Elderberry Syrup

 Hi guys, here we are, back to cold and flu season. Then there's also that sickness going around which shall not be named 🙄

I've made elderberry syrup to help guard against all of those things, and you can also use it to treat these sicknesses more aggressively. 

If you're interested in making your own, here's a great video by Amy Fewell that's an immense help:

Stay well! 

Cheryl

Making Soap and More.

I'm really loving the Calendula soap that I made recently. I'm working on a cream as well, experimenting on myself of course lol. Seriously though, I have some of the most sensitive skin on the planet apparently. Even many natural scents, herbs, and oils do not work with my skin, and I also wanted to come up with something gentle enough even for children and pets. I tested it on the pugs, and their coats came out so so nice! 

Once I'm sure that I'm totally happy with it, I will offer the soap and cream on Etsy mostly likely. 

She's butter...where the heck have you been all my life?! 

I may offer a few other things such as a chapstick balm/stick I'm working on for a quick, mess-free and portable way to apply some peppermint based balm for headaches and nausea, as well as a healing salve.

I will not offer anything to others that I haven't used successfully on myself, my pets, and my family! 

I will be planting my own calendula and a few other new things next year for my soaps and creams. I've grown my lemon balm and peppermint as well as a few others for several years now. 

We need to return to the old ways and skills that have been all but lost, especially in times like we're living in these days. 

Cheryl 

Finally Fall

 

I'm so glad that we're finally seeing cooler days and nights. I think Fall has become my favorite season.

It's still nice enough to be outside, but not miserably hot.

This is also the time of year that many of us start letting go of growouts that we didn't choose to keep for our breeding goals, or if it's simply time to go down in numbers before the cold hits. Most of mine have found new homes. I hatch year round though due to having breeds that don't lay a lot, so I have to set every egg I can. 

Now is the time to think about what needs to be done with coops before winter..cleaning, repair ect, as well as checking and spray for mites as a precaution. Many adult birds are molting right now and look truly awful lol. Dont worry...even more beautiful feathers will fill the naked spots before long. 

Tis the season for hoodies, fires, pumpkin pie, and hot chocolate...

Enjoy it!

🍂🍁🍂🍁

Cheryl 

Have Any Hens?

 I've shared thoughts in the past about hens...that's all anyone seems to want, right? 

It's understandable, after all, the hens lay the eggs, hatch the chicks, and it's believed by many breeders that they pass on more important DNA than roosters. "The hens are your line." 

Doesn't it figure that it seems like there's always more male chicks than females, and at the very least, as many. 

Breeders have to raise a fairly significant number of both to pick their very best to keep for their own goals. Those males cost just as much, or more, to raise as females. And, all males that aren't kept or sold have to be put down or put in the freezer. This makes those hens worth much more sheerly based on all of those factors. Not to mention, all of the time and care involved, and the cost of feed and other supplies is always on the rise.

Some people won't sell a hen unless you take a rooster with her, in the hopes of finding homes for as many as possible. I don't force a rooster on someone, but the hen costs the same, with or without the boy. 

Hope this helps with understanding why hens are hard to get, and why they will cost you a little more. 

Cheryl  

I just felt the need to mention all of the above as a reminder as to why the cost of hens seems so exuberant. The money that anyone makes from selling chicks, eggs or adults, rarely ever even covers the feed bill. 

We all owe gratitude to the breeders or the past and present! 

Cheryl 

Love These Babies

 

Some of the chicks hatched this year thus far..

They truly have the best dispositions and personalities of any breed I've ever had, or have been familiar with..

Right out of the shell lol.

They really do like to be around their people, and will happily follow you around your yard.

Oxine AH

 Sharing a link to an article about the uses of Oxine, unactivated. It's effective against mold, viruses, bacteria and more, and can be used in chickens drinking water and as a treatment for respiratory issues. 

To read the article, 

CLICK HERE

Happy 4Th!