The Everything Guide to Living Off the Grid (35 page)

If you decide that a well and a solar pump will meet your water needs, you still might want to consider some kind of emergency water storage. Should a natural or national disaster strike, water would be key to your survival. The average person can survive several weeks without food, but only a few days without water.

Does stored water taste bad?
Stored water is merely lacking oxygen. You can get it back to tasting great simply by pouring it back and forth a couple of times between a couple of pitchers, or glasses. This will infuse oxygen back into the water.

Your water storage plans should be based on having enough water to supply each person with one gallon per day. This amount is only for general drinking purposes. You should store more water for cooking and hygiene. If you are able to have a 150-gallon water tank or a number of 50-gallon water barrels, you would be able to serve the basic needs of a family of four for about a month. If you want to store more than one month’s worth of water, you will need to multiply the number of containers.

Often you can find used plastic 50-gallon barrels for a reduced price through soft-drink bottlers, who use the barrels for concentrated syrup. You would have to thoroughly clean the buckets to remove the lingering taste, but they would offer you an inexpensive way to store water for your family.

For long-term water storage, tap water should be chemically disinfected by treating each gallon with sixteen drops (⅞ teaspoon) of liquid chlorine bleach containing 4 percent to 6 percent sodium hypochlorite. Scented bleach will perfume the water, so don’t use it. One teaspoon of bleach disinfects five gallons of water. Three tablespoons will disinfect 55 gallons. If you add this to your water, you will kill bacteria and viruses and prevent the growth of microorganisms during storage.

CHAPTER 19
Dealing with Rodents, Critters, and Pests of All Kinds

When you move off the grid you will be exposed to “new neighbors.” Depending on where your move takes you, these neighbors could be as innocuous as white-tailed deer and rabbits, or as predatory as badgers and coyotes. Learning how to recognize and deal with these critters that will share your space is imperative.

Man’s Best Friend

A dog will not only provide companionship, he will also provide protection for you, your family, and your livestock. If you already have a dog as part of your family, remember that moving off the grid is going to be a culture shock for him too. Don’t let your dog run loose; he may not be able to find his way home. And, if your new property is close to farmers with livestock, be sure to keep your dog on your property until you’ve had a chance to introduce him to your neighbors, because most farmers have no qualms about shooting an unknown dog that wanders close to their property.

Dogs are descended from a small, weasel-like mammal called Miacis, which was a tree-dwelling creature that existed about 40 million years ago. The domestic dog of today first appeared in Eurasia about 13,000 years ago, and was probably a direct descendant of a small, gray wolf.

Dogs, like people, have their own unique temperaments, but there are certain breeds that are more suited to living on a farm than others. These breeds, which tend to be the herding dogs and the working dogs, somehow understand that your chickens are not playthings, but are part of their pack and need to be protected. However, even these breeds need to be trained properly to respect the other livestock and understand that you and your family members are the alpha in his pack, which means you need to be obeyed. Most of these kinds of dogs are large, and a large, untrained dog is a danger to himself and the people around him. Don’t feel as though you have to get a purebred dog. Lots of breed mixes make excellent farm dogs, and they often are readily available at shelters, rescues, or through “free-to-a-good home” advertisements in local newspapers.

Here is a list of dog breeds recommended for farms:

• Border collie
  is one of several herding breeds popular as farm dogs. Weighing between 27 and 45 pounds, the border collie is a medium-size dog with high energy. They are very smart and easy to train, but they need lots of activity to keep them happy.
  
• Scotch collie
  is also known as the farm collie or old farm collie. The Scotch collie is larger than the Border collie and not quite as energetic, but is devoted to its master and delighted to do his bidding.
  
• Australian shepherd
  is another herding breed popular for farms. Also known as an Aussie, they are natural herders as well as good watchdogs. They are medium-size dogs with friendly dispositions, and they interact well with children and other dogs.
  
• Australian cattle dog
  is also called a blue heeler. They are smart and easily trained. Because they are territorial they are good watchdogs, but they also have a hard time sharing their territory with other animals.
  
