves to remind you of what the most dangerous periods of any given flight are.

It refers to the first 3 minutes after a plane has left the ground and the last eight minutes before it touches down at its destination. Statistically, this is when the overwhelming majority of all crashes occur; three minutes after takeoff and eight minutes before landing, hence the name.

What this means to you is it you should be most vigilant during these times. Statistically, you are essentially home free in between these phases.

And while you don’t have much to worry about when flying at any rate, if you want to be truly safe you should be ready for action immediately after liftoff and before you get ready to land.

What does that mean? Practically, just be more alert, review the plane’s safety briefing and your own action plan during this time, don’t sleep through it (not that the flight attendants will let you do so anyway) and make sure you have your shoes on.

It is a strange thing, but it seems like lots of people like to take their shoes off when they’re flying. Also, and it should not need mentioning, make sure you keep your seatbelt fastened!

One last thing: as fun as it is, try not to be completely sloshed on your alcohol of choice when flying. You will need all your wits about you, and excellent coordination and reflexes if you hope to survive the aftermath of a crash.

Thinking through a plane crash can cause paranoia, but don’t give in to it; you need only to be vigilant. This is the point where you should remember that flying is incredibly safe!

Some circumstances can’t be helped but should they occur your preparation can save your life as well as your loved ones.

Steps to Surviving a Plane Crash

If you find yourself with any critical situation like a house fire or dealing with a house invasion, the first thing that you need to remember is to reign in your panic.

Experiencing a plane crash is no different. Because we don’t think it’s going to happen, we’re usually unprepared for it. However, here’s a quick fix to that problem: a step-by-step process of how to survive a plane crash.

Step 1: Stay Calm, Focus

Often, the crash is predicted and announced by the captain. Once you hear the announcement, take a few seconds to breathe in and out.

Realize that there are people on the plane with you who knows what needs to be done to make sure that you survive. Help out the flight attendants by keeping yourself calm and making sure that you listen carefully.

Step 2: Fasten Your Seatbelt

Make sure that it’s secure and tight enough to hold you in place. Now is not the time to worry about how your belly or any other body part will look or if your seatbelt will hold; they are designed to take 3,000 pounds of force.

If you are wise, you will keep your seatbelt buckled the entirety of the time that you are in your seat.

Sure, they might be modestly uncomfortable, but even if you aren’t dealing with a full-blown crash sudden onset severe turbulence can result in you being launched out of your seat and striking the ceiling of the cabin or someone else. Your seatbelt will prevent it!

Step 3: Secure Your Oxygen Mask (If it Deploys)

The moment that the oxygen mask drops, put it on yourself first before helping others put on theirs. This is a commonly debated issue regarding safety but remember that the reasoning behind this is that you’re no good to anyone if you’re oxygen deprived.

If the plane is still operating at high altitude when the oxygen masks drop, there is a reason for that, and any loss of pressure or oxygenation in the cabin at those altitudes can incapacitate you in a matter of seconds.

This is why you always have the flight crew reminding everyone to secure their own mask at once and do so before they help anyone else, including children.

Step 4: Put on Your Life Jacket, Prepare for Impact

In case the anticipated result is crashing into water, put on your life jacket but do NOT inflate it. This regulation is backed by the fact that the crash to water might result in filling the cabin before you can get out of it.

With an inflated life jacket beforehand, you could get pushed to the top and have no way to get out which will result to drowning.

As soon as you’ve secured your seatbelt, oxygen mask and life jacket, clean up and organize where you are to give you more space.

For your bags, it’s recommended that you put them under your seat to prevent your legs from snapping back. Make sure that there’s nothing on you that can delay you from exiting like untied shoelaces and flying jackets.

Step 5: Assume Brace Position

Go into the bracing position. This varies depending on your distance from the chair in front of you. If the chair is within reach, you can clutch the headrest and put your head in the space between your arms.

If it’s not close enough, you’ll have to lean your head on your legs and cover it with your arms. Usually, the safety guideline in front of you will show how to do it.

Here are a few tips to help you determine if you’re in a good bracing position…

First, your torso should be as low as possible to help cushion the jackknife effect of the impact.

Your head should be protected by your arms. If you can touch your head to your knees, that would be the best position. Another tip that can help you through the impact is to put a pillow (if you have one) over your head.

Protect your legs. This is a very crucial part of your body aside from your head. Your fast exit is what you will be relying on after the crash.

