While this isn’t Survival per say it can fall under homesteading and improving the simple way of life. We thought it was an amazing project and had to share!

This post is by way of Dave Larnerd over at bow hunting, Thanks Dave great job!

It took me just about 3 days, first day was digging the holes and setting the uprights. All the wood is pressure treated 6×6’s. Next day was finishing building it. and the 3’rd was spreading the gravel and setting the fire pit and staining the pressure treated. I bought the swings offline from Louisana Cypress Swings and Things and had to wait a week or more for them to be shipped.

I din’t have any building instructions to go by, pretty much just winged it. I layed out the hexagon in the yard so that center for the uprights for each bay was 7′ apart because I knew I wanted to get 5′ swings. I had 14′ from each upright to the upright opposite of it. I’m not sure what the angles were, I just took two pieces of scrap and layed them up there and messed around cutting a few until I got the angle right. We got all the top pieces set up there before lagging them all in. Left one bay swingless so that I could carry firewood in.

I got 6x6x10’s for the uprights and they are sacreeted almost 3 feet in the ground. I guess its a little over 7 feet to the bottom of the 6x6x8’s on top.

Materials I used were
6- Bags of Sacreete (or Quickcreete – whatever you call it) one for each upright.
6- 6x6x10’s (for the uprights)
6- 6x6x8’s for the top sections
6- 2x6x8’s for the stabilizers that go kitty corner on top of 6×6’s (for strength)
24- 3/8’s x 8″ lags for laggin the top horizontal pieces to the uprights (countersunk)
24- 4″ Deck screws for screwing the top pieces together horizontally before lagging them.
24 – 3″ Deck screws for screwing the top 2×6 stabilizers to the 6×6’s
10- 3/8×8″ eyebolts with nuts and washers for hanging the swings

Hope this helps with anyone that’s looking to give it a shot. Thanks for all the compliments.

Be sure to share this post of you like the idea and want to try it

When SHTF, money is low, or you’re just looking to be really frugal and repurpose materials Pallets are a pretty cool solution for building things. We thought this collection of shelters and homes that used pallets or pallet wood might be good inspiration for your own project.  Always make sure your pallets are bug and debris free, and it’s a good idea to hose them down to remove an pesticides or chemicals on them as well. We’d also spray coat or seal them with either primer or a sealent.

If you’re ready to start your flock the first thing to do is decide what kind of chickens you want.

• Meat birds
• Egg layers
• Dual purpose (good for meat and eggs)
• Weather tolerant in your climate
• Fancy breeds (colorful and or unusual)
• Egg colors
• Temperament
• Broodiness
• Self-reliant (good foragers)

If you’re raising birds for meat, the Cornish Rock types develop amazingly fast and are ready to butcher by 6-8 weeks. They’ve been bred to eat constantly and develop large meaty muscles in a short amount of time. If you let them grow much more than 3 months, they will not be able to walk, and will die of heart attacks.

Most people want dual purpose breeds, which are good egg producers but are larger bodied. Rhode Island Reds, Barred Rocks, Orphingtons, Brahmas, Delawares, Austrolorps are a few examples. Want really good layers? Leghorns, Wyandottes, Plymouth Rocks and other breeds can produce up to one egg a day. A more average rate is on egg every two or three days. Laying usually slows down during molting and winter months. You can force your hens to lay in winter if you put a timed light in the coop.

Some birds tolerate heat and humidity better than others. If you live in a cold climate make sure your birds are cold hardy. Small wattles and combs are less susceptible to frostbite. Large bodied birds withstand cold better than small or slight birds. Bantams (the minis of the chicken world) need special treatment in the winter. They look cool but more often than not you’re sacrificing looks for performance. Most fancy, colorful breeds are not good layers, not cold hardy and are slower to mature.

