Soap

Making Soap. It's when you can be clean and messy at the same time.

Yesterday, I attempted to make soap. And I did. Using a kit, of course. But it wouldn't be too hard to not use a kit. Here are the steps for making soap below.


TO MAKE A CHUNK SOAP

You will need:

Opaque soap base
Clear soap base
Rubbing alcohol
Soap mold
Container
Popsicle stick
Dyes (optional)
Scent (optional)


1.   First you need to find a soap recipe to make an opaque soap base. Or, if you have a kit, cut the opaque soap base into 5 pieces. Put it in a container (I have used a plastic beaker and a measuring cup) and place it in the microwave for 30 seconds (if you do not have a microwave, check the internet for melting it on the oven). Take it out and stir it when it's done. If it's not completely melted, put it back in the microwave for 10 more seconds. Take it out and stir.
                                                   
                                         {In all of the photos below, I was using the clear soap base
                                           for the backdrop of the soap. I forgot to take pictures of the
                                           opaque instructions.}

2.    Now, continue mixing, and add some colour. Most soap kits come equipped with dyes, but if you don't have any, there are many natural colourants for soap. for my soap, I wanted a natural look. I chose the colours green and brown. However, I did not have any brown, so I used cocoa powder, which also gave the opaque soap a nice chocolaty scent. In the picture below, I am adding green for the base of the soap (the clear part).

3. Add scent. You don't have to add scent, but you can if you want. As I mentioned in step 2, natural colourants like cocoa add scent too, but there are lots of real soap scents.

4.    Now you want to pour the soap into a mold. Make sure it only fills the bottom. Then let it sit and harden. When it is completely hard, pop it out and cut it into chunks. You could make some shapes, too.

5. Continue the last 5 steps, only using clear soap base. Do not let it dry and harden this time though, instead, spray it with rubbing alcohol. Spray the chunks, too. Then place a few chunks into the the soap. Pour in some more of the clear soap so that it just covers the chunks. Add more chunks and spray with rubbing alcohol. Add more soap, spray, add chunks, spray again, and finish up by covering the last chunks with soap. 

6. Let sit.

7. Once it is hardened, pop it out. You have now made a Chunk Soap!

                                       
                                          Here are a few other things you can make with soap!

                                                                        ~Cream

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas from Embroidery, Sweetie, Cottonball, Aurora, Borialis, Bobbie, Stumblefoot, Noah, Blu, Swallow, Quail, Henrietta, Buffy, Apple and Bunny! So far we have only had two snows here, and the chickens were NOT amused by either of them. Since it was Embroidery's first snow, I wasn't surprised by her horrified look as she flew out of the coop into the cold white stuff all over the ground. Sweetie just stood there in the snow, silly little rooster. Didn't move an inch. The older ladies had more sense when the took one look outside and turned back to the coop. Recently Buffy has gotten Wry Neck, the very same sickness that caused Bravewing to die. I am trying very hard to get her to recover.
For Christmas this year, I have decided the chickens will get their very own Edible Garland. I will use bread bits, lettuce, cranberries, whole grain Cheerios, nuts and grapes and put them on a string.
For our Christmas card this year, I put a picture of a festive Sweetie ad Embroidery on it. Check the pictures below to see them! Anyways, I wish everyone a Merry Christmas, so have a great time!

Cozy Embroidery and Santa Sweetie

Santa Sweetie

~Cream

Halloween Hens

Happy Halloween! Well, around here it seems that it's going to be a wet Halloween. But that's not going to stop anyone from having fun! Even the girls seem to have decided to put up with the weather and try to find 'fun' in this wet Halloween day.

Embroidery finds herself knee-deep in pretty fall leaves! But that's not stopping her!

Swallow, Quail and Blu take a peek through their fence (Swallow and Quail were moved into Blu's pen, and I am unhappy to announce Fay's death.)

But ends start beginnings. This is Henrietta, Buffy's new friend. The two were moved into the big pen with the older girls.

