"Louisiana "La-yers" Peeps"

[Celie]

The Game feed is 24% protein and my little ones are eating it up. It came from the same feed store in TX that my friend got the Coyote creek organic layer feed from,..it's $35.00 /50lb,...but it sure goes a lot further than the other stuff. they get satisfied on the organic and eat less but with better nutrition..... it's still way too expensive to keep this up right now,.. and I need to find something else,.. but non GMO is important to us and to those buying our eggs.,.. almost none of the "Organic" yard eggs advertised on Craigs list and FB are NOT organic.
I really don't see you as the wimpy type,.. nor myself either,.. and if we HAD to I think we could butcher a bird,.. our for-mothers grew up doing it and so it was not such a big deal.,.. but I am so glad we don't HAVE to!

Glad to hear about your increase in eggs too. So you have been using organic game feed? I'm glad that you co-signed about the size of your eggs. I thought I was hallucinating.

What is the protein of the game bird that you use? You will have to tell us more about the feed. How much more expensive is it?

I think I found a winner with the Game Bird Pellets from Petrus and feeding it to all of the animals. Although, I am cutting the protein down a bit, so it's not too high for the ducks, geese and chickens. They seem to LOVE IT!
As far as the turkeys, this is will be my first year harvesting my home grown turkeys. I think I will take them off the ground probably today if I'm planning for Thanksgiving. I don't "do the deed" because I'm still a whimp as far as that is concerned. Someone else has to do it for me. So, I have to make sure my "Deed Doer" is available. If not, then I will plan on having the turkey for Christmas.
Gumbo?????????????

Boy, I wish I had some extra roosters but I don't. Enjoy the gumbo!

I can't beleive you do not kill and process your own turkeys, Ever? What about the 35 ducks, you were telling me about? and the rabbits, and Roosters? i have to admit that the first one, I ever did was a rooster and it took me a half hour after I tied his legs to a tree, before I got up the courage to cut it's throat, but a woman's got to do what a woman's got to do. My mother would have run from a rooster, and I had never even seen it before. Just keep telling yourself that you are doing it so your family can have a nice Thanksgiving dinner, and you are helping the turkey fulfill the reason God gave him to you. It will nourish your children and give them good nutritious meat, free from chemicals, drugs and death is part of living and that food is the reason these turkeys exist. You can do it, we all know you can and I bet your DH will be proud of you! You can do it ! YOU CAN DO IT!! YOU CAN DO IT ! YOU CAN DO IT ! Come on, Kuntrygirl, YOU CAN DO IT !! WE'RE cheering for you!

 

[MaddiWilliams]

I can't beleive you do not kill and process your own turkeys, Ever? What about the 35 ducks, you were telling me about? and the rabbits, and Roosters? i have to admit that the first one, I ever did was a rooster and it took me a half hour after I tied his legs to a tree, before I got up the courage to cut it's throat, but a woman's got to do what a woman's got to do. My mother would have run from a rooster, and I had never even seen it before. Just keep telling yourself that you are doing it so your family can have a nice Thanksgiving dinner, and you are helping the turkey fulfill the reason God gave him to you. It will nourish your children and give them good nutritious meat, free from chemicals, drugs and death is part of living and that food is the reason these turkeys exist. You can do it, we all know you can and I bet your DH will be proud of you! You can do it ! YOU CAN DO IT!! YOU CAN DO IT ! YOU CAN DO IT ! Come on, Kuntrygirl, YOU CAN DO IT !! WE'RE cheering for you!

This kinda made me want to run out and process a few of my own birds...

You should be the group motivator!

 

[AprilsFrizzles]

This kinda made me want to run out and process a few of my own birds...

You should be the group motivator!

LOL X2

 

[kuntrygirl]

I have a red/orange light that I bought when the girls were babies.  It provides some heat.  If I use that to warm the coop this winter, will that keep the girls from sleeping?

I think you should be ok. The heat lamp bulbs are red and the babies are ok with that.