If you want particular egg color and size, you can select for that too. For example, Amaraucanas lay eggs that usually range from blue to green to olive. Marans lay darker shades of brown. Some breeds lay white eggs and others different shades of tan. Family friendly, easy to handle birds include Orphingtons, Australorp, Rhode Island Reds, and Delewares. Some breeds are better at foraging than others. Some are better at sitting on the nest once they have a clutch off eggs (this is called being ‘broody’) and raising their babies when they hatch.

You can find more specifics about breeds at these websites, or look for breeds on hatchery websites.

http://www.eggzy.net/breeds
http://www.sagehenfarmlodi.com/chooks/chooks.html
http://www.wilkamdai.com/poultry_chicken_breeds_of_Interest.html

When you choose what you want, make sure you have a few backups that fit your criteria. Some breeds are just really hard to find, and some have off years that they don’t produce as well at the hatcheries. I’d suggest mixing it up at first and trying a few different types to discover your favorites.

You can order fertilized eggs and incubate your own, order day old chicks, order partially grown birds, or adult birds from a local breeder. Most people order chicks, so I’ll address this. When you’re ready to order them from a hatchery or pick them up from the feed store, you’ll probably want most if not all females (pullets). A small local breeder won’t be able to tell you if a chick is male or female until it starts to get its adult plumage, around 6-8 weeks. Sexing chicks is really hard to do, and even the hatcheries don’t always get it right. Even if they are advertised as ‘pullets’, there is still a chance the chick is a male. You’ll need to decide ahead of time what to do with it if you end up with a rooster if you don’t want to keep it.

You can order your chicks in the mail from a hatchery. Usually there is an order minimum. The chicks will be mailed to you and this minimum order size ensures that they produce enough body heat to keep each other warm. The ordering season is late February through early June, when temperatures are more ideal. If you buy them at a local feed store, look for chicks that are not scrawny or lethargic, with no discharge in eyes or nostrils. If there is a lot of fecal matter stuck to their vent it can block up and they can die from it, so avoid this. If you only want females, don’t pick the biggest chicks from the bunch. The males tend to be slightly larger than the females. Regardless of where you get your chicks or hens, always pick the healthiest, most active ones from the bunch.

Check back for the next article about chickens, Setting Up Your Brooder For Chicks

Medicinal Properties of Pineapple

Pineapple is not just for drinks and desserts. Rich in the enzyme bromelain, research has shown that pineapple can be effective in treating lung inflammation that can be caused by excessive coughing, suppressing the urge to cough more, according to the National Library of Medicine. This study also indicates that the bromelain naturally present in pineapple may provide similar effects if the cough you suffer from is due to asthma. Pineapple juice has also been used to treat other respiratory ailments such as bronchitis, hay fever, asthma and pneumonia. It’s being tested as a possible treatment for cancer and HIV (human immunodeficiency virus-

Also when it comes to colds 

You Need Vitamin C to Boost Your Immunity System

Orange juice and grapefruit juices are the leaders when it comes to fruit juices that contain Vitamin C. Still, pineapple juice is packed full of this valuable antioxidant as well. One cup of orange juice provides 120 percent of the Daily Value (DV) of Vitamin C. One cup of pineapple juice provides 100 percent of the Vitamin C you need every day.

Choose Fresh Pineapple Juice Over Canned or Frozen

To get the most health benefits from pineapple juice when you have a cold, fresh is the best choice. Look for ripe fruits that have a vibrant color and deep green leaves.

Processed pineapple juice still contains the bromelain enzyme, but it contains less than fresh.

Chickens are great for food and self-sufficiency.  They are the oldest domesticated animal in the world, which means people have been using them for eggs, meat, manure compost, and insect control for  thousands of years.  If you’re thinking about starting your own flock, consider the following.

Why do you want chickens? There is an investment of time and money involved, so consider your return.  These are the things you’ll have to do if you keep chickens:

• Build a PREDATOR PROOF coop and run
• Decide what kind of birds and how many
• Raise the chicks or buy adult birds
• Clean the coop regularly and compost or dispose of manure
• Feed and water them
• Deal with disease and/or destructive habits
• Collect eggs regularly
• Winterize your flock
• Butcher and process them

If you live in a town or city check city ordinances before you start your flock.  Most municipalities will allow a certain number of hens, but no roosters.  A rooster is not necessary for your hens to lay eggs, but it is for more baby chickens.  Investing the time and money to build a strong, secure coop and run can’t be overstated.  It is devastating to work hard raising a flock only to have it wiped out by predators, disease, or cannibalistic habits that arise from stressful conditions.

