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A reminder and expensive warning to check and rotate preps

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  • Sollydog
    replied
    Re: A reminder and expensive warning to check and rotate preps

    I just ran across this site which some might find useful:

    Still Tasty: Your ultimate shelf life guide

    StillTasty.com has comprehensive information about how long you can keep thousands of foods and beverages.

    Leave a comment:


  • Amish Country
    replied
    Re: A reminder and expensive warning to check and rotate preps

    Originally posted by Lizw View Post
    The mice did a huge amount ot damage here, not so much to stored food, because that is all inside plastic totes. But they have destroyed books, family pictures, clothing, and the soundboard of my piano. Among other things.
    To keep mice out of the house I found plugging up holes and cracks in the foundation with mortar helped. For around pipes that stick out through holes in the foundation I packed steal wool (not the ones impregnated with soap) around the pipes. It has to be check periodically. After a few years they managed to make a path through the steal wool but it took them a while.

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  • annaraven
    replied
    Re: A reminder and expensive warning to check and rotate preps

    Originally posted by Lynda View Post
    Rats and mice can (and will) eat through mylar bags. I've even seen them munch through a 5 gallon bucket. Oddly, Rubbermaid Roughneck 18 gallon totes seem impervious to their little razor teeth. They are VERY heavy when loaded, though, so be sure you have a cart or dolly to move them when necessary.
    And I have a roughneck tote that had the corner of the lid chewed off so the rats could get in to the chicken feed.

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  • BestlaStormcrow
    replied
    Re: A reminder and expensive warning to check and rotate preps

    Originally posted by Lynda View Post
    I just opened, for testing purposes, 10 year dry-food preps packed in mylar and 02 absorbers. Results are spectacular. Everything did well except for Pinto Beans, but I haven't been a fan of those as a storage bean for years. I prefer smaller, thin-skinned beans.

    Rats and mice can (and will) eat through mylar bags. I've even seen them munch through a 5 gallon bucket. Oddly, Rubbermaid Roughneck 18 gallon totes seem impervious to their little razor teeth. They are VERY heavy when loaded, though, so be sure you have a cart or dolly to move them when necessary.

    Living in Dallas has inspired me to give the ol' preps some needed attention.
    Good to know!

    We have our super-duper last resort food in mylar, in buckets, from Walton Feed, bought about 10 years ago. We're planning to just keep it as is, under a pantry shelf and hopefully still mouse-proof.

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  • Lynda
    replied
    Re: A reminder and expensive warning to check and rotate preps

    I just opened, for testing purposes, 10 year dry-food preps packed in mylar and 02 absorbers. Results are spectacular. Everything did well except for Pinto Beans, but I haven't been a fan of those as a storage bean for years. I prefer smaller, thin-skinned beans.

    Rats and mice can (and will) eat through mylar bags. I've even seen them munch through a 5 gallon bucket. Oddly, Rubbermaid Roughneck 18 gallon totes seem impervious to their little razor teeth. They are VERY heavy when loaded, though, so be sure you have a cart or dolly to move them when necessary.

    Living in Dallas has inspired me to give the ol' preps some needed attention.

    Leave a comment:


  • Amish Country
    replied
    Re: A reminder and expensive warning to check and rotate preps

    Another thing we are doing or rather not doing to discourage vermin is not to feed anything outside near the house. No bird feeders, no crust thrown out for the birds, no pet bowls on the porch.

    Leave a comment:


  • Lizw
    replied
    Re: A reminder and expensive warning to check and rotate preps

    Originally posted by BestlaStormcrow View Post
    Yeah, it was a bit of a decision, but we have woods across the road and had noticed rats coming & going from our coops, and aren't in a position to attempt rat-proofing the outbuildings.

    We use the plastic bait housings tucked into a square cat litter bucket on its side. The buckets are placed with open side a couple inches from whatever wall looks to be under attack, and a flat cement 16 x 16" paving stone set on top. So far no wanted critters have gotten into the bait, and we also noticed the **** english sparrows have figured out how to fly in and help themselves

    All the bait stations are checked every other week and topped up as needed. Hate to use such a heavy hand, but we need the food and peace of mind.
    Bucket traps work well for mice (look on youtube if you need directions). They have the advantage of needing bait, and will catch numerous mice in one trap. Rats are too big for traps made of 5-gallon buckets. I suspect it would be possible to use a larger container, though.

    I have never seen the Norway rats here, what are locally called "wharf" rats. We do have several varieties od smaller rats, but I've never seen one inside, thanks to the cats. The livestock guardian dogs will kill them too. What has worked best for me in regard to rodents is black snakes. I saw one in the barn last year, and have found shed skins a couple of times. No more mice in the barn. A few weeks ago, I got back late at night from an out of town weekend, and found a black snake stealing a dead mouse out of a snap trap. It was quite a shock, and I still don't know how it got inside. But there have been no more mice in the house since then, so I assume it has taken up residence underneath, where it is welcome to live. The mice did a huge amount ot damage here, not so much to stored food, because that is all inside plastic totes. But they have destroyed books, family pictures, clothing, and the soundboard of my piano. Among other things.

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  • BestlaStormcrow
    replied
    Re: A reminder and expensive warning to check and rotate preps

    Originally posted by Amish Country View Post
    I really did not like using it but it is what finally got rid of them.
    Yeah, it was a bit of a decision, but we have woods across the road and had noticed rats coming & going from our coops, and aren't in a position to attempt rat-proofing the outbuildings.

    We use the plastic bait housings tucked into a square cat litter bucket on its side. The buckets are placed with open side a couple inches from whatever wall looks to be under attack, and a flat cement 16 x 16" paving stone set on top. So far no wanted critters have gotten into the bait, and we also noticed the **** english sparrows have figured out how to fly in and help themselves

    All the bait stations are checked every other week and topped up as needed. Hate to use such a heavy hand, but we need the food and peace of mind.