Plant your feet firmly on the ground and if you have some overhead baggage, it would do you good to put it under your seat to protect your legs from snapping to the back. You can also put baggage in front of your legs to keep them in check or to act as a cushion.

Instruct your kids or your elderly companions to do the same as what you are doing. Although your first instinct is to help them, make sure that you have ample protection for yourself first. You’re no good to them if you’re injured.

What About Your Survival Kit?

After surviving a plane crash and making ready to escape, it is generally a good idea to abandon any luggage you might have brought with you.

Taking the time to locate it and grab it, and then having to maneuver it through what is already cramped and chaotic quarters is only going to slow you down and create a bottleneck behind you. Don’t waste time looking for it or trying to access it.

But this does create an issue for preppers, since most of us who are traveling will carry our survival kit and other implements in our carry-on bag, with only a few on our person.

This is further complicated by the fact that many EDC items we take for granted are not allowed on aircraft or even past the security checkpoint. What is a prepper to do when flying in case you roll snake-eyes on that one in a million shot of a plane crashing with you aboard?

The way I see it you have two options. The first is to distribute all of your survival items on your body in pockets or pouches on your belt. This is much easier to do without looking like a weirdo if your items are compact and discrete in nature.

A flashlight, a survival strobe, emergency blanket, compact medical kit and other gear can be carried in pockets, strapped to your ankle in specially designed carriers and located elsewhere with minimal or zero increase in profile.

An alternate method is to keep your survival stash as compact as possible in a small, detached pouch placed in your carry-on. Then make it a point to keep your carry-on bag handy at or under your seat.

If you have time and opportunity to access it before the plane crashes, say after an announcement from the captain or crew that the plane is going down, you can reach into your carry-on and grab your much smaller survival kit.

With that done, abandon your carry-on, pocket or sling it and get ready to hold on!

What to Do After the Crash

After you’ve managed to survive the impact, the next thing to do is to exit the plane as fast you can. Here’s a few tips on what to do right after impact:

Remember your loved ones. Because the human instinct dictates self-preservation, panic can set in and drive you to take yourself to survival. While it might sound harsh, this is still a very possible scenario. Look out of the people you love and get them out.

Listen to the flight attendant’s instructions right after the crash. Always remember that they have training for these kinds of situations.

Be as calm as possible and help them contain a panicking crowd if you can. Avoid a stampede or a riot. Cooperate and assist as much as you can.

Do not attempt to salvage any of your valuables. Forget them and move to the exit as directed by the flight attendants or as instructed by the safety guidelines. Do not attempt to get bags from the overhead bin. You need to have free hands because stability is very crucial.

With only 90 second to get out of a destroyed plane, you have no time to stumble and fall, especially with the all the people fighting to get to the exit with you.

Be wary of smoke. If oxygen deprivation threat didn’t harm, the smoke surely will. If you detect or even smell it, drop down and crawl toward the exit.

Use a cloth to cover your nose and mouth as you breathe in and out the entire way. If it’s possible for you to wet the cloth with something, that would be ideal in warding off the smoke.

Before you use the designated exit, assess the situation outside. Is there anything that can hurt you like burning debris or sharp parts that could potentially do more harm than good? Do not rush out until and unless you are sure that it’s safe for you to go through that exit.

If you crashed on land, once you get out, run at least 500 meters or feet upwind from the plane. The next thing you need to worry about after surviving the impact is a fire or explosion. A considerable distance away from the plane will protect you from being blasted off or being impaled by flying debris.

If you crash on water, keep your calm. Planes are usually equipped with a life jacket or a life raft. Either way, if you followed the safety procedures, you should be safe in the water to float for a few hours.

If your plane is equipped with a life raft, then you are safer as it is required with emergency supplies like a first aid kit.

After everything has relatively settled, stay in one place and assess the situation you’re currently in. Put pressure on bleeding wounds and make a temporary brace for broken bones.

The next part of surviving a plane crash at this point is to live to tell the tale. Keep warm. Find whatever clothing is available to protect yourself from hypothermia.

Patiently wait for rescue to come. The scary part is it might take days but keep yourself from worrying about it. A plane is a big thing to go missing and a lot of people are going to go out and look for it. Keep your calm and only think about surviving days at worst.

A plane crash is s unexpected and you have no idea what can cause it because of the many factors involved in it. It’s a hard thing to prepare for, but knowing what to do is your best shot at surviving such a critical situation.

