Any other farmers/homesteaders out there

[Digging4Truth]

Originally Posted by AreYouReady?

I remember just as my son was getting ready to go off to college, he had about 6 hens he needed to get rid of. We took about 3 of them to a family with 6 children and a father suffering from cancer.

The father had a rooster that just appeared on their premises one day while he was recuperating from the surgery. He petted and talked to that rooster and the two of them became famously attached. That rooster became the 'watchdog" of the premises, attacking and spurring people while the dog slept. LOL.

Someone gave them 2 hens and the roo and those two hens had 2 rooster offspring. The roo really ruled his small little roost. None of the other chickens were allowed to eat until after the roo ate all he wanted. When he walked away, the rooster offspring could then eat.

So..when we brought them 3 hens, that rooster stretched his neck ...it seemed like 2 feet... to get a better look at what we brought in the cages. He just stopped what he was doing and ran over to the cages to get a better look at what we were letting out. When he saw that they were more hens, he just strutted around and clucked and crowed. It was so funny.

At the time I was happy to see Roo from hell go away. But I've learned since then that a rooster that knows how to lead a flock isn't an every day occurence. I realize now that, although he was mean, he did know how to take care of a flock. As a matter of fact I heard a ruckus outside once and went to see what it was... it was Roo fighting a dog and loosing the battle. It was a big dog.

He would have given his life for the hens that day. They were all safe in the coop while he was taking care of business. He would lead them out every morning to the woods and when a hen needed to lay an egg he brought the whole flock back to the coop. He would stand in the doorway and everytime she would cackle he would do the same. I often wondered what he was doing that for. I wonder if he was covering up the sound of her cackle since any wise animal would know that she was in a compromised position not really being able to flee for a few minutes.

At night he would spread his wings and get low to the ground and rustle the reluctant hens into the coop when it was time to retire for the night.

He was mean. There's no question about that. But I realize now more than I did then that he was truly a great leader to the flock on a level I haven't seen repeated since then.

[AreYouReady?]

Maybe you ought to look for another Rhode Island White roo?

My son says that they are rare.

It's often that we don't appreciate what we have till it's gone. I miss my yard eggs.

[Digging4Truth]

This is a little off topic but can often go hand in hand...

Do any of you work with home remedies that you have found to be effective?

Do any of you make or use Colloidal Silver?

[AreYouReady?]

Originally Posted by Digging4Truth

This is a little off topic but can often go hand in hand...

Do any of you work with home remedies that you have found to be effective?

Do any of you make or use Colloidal Silver?

Yes, I do both. I find colloidal silver quite effective. And despite what the media says, you won't turn blue if you use the newer colloidal silver that breaks the silver down into nano particles.

The reason the featured man in their story turned blue was because he drank a quart of his own homemade colloidal silver daily. Homemade silver has very large particles and you consume more silver than necessary. I mainly use the homemade for cuts and open wounds.


I also make my own laundry soap. I do a myriad of home remedies.

[Digging4Truth]

Originally Posted by AreYouReady?

Yes, I do both. I find colloidal silver quite effective. And despite what the media says, you won't turn blue if you use the newer colloidal silver that breaks the silver down into nano particles.

The reason the featured man in their story turned blue was because he drank a quart of his own homemade colloidal silver daily. Homemade silver has very large particles and you consume more silver than necessary. I mainly use the homemade for cuts and open wounds.


I also make my own laundry soap. I do a myriad of home remedies.

We make our own collodial silver. And... yes... the gentleman touted so often in Colloidal Silver scare tactics well out did any guidelines of wise use. And... it is doubtful that his silver was a true colloid. That's the big issue. If the silver is a true colloid then you don't run into these issues. And... if you drink a quart a day... HELLO... that's just crazy.


Colloidal Silver is fantastic topically and I am not afraid to take my own CS internally.

Could you share your homemade laundry soap recipe?

[AreYouReady?]

Laundry Soap Ingredients

1. 1/3 bar of Fels Naptha soap (or 1/2 bar Zote Soap)
2. 1/2 cup of Arm and Hammer Washing Soda this comes in a yellow box (not orange like the baking soda)
3. 1/2 cup of Borax Powder (I use 20 Mule Team)
4. 5 gallon bucket

Grate soap and put into large pot. Add 6 cups water and heat on medium heat until soap melts. Add washing soda and borax. Stir until dissolved. The consistency of the soap and water will thicken when it is ready. Remove from heat.

Pour 4 cups hot water into bucket. Add soap mixture and stir. Add 1 gallon + 6 cups water and stir. Put lid on. Allow soap to sit for 24 hours, it will gel. Then take lid off and stir to mix soap. Use 1/2 cup per load.

Now, I double my portions of ingredients to make it stronger and it will last longer before you have to make more. I also fill the 5 gallon jug to the brim with water. I've found that the stronger portion will take the color out of your clothes (in spots) so be careful if you do that. However, to alleviate discoloration, I will fill an empty milk jug half-way with soap mixture and the rest with hot water and shake to mix thoroughly. Also, one can pour the soap into the machine and fill the machine with water, then add clothes to keep any discoloration from occurring. I found that by doing this, my soap costs me about $1.12 per jug instead of $6-$10 for less than a gallon of store bought detergent.

For best results though, use recipe as stated.