~Cream

Fay, Buffy, Swallow and Quail

So, I took a few pictures of the new girls, but of course I couldn't help taking a few of the other birds!

Aurora, Borialis, and Cottonball. 

Bobbie, Sweetie and Clover.

Noah and Stumblefoot

Hahaha!!! Embroidery

They escaped while I wasn't looking!

Buffy

Fay

And there's Swallow in the front, and Quail in the back.

And of course, Blu.

~Cream

It's The Little Things...

                           It's the little things...

Cold feet on warm pavement, just as the sun goes down.

Gentle waves lapping the shore on a bright starry night.

A campfire crackling through the woods...

   Everything one needs to have peace with the Earth.

Well! I've been gone for quite a while! So much has happened! Well, I've got good news and bad news. Which one should I start with? How about bad. Well, Bravewing's eggs did not hatch. :( She sat on them for too long and had a stroke. Then she walked around lopsided for a few weeks, and finally died. So sad. We will remember her as the one who started it all. The one who really did live up to what her name entitles. But, with bad there always comes good. We moved Embroidery, Sweetie and Clover into the big pen (I don't know if I mentioned that Sweetie was put in with Embroidery and Clover, so if not, she was.), and Blu and Stumblefoot were put in the small pen. Then, a few days ago, we got Swallow and Quail. They are two Barred Plymouth Rock chicks. They are absolutely adorable, and they just love to sit on the little roost we put in there. It's only a few inches off the ground, (For their safety,) but they don't care. And today, we went out and got a white Silkie hen and a Black Copper Maran. Their names are Fay (the Black Copper Maran), and Buffy (the Silkie). But Fay has something a little special about her. When she was hatched, two of her toes were webbed together. They never cut them apart, so now Fay is three months old and is handicapped. She is really sweet, though. She can walk just fine, but because of her toes she can't roost. We'll have to work that one out. Her toes are kind of crossed over, like she's crossing her toes instead of fingers. Her nickname has become, "The Lucky Bird". And Buffy is such a cutie. Her little afro covers her face so you can never tell what her expression is. I do know that she fell asleep in my arms, though. Haha, so cute. Fay thinks of herself as still a chick though, she she peeps loudly and tries to nuzzle into Buffy's fuzzy white down. So, today we moved Stumblefoot out of that room and back into the big pen with the other chickens. Then we put Fay and Buffy in with Blu, who took a quick liking to them and did a little dance. So, I guess that's it then. Apple and Bunny are doing fine... The other chickens are the same as ever... Embroidery is getting so big though!! I can't believe it! Anyways, I gotta go, so I'll try to post pictures of the new birds tomorrow. Bye for now!!  Oh, and my username for backyard chickens is BravewingTheHen.

~Cream

Clover the Hen

Hi! I'm back. So I've been taking care of the baby goats for a while now, and I bottle feed them every morning and evening. I also got the hen my friend was lending me to take care of. Her name is Clover, and she is a Light Brahma. Her back is featherless, because they had a mean rooster. Right now she is in with Embroidery, and I am making them a mini run to go outside in. That's it for now! Bye!

 Noah glances up at me while I sit down and watch the flock.

A blurry close up (sorry, my camera isn't that good) of Clover's back.

Embroidery takes a dust-bath while Clover glances at me curiously.

Bravewing sits quietly in her nesting box.

Aurora and Borialis take interest in my building. But what will they think when Clover and Embroidery appear in it? 

~Cream

Healer for Chickens, Babysitter For Goats.

Hi! Nothing new from the chicks yet. They might not hatch. :( But yesterday I was asked if I could take care of my friend's hen, because The rooster has left her back nearly featherless! I'm not sure what breed she is, but I'll tell you when I get her. She will be in with Embroidery, who is getting bigger by the day. I'll post a picture of her soon. Later that day, I was also asked if I could take care of my neighbors Pygmy Goats while she's gone. She also got some new babies, so I'll be with them, too. I'll try to remember to take some pictures of them when I go there tonight and post them tomorrow. Anyways, that's it for now! Bye!