    Leave a comment:


  • Amish Country
    replied
    Re: A reminder and expensive warning to check and rotate preps

    Rats are an entirely different issue from mice. A few traps baited with peanut butter took care of the influx of mice when the weather started to get colder in the fall. Rats were much worse. They did significantly more damage to preps and were much harder to get rid of. We used rat snap traps and glue traps with a variety of baits. The traps may make a dent in the population but did not get rid of them. Finally we were desperate enough to use poison bait. I really did not like using it but it is what finally got rid of them. We also sealed holes and cracks in the foundation as a preventative measure.

    On my wish list are more rat snap traps, because they are reusable and they break with extended use. Also more poison. I don't like it, as in really don't like it but it worked. It is also expensive, nowhere near a expensive as replacing the destroyed preps so I will not begrudge the cost. As soon I get it I will have to put it locked in a secured location. I would not want a child or anyone or anything else getting into it by mistake.

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  • Zac
    replied
    Re: A reminder and expensive warning to check and rotate preps

    Originally posted by Amish Country View Post
    Another expensive lesson:

    Rats got into our storage area and have since been eradicated.

    Has anyone else run into this? Any precautions or suggestions?
    I had a similar problem and fixed it by first sealing every opening that mice/rats could enter with steel mesh. Then, I used repeater traps (that can hold more than 1 mouse) to remove all the mice.

    Leave a comment:


  • BestlaStormcrow
    replied
    Re: A reminder and expensive warning to check and rotate preps

    We have 3 cats, 3 dogs, and make copious use of restaurant style rodent bait stations in strategic areas, since we also have multiple outbuildings with chickens, sheep, pigs depending on the season. The few times we did have mice in the house was when one cat, now deceased, would bring them in to hunt later. Ugh! I even found a very lively baby rabbit behind my couch once.

    So far nothing stored in our garage or shed has been broached, not even feed bags and gunny sacks of wheat ears and dried corn.

    Not sure what to do about rat pee, preventative or otherwise. I've had rodents chew ignition wires supposedly for the silicone 'lube' so mineral oil might be just as tasty for them.

    I'm in the same boat with needing to inspect and rotate preps, and i think there just isn't a substitute for doing so sooner than later. Now to find the time....

    Leave a comment:


  • Amish Country
    replied
    Re: A reminder and expensive warning to check and rotate preps

    Another expensive lesson:

    Originally posted by tygerkittn View Post
    Oh, I have been putting my rancid oil in the garage, because I read you can use it in lanterns. I'll bet it stinks, though.
    We are in the process of reorganizing and inventorying what we have. Unfortunately we have several cans of olive oil that will be relegated to the lamp oil storage due to being out of date and rust.

    Rats got into our storage area and have since been eradicated. They defecated as they roamed. It appears their pee is corrosive and now rust has appeared on metal can lids including the tops of several olive oil cans. It is a problem I have not encountered before. I'm not sure what can be done to prevent this. Maybe wiping down the tops of cans with mineral oil prior to storage? I don't mind the loss of the smaller cans as much as the loss of the expensive olive oil. I'm afraid the rust will or has breached the cans seal and do not want to risk my families health. This is a major loss to our preps. Hopefully our misfortune will stand as a warning so other may avoid our loss.

    If we do have the misfortune of running it to them again at least I will know now to wash stored can lids with hot
    soapy water and thoroughly dry them. That may prevent the rust. In the mean time we have gotten a house cat.

    Has anyone else run into this? Any precautions or suggestions?

    Leave a comment:


  • tygerkittn
    replied
    Re: A reminder and expensive warning to check and rotate preps

    Oh, I have been putting my rancid oil in the garage, because I read you can use it in lanterns. I'll bet it stinks, though.

    Leave a comment:


  • tygerkittn
    replied
    Re: A reminder and expensive warning to check and rotate preps

    Knowledge is the best prep, and knowing what botulism is and how it presents and what the signs are that it's present and what kills it (proper canning methods at high heat in a pressure canner, for low acid foods) will help make well informed decisions.
    People who think food turns to poisonous sludge on the "best by" date will die, or if they eat it anyway they'll make themselves sick with fear and be miserable, when it's completely unnecessary.
    I've made cake mixes and hamburger helper that were ten years past the expiration date, I've eaten food that was frozen ten years ago and sat in the freezer that long, and I've eaten canned foods way past their date.
    I don't refrigerate eggs or butter, because I remember when grocery stores didn't, either, and we finish it off within two weeks anyway. If I expected it to last longer I'd keep it in the fridge.
    I can my extra meat now and keep my freezer full of butter and cheese, because I know if the power goes out I can form the butter into balls and preserve it in a bucket of salt water (salty enough that an egg floats) and I can wax the cheese.
    People need to stop letting the government scare them and find out the realities of it all.
    The government doesn't recommend canning butter, I really wanted to can butter so I read everything on the internet I could find, and I came to the conclusion that the gov't is right, it is very risky and I'm not going to do it without special equipment I'd never be able to afford.
    I just wish people would learn why the government and corporations say this and that before they blindly follow them. Sometimes it's just to increase profits, and sometimes it's just a minor precaution, and sometimes they're right, but you can't know unless you research it.

    Leave a comment:


  • Laidback Al
    replied
    Re: A reminder and expensive warning to check and rotate preps

    Originally posted by alert View Post
    . . . But now, before such a situation, would be the time to eliminate questionable preps while safe alternatives are available and plentiful, so that you are not forced to make such a decision in the future.
    This is worth repeating. The time to prepare for the next disaster is NOW - not when you starting reading about it on the internet.

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