Posts Tagged ‘Eggs’
Raising Meat Chickens in Suburbia
From Day Old to Dinner Entrée – If you want to make sure the chicken in your oven is raised well and processed humanely –Raise them yourself!
Most of my friends cringe when I tell them that we raise our own meat chickens and my daughter NEVER tells her friends for fear they will avoid eating over. But, this relatively simple process has become an integral part of our suburban homestead and food storage plan.
I’ve always had laying hens to provide us with eggs for the table and manure for the garden. And, when the girls were too old to lay they got to live out their life scratching around for bugs, churning up the soil and adding manure where ever they went; a mutually beneficial relationship I think.
It wasn’t until my friend Sandy bought and raised her first batch of meat birds that I really started to get interested in raising our own chickens for meat. But, raising 50 chicks seemed a bit too ambitious for a beginner, not to mention someone who lived in suburbia. So, several years ago I began by raising 8 Cornish/White Rock crosses, usually referred to as Cornish Rocks. These fast growing birds are the same breed raised commercially and sold to restaurants and supermarkets either as whole birds or in cut-up parts.
My test project was a huge success! All 8 chicks lived to their 8-week maturity, were healthy and seemingly happy, and the processing of the birds was nothing like I had imagined. When the project was over and we were feasting on own homegrown chicken, juicy and full of flavor I was determined that meat chickens would be an annual crop raised on our little suburban homestead. Read the rest of the story »
Little Bits, Big Meal
Little bits of anything are often forgotten about or viewed as not useful. But at our house little bits mean we not only use up food that might go to waste in other homes, but we also put a wonderfully satisfying meal on the table. Take the quiche and peach popover above. It was made with two slices of bacon, two mushrooms, a 1/4 of onion thinly sliced, left over half and half cut with some milk to make the needed amount, eggs from our hens and a pie crust. The extra pie dough was rolled out big enough to hold 1/2 a peach sliced and tossed in sugar and spices. The rest of the peach was eventually chopped and sprinkled over the vanilla ice cream that accompanied the popover. The whole meal used small amounts of many things to make one deliciously filling meal after a long day of work on the farm.
So…the next time you are tempted to toss those little bits, don’t. Find a way to use them. Little bits of meat and veggies can be sliced and tossed over a salad. Or, if you can’t find a way to use them now, freeze them to be used in hearty soups chalk full of veggies and meat, or put them in stews and create a belly filling supper perfect for the coming cold weather months.
Opossum Update
The opossum problem I wrote about last week has finally been resolved. We caught the mamma last Friday night and each night since we have caught one of her litter. Finally, last night, after setting traps every night, the trap was empty for the second night in a row. So, I think we’ve caught and relocated all of the juvenile youngins – 6 in all.
Because of the attack and the uncertainty over whether or not the remaining meat chickens have been exposed to rabies they were destroyed. An expensive loss for our small homestead, but a necessary one. No sense in taking any chances.
Another mystery has also been solved. From the first night we caught the mamma opossum our egg production has gone up. After not getting any eggs for weeks and thinking my girls were too old and needed to be replaced we are now getting 5 to 6 eggs a days. A pleasant turn about.
Plans are in the making for another batch of meat birds and new ideas for more secure meat bird housing is also in the works. So – come September we’ll be back in the chicken business, and none too soon either. The freezer is getting a little thin where poultry is concerned.
Egg Bread Recipe
In an attempt to reduce the collection of eggs filling my refrigerator I made this soft golden egg bread. It was perfect served warm with butter and honey, but the French toast we made the next day was divine.
¾ cup warm water (70 to 80 degrees)
3 Tbsp sugar
3 Tbsp vegetable oil
3 large eggs
1-1/2 tsp salt
3-1/2 cups bread flour
2-1/4 tsp active dry yeast
Place ingredients in bread machine pan in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Select the “basic” setting and “light” crust setting. Bake according to your bread machine directions.
Diamonds in the Hay
I found this small clutch of eggs nestled in a wheelbarrow full of hay.
Even on our short winter days we still collect 4 to 5 eggs a day.
Precious gems to be sure.
Frittatas
We all know that when life gives you lemons you make lemonade. But, what about when life give you too many eggs? I pondered that question this afternoon when I pulled a basket full of eggs out of the chicken coop. I couldn’t believe it, there were eggs in every nesting box. And, we have ten. I looked at the pile, then looked at the hens and wondered what kind of super human – I mean super chicken – effort did such a feat take. Then I wondered what the hell I was going to do with all those eggs.
After a few quizzical moments it came to me – Frittata.
Frittatas are similar to quiches on the inside, but don’t have a crust. They are firm and thick like omelets and can contain any variety of chopped meat or vegetables. They are the Italian version of an omelet.
Now I was on a mission. I took the eggs into the kitchen and set them on the counter. When I opened the fridge, staring me in the face were three dozen more eggs to go along with today’s haul. What the hell were my hens eating or doing that they produced this many eggs. Or, was it that we were not eating eggs often enough. How could that be though? I have eggs and toast almost every day for breakfast. Moving on with my mission, I rummaged through the fridge and pulled out parmesan cheese, spinach, asparagus, and onion. This would be the base for my frittata. I would use bacon instead of ham, fry up some potatoes and have toast with homemade blueberry jam. It was beginning to sound like breakfast for dinner, but didn’t care. I was going to use up at least 6 eggs, maybe even 10.