A word of warning for first-time chicken keepers.  Some people get attached to their chickens, and eating your pets gets weird.  Do not let your kids take them into your house.  They actively carry salmonella and other bacteria that’s harmful to humans.  They are not house pets.  It may seem silly to bring it up, but people who didn’t grow up in the country struggle with this.

Most people order chicks in the spring for egg and meat production. Chicks need a heat source for about three months before you can put them outside, depending on your climate and when you get them. They’ll require an inside area (it will get stinky and noisy) where you can install a heat lamp and have enough space for quickly growing critters. They need at minimum 1-2 square feet per bird as they  grow. They also need constant access to food and water, and daily cleaning.  It takes an average of 4-5 months for chickens to start laying eggs.  Meat birds mature between 3 and 5 months depending on the breed.  On average, after three years, egg production declines and then your hen becomes dinner or a pet.

If you decide you’re ready, check back for articles on the next steps; choosing the right breeds and raising chicks.

Garlic has been used by mankind for over 7,000 years! Garlic tastes amazing, at least to us, but did you know just how powerful this herb is. It does more than just keep Vampires at bay.

Just some of the Uses fr Garlic that have been claimed

• Acne
• Athlete’s foot
• Blood thinning
• Cold sore treatment
• Cold prevention
• Cough syrup
• Diabetes
• Weight Loss Aid
• Mosquito repellent
• Pesticide
• Psoriasis relief
• Gas prevention
• Ear infections
• Splinter removal
• Facial Skin cleanser
• Yeast infections
• Parasite killer
• Fish bait
• Mole removal
• Hair loss help
• Aphrodisiac
• Reduces blood pressure
• Toothaches

Clipping of an old Fashioned Ketchup Recipe we thought you might like

Old-Fashioned Ketchup

48 medium tomatoes (8 lbs.), peeled
2 ripe red peppers, chopped
2 sweet green peppers, chopped
4 onions, chopped
3 c. white vinegar
3 c. sugar
3 T. salt
1 1/2 tsp. cloves
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp. allspice
3 tsp. ground dry mustard
1/2 tsp. hot red peppers

Boil tomatoes, peppers and onions until tender. Run through sieve or strainer. Add remaining ingredients. Boil until thick and pour into jars.

Here’s a slightly different version we found too, let us know if you try making either!

We thought this was a really cool and unique trick! While this may not be very practical it is a really neat trick & fun to do. Not exactly really “scrambled” but it’s still neat. A great way to enjoy an Egg snack on the go, that’s a bit different from the standard hard boiled egg. Share this if you think it’s neat!

It’s winter, and it’s snowing all over the country. One of my nearest and dearest memories childhood memories was rushing outside and scooping up a bunch of fresh snow, to make Snow Cream! If you’ve never made it before, you’re in for a serious treat, and the kids will love it as well. It’s quick & easy to make. So enjoy the snow!

Snow Cream Recipe:

• 1 gallon or big bowl full of CLEAN snow (leave it fluffy don’t pack it in)
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup cream or milk

Just mix the ingredients together, then add the snow and stir until it’s soft and of ice cream consitency

For Chocolate Snow Cream substitute Regular Milk with Chocolate Milk

When modern medicine is not available, or if you just choose to live a all natural self sufficient life style it’s important to know and understand what natural remedies out there can do for you.  Medicinal Herbs have been in use for thousand of years and are renowned for their effectiveness. This is just the tip of the iceberg, we plan on covering natural healing, herbs, and natural medicine extensively. So stay tuned and visit the site often.

As always please Like, Share & Pin to help others