I'm Back! And Butchering Chickens...

Today I butchered chickens.  Gathered in the corral (krell) were Bertha, Bambi, James (new guy), Butch, Little Buddy, and myself.  It's been very hot and dry, but today was overcast with a light drizzle of rain, perfect weather for processing some chicken carcasses.  We used a propane powered turkey fryer to boil our water.  After waiting and waiting and waiting, the water still was not hot.  My mother-in-law, Bertha, began gathering chickens anyway.  "Gathering" sounds rather peaceful.  There was lots of wing-flapping, feathers flying, and squawking.  I just watched them. 

Bambi decided to do the honor of cutting off their heads while Bertha held their bodies.  Once they are dead, they really do flop around for several minutes, hence the expression, "running around like a chicken with its head cut off".  After they stopped flopping, we would hold them in the hot water.  This makes feather removal so much easier.  They almost fall off when you touch them if the water is hot enough.  I offered to remove the guts, which is probably the least favorite job among us chicken butcherers.   You have to be careful not to pierce the intestines.  Once the guts are all removed, you can save whatever "innards" you want.  James kept telling me to save the livers but I'm pretty sure he was talking about the lungs.  Whatever. 

The dogs like to chew on the feet.  I've read that chicken feet make very nutritious broth but there is so much dirt and poop caked onto the bottoms of their feet that it just seems gross.  We  have a friend from Vietnam who asked us to save her the heads last summer.  She proceeded to make chicken head soup, feathers and all.  I did not taste it. 

Little Buddy wanted to kill one.  Bambi held his hand on the hatchet and helped him whack a few.  I told him he also needed to help us pluck the feathers if he was going to kill them.  I was trying to show him it's not just all fun and games to kill an animal, and that there has to be a purpose behind the killing.  He did not care for the feather plucking.  He did enjoy it when James and Butch helped him cut the feet off the carcasses. 

All told I think we got about 18.  We rinsed the bodies, threw them in garbage bags and into the walk-in cooler at my mother-in-law's house.  Tomorrow I'll bag them individually for freezing.  I'll also take some of them home to skin and cut into pieces.  That way when a recipe calls for chicken thighs, I won't have to defrost several chickens all at once. 

It is a ton of work to do all this, but we feel good knowing where our food comes from.  I enjoy working with the others.  The chickens we butcher ourselves will last us all winter. 

And in case you were wondering, no, I did not eat any chicken today. 

How Far I've Come

The first time I visited the ranch, my future in-laws welcomed me by slaughtering a pig.  I was a sheltered suburban girl, and while I wasn't an "animal lover", it bothered me to watch my man kill the pig.  I turned around, shut my eyes, covered my ears, and cried until it was over.  I couldn't even eat eggs at breakfast that day.  I barely got some toast in me.

But at lunch... I ate pork.  I can't remember if it was side pork or pork chops. 

Many people find the idea of killing your own food revolting.  I used to be one of them.  Now that I've lived here awhile though, I believe butchering my own meat has given me a greater respect for the animal I'm eating.  I care about what the animal is eating, and the condition of her health when she is killed, because I don't want to eat a sick animal. 

And of course, I have come to believe in the health benefits of eating the beef we raise.  I know the cow has had minimal, if any, antibiotic.  I know she's eaten lots of grass and hay, has been finished on corn.  I know she hasn't been given synthetic hormones to make her grow bigger, faster.  I know she had a nice life- she has roamed the wide prairie for months and only for the past few weeks has she been confined to the corral.  If I want to, I can watch her die humanely, with a single shot to the head.  I can even kill her myself.  It is a quick and painless death.  I know she doesn't suffer.  I will have the privilege of processing the carcass myself (and it is a privilege to me). 

We've branched out from beef since I've been here.  Now we are raising meat chickens, turkeys, and ducks (for our own consumption, not to sell).  I love seeing the birds run around in the grass eating bugs, just as God intended them to eat.  We got araucuna chickens, and they look great.  I really like their multi-colored feathers.  Amazingly, 11 turkey poults are thriving (I once read that turkey poults are suicides waiting to happen- they are very difficult to raise).  And the ducks are my favorite.  Every morning we herd them out of their "nest" and into the reservoir.  They race through the grass, chirping happily, splashing in every available puddle.  They spend their days swimming in the reservoir.  At night we herd them back inside to keep them safe from predators. 

We are interdependent on these animals.  They would not be alive if we did not care for them.  We would not care for them if we were not going to eat them.  We would not be alive without these animals to eat.

Now, when the time comes, I am able (mentally, emotionally, and physically) to kill them and eat them (although usually not in the same day).  That's one way that I have really changed since moving out here.     

Spring Happenings on the Ranch

Just thought I'd give you a peek at some of the goings-on around here.

We've planted carrots, spinach, peas, cosmos, kale, lettuce and broccoli in the garden. 

That's a brussels sprouts plant that overwintered.  I'm hopeful but not too optimistic that we'll get any sprouts.

That's dirt on her face, not freckles.  She loves being outside in the garden.

We bought 50 pounds of Kennebec seed potatoes.  It was very sunny when we planted the potato patch, so we tried to protect the baby's head. 

