California - Northern

[zooweemama]

I mix DE with Wheat, Ultra Kibble, Sea Weed and omega booster. I add the DE for the extra Calcium. DE does not work when it is wet, so it will not kill parasite but it is great for adding calcium.

I have not had soft shells yet this year.

So you use it in place of oyster shell basically?

 

[ronott1]

Quote: Yes! It is a good source of calcium for the chickens. I only use it when I give them the grain ultra kibble feed that I make up. They also have free choice calcium. Don't give it to the roosters.

 

[Happy Chooks]

Every morning is still like Christmas. I get so excited when the kids bring in the eggs! 8 from the ducks today and 2 from the chickens so far. The chicken eggs are slightly bigger than they have been so these must be from my older pullets.

Question about DE. Do you guys put it IN the chickens food? I read people do that. So IN the food and IN the bedding?

My kids don't even get to collect the eggs.

I do the Easter Egg hunt. (sometimes my youngest goes with me though)


I use it on the coop floor and nest boxes to help with external parasites, but I don't add it to the feed. Funny thing is that the coop bedding goes to my garden once it's composted, and I haven't had any issues with aphids in my garden since adding the DE to the coop.

 

[Happy Chooks]

Before Thanksgiving, I got my hands on some fresh (as in unpasteurized) milk from a Jersey cow. I took the cream and made butter with it. I've made butter in the past with leftover heavy cream, but this was a first with "real" milk. It took a heck of a lot more beating to get it to turn to butter, but once it did, I was amazed by the color.

On the left is store butter:



I used the buttermilk to make biscuits for breakfast yesterday.

 

[ronott1]

Before Thanksgiving, I got my hands on some fresh (as in unpasteurized) milk from a Jersey cow. I took the cream and made butter with it. I've made butter in the past with leftover heavy cream, but this was a first with "real" milk. It took a heck of a lot more beating to get it to turn to butter, but once it did, I was amazed by the color.

On the left is store butter:



I used the buttermilk to make biscuits for breakfast yesterday.

How Fun!

You can make butter using the whip beater on a kitchen aid mixer. I made some that way last year. It is much easier than the shake the jar method. I can get raw cream at the Davis co op. It is from Holsteins though. Growing up we bough fresh milk from a local Dairy before they pasteurized it. They had Guernsey cows.

I loved it!

 

[zooweemama]

Before Thanksgiving, I got my hands on some fresh (as in unpasteurized) milk from a Jersey cow. I took the cream and made butter with it. I've made butter in the past with leftover heavy cream, but this was a first with "real" milk. It took a heck of a lot more beating to get it to turn to butter, but once it did, I was amazed by the color.

On the left is store butter:



I used the buttermilk to make biscuits for breakfast yesterday.

OH YUMMY! I buy raw milk all the time. Never thought to make my own butter.

 

[debs_flock]

Quote:

OH YUMMY! I buy raw milk all the time. Never thought to make my own butter.

It looks wonderful. Maybe if I had to go to the work of making it, I wouldn't use it quite so liberally

Deb

 

[Happy Chooks]

Yup Ron, I used my Kitchen Aid. It still took longer than whipping cream from the store - I kept waiting and waiting, then whoosh, it separated. I'm going to get some more (the lady wants to trade milk for my jam and/or pullet culls - works for me) and make mozzarella cheese. (have you seen how much mozzarella is in the store these days?

It's crazy!) I've always heard mozzarella cheese is easy to make. (I've only made chevre) So I'm going to give it a shot.


Amy - just take the cream off the top and whip past whipping cream. It will look curdled (not done yet) and keep mixing. When it is done, the butter will clump together and you will see the separation of the buttermilk. It's super easy with a stand mixer. I've always made it after the Holidays with any leftover cream. (no sense throwing it out)

 

[debs_flock]

make mozzarella cheese. (have you seen how much mozzarella is in the store these days?

It's crazy!) I've always heard mozzarella cheese is easy to make. (I've only made chevre) So I'm going to give it a shot.

I've never tried it either. I have made both ricotta and cottage cheese, both super simple. Last year I made goat's milk ricotta. Something about the goat's milk made the cottage cheese not work for me. It ended up going to the chickens. I just couldn't get it to form curds.

Deb

 

[Happy Chooks]

Quote:

make mozzarella cheese. (have you seen how much mozzarella is in the store these days?

It's crazy!) I've always heard mozzarella cheese is easy to make. (I've only made chevre) So I'm going to give it a shot.

I've never tried it either. I have made both ricotta and cottage cheese, both super simple. Last year I made goat's milk ricotta. Something about the goat's milk made the cottage cheese not work for me. It ended up going to the chickens. I just couldn't get it to form curds.

Deb

For goats milk (as I understand it) you need a curd separator thingy.

Haven't tried Ricotta either - though I've been looking at Mary's blog when she made it. I LOVE ricotta, but the DH doesn't.