Staying as Healthy as We Can Food and Pesticides

[Marie2020]

I read somewhere that if onions repel most insects so I scatter them through my lettuce and tomatoes.

That's a wonderful idea

 

[Marie2020]

Even more on honey:

Some of the best beekeepers in the world are right here in the USA. Check at your local farmers market or beekeeping club for beekeepers that only use organic acids in their hives for mite treatments. Drizzle local fresh honey on apples, oranges, and sharp cheddar cheese with a glass of wine. You'll be glad you did.

Dribbling here, that's a yummy idea

 

[Marie2020]

This is the old thread I found
By 2mynpets who is an incredibly informative person
Taken from their old thread in BYC

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/homemade-recipes-for-every-day-uses-and-items.1006913/
Laundry Detergent
1 cup Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda
1/2 cup Borax
2 cups Baking Soda
1 bar of grated Dr. Bronner's Pure Castile Soap
4 cups hot water
3 TBLE. Mrs. Stewarts Bluing Agent
20-50 drops of essential oils of your choice
1 5 gallon bucket with lid

*Grate soap before starting this. I have a food processor that I have dedicated solely for my soap. It was an inexpensive one from Walmart. I have also found that it is much easier to mix everything in the 5 gallon bucket if you buy one of those paint stirrers that you can attach to your electric or battery operated drill. Also note that after a few days the blue color from the bluing agent can dissipate leaving the creamy yellow white color. The bluing agent will still be effective in keeping your whites white even without the soap being blue.

Pour hot water in saucepan and add soap, stirring continually over medium-low heat until the soap melts. Fill a 5 gallon bucket half full of hot tap water and add melted soap, washing soda, Borax and essential oils. Stir well until all the powder dissolves. Fill bucket to just below the top. Stir, cover and let sit overnight to thicken. Add the bluing agent and stir again.

This homemade laundry detergent is safe for all HE washers.
TOP LOADING MACHINES: 5/8 cup per load
FRONT LOAD MACHINES: 1/4 cup per load


Produce Spray
6 oz. distilled white vinegar
6 oz. distilled water
15 drops of lemon essential oil

Mix together in 12 oz. spray bottle. Shake well before use.



Surface Cleaner
6 oz. distilled white vinegar
6 oz. distilled water
10 drops of lemon essential oil
12 drops of lavender essential oil

Mix together in 12 oz. spray bottle. Shake well before use.



Dishwasher Detergent
1 cup baking soda
1 cup borax
1/4 cup citric acid (located often times in the canning section)
15 drops of lemon essential oil
10 drops of orange essential oil

Mix together. Add a sachet of white rice to the container to absorb extra moisture. Use 2 TBLE. per load.



Homemade Natural Dish Soap
1 1/4 cups boiling water
1/4 cup tightly packed castile bar soap grated
1 TBLE. washing soda ( I ended up with my next batch using just a 1/4 TBLE. because it thickened up too much for me)
1/4 cup liquid castile soap (I buy mine at Walgreens, but I know some Target stores sell them)
10-30 drops of essential oils of your choice

Add grated castile soap to boiling water and stir until dissolved
Add washing soda and stir
Add liquid castile soap and stir
Let mixture cool and then add the essential oils
Transfer to repurposed soap dispenser and use as regular dish soap

* Soap mixture will harden as it sets. If it's too thick to pour, just add a bit of warm water and give it a good shake to loosen it up. The amount of washing soda you use will dictate how thick the soap gets, so adjust accordingly. The temperature of your kitchen is also a factor.



Mouthwash
1 1/2 - 2 cups filtered or distilled water
1 tsp. baking soda
2 drops of peppermint essential oil

Combine ingredients into a glass bottle or jar and keep in your bathroom. Make sure your essential oil is food grade safe for internal consumption.



Toothpaste
7 TBLE. baking soda
1/4 TBLE. coconut oil (I use cold pressed organic)
20 drops of a food grade internally safe essential oil

Mix all in a glass jar adjusting quantities to desired consistency. Use a small amount for brushing your teeth. Spit and rinse.



Deodorant
Mix in a microwave safe bowl or glass measuring cup:
1 TBLE. coconut oil (cold pressed organic is what I use)
2 TBLE. shea butter
2 TBLE. beeswax

Whisk in:
2 1/2 TBLE. arrowroot powder ( I ended up just using 1/2 TBLE. d/t how hard the deodorant turned out after harding) User choice for sure
1 TBLE. baking soda
15-20 drops of essential oils of your choice

After it's all whisked together, carefully pour into a deodorant container. Gently bang it on the counter a few times to remove any air bubbles so you won't end up with a crater in the center once cooled. Let it cool for a few hours then place the lid on the deodorant and you're done!



Chapstick
2 tsp. beeswax
2 1/4 tsp. coconut oil (cold pressed organic)
6 drops of essential oil of your choice (make sure it can be taken internally since we all lick our lips)
Glass container with a spout ( I use a measuring cup dedicated solely for my homemade items that I will use on my person)
Container, tube or jar for the lip balm

Heat up the beeswax 30 seconds at a time until it is melted in the glass container. My microwave takes 2 minutes to melt the wax. ***Use a hot pad/oven mitt when removing from the microwave. It will be HOT, HOT, HOT*** Add the coconut oil to the beeswax and mix together. Add your essential oils and slowly pour into a chapstick container. Let sit until solid and cool. Depending on the container you are using, you will make 7-10 individual tube chapsticks with this recipe. You are forewarned, but you can get a 15 pack of them on Amazon for around $8. I make up batches and then give them as gifts.