One of the most important things to remember is to ensure your safety before anybody else’s. Although you might want to put that gas mask on your child or elder first, remember that you need to ensure your own safety so that you can protect them until help arrives.

Wrap-Up

Your chances of being involved in any plane crash to say nothing of one with fatal consequences is astronomically low, even if you fly every day for the rest of your life.

That being said, plane crashes do indeed occur from time to time and are survivable so long as you make it through the initial impact and act quickly and correctly to get out of the plane. Use this article as your guide to be prepared in case the plane you are riding in goes down!

The post How to Prep for and Survive a Plane Crash appeared first on Modern Survival Online.

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How to Build a Survival Stockpile With Coupons

When a catastrophe does occur, there is usually a run-on food supplies and survival equipment. People run to the stores and stock up on food, water, firewood, generators, and sometimes just about anything they can get their hands on.

Stockpiled items: canned chicken breast, emergency blanket, toe warmers, pinto beans, yellow popcorn, compass, poncho, dried milk, peanut butter, canned brown bread, honey, chicken bouillon

Being prepared really matters. Having a good stockpile really matters. Saving money really matters.

If you’re a new prepper and just beginning to build your stockpile of food and supplies, money could be an obstacle. You don’t need to run out and buy a year’s worth of groceries in one shot. Who can afford to do that anyway?

Instead, you should look into things like couponing, discounts, and building your stockpile gradually over time.

Coupons can help you save a lot of money on preps. Your couponing habits can ensure that you have enough in your stockpile to last longer than if you ran out and purchased everything all at once. Your wallet will thank you, too. All of these do take a little effort on your part, however, in the long run, it will be worth it.

In this article, we will give you information on the basics of couponing and how to get preps for almost free, what you will want in your stockpile and great websites that will show you where the coupons and the best deals are.

Basics of Couponing

Coupons should be an important part of your financial portfolio. Using coupons is a serious way to save money and build a great stockpile. And when you can get your supplies at rock-bottom prices, it’s a win-win situation.

The trick to getting your prep items for free or almost free is to match coupons with the sale prices. And if you can, match up a sale, a store coupon, and the manufacturer’s coupon for extra savings.

To get the manufacturer’s coupon, go directly to their website. For instance, if you are searching for a particular item that you saw on sale such as Skippy Peanut Butter you would google and go to their website and click on “Get Coupon.”

Yes, it sounds like it could be challenging and time-consuming, but once you get a system down, it’ll be second nature. The top items you can get free or almost free are usually toothbrushes, toothpaste, shampoo, peanut butter, soup, cereals, and toilet paper just to name a few.

Though you can’t use two manufacturer’s coupons for the same item, you can use a store coupon and a manufacturer’s coupon together on the same item. It’s even better if your store will double your coupons.

For example, when purchasing toilet paper, you can print or download a coupon for Charmin toilet paper for $1.50 off any ONE Charmin® Ultra Soft or Strong 6 Mega Roll, 12 Double Roll or larger (excludes Essentials and Cottonelle pack of toilet paper (excluding 4 pack ). It was priced at Walmart on sale for $3.98 for a 6 pack. After using the coupon, it became $2.48 before tax. You can get more than one pack, but you will also need more than one coupon.

However, the best deals are at your local grocery stores that have their own in-store specials, like buy one get one free or double coupons. Use your coupons with the in-store specials to get the best deals and you can get some of your preps almost free. Check to see if they have a store loyalty card.

For example, a store has Del Monte diced tomatoes on sale as buy one get one free. The tomatoes are normally about a dollar a can, therefore, you get two cans for a dollar. Now add in a coupon for .50 cents off. You just got two cans of diced tomatoes for .25 cents each. It’s even better if your store doubles coupons.

The best place to find coupons will be in the Sunday paper. There are three inserts that come out on a regular basis: Red Plum, Smart Source and Proctor and Gamble. Other great options are store coupons, company websites, magazines, and printable coupons from coupons.com and couponmom.com.

Don’t overlook the blinking coupon machines on the aisles in the grocery store and downloadable coupons.

Now that you know the basics of couponing, it’s time to move on to what you’ll need in that stockpile. You should not have any problem finding coupons or sales, if not both for the following list.

What you need in your stockpile

When disaster strikes, or even with news of a catastrophe on the horizon, there’s a good chance your local grocery stores and hardware stores will become stripped bare within hours.