 

[kuntrygirl]

LOL @ Mal feeling like he "ought" to be able to jump and run. Gotta love Mal. Sending happy wishes for a speedy and jumpless and runless recovery.

Did you say killer recipe for old timey burnt sugar cake? I would love to have it.! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE. I can "practice" on it this weekend. THANK YOU!

Old-Time Burnt Sugar Cake​

Burnt sugar syrup:

1 cup sugar
1 cup hot water

Dump the sugar in a skillet on the stove. Turn the heat to medium-low. Stir only occasionally, for about 5-10 minutes, until it melts and turns into an amber-colored liquid. Keeping the heat on medium-low, carefully add a cup of hot water, a little bit at a time. It will bubble up, then simmer down. Keep the heat on low and simmer about another 5-10 minutes, again stirring only occasionally. Turn off the fire, remove the skillet & set aside to cool while you prepare the cake. The syrup is thin while hot but thickens as it cools.

Making Burnt Sugar Cake:

3 cups sifted cake flour--measure AFTER sifting
2 teaspoons baking powder
Pinch of Cream of tarter
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup butter, room temperature
3 eggs, separated (yolks/whites divided)
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup Burnt Sugar Syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla
Water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine flour, baking powder & salt in a large mixing bowl & set aside. In another bowl, combine room temperature butter and sugar; cream until light & fluffy. Add egg yolks & beat again.

In a small bowl, beat egg whites until fluffy with a pinch of cream of tarter.

Pour 1/2 cup of the Burnt Sugar Syrup into a one cup measuring cup. Add the teaspoon of vanilla & enough cool to lukewarm water to add up to one cup w/the vanilla & syrup. To the bowl with flour, add the creamed butter/sugar/egg yolks, the burnt sugar syrup mixture and beat well. Gently fold in the egg whites. (do not beat again).

Divide the mixture between 2 round, greased cake pans. Bake at 350 degrees for about 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes clean. Cool 10 minutes on wire racks, then invert on racks & cool completely. Fill & frost with Burnt Sugar Icing.

Burnt Sugar Icing-

16 ounces powdered sugar
2/3-3/4 cup Burnt Sugar syrup (however much you have left in skillet)
1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt

Cream butter until light & fluffy. Gradually beat in powdered sugar, sifted with salt, add Burnt Sugar syrup and vanilla & beat until creamy smooth and spreadable. If mixture is too stiff, add water a teaspoon at a time. Frost cake & decorate with pecan halves.

[SIZE=12pt]Variation: add 1/2 cup finely chopped nuts (pecan, hickory nuts, black walnuts) to cake[/SIZE]

[COLOR=0000FF][SIZE=12pt]and here's the burnt sugar muffins (which everybody like even better, since they get more icing on these):[/SIZE][/COLOR]

[SIZE=12pt]BURNT SUGAR MUFFINS[/SIZE]​

[SIZE=12pt]1 1/2 cups sugar[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]1 stick butter[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]2 egg yolks beaten[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]3 teaspoons baking powder[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]3/4 cup water[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]3 teaspoons burnt sugar syrup[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]2 egg whites beaten until stiff[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]1/8 teaspoon mace[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]To make burnt sugar: Burn 1 cup sugar in a saucepan over medium-low to low heat until it has turned to a dark brown liquid. Add 1 cup hot water, stir & boil for 1 minute.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream sugar & butter. Add egg yolks. Sift flour & baking powder together & add alternately with the water. Add the burnt sugar & fold in the egg whites & mace. Spoon into 12 unit muffin pan  & bake for 25 minutes.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Burnt Sugar Icing-[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]16 ounces powdered sugar[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]2/3-3/4 cup Burnt Sugar syrup (use enough to make it easy to spread)[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]1/4 cup butter, room temperature[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]1 teaspoon vanilla[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]1/4 teaspoon salt[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Cream butter until light & fluffy. Gradually beat in powdered sugar, sifted with salt, add Burnt Sugar syrup and vanilla & beat until creamy smooth and spreadable. If mixture is too stiff, add water a teaspoon at a time.[/SIZE]

Thank you!

