Surviving Minnesota!

[Bogtown Chick]

I know. It has been a number of years and I often think that I must make a batch of soap. My DH put in a small kitchenette in my basement so that I do not have to worry about splashing on the floor. I still have not made another batch. I guess it is time and I know that I will. Use it or loose it. It is more fun than genetics of chickens or plants to me. Boring stuff to others. But others sure enjoy receiving the gift of the product.

Oh Ivie: I should have recognized a fellow soap maker right away! Your own Kitchenette?!!!!! You lucky girl. That's fantastic.

I so wanted to make an age comment...but decided against it ..........

Huh? I don't get it. I have friends that are older than me.....

Me too! i bought the lye, some tallow (what kind of fat do you all use?) I got a couple of soap making books and have started watching the you tube videos. tired of paying 4-5 bucks a bar. But it is soooo nice! want to try and make it. Just need to pick up a mold and a couple of other things. soon!

Looks like it is going to warm up nicely next week. Can't wait for that!

Cluckies. You have a handy DH. Have him put some plywood together for you to make a mold. You might be able to find dimensions on descriptions of molds. There are some nice ones with ends that remove by twisting off a wing nut and such to release the soap. And Most soapers just line the molds with Freezer Paper. (You tube video on how to fold the paper in the mold) To be honest I have not tried animal fats. Just Plant based oils and butters. here are the ones I've tried: Palm, Coconut, Olive, Sunflower, Grapeseed (this one takes a while to get into trace), castor, shea butter, Mango butter, coco butter and I just got some Avocado butter in the last order--excited to try that. Are you going to render down the tallow? That's cool. Let me know how it goes!

It's a fun process, and you'll learn what scents you like and which ones you don't.

Here are some photos from the soap I made yesterday. I cut bars this morning. Smells Amazing. DD has laid claim to these. LOL

 

[duluthralphie]

Oh, I forgot to mention, I had a productive day yesterday.

I got the layers coop cleaned and new chips on the floor yesterday! I did a bunch of demolition in there too, I got it ready to be remodeled. I took the birds favorite nest box down. I took the divider out of the coop. It was a failed idea anyways. I am going to install different roosts, with poop boards. Lower the nest boxes and the hospital cages.

I plan to block the birds from using the rafters as roosts. I hope this will help on comb damage.

I got all the house chicks into one cage after banding them. The other two cages are ready for next weeks hatch. I combined the two oldest pens in the shed with a minimum amount of disruption. I would like to get Bert moved before the vet comes, but I am not sure there is time. His area is pretty crappy looking, and my bobcat is leaking oil pretty badly so I need to tear it down and see where it is coming from. What I hoped was snow last winter was not. I can still use it , I just need to add hydraulic fluid often. For those of you that use hydraulic fluid you know that is not a cheap option.

I should be out working now, but instead I sit here and drink my minimum daily required intake of coffee.


I think I am going to try and capture all the birds tomorrow and put them in cages. I am not sure how that is going to work. I picture it being ugly. I am not sure which shed I should put them in either. I am wondering if I need another person here on Tuesday. I cannot imagine the State Vet holding my turkeys down and teaching me how to draw the blood. She is a little skinny gal that weighs about 99 pounds. I think Sidekick will eat her for lunch when he starts kicking.

 

[duluthralphie]

I don't think it does. What temperature was her refrigerator, I've kept duck eggs in the fridge for 1 week and then used them. But then again duck eggs are a totally different story

I don't think it does. What temperature was her refrigerator, I've kept duck eggs in the fridge for 1 week and then used them. But then again duck eggs are a totally different story

Ralph I took eggs that were in the fridge for acouple days and they actually hatched.

I am actually reasoning they should hatch, some this winter got a lot colder than her fridge and hatched. BUT the hatch rate was down. Time will tell...



Oh, I forgot to mention when I put the CLB rooster back in their pens on Tuesday after their tests, I am changing them around. I think I split up my White gene birds. I have not had one in quite a while now.

 

[Bogtown Chick]

Mom has been home less than 24 hours and the problems have started.

Judy had her over here for supper last night. When she was getting ready to go back home she said " Oh, I need some eggs".

Judy said "sure" and gave her a cartoon of eggs.

This morning I was getting eggs ready to hatch and see how many I had to go into the incubators. I could not find my cartoon of my "combless BA's". I know they are pea comb, but I call them combless..... in that cartoon was my Speckled Sussex eggs and some EE I picked out based on egg color.


I did found them though, in Mom's refrigerator. She couldn't leave them out like I do!! NO NO NO she had to put them in her fridge!.....

So I am now going to see if a night in the fridge kills the eggs.........

Oh goody. More Mother stories!

I think you might be okay on the eggs. I've heard stories of eggs hatching after refrigeration. I understand you wanting all your stars lined up though.

 

[duluthralphie]

Oh Ivie: I should have recognized a fellow soap maker right away! Your own Kitchenette?!!!!! You lucky girl. That's fantastic. BC You would love her house! It is beautiful as are all the out buildings! You can tell her hubby is a contractor. It is not thrown together so-so like my stuff.

Huh? I don't get it. I have friends that are o

lder than me.....

I wish I had friends older than me. The only person I know older than me is EJB and he claims to be 100...