Panicked people will attempt to stock up on last minute supplies causing the grocery store or hardware store to turn into a battle ground.

To be ready to face an emergency when food and supplies are unobtainable, you need to invest in a long-term supply of food and survival equipment.

With the guidelines from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and by doing quite a bit of research, here is a list of foods you should stockpile (using coupons, of course) to get you through a crisis and save money.

1. Bottled water -1 gallon per person per day plus extra for washing or adding to food.
2. Beef jerky or turkey jerky – Dried meat is excellent for long-term storage. You can even rehydrate the jerky in soups. It will absorb the water and add flavor.
3. Canned meat – Buy tuna, salmon, chicken, turkey and spam. Meat is the most difficult to obtain so stock up. They have a long shelf life and provide necessary protein.
4. Powdered milk – An excellent source of vitamin D and calcium when fresh milk is not available. Good for baking.
5. Soups – Soups and Chili can be eaten right out of the can. They have a variety of nutrients, but you will want to get low-sodium soup so as not to increase your need for water.
6. Bullion – Good for making soup and dry bullion powder and cubes store well while taking up minimal space.
7. Beans – Dried beans of all types are loaded with protein, fiber, and nutrients. They store extremely well for long periods of time and are easy to cook.
8. Canned vegetables, such as green beans, carrots, and peas – can be stored and kept for a long time. They provide essential vitamins, and you can use the liquid for soup stock.
9. Canned fruit – Provides essential vitamins and can be stored for long periods of time. Don’t throw away the packing juice as it is loaded with nutrients as well.
10. Dried fruits – Fruit such as apricots, raisins, banana chips, and cranberries, if properly dried, can be stored for years. They provide nutrients such as potassium and fiber.
11. Peanut butter – An awesome comfort food for most and loaded with healthy fats and proteins. A very nutritious food.
12. Whole-wheat crackers – A good replacement for bread.
13. Nuts and trail mixes – Another great source of protein and it stores exceptionally well.
14. Pasta – Is a high carbohydrate food and stores extremely well not to mention filling. There are a lot of things you can do with pasta.
15. Cereal – Get a healthy, multi-grained cereal. If packaged correctly, it will store for a long period of time.
16. Power bars and granola bars – Another excellent source of carbohydrates that will store well for up to six months.
17. Rice – Rice is a great source of carbohydrates and will store well. Buy the whole grain rice instead of quick rice as quick rice has a limited shelf life. Like pasta, there are a lot of things you can do with rice.
18. Food for infants – Formula (canned or powdered), baby cereal, jarred foods.

Foods you might want to consider:

19. Coffee – Needed if you drink coffee on a regular basis and don’t function well without it.
20. Protein powders – Easy to store. A good substitute for some meals.
21. Spaghetti Sauce (canned or in a jar) – A meal when served with pasta. You can add in other items.
22. Summer sausage cured meats that are vacuum packed – Will last a long time. Eat plain or add to soups.
23. Honey – Will store indefinitely and is a natural sweetener that is good for you.
24. Sugar
25. Salt – Essential for survival.
26. Spices – To help hide the flavor of some foods.

Don’t forget about basic medications and supplies for your first aid kit. Also coupon friendly. (Check your local drugstores for coupons and sales.)

27. Prescriptions. First and foremost, make sure you have a supply of any prescribed medicines needed by you or your family members. Keep an extra supply of your medication on hand at all times, just in case.
28. Bandages and dressings for wounds: Gauze pads-Band-Aid strips for small cuts and scrapes, large bandages, Gauze rolls and First-aid tape – for the larger, serious wounds with profuse bleeding.
29. Topical antibiotics (can go a long way in fighting infection): Neosporin or generic triple antibiotic, First-aid cream, Iodine.
30. Pain relief: Aspirin, Ibuprofen, Acetaminophen, Bactine spray and Corizone-10 or generic (can provide relief for minor burns and scrapes or conditions that cause itching)
31. Burns: Burn cream, Petroleum jelly, Non-stick antiseptic gauze.
32. Orthopedic Relief: Knee and ankle braces, Elastic wraps, Wrist brace, Finger splints, Arm sling.
33. Eye care: Saline solution, Eye drops, Eye salve, Eye pads, Eye patches.
34. Respiratory Relief: Inhaler, Cough suppressant, Cough expectorant, Mucus relief tablets, Nasal spray, Throat spray, Benadryl or generic antihistamines (Sinus congestion and other signs of a cold or virus can become an issue if not treated).
35. Gastrointestinal: Tums or Rolaids, Emetrol, Pepto-Bismol, Kaopectate, Zantac.
36. Dental: Floss, Cotton, Oral aesthetic such as Orajel or Anbesol, Temporary cavity filling mixture, Dental wax, Dental pick.
37. Vitamins: You have no idea how long the crisis will last.