 

[kuntrygirl]

The Game feed is 24% protein and my little ones are eating it up. It came from the same feed store in TX that my friend got the Coyote creek organic layer feed from,..it's $35.00 /50lb,...but it sure goes a lot further than the other stuff. they get satisfied on the organic and eat less but with better nutrition..... it's still way too expensive to keep this up right now,.. and I need to find something else,.. but non GMO is important to us and to those buying our eggs.,.. almost none of the "Organic" yard eggs advertised on Craigs list and FB are NOT organic.   
I really don't see you as the wimpy type,.. nor myself either,.. and if we HAD to I think we could butcher a bird,.. our for-mothers grew up doing it and so it was not such a big deal.,.. but I am so glad we don't HAVE to! 

Glad to hear about your increase in eggs too. So you have been using organic game feed? I'm glad that you co-signed about the size of your eggs. I thought I was hallucinating. What is the protein of the game bird that you use? You will have to tell us more about the feed. How much more expensive is it? I think I found a winner with the Game Bird Pellets from Petrus and feeding it to all of the animals. Although, I am cutting the protein down a bit, so it's not too high for the ducks, geese and chickens. They seem to LOVE IT!

As far as the turkeys, this is will be my first year harvesting my home grown turkeys. I think I will take them off the ground probably today if I'm planning for Thanksgiving. I don't "do the deed" because I'm still a whimp as far as that is concerned. Someone else has to do it for me. So, I have to make sure my "Deed Doer" is available. If not, then I will plan on having the turkey for Christmas.

Gumbo????????????? Boy, I wish I had some extra roosters but I don't. Enjoy the gumbo!

I can't beleive you do not kill and process your own turkeys, Ever? What about the 35 ducks, you were telling me about? and the rabbits, and Roosters? i have to admit that the first one, I ever did was a rooster and it took me a half hour after I tied his legs to a tree, before I got up the courage to cut it's throat, but a woman's got to do what a woman's got to do. My mother would have run from a rooster, and I had never even seen it before. Just keep telling yourself that you are doing it so your family can have a nice Thanksgiving dinner, and you are helping the turkey fulfill the reason God gave him to you. It will nourish your children and give them good nutritious meat, free from chemicals, drugs and death is part of living and that food is the reason these turkeys exist. You can do it, we all know you can and I bet your DH will be proud of you! You can do it ! YOU CAN DO IT!! YOU CAN DO IT ! YOU CAN DO IT ! Come on, Kuntrygirl, YOU CAN DO IT !! WE'RE cheering for you!  :yiipchick :cd e :yiipchick

I will try. LOL

When we process all of the extras, someone else comes over and "does the deed". I don't do the deed. I can't. I have to go inside until the deed is done. Afterwards, they call me to go back outside to help with the plucking and skinning. The 1st ram that we took to the butcher, I cried in the butcher shop. My family ordered me to go back in the truck until I got it together. I still get teary eyed when we take a ram to the butcher but I'm getting better. I just think about all of that lamb meat in the freezer and I'm back to myself.

I think what makes me so scared is not doing it right the first time and seeing them suffer until I can get it right. I want a quick way that I can do it and know that it will be done right the first time. I need a sure thing method. Any suggestions? I don't think I can do the slitting the throat thing. That's too close and personal.

 

[kuntrygirl]

I can't beleive you do not kill and process your own turkeys, Ever? What about the 35 ducks, you were telling me about? and the rabbits, and Roosters? i have to admit that the first one, I ever did was a rooster and it took me a half hour after I tied his legs to a tree, before I got up the courage to cut it's throat, but a woman's got to do what a woman's got to do. My mother would have run from a rooster, and I had never even seen it before. Just keep telling yourself that you are doing it so your family can have a nice Thanksgiving dinner, and you are helping the turkey fulfill the reason God gave him to you. It will nourish your children and give them good nutritious meat, free from chemicals, drugs and death is part of living and that food is the reason these turkeys exist. You can do it, we all know you can and I bet your DH will be proud of you! You can do it ! YOU CAN DO IT!! YOU CAN DO IT ! YOU CAN DO IT ! Come on, Kuntrygirl, YOU CAN DO IT !! WE'RE cheering for you!  :yiipchick :cd e :yiipchick

This kinda made me want to run out and process a few of my own birds...  You should be the group motivator!