The basic recipe I used is below. Any combination of ingredients can be added with success. Even the cheese can be changed. Try Monterey Jack, White Cheddar or Swiss. Frittatas are a great way to use veggies and small amounts of meat to make a nutritious and satisfying meal. For a wonderful weekend brunch pair your Frittata with a nice green salad. Read the rest of the story »
The Latest in Factory Food Failures
As our nations food supply is consolidated into larger and larger growing and processing facilities, can consumers count on safe food? The recent and expanding salmonella outbreak and subsequent recall in the egg industry says it can’t. With millions of eggs being pulled off store shelves where can consumers turn for safe food? One answer – their own backyard.
To read more about the egg industry recall click here
Keeping Roosters – Quietly and Responsibly
Backyard poultry keeping has surged in the past year or so. Many families are taking advantage of the easy keeping and productive nature of chickens. But when you find yourself with an adolescent rooster, just learning to crow, many of us ask how do we keep him quiet.
Many cities around the country ban roosters to prevent nuisance complaints, even though there are several ways to keep roosters in populated areas quietly and responsibly. There are really only two reasons to have roosters in your backyard flock – to protect and to fertilize eggs. If your flock is well confined and safe from predators, whether they be furry or feathered, there’s really no need for a rooster’s protection. If you do not plan to breed your hens and hatch their eggs, or do not wish to have fertilized eggs, you also have no need for a rooster.
If you keep a small backyard flock without a rooster, one hen will generally take the rooster’s role. She will keep an eye out for predators, alert the flock if danger is near, maintain the pecking order and, in rare cases, may even crow.
But, if you see cute, fuzzy baby chicks in your future then you definitely need a rooster.
So – how do you keep the father of your flock with out disturbing your neighbors?
Most roosters begin to crow at daybreak. Even the slightest glimmer of light starts my guys off in a rousing cacophony. The trick is – well – to trick them. Trick them into thinking its still dark out.
Roosters can be moved into the garage at night, into their own cage where they cannot tell when the sun comes up. They can also be placed in a cage inside the coop or a spare rabbit hutch or even a plastic dog crate and covered with a tarp or thick blanket. Again, so they can’t see when the sun comes up. If they do happen to crow, the noise is muffled enough that most people won’t be able to hear it.
I like keeping roosters and think they’ve gotten a bad rap. I love the way they strut around the yard looking after their girls, their beautiful feathers spread out in a rainbow of colors. I love the way they perch themselves on top of fence posts or wheelbarrows, smug and indignant, showing everyone they’re the boss. And, most of all I love the chicks we raise to replenish our flock or give away to friends so they can know the joy of having their own backyard flock.
I understand that roosters are not for everyone and I understand that most people did not bargain for neighbors that crow so early in the morning. Roosters are beautiful and they do serve a purpose. Not having them may be a necessary compromise suburban chicken keepers have to make in order to take one step closer to self-sufficiency.
photo credit: 826 PARANORMAL
Foggy Morning, Sleeping Dogs
It’s a cold, foggy morning here on the farm. In a few minutes Brianne will be outside in the dusky morning feeding chickens and rabbits and sheep by the dim light of dawn, but right now I’m putting on the teapot and waking up the dogs. Dutch and Dakota are still curled up on their beds, not the least bit interested in my morning routine. I think they know it’s foggy and chilly outside and have no desire to rush out in it.
But dogs don’t feed sheep, nor do they collect eggs, so they can revel in the luxury of sleep for a little while longer. Brianne stumbles into the kitchen, bundled in a sweatshirt and warm pants, barely awake. She pulls the hood over her head so much that it buries her eyes. She grabs her gloves and out she goes. The routine of a farm, no matter what the size, goes on.
Enjoy your day folks, hope yours is warmer.
photo credit: gogoloopie
The Final Tally Is…
In my Backyard Chickens post I told you all about our little surprise when we returned home from last weekends sheep show – CHICKS!!! – 3 at first, then another five by the next morning. Well, it’s been a few days with no new hatches. I think we are finished. Or should I say the hen is finished.
The final tally…drum roll if you please…14!!!
Little Frizzle hen still has 5 eggs under her, but I don’t think they are viable. Or maybe it’s hoping, praying actually they’re not. That would make 29 chickens total in a coop that’s built for 12 to 15. A tight squeeze to say the least.
All the chicks are nestled in their (enlarged) brooder box in the corner of the kitchen where they are out of the way, but can still be checked often. And, as fate would have it, or dumb luck, my neighbor came calling the other day to ask me about raising chickens. She wanted to get a few from the feed store and had no idea what to do or how to do it, so she stopped by for my help. “Well”, says I, “have I got a deal for you”. When she heard the peeps coming from the kitchen her eyes lit up and she ran over to see them. Needless to say I closed the deal and Fran will be taking 4 of our little darlings as soon as they are old enough to live in a coop. She even offered to buy the next bag of Chick Starter because I’m keeping them so long. What a deal.
I must have been on a roll that day. Either that or the chicken God’s were watching over me because I ran into another friend and she was talking about getting more chicks, but the feed store won’t have any until the beginning of April (last year they ordered too early and most of them dies from the cold). I told her about our population explosion and Amy is going to split the remaining 10 with us. Now all I have to do is get Brianne to decide which one’s she wants to keep. That will be a challenge.
But, for now we are enjoying our little peepers, watching them scratch and peck and run around the brooder is a sight. Definitely happy birds.
photo credit: jennifertomaloff
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