Items also recommended by the US Department of Homeland Security:

(Check your local home supply store and drug store for sales and coupons)

38. Batteries
39. Battery-powered or hand-crank radio and a NOAA Weather Radio with a tone-alert
40. Flashlights and lanterns
41. First aid kits
42. Whistle or blow horn to signal for help
43. Wrench or pliers to turn off utilities (You probably already have these)
44. Dust masks to help filter contaminated air and plastic sheeting and duct tape to shelter-in-place
45. Moist towelettes or baby wipes, garbage bags
46. Paper goods – toilet paper, paper towels, plates, etc.
47. Diapers (for baby and good for using on wounds that are bleeding profusely)
48. For disinfecting items and the living area: Iodine, Hydrogen peroxide, Bleach, White vinegar (a powerful germ-killer and disinfectant, and in an emergency, it can be used to treat skin or open wounds)
49. Manual can opener
50. Candles (watch for coupons and sales on air fresheners as they usually include candles)

Good Websites

Doing a quick search on the internet will result in locating coupons, and as everything is going digital these days, the coupon process of finding and using coupons has never been more streamlined.

A shopper can save by just handing a cashier their phone or customer cards and have any applicable coupons automatically deducted from their grocery bill. No browsing coupon inserts for hours and no clipping involved.

Some excellent websites are:

Couponmom. This website will show you where the item is on sale, what percentage has been discounted and if there is a coupon for the item. Click on Grocery Deals by State to find the sales at the stores in your area.

Coupon.com has printable coupons and online coupons. There are hundreds of deals on basically anything you want to buy including groceries and other prepping supplies.

RedPlum has an online version of what you find in the Sunday paper. It offers some deals and has a service called Clip free which allows you to load coupons to your store loyalty cards.

Savings.com has lots of coupon codes for both brand name and store coupons including Home Depot and Amazon.

If you have a smart phone, you need to install apps such as:

lbotta.com A great app where you earn cash back on in-store and mobile purchases with a receipt or purchase verification. You might have to watch a 1-minute video or complete a survey in some cases, but it will be worth it.

Simply upload a photo/scan barcode and your account will be credited. Once you meet the threshold you can get a PayPal deposit.

Saving Star is a good way to save money on your grocery and store purchases. They were the first fully-digital grocery eCoupon rewards service. You simply select the eCoupons you want and link them to your store loyalty cards.

Target cartwheel is also great for food and other supplies you may want in your stockpile.

Checkout51 is a lot like Ibotta but has a different set of coupons that they upload every Thursday.

RetailMeNot maintains a collection of coupon websites. It is great to use in your favorite stores such as Home Depot.

Shopkick created an app for smartphones and tablets that offer customers rewards for walking into stores. It gives you exclusive deals at great stores such as Best Buy, and Target. You can earn points just by walking into the store and get more points for purchases.

Ebates is great for the online shopper looking for a deal. You can find a coupon code for just about anything, get cashback for each store code used and then you can redeem the points. Refer a friend and you can get even more cash added to your account.

Another money-saving option to look into is a barcode scanner app. It comes in handy for purchases that you are looking at. You simply scan the barcode on the item in the store and it will tell you if it is cheaper somewhere else.

Search eBay using the word “coupons” and you will find quite a few listings of coupons that can be purchased. Make sure the coupons haven’t expired and check the history of feedback on the seller before you make any purchases.

Building a significant stockpile is key for a serious prepper. However, it can be financially demanding if you don’t do your homework.

There’s no rule that says you must have a great stockpile overnight. If you’re on a budget and can’t afford to spend a lot on food items and equipment, don’t hesitate to take small steps and gradually build your stockpile.

The best way to get the most bang for your buck is to watch the weekly sales and monitor the coupons. Check the websites for manufacturer’s coupons and additional printable coupons. Upload the barcode scanner for comparison shopping.

Try the above noted and with a little know-how, time and effort, you can have a stockpile suitable for almost any crisis. By using couponing and doing a little research, you can get the basic necessities for your stockpile for almost free.

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