R Scott

That answer so depends on the kid. I know 4 year olds that could do it all themselves, but many more older that would be traumatized to veganism. I’d either treat it like any other chore in your house or try to Tom Sawyer them into wanting to do it.

Mushroom growers use pasteurizers about that size. Lots of DIY examples on YouTube, or at least there used to be

Young birds can handle cold, it is the sudden change that bothers them just like us. I definitely would protect the front from wind. Extra straw or shavings for bedding.

Trying to keep waterers thawed without electricity is a lost cause. Just haul a small bucket of water to them several times a day. Use shallow pans, dog bowls, etc that are easy to knock the ice out of and refill them often. It’s a pain for the whole winter, but the easiest solution for a week or less.

Make sure YOU are ready for the cold. Find all your cold weather clothing, hand warmers, extra food, house is ready to lose power best you can. Store up some water in case you lose water (had a friend lose city water because the water main froze).

My current forecast is 3 feet of snow. We are NOT equipped to deal with that, plus then the cold snap will mean it won’t melt in three days like normal

I remember you are in the ozarks but don’t remember which major town you are closest to. There are a few hydroponics/organic shops around Springfield and Branson that should have a choices and hopefully someone that knows what they are talking about.

I have used a heavy machete as a froe. Passable on easy to split wood.

A Froe will require a lot more planing to get a smooth board than using a saw, but it leaves the grain whole so you can pay attention when planing to avoid runout and end up with a stronger board for the same thickness. It should improve the tone as well, but that is way beyond ability.

My philosophy on tools is to buy tools to make money, but make do for hobbies and home projects at least at first. I have learned this after spending WAY TOO MUCH tooling up for a hobby that doesn’t last.

They work for things like propane bottles and batteries, but I don’t know if they have enough output for a cold chunk of metal the size of a small engine.

We used to use a torpedo heaters, but have switched over to one of the Chinese diesel heaters. Set it by the equipment, point the air outlet at the oil pan or bottom of the block, and let it go. A small engine takes 5-10 minutes, a tractor takes 30-60.

My wife sprouts dragonfruit seeds from EVERY good dragonfruit she eats, they are not nearly as picky about temperature as they say.

She sprouts a bunch of the blah tasting white ones, too, because are supposed to make super vigorous root stock to graft the tasty buds onto to get fruit in a year instead of five. But she isn’t that far along yet.

The best resource I know for learning about plant nutrition is John Kempf. He has a podcast, articles at aea.com, and been a guest at acres USA eco ag conference. Some of his talks are simple and easy to understand, some are phd level.  

Lee valley has a US website, still $32.50 usd/20. But they are Italian made and by all appearances a multi generational product.

There are lots of clamps made for woodworking and industry that make wonderful clothespins for large or heavy items like jeans and sheets. Most are chrome plated with soft rubber pads but some are stainless.

Burton,

It is both. Low flush toilets definitely have issues with longer pipe runs and less than perfect pipe slope, but the long steady flow from the shower usually fixes the problem in normal houses.  The tank is more complicated, depending on pH, nutrient levels, turnover rate, etc. Way above my pay grade to predict.