Homesteaders

[GerbilsOnToast]

Hmm...I think for now I'll stick to just buying my soap. That can be something I learn later. When I get my goat & need ways to use up milk.

Making soap is not difficult at all, (although it should never be done with kids underfoot!). Making lye is the part that i referred to as being difficult without lab equipment - it takes several weeks, during which you have a highly caustic substance around, and after which, you don't know the strength of your product.

Goat's milk soap is a body & facial soap - unless you're marketing the soap, in which case you have LOTS of chips/powder, and it can be useful for laundry.

 

[RTFchickens]

Quick question, it might have been answered before. I know that chickens will eat ticks, but if I let them free range in a 3 acre area will they stay in that area without fencing, and eat the ticks? Grandpa has suddenly had an outbreak of ticks this year, and I really don't know what to do, we are finding them really heavy in the grass field, that needs to be baled once the weather warms up enough to dry it. It is up to my armpits, and I am 5'8, I don't think they plan on doing anything about the problem, but I really hate the thought of finding ticks on my boys. I have been suggesting to get a couple of chickens to help with the problem and they don't really want chickens because the turkeys from 30+ years ago were "gross." The field that has the tick problem goes up to a very busy road, but there is a creek running behind it with shorter grass, and with the really tall grass would that be a deterrent, until I can get an electric fence hooked up for after baling? We have a lot of predators, hawks, coyotes, raccoons and neighbor dogs, and Grandpa's dog might be a problem until I can get him trained as well. Any advice would be appreciated, they found 5 on Dog(yes that is what they named him) today.

Yes, chickens do a nice job of eating ticks. We have woods that are full of ticks! As long as you check for ticks on you and the kids every night, Lyme disease should not be an issue. A tick carrying the disease must attack to you, burrow its head, and secrete the Lyme disease in the process of drinking your blood. This takes about 48-72 hours. We check our kids in the nude every single night. If we find a tick, we pull it off with a tweezers by the base of the skin. Sometimes we burn it off, but we don't like to do that on kids.
We use chicken tractors to keep chickens safe from predators, and lock in coop at night. Guinies are a better option if you are not looking for chickens. They are the better option for ticks, and are more "predator savy" my chickens often "play dead" when a predator is near, which gets them killed, guinies scream like there's no tomorrow.
Last but not least, soak clothes in promitherin I'm not sure i spelled that right. You can buy in bulk and dilute. We put it in 5 gal bucket, soak work clothes over night, wring out, line dry and wear. Tuck pant legs into long socks, and shirt into pants. Wear a bandana on head, and a hat over bandana. Soak bandana with clothes. Don't dump the promitherin in bucket when done. Put lid on and use again, or fill a sprayer and spray around house, or touch up clothing as needed...
Hope this helps you ;-) good luck!

 

[jerrey]

i have to say that's best I have ever heard

 

[Raech]

Yes, chickens do a nice job of eating ticks. We have woods that are full of ticks! As long as you check for ticks on you and the kids every night, Lyme disease should not be an issue. A tick carrying the disease must attack to you, burrow its head, and secrete the Lyme disease in the process of drinking your blood. This takes about 48-72 hours. We check our kids in the nude every single night. If we find a tick, we pull it off with a tweezers by the base of the skin. Sometimes we burn it off, but we don't like to do that on kids.
We use chicken tractors to keep chickens safe from predators, and lock in coop at night. Guinies are a better option if you are not looking for chickens. They are the better option for ticks, and are more "predator savy" my chickens often "play dead" when a predator is near, which gets them killed, guinies scream like there's no tomorrow.
Last but not least, soak clothes in promitherin I'm not sure i spelled that right. You can buy in bulk and dilute. We put it in 5 gal bucket, soak work clothes over night, wring out, line dry and wear. Tuck pant legs into long socks, and shirt into pants. Wear a bandana on head, and a hat over bandana. Soak bandana with clothes. Don't dump the promitherin in bucket when done. Put lid on and use again, or fill a sprayer and spray around house, or touch up clothing as needed...
Hope this helps you ;-) good luck!

What exactly is promitherin? I tried to look it up and came up with nothing, and then I asked my Dad and he had never heard of it. How does it work, is it a deterrent or does it kill them?

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Quote: Permethrin?

 

[Raech]

Permethrin?

If that is it, we can't use it, we feed the feral cats dead birds and squirrels that we shoot out of the cherry tree, and it says that it is dangerously toxic to cats. Plus we sell the hay that they are living in, don't know if it would be safe after it dried when ingested. Of if our horses get into the field after spraying, if it could harm them when they eat it. Guess I will have to keep looking. But I am off of here for a week, going on vacation, hope everyone is well and happy when I get back. Until then keep on clucking folks.

 

[RTFchickens]

Pyrethrin is the correct name I believe. We spray our dog with it too. We don't have cats, but it should still be safe for clothes.
Anyways, it works well for us. It's much better then deet that is in bug sprays...

 

[GerbilsOnToast]

Pyrethrin is the correct name I believe. We spray our dog with it too. We don't have cats, but it should still be safe for clothes.
Anyways, it works well for us. It's much better then deet that is in bug sprays...

I'm not sure which is being recommended, but I suspect it's Permethrin. Permethrin is a synthetic organophosphate of the Pyrethroid type; it is highly toxic to cats and fish, but poorly absorbed by skin. It's toxicity when ingested is much higher - cats' bathing habits, and the basic biology of fishes are the reason its' toxicity to them is so high. Most lice and scabies treatments (NIX, etc) use permethrin as an insecticide/miticide. It is a persistent compound; ie: does not break down quickly.

Pyrethrin is a natural compound, produced by members of a chrysanthemum species, that Pyrethroids were created to mimic. Being natural does NOT mean harmless! It is also toxic to cats and fish, however, it breaks down rapidly on exposure to sunlight and/or oxygen, therefore there is little or no accumulation from use. Both of these are neurotoxins.

The description of how it was to be used indicates that Permethrin would be the product spoken of - Pyrethin would not persist at an effective level on clothing beyond a few hours, and after 24 hours the mixed spray would likewise be ineffective.

 

[sepaditty1]

back to a gardening questiono i put 4 tomato plants, 3 zuchinni, 1 cucumber, 1 watermelon, and 9 pea plants in the ground 7 days ago. All were purchased started plants.

I bought plants because I was unable to till the soil all that well & there were quite a few chinks. I figured an established root system would have better luck.

My tomatoes are taking off like wildfire. Watermelon doing great. Peas are weak looking. I just gave them some chicken wire to climb up as they grow. Hopefully that will help strengthen them up.

My zuchinni plants aren't looking good. Leaves are turning yellow. What causes this? I have kept them well watered. Is it a lack of nutrients? Are the roots not breaking into the clumpy sod? Any ideas?

 

[sepaditty1]

I know its hard to tell when you aren't in person, but maybe a pcture can help.