Cluckies. You have a handy DH. Have him put some plywood together for you to make a mold. You might be able to find dimensions on descriptions of molds. There are some nice ones with ends that remove by twisting off a wing nut and such to release the soap. And Most soapers just line the molds with Freezer Paper. (You tube video on how to fold the paper in the mold) To be honest I have not tried animal fats. Just Plant based oils and butters. here are the ones I've tried: Palm, Coconut, Olive, Sunflower, Grapeseed (this one takes a while to get into trace), castor, shea butter, Mango butter, coco butter and I just got some Avocado butter in the last order--excited to try that. Are you going to render down the tallow? That's cool. Let me know how it goes! You use grapeseed oil as the fat in soap? I thought it had to be something that was solid at room temp. like coconut oil of animal fats?

It's a fun process, and you'll learn what scents you like and which ones you don't.

Here are some photos from the soap I made yesterday. I cut bars this morning. Smells Amazing. DD has laid claim to these. LOL

 

[Bogtown Chick]

Oh, I forgot to mention, I had a productive day yesterday.

I got the layers coop cleaned and new chips on the floor yesterday! I did a bunch of demolition in there too, I got it ready to be remodeled. I took the birds favorite nest box down. I took the divider out of the coop. It was a failed idea anyways. I am going to install different roosts, with poop boards. Lower the nest boxes and the hospital cages.

I plan to block the birds from using the rafters as roosts. I hope this will help on comb damage.

I got all the house chicks into one cage after banding them. The other two cages are ready for next weeks hatch. I combined the two oldest pens in the shed with a minimum amount of disruption. I would like to get Bert moved before the vet comes, but I am not sure there is time. His area is pretty crappy looking, and my bobcat is leaking oil pretty badly so I need to tear it down and see where it is coming from. What I hoped was snow last winter was not. I can still use it , I just need to add hydraulic fluid often. For those of you that use hydraulic fluid you know that is not a cheap option.

I should be out working now, but instead I sit here and drink my minimum daily required intake of coffee.


I think I am going to try and capture all the birds tomorrow and put them in cages. I am not sure how that is going to work. I picture it being ugly. I am not sure which shed I should put them in either. I am wondering if I need another person here on Tuesday. I cannot imagine the State Vet holding my turkeys down and teaching me how to draw the blood. She is a little skinny gal that weighs about 99 pounds. I think Sidekick will eat her for lunch when he starts kicking.

You WERE a busy guy! Holy buckets. Tearing apart a Bobcat to look for a leak sounds not fun. I must say once it's done and fixed though...it may be a worry off your mind.
Like with our water softener. I hated adding salt and adding salt to the old one. $400 later with a new softener...I'm so glad to not be buying salt like I have stock in a salt mine. And plus, my bathroom fixtures and white shirts are all the better for it.

 

[Bogtown Chick]

I tried Grapeseed one time...and I will say that it was difficult to work with. That particular soap ended up with Glycerin rivers. (Didn't set up well and cut well) Any fats or oils can be used to make soap...except one...I think that's mineral oil. It won't saponify. Right Ivie? Is it mineral oil that wont convert? IDK... I'm interested in rendering and using the venison tallow though. Because it would be resourced purely from us.

What is your strategy for making your own lye? Are you going to do it from wood ash? Or how are you going to do it?

 

[I Love Layers]

Do any of you have some ideas for breeding pens that I could see/usw

 

[duluthralphie]

I tried Grapeseed one time...and I will say that it was difficult to work with. That particular soap ended up with Glycerin rivers. (Didn't set up well and cut well) Any fats or oils can be used to make soap...except one...I think that's mineral oil. It won't saponify. Right Ivie? Is it mineral oil that wont convert? IDK... I'm interested in rendering and using the venison tallow though. Because it would be resourced purely from us.

What is your strategy for making your own lye? Are you going to do it from wood ash? Or how are you going to do it?

I would review some websites before actually trying it.

I plan to use a plastic barrel with top cut off, Holes drilled in bottom of barrel. washed gravel in the bottom, NOT class 5 I do not want the clay in it.

Then straw over the gravel, pushed down fairly tight. Then fill to the top with ashes. The white ones not the charcoal like ones. put a bucket under the holes in the barrel (plastic).... Oh,,, the barrel I would set on blocks or make a rack for it out of wood.

Then pour water through the ashes. As I understand it it can take a long time for the water to work it's way down.

I had always thought I would do this at the cabin, as we have lots of ashes there from our camp fires. I never quite figured out how to transport the lye water back home. Maybe the smarter thing would be to make the soap right up there and bring it home...

As I said, I am a read all about it expert. Which means I do not know poop about it for sure.

 

[duluthralphie]

Do any of you have some ideas for breeding pens that I could see/usw

I make some pretty cheap ones that serve dual purpose. I make a small "coop" out of OSB. depending on how many birds I want in it. Most are around 4x4 to 4x8.

I use 2x3s I get at menards They are cheap, and crooked.. I screw the things together. To clean it I simply unscrew one end and scrape them out. I use torque head screws so I do not have to worry about them stripping. On the end I plan to unscrew I use those little washers under the heads so they do not get pulled too far into the wood.

Depending on the birds I plan to put in it, I make 2x6 panels out of the same 2x3s. The panels are actually a little taller than 24 inches, I think they are 25/12 or so. I have a jug made up and cutting blocks set up so I can make them fast and not measure.

I then roll out 24inch wide hardware cloth over them and screw them together. The panels can be sides or tops. I screw them together in whatever configuration I want. Some of my earlier ones where made out of junk wood and look rough but they do the job.

When they are done being used for breeding pens they become rearing pens and tractors I set out for the birds to use. I like them. they are light and easy to setup. I can move a pen in 15 minutes. If I have help I can do it faster as we just both take a side and carry it as a unit. I will get some pictures today. If I remember.