The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[delisha]

Delisha,
It is wonderful to hear from you!

Those major life swings can hit you for a loop sometimes - having been thru some doozies myself - life is just a ride! You sound pretty upbeat, and I hope that carries you through most of the days. Days it doesn't carry you through, I did the threes. You know, look for the three things that are really good and you can be grateful for. Even on the days when the best I could do was be grateful for a glimpse of a chickadee or for a cup of coffee, it helped me. Apologies for the unasked for advice.

I've been grateful for your advice and experience with chickens, and glad that you will have a few chickens with you at the new cottage. Hope you will be able to check back in here, you have been missed.

Best wishes, and a ton of hugs!

aww ..lala..I always can use advise..and your suggestions are great..Somedays are pretty wicked...The thought of having my chickens back soon keep me going..

Quote: Thank you so very much..I am a believer that it is OK to be afraid..and required on large changes and choices as long as the fear does not stop me.

Delisha. I wish you the best as you move forward. In the chicken world, sometimes less is more. Take care of yourself.

I agree..that my reduction will give me more time to enjoy them more..

Delisha...you are definitely in my prayers! We have missed your sage advice and look forward to you being recovered and having time and energy to join us again. You mean a lot to us.

Thank you..


I love each of you..blessings to all and I will try to stop in more often.

 

[armorfirelady]

Not chicken related but can anyone recommend some books for a beginner soap maker? I want to try & make some. I want to try the melt & pour version first. Might try the lye version when its warmer and I can do it outside.

Thanks

 

[delisha]

Not chicken related but can anyone recommend some books for a beginner soap maker? I want to try & make some. I want to try the melt & pour version first. Might try the lye version when its warmer and I can do it outside.

Thanks

Soaps are so easy to make with out lye.

The beginner starter recipe is:


1 lb Castile soap

flake 2 cups per pan if soap you want to make
1/4 cup of water. Melt the flakes with water in a glass bowl over a slow simmer pot of water. Do not stir...
Pour into bread pans or soap molds lined with coconut oil or petroleum jelly. Harden and cool in the fridge. Let dry before cutting.


+You can add just about anything to your base before setting.
1/4 cup rubbed sage or
1 tsp of almond and 1 tbs of honey or
1 tbs of glycerin and 1/4 cup oatmeal or
1/4 cup dried lavender and 1/4 tsp lavender oil
1 tbs goats milk and 1 tsp honey...

you can use any essential oil with this beginning base soap.

For extra cleansing, you can add clean sand and eucalyptus too or sandalwood instead of eucalyptus.. (good for mans soap)

let your imagination guide you as you progress in your soap making...The combinations are endless.

 

[lalaland]

soapmaking sounds fun!

there is a feral cat hanging around the chickens - good for rodent patrol. There is an unused dog house in the run, and I saw tracks in the snow going in and out of the dog house. So I stuffed some hay in there, thinking it might encourage the cat.

That might have been a mistake - today one of the hens that has just started laying spent several hours in the doghouse, messing around with the hay. It is deep enough, with a small enough opening, that you can't touch the back by reaching in. Hoping to heck that she didn't lay in there! I will have to see if I can find a rake small enough to get in there and pull the hay back out.

 

[islafarm]

Not chicken related but can anyone recommend some books for a beginner soap maker? I want to try & make some. I want to try the melt & pour version first. Might try the lye version when its warmer and I can do it outside.

Thanks

It's very easy to make soap in a blender with lye: it's covered so there's minimal chance of splashing, plus it's crazy quick and as simple as making a smoothie. This website has good basic recipes and instructions. I make soap to sell at our farmers market, have been for 4 years and this is how I do every batch.

http://www.colebrothers.com/articles3/soap2.html

 

[lazy gardener]

It's very easy to make soap in a blender with lye: it's covered so there's minimal chance of splashing, plus it's crazy quick and as simple as making a smoothie. This website has good basic recipes and instructions. I make soap to sell at our farmers market, have been for 4 years and this is how I do every batch.

http://www.colebrothers.com/articles3/soap2.html

That web site does not work. Every single entry related to soap making defaults to a company that wants to sell tape.

 

[islafarm]

That web site does not work. Every single entry related to soap making defaults to a company that wants to sell tape.

Oh my, I wonder what happened? That's a shame, they had some great recipes and info. Well here's another, which I've now checked beyond the opening page:

recipes:

http://infozing.com/soap/free-olive-oil-soap-recipe-formula/

instructions:

http://infozing.com/soap/making-cold-process-lye-soap-in-a-blender/

Thanks for the head's up

 

[lazy gardener]

The blender recipe seems like a good place to start. Any readers out there making soap in a blender? Does they lye/water mix get hot? or does it get hot when you add it to the oil? I have an old blender that I picked up at salvation army. The jar is plastic. Would that work, or should I get a glass jar blender???

 

[FridayYet]

I'm curious too. I only have one nice blender, and wonder if the process could damage it?

If it just comes out really clean, that wouldn't be a bad thing.

(May have to keep an eye out at garage sales for a used blender)

 

[armorfirelady]

Quote: I assume the castile soap is a bar. I have castille soap thats liquid........I actually have the melt & pour base already.