Anti-Flea/Tick/Lice Spray
16 oz. glass spray bottle (recommend a dark amber or blue glass spray bottle)
1 drop of Cedarwood essential oil
1 drop of Thyme essential oil
1/2 cup of carrier oil of your choice (almond, olive, grapeseed, avocado, jojoba, apricot etc.)

Add ingredients into a glass spray bottle. Shake to combine. Lightly spray on your pet when needed. Great for chickens, goats, sheep or other barnyard pet. ***You can also use a recycled glass vinegar bottle as the spray bottle, and just add a spray nozzle to it***



Chicken coop deodorizing spray
16 oz. spray bottle (glass, stainless steel or ceramic)
25 drops of lemon essential oil

Fill bottle half way up with white vinegar and add the lemon essential oil. Swirl around and then add water to fill the spray bottle to the top. Use for cleaning next boxes, roosting bars and general coop cleaning. Wait until area (including wood) is dry before putting new bedding in the coop.



Wound ointment for chickens
4 oz. container with lid
4 oz. solid organic cold pressed coconut oil
12 drops of lavender essential oil
12 drops of Frankincense essential oil

Melt coconut oil in the microwave. Start with 30 second intervals. Remember coconut oil starts to go from a solid to a liquid at 78 degrees F. Let coconut oil cool for a moment and then add the essential oils. Mix well and pour into your container. Let mixture sit and harden before use.

Inner defense spray for goats/sheep
4 oz. glass spray bottle
4 oz. distilled water
15 drops each of cinnamon and clove essential oils
7 drops of Oregano essential oil
7 drops of Thyme essential oil
8 drops of Lemongrass essential oil

Spray two squirts onto the nose of each animal at the first sign of a runny nose. This will help support animal health, but is not given as medical advice. Always seek the advice of a licensed vet for all your animal
Thank you so much for sharing these recipes!

Do you happen to know any easy soap recipes?

Also could you explain what essential oils are and what they do? I know they're supposed to be good for you but don't really understand what they are. I saw a video the other day of someone making their own and it looked fairly complicated.

Essential oils are the "life blood of a plant or tree" if you will. I personally buy mine from a trusted company with over 20 years under their belt. Used correctly, essential oils support many, many things including health. Since essential oils are not regulated or approved by the FDA it is important to understand that one should never start anything without speaking with their health care professional, nor claim what most of us know they can do. I personally would not live any other way. Essential oils are the "original medicine" and there are over 280 references to it in the bible. I have never tried to make my own because it is a hard lengthy process and a novice like myself would not do the plants, oils or myself any justice. I trust the company I purchase from because they have a seed to seal promise and use cold distillation to extract the oils. They also have third party testing to ensure what they are extracting is therapeutic grade. If not, they won't sell it.

I would suggest reading these books to get a better understanding of essential oils so you will be ready when and if you decide they are right for you.

Healing Oils of the Bible by David Stewart

Antimicrobial Essential Oil Champions by Dr. David Stewart

Chemistry of Essential Oils Made Simple: God's Love Manifest in Molecules by David Stewart

Gentle Babies Essential Oils and Natural Remedies for pregnancy, Childbirth, Infants and Young Children by Debra Raybern

Surviving When Modern Medicine Fails: A definitive guide to essential oils that could save your life during a crisis by Dr. Scott A Johnson

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[Marie2020]

If anyone has any suggestions on making up for lack of chicken feed please would you add here. In the light of this news we are all receiving it could become very useful

 

[RoyalChick]

If anyone has any suggestions on making up for lack of chicken feed please would you add here. In the light of this news we are all receiving it could become very useful

What is the news I missed about lack of chicken food? I haven't experienced any issues beyond the usual 'they never have exactly what I want when I need it' sort of nonsense.
On your previous post you asked about essential oils. As a teenager I went through a geeky herbalist phase and extracted my own essential oils from both lavender and orange peel. Basically they are extracts of plants which require distillation to get as pure oil extract. It is mindblowing that my parents thought it was OK that I had a still set up in my bedroom as a kid!

 

[Marie2020]

What is the news I missed about lack of chicken food? I haven't experienced any issues beyond the usual 'they never have exactly what I want when I need it' sort of nonsense.
On your previous post you asked about essential oils. As a teenager I went through a geeky herbalist phase and extracted my own essential oils from both lavender and orange peel. Basically they are extracts of plants which require distillation to get as pure oil extract. It is mindblowing that my parents thought it was OK that I had a still set up in my bedroom as a kid!

I tired making perfume from flowers but it had the strong aroma of dogs poo

With all this upset that's going on I thought it may be an idea of finding other ways we could feed our chickens incase of shortages. As @sharach has said foraging helps them a lot

 

[RoyalChick]

I tired making perfume from flowers but it had the strong aroma of dogs poo

With all this upset that's going on I thought it may be an idea of finding other ways we could feed our chickens incase of shortages. As @sharach has said foraging helps them a lot

Oh dear - dog poo is probably not a good thing in a perfume!
By 'all this upset' are you worrying about wheat supplies from Russia and Ukraine? If so, good point. Let's hope Canadian and US farmers will over produce to make up for loss of supply.

 

[Marie2020]

Oh dear - dog poo is probably not a good thing in a perfume!
By 'all this upset' are you worrying about wheat supplies from Russia and Ukraine given? If so, good point. Let's hope Canadian and US farmers will over produce to make up for loss of supply.

It may turn out a good thing for our country's to supply more of their own foods. UK has lacked the incentive to do this for too long now

 

[Marie2020]

Good night RC

 

[RoyalChick]

Good night RC