Our potato patch consists of 4 rows of potatoes, each about 100 feet long.   We planted them in the middle of a field to be farmed. We are hoping to grow enough potatoes to feed us all winter, with plenty to spare.

We have lots of baby chicks growing.  Most of them are for meat, just a few are for eggs.  This picture was taken 2 weeks ago, and they are already alot bigger.

Most hatcheries sell Cornish Cross for meat chickens.  They are bred to grow really big really fast.  They are ready to butcher in 6-8 weeks.   Many die of heart attacks before they are ready to be butchered, especially if they have access to chick feed at night.  Their legs can't support the weight of their bodies, and it's just gross.  This year we decided to try Araucana chicks instead. They won't be quite as big as the Cornish Cross, and they should be ready to butcher in 12 weeks.



We've started branding our calves and hope the weather cooperates so we can finish this week (but it doesn't look promising).  We've done some farming, trying to grow our own cow feed to save money. 

What are your spring happenings?

Keeping up your Egg Supply During Winter

If you have laying hens, you know their egg production usually slows down during winter.  Less access to fresh food and water, combined with shorter days and colder weather all contribute to fewer eggs.  There are a few things you can do to encourage your chickens to keep laying.

First, make sure they have shelter.  We have a chicken house with a tiny door (just big enough for the chickens to go outside) and during the summer we train them to go inside at night.  The house should have a place for them to perch.  Ours has a ladder- type structure, with about 4 rungs for them to perch on, as well as some 3-sided boxes for them to sit in to lay their eggs.  We line the floor with straw, and stick straw in the boxes too. 

Second, put a light in their shelter.  This helps keep them warm and "cues" their bodies to lay more eggs.  You can leave it on all day, or only turn it on at night.  Just don't forget to turn it on!
Third, make sure they have warm water every single day.  If egg production has really slowed, you may need to water them twice a day for awhile to get them started again. 

Chickens need all three of these things in order to keep laying.  Follow these steps and you too can enjoy fresh eggs all winter long!

Fresh Eggs

  My favorite breakfast food is the egg.  There are just so many ways to cook it.  Scrambled, hard boiled, fried, over-easy, poached, baked, the possibilities go on and on!  In her book, Real Food for Mother and Baby, Nina Planck says that eggs are the next closest thing to the perfect protein for humans, right after human breastmilk.  We eat at least 5 eggs most days at our house.  This is how we are able to eat so many eggs....

  One of the great things about living in the country is it's really no big deal to have some laying hens.  You already have the space, so they're not right in your backyard.  In fact, I'm not really sure how city people can raise chickens in their backyards, since the chickens will destroy the grass.  They either need to be closely managed, a la Joel Salatin, or have lots of space to run around so they don't cause so much destruction: 

  

  We feed our chickens table scraps, corn, and leftover creep feed.  Creep is what we put out for the calves to munch on, to get them started weaning.  We also make sure they have water.  The chickens always run to us when they see us coming near. They flock around the vehicle, waiting for some tasty vegetable scraps!  Here they are running to greet me (and trying to get to the food before everyone else).

  That little shed on the left side of the photo is the chicken house.  We keep the door on the front part closed all the time.  The front part has a window, a light to keep them warm in the winter, some bunks for them to lay their eggs in, a rack for them to perch on, and a little doorway (only big enough for a chicken to fit through) that leads to the exposed part of the house.  The exposed part is a big cage.  It also has a ladder-type rack for them to perch on.  We keep the door to the cage open all day.  The chickens usually go inside at night without any coaxing.  If we are outside at twilight, we try to remember to lock the cage so predators can't get to the chickens.  Dogs, cats, coyotes, foxes, and weasels are all threats to the chickens, but the most prevalent chicken killer is the " 'coon" (raccoon).  In the winter, the chickens like to stay inside for warmth.  We keep the chicken house lined with straw.  I am usually the one who cleans it, although I do it less than I care to admit!  Fortunately they have plenty of fresh air and wide open space to run around and do their business.

  In the picture to the left, the chickens and our two turkeys are scrambling to eat every last tasty morsel of table scraps that I just dumped on the ground.  Notice there is no grass on the ground.  That's thanks to the chickens! 

  I always try to bring some food for them when I come to collect eggs.  Then they are distracted and don't get underfoot while I'm gathering the eggs.  Most days they produce 12 to 18 eggs. 

  Ah, fresh chicken eggs, washed and ready to cook.  I've read you're not supposed to wash your eggs until right before you cook them, but I prefer to wash enough for a week at a time so I'm not doing it every day.  And yes, I think you do have to wash your eggs, unless you like a little chicken feces in your breakfast burrito. 

  Yummm, delicious fried eggs.  Notice how vibrant orange the yolks are?  That's because they come from chickens that run around outside, eating green grass and bugs.  They live the way they were meant to, not cooped up in some overcrowded cage.  The bright orange color means our eggs have lots of vitamins and good fats.  After eating these nutrient powerhouses day after day, I am shocked at the dull, sickly looking things that pass for eggs in most peoples' homes.  I am so thankful for our laying hens!

Do you know where your eggs come from?

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