Getting the flock out of here - a diary of a crazy chicken man

[Tomtommom]

I used to run about a dairy farm as a kid. 64 cows, an average farm in Holland. In the US they deal with hundreds.. land is cheaper. A lot of Dutch dairy farmers actually move to the US and Canada.

Anyway, my mom used to get 5 gallon buckets of fresh milk from the farmer. Homemade butter, cream.. milk. Yum. Best thing I ever had was the colostrum (first milk after a calf is born).. thick and sweet and crazy good mmm. The stuff you get at the store just doesn't compare.

I dare say Dutchies may consume more dairy than Wisconsin folk, if that's even possible. A glass with every meal. Cheese sammiches. Yogurt or pudding for dessert. Porridge for breakfast.

I would love to have a goat or something, but I think my neighbors may not agree. Subdivision living

 

[ozexpat]

I used to run about a dairy farm as a kid. 64 cows, an average farm in Holland. In the US they deal with hundreds.. land is cheaper. A lot of Dutch dairy farmers actually move to the US and Canada.

Anyway, my mom used to get 5 gallon buckets of fresh milk from the farmer. Homemade butter, cream.. milk. Yum. Best thing I ever had was the colostrum (first milk after a calf is born).. thick and sweet and crazy good mmm. The stuff you get at the store just doesn't compare.

I dare say Dutchies may consume more dairy than Wisconsin folk, if that's even possible. A glass with every meal. Cheese sammiches. Yogurt or pudding for dessert. Porridge for breakfast.

I would love to have a goat or something, but I think my neighbors may not agree. Subdivision living

certainly not Nubians. Our Caprino craves human company. her cries b-e-r-n-e-e-e every time he sees him in the distance lol

 

[Sweetpea3829]

We have wanted to add a cow to our "homestead" ever since we bought this house. Our four kiddos can easily go through a gallon of milk a day...more. The only reason they don't is because I cut back on their milk consumption when a couple of them had low iron (calcium can inhibit the uptake of iron).

We figured we'd start with chickens and see how it goes from there, lol!

We also want to add a horse for my daughter, who takes riding lessons bi-weekly. Our neighbor offered us his 1 1/2 yr old colt last month, and we seriously considered it, but we had our farrier friend look him over and his legs were not sound. Plus...we have NO idea how to break a horse and could never afford to send him to the stable for boarding and training. Maybe someday.

Now goats...well, I've always said absolutely no goats. They eat everything and they get into everything. But my daughter's instructor's domestic partner (actually, he is our farrier, lol) just bought a pregnant female goat and I was kicking around the idea of asking him if he'd let my kids raise it for 4-H...being as how they won't keep any of the kids anyways.

Deb, tell me more about making mozzarella cheese. I've made homemade yogurt and I've even done ricotta cheese, but I've never ventured into the mozzarella realm...and our family uses a lot of mozzarella.

 

[ozexpat]

Ok first website I found was a wealth of information.

http://www.granny-miller.com/a-years-worth-of-food-supplies/

The list contained on this page is for TWO older adults who have a garden....

I would change a few things but she has given me an idea of the "process" to determine my own.

deb

what an interesting list.

mine would be very different i need a bit of pasta - and bernies would have to include 1000lbs of rice.

 

[apteryx]

I used to run about a dairy farm as a kid. 64 cows, an average farm in Holland. In the US they deal with hundreds.. land is cheaper. A lot of Dutch dairy farmers actually move to the US and Canada.


Anyway, my mom used to get 5 gallon buckets of fresh milk from the farmer. Homemade butter, cream.. milk. Yum. Best thing I ever had was the colostrum (first milk after a calf is born).. thick and sweet and crazy good mmm. The stuff you get at the store just doesn't compare.


I dare say Dutchies may consume more dairy than Wisconsin folk, if that's even possible. A glass with every meal. Cheese sammiches. Yogurt or pudding for dessert. Porridge for breakfast.


I would love to have a goat or something, but I think my neighbors may not agree. Subdivision living

I grew up on a dairy farm and can't stand milk. It is something that our neighbors couldn't fathom. That said they wouldn't drink glasses of milk like many if my friends here in the US do. They would have a splash in their coffee or tea. Speaking of Dutch dairy farmers we had two near us that were good friends of ours. There are plenty that have moved to New Zealand too.

 

[Ashburnham]

Whan of my cultural experiences in America is seeing adults drink milk. When I travel on fishing boats, there would be all these big strapping lads in their 40s all sittinf down kicking over gallons of milk each day. Its not something an adult my home country really does.

Now dont get me wrong, I love fresh cold milk, but I dont really need it.

That's an interesting observation Oz, and I believe you are right.
I was put off milk for life by the free milk we were forced to drink in Primary school
- after it had been left sitting out in the hot summer's sun for several hours!


xxxx M

 

[perchie.girl]

We have wanted to add a cow to our "homestead" ever since we bought this house. Our four kiddos can easily go through a gallon of milk a day...more. The only reason they don't is because I cut back on their milk consumption when a couple of them had low iron (calcium can inhibit the uptake of iron).

We figured we'd start with chickens and see how it goes from there, lol!

We also want to add a horse for my daughter, who takes riding lessons bi-weekly. Our neighbor offered us his 1 1/2 yr old colt last month, and we seriously considered it, but we had our farrier friend look him over and his legs were not sound. Plus...we have NO idea how to break a horse and could never afford to send him to the stable for boarding and training. Maybe someday.

Now goats...well, I've always said absolutely no goats. They eat everything and they get into everything. But my daughter's instructor's domestic partner (actually, he is our farrier, lol) just bought a pregnant female goat and I was kicking around the idea of asking him if he'd let my kids raise it for 4-H...being as how they won't keep any of the kids anyways.

Deb, tell me more about making mozzarella cheese. I've made homemade yogurt and I've even done ricotta cheese, but I've never ventured into the mozzarella realm...and our family uses a lot of mozzarella.

I have only seen it done on TV but it looks pretty simple.

Its the kneeding part that can be an issue.... While you are making it you have to stretch it by hand to form the ball. The process is pretty hot. I saw one and dont remember which where they kept a bowl of ice water to chill your hands down between stretching sessons.

deb

 

[ozexpat]

I have only seen it done on TV but it looks pretty simple.

Its the kneeding part that can be an issue.... While you are making it you have to stretch it by hand to form the ball. The process is pretty hot. I saw one and dont remember which where they kept a bowl of ice water to chill your hands down between stretching sessons.

deb

to kneed and pull it, a few seconds in the microwave works wonders and the work is not as hot.

 

[Sweetpea3829]

I have only seen it done on TV but it looks pretty simple.

Its the kneeding part that can be an issue.... While you are making it you have to stretch it by hand to form the ball. The process is pretty hot. I saw one and dont remember which where they kept a bowl of ice water to chill your hands down between stretching sessons.

deb

to kneed and pull it, a few seconds in the microwave works wonders and the work is not as hot.

Would a stand mixer with a dough hook work for this?

 

[ozexpat]

Would a stand mixer with a dough hook work for this?

no- it has to be pulled so it ends up like string cheese.