• Corgis
  are small herding dogs that are good farm dogs. Their bodies are similar in size to medium-size dogs, but their extremely short legs classify them as small herding dogs. They are intelligent and very energetic. They were originally bred to drive cattle, hunt vermin, and guard farms in the United Kingdom. Because of its close-to-the-ground stature, the corgi herds by barking and nipping at the heels of livestock.
  
• German shepherds
  , although often used as guard dogs, are actually a herding breed. German shepherds are loyal and intelligent and can be trained as sheepdogs. Full grown, they can weigh between 75 and 85 pounds.
  
• Bernese Mountain Dog
  is a large working breed. These dogs were bred to guard sheep in the Swiss Alps, and also to pull milk carts. They were bred to warn of intruders, but not to be aggressive, because they lived with the animals they protected. They will grow to be 80 to 100 pounds and, because of their heavy coat, may not be suited to warmer climates.
  
• Great Pyrenees
  is a non-herding dog well suited for life in colder climates. Like its cousin, the Bernese Mountain Dog, the Great Pyrenees was bred to protect flocks of sheep and goats. It is considered to be a guardian of family, farm, and livestock. Calm and loyal, this breed is also fiercely independent, which can create problems while training.
  
• Old English sheepdog
  is another herding breed that is popular on farms. Made popular by many movies, like
  The Shaggy Dog
  and
  Peter Pan
  , the family-friendly temperament is well known. Old English sheepdogs herd by bumping rather than nipping. And with an average weight of 60 to 100 pounds, when they bump you, you feel it.
  

How to Identify Rodents

One of the biggest problems you can encounter when you have your own farm is rodent infestation. The main issue with rats and mice is not the things they eat; it is the destruction they create when finding food. Rodents chew through items in your home or in your storage buildings. They will chew through plastic, wood, cardboard, and even electrical wires. Rats have even been found to chew through lead pipes and concrete dams. When they find a food source, they will leave feces throughout the food they don’t consume. This includes grain supplies for your livestock and even food supplies for your family.

There is never just one rodent. A pair of rats and their offspring can produce 1,500 more rats within a twelve-month period. Because rodents are nocturnal, you need to look for the signs of infestation, rather than assume that if you don’t see it, it’s not there.

The feces and urine that rodents leave in food supplies are often very dangerous. Salmonellosis and E. coli are two gastrointestinal infections that have been linked to rodent infestation. Other diseases that are linked with rodents are hantavirus, a respiratory disease, as well as the plague and murine typhus.

Holes and Nests

The difference between rat holes and mice holes is size. A rat hole is about three inches in diameter. A mouse hole is one-quarter of that size, or about three-quarters of an inch. Rodent holes can be found outdoors under sheds, in outbuildings, around haystacks, and in refuse heaps. Inside, holes may be gnawed in floors, between walls, behind counters, and at baseboards. Both rats and mice make nests using whatever kind of material is available to them, like paper, cloth, grass, leaves, cardboard, and insulation material.

Runs

Rodents tend to travel using an established route. Outdoors you may be able to see the pathway or run in the vegetation around the outbuildings. Inside, unless the route travels through a dusty area, it is hard to locate.

Smears

Rats like to move with their bodies in contact with a solid object, like a wall. This contact will often create a greasy stain or smear on the wall. They also leave smears from their backs when they scramble under joists or other obstructions.

Even though most people consider mice less disgusting than rats, mice are much more common and cause more damage. Mice are prolific breeders, producing offspring in great abundance. There are approximately five to ten babies per litter, with a new litter born every forty-five days or so. At eight weeks of age, the pups are capable of mating.

Droppings

Droppings are a sure indicator you have a rodent issue. The number of droppings, their position, and age will give you an idea of how many rodents you have and where they are moving and feeding. Fresh droppings are shiny, soft, and moist for a few hours. As they start to age they become duller and harder. Rat droppings are capsule-shaped and about a half-inch long; they are often found in groups on runs. Mice droppings are rod-shaped, less than a quarter-inch long, and are generally scattered.

Signs of Damage

The more rodents you have, the more extensive and obvious the damage. Damage can include holes gnawed through wood, plastic, cables, pipes, silage bags, and sacks. Rat damage will be larger than that done by a mouse.

Rodent Control