~Cream The Chicken Blogger

Please Hatch, Please Hatch!!

Hi! Last night I candled the eggs and when I was putting the last one back, I tipped it to the side and I felt movement. Surprised, I rocked it back and forth gently. It tottered back and forth. It  was a chick. What else could it be? I gently put it back and went inside. That night I had trouble sleeping. I was worried. What if it was dead? It hadn't made any noise. And wouldn't it struggle around if I tipped it back and forth? So now I'm just waiting and hoping. I'll post back later if anything interesting happens! Bye!

~Cream

Hatch or No Hatch? + Rainy Day Happy Hens 2

Hi! Sorry I've been gone for so long. I've been really busy. Alright, so the eggs Bravewing was sitting on were scheduled to hatch yesterday, but so far nothing has happened. But if anything does happen, I'll post it here. Two of the eggs are late though, So they might still hatch. Anyways, a few weeks ago it was raining really hard again so I looked for something for them as a treat. Since it was raining, I dug in my garden and found lots of worms. My friend was also over that day, so she helped and we found LOTS of bugs for them. They loved it! Well, thats it for now, I'll post the pictures on in a while once I load them onto my laptop. Bye!

~Cream

I Guess Smaller Fits!

Hey guys! Sorry I've been gone for so long. I've been really busy lately. Alright, so many of you have probably been wondering how the rooster has been fitting in and what he looks like. Well, it turns out he's fitting in really well. He came with the little Old English Bantam, Which I named Sweetie, and the rooster is Blu. Today I brought the hens a towel out, so when they went in I could dry them off, because it was raining. That's about it for now, but enjoy the pictures below!

 Bravewing quickly glances up at me. It's hard to see, but she's all wet!

 Another good shot of Bravewing. (After many, many tries!)

 Blu (the grey chicken in the back) and Sweetie (the one infront of Blu).

 Blu with Borialis in the background.

And finally Sweetie under the stairs!

~Cream

They Seem To Think I'm Him...

Hey! Well, right now the main thing on my mind is the new rooster. We made our choice. We got the little bantam rooster, who is coming with a little Old English Game Bantam hen, which, believe it or not, was the breed my favourite chicken, Cream, used to be. I was so sad when she died. So when I
heard she was that breed, I got excited and said yes. So tomorrow I will go pick them up. Anyhow, back in the chicken coop, the girls seem to think I'm their rooster! They seem to enjoy running around my feet, which they used to be dead terrified of when the rooster was there. I decided to just play along with it though, and now whenever I go in the run with some grass, I sit on the low roost and let Bravewing jump up next to me and on my lap. The rest of the girls seem to nervous to do that, so I drop some of the grass on the ground for them. Then I crow. It's hilarious when I do that, they all stare at me for a second like they did with the rooster then keep eating. I'm also not sure what happened to Noah. I think she broke her toe, because it's swollen and a bit green. She is limping and often stands still with that foot tucked in. It would be helpful if any of you could post a cure or treatment for it in the comments below. Today we also made the goats a ramp to play on. They love that, but Apple doesn't go on it. Only Bunny. And believe me, if Apple tried to get on, a certain little goat would already be up there ready to head-but her off.

                                             Embroidery in her room.


~Cream

Rainy Day, Happy Hens.

Hey guys! Once again here. Well, yesterday it was very stormy here. Usually on rainy days the hens are out there scratching away. Well, not yesterday. Yesterday they actually stayed in. It was pretty bad though, huge winds and pelting rain. Even I didn't want to be out there, and I like a good rain. Anyways, the chickens didn't look very happy about it all. They were being very loud and didn't know what to do. So I decided to try to make them think of stormy days as an Indoor-Fun day. First off, I cut up some apples really small. Then I broke up some broccoli. I grabbed a piece of lettuce and put the apple and broccoli in, then I wrapped it up into a ball. From there, I tied a string around it and set it down. I put on my rain coat, Then went out with the treat-ball. We put the chickens in early because they never came out, but when we put them in it hadn't started raining so they weren't wet. But if they had been wet, I would have brought out a towel to dry them off. Anyways, I tied the treat-ball to the roost and let them eat it. I also brought in some fresh grass for them and the goats. Goats don't like rain. They were locked in too, but they didn't seem to mind. I let the chickens eat out of my hand and walk around the barn, and they liked that. They had fun scratching through the hay on the floor and finding scraps of food. We might also not be getting that rooster. We are either getting him or this little rooster in the pic below. I'll try to find out which one we're getting by tomorrow! By the way, the guy in the pic below is a bantam. I wonder which size of a rooster will fit?

~Cream

Looking back at the Star Hen's Beginning...

I usually don't post more than once a day. But I couldn't help it when I was looking through my pictures and found a picture of Bravewing as a chick, with her sisters. You may not know, but Bravewing is my main hen. To me, she's at the top of the pecking order. But to the other hens.. she's at the bottom. She's constantly being picked on because she was broody for so long, but I when I see her up there... on the roost where Angel used to crow... I see a brave head hen, ready to fight for her rank if challenged. Last year, when Bravewing was only a pullet, I entered her in the annual Fall Fair we have here. Her competition was two Auracaunas that were full grown and very nice looking. When I saw those two, I knew Bavewing had good competition. But I believed she could win. And believe it or not, she did. The other two hens won second place. And there was Bravewing. Proudly strutting around her cage, a Blue Ribbon tied to the front bars. I thought she looked like a head hen for sure then. Strutting around her cage... Head and tail held high, observing her surroundings (and occasionally pecking at the blue ribbon) A formal look on her face. I knew she was happy. Anyways, below I have a few pictures of Bravewing!

 Here is Bravewing at 1 day old. She's so cute! I always knew she was destined to be great at something.

 Here's little Bravewing at a week or two; you can see she's already grown feathers.

 There she is again at a week or two, now standing on my leg.

And here she finally is as a beautiful full grown hen, the hen I always knew she would be.




After looking at the pictures I took of Bravewing as a chick, I realize I've got to take pictures of Embroidery. Because believe me, when she's older, it'll be funny to look back at when she just started to get feathers on her feet.

~Cream

Renting a Rooster?

Hello! Not much to say for today... Oh yeah! I forgot to mention, that since our rooster died and there's no one to protect the hens, our friend is lending us his rooster. That's right, LENDING him to us! The reason we're only borrowing him is because we're not sure if Embroidery is male or female, so we're waiting to find out. If she's a girl, we will keep the other rooster. But if it's a boy, we will give our friend his rooster back and keep Embroidery. It's going to be different having this rooster around though, because he's a Jersey Giant! Have you SEEN how big they are? I'll post a pic of one below. Anyways, guess thats all for now! Bye!

Huge, huh? This is not my picture by the way, I found it online.



~Cream

Rain, Rain, Go Away!

            Hey guys! I'm back. Well, so far today everybody is good, chickens happily eating outside (with a bit of supervision, in case that raccoon comes back), goats eating hay and yelling because they want to go outside but it's raining... ha ha ha. They're funny. the chick is good too, she has grown much and her feathers are coming in nicely. below I will enclose two pictures of her. I guess that's really it for now... if anything exciting happens, I'll add it to today's post. The reason I'm on so early is because later I'm having guests over. So if something exciting happens and I DON'T post it, I'll post it tomorrow. Anyway, here's the pics I was talking about!

 Here's a picture of Embroidery... she seemed very curious about my camera, which is why her head is so close to it.

There she is looking over the edge of the table her cage sits on, clearly now more interested in something on the floor than the flashing camera.

Guess that's it! Bye!

~Cream