 

[TerriLaChicks]

I will try. LOL
When we process all of the extras, someone else comes over and "does the deed". I don't do the deed. I can't. I have to go inside until the deed is done. Afterwards, they call me to go back outside to help with the plucking and skinning. The 1st ram that we took to the butcher, I cried in the butcher shop. My family ordered me to go back in the truck until I got it together. I still get teary eyed when we take a ram to the butcher but I'm getting better. I just think about all of that lamb meat in the freezer and I'm back to myself.

I think what makes me so scared is not doing it right the first time and seeing them suffer until I can get it right. I want a quick way that I can do it and know that it will be done right the first time. I need a sure thing method. Any suggestions? I don't think I can do the slitting the throat thing. That's too close and personal.

I'm no help for sure - and that's in spite of growing up helping to butcher hogs & calves every fall. I never "knew" them personally, though - & I never watched them being killed, so all I ever saw was the carcass strung up for processing.

I have "offed" several mean roosters - after they attacked me & drew blood, I got mad enough that I grabbed a sharp axe & marched them down to the bayou & whacked their heads off & pitched them into the water for "gator bait".

OK, so I finally processed one last year- Jim grew up on a farm in Wisconsin & he walked me through the process - plucking & all that -- & I put it in a ziploc bag in the freezer.

And there it stayed - I could not bring myself to cook it! I finally got rid of it. I felt so guilty every time I opened the freezer door & saw it laying there...

Now I remember my Grandma going out & pointing out a chicken for me to catch when I was a little kid, & she would wring its' neck right then & there, pluck it & we'd have chicken & dumplings or fried chicken for dinner! - and I know she is frowning down on me for being such a wimp! -- so, I am determined that the next roos I hatch are going to be processed AND cooked & eaten.

Jim said his Dad used to say: ''I fed you, now it's your turn to feed me" - about the lambs & chickens he raised for them to eat. That's a good philosophy; I just have to hold fast to it!

Celie you have such a good, positive attitude! - you definitely have my vote for group motivator!

 

[catdaddyfro]

I think you should be ok. The heat lamp bulbs are red and the babies are ok with that.

I have a red/orange light that I bought when the girls were babies. It provides some heat. If I use that to warm the coop this winter, will that keep the girls from sleeping?

You can use that if you deem it necessary I think you will find that as long as you have shelter and the direct cold wind off your birds they will be good, but if you do close up the coop to use the heat source please make sure you don't have it air tight always leave a vent for air exchange(I know it sounds ironic but it is better this way) the southern most wall with an opening at the top will suffice here. O2 in CO2 out is a must plus they create a lot of humidity from their excretions and normal respiration this causes more problems for them than plain cold air, in this part of the world. LOL

Jeff

 

[kuntrygirl]

I will try. LOL

When we process all of the extras, someone else comes over and "does the deed". I don't do the deed. I can't. I have to go inside until the deed is done. Afterwards, they call me to go back outside to help with the plucking and skinning. The 1st ram that we took to the butcher, I cried in the butcher shop. My family ordered me to go back in the truck until I got it together. I still get teary eyed when we take a ram to the butcher but I'm getting better. I just think about all of that lamb meat in the freezer and I'm back to myself.

I think what makes me so scared is not doing it right the first time and seeing them suffer until I can get it right. I want a quick way that I can do it and know that it will be done right the first time. I need a sure thing method. Any suggestions? I don't think I can do the slitting the throat thing. That's too close and personal.

I'm no help for sure - and that's in spite of growing up helping to butcher hogs & calves every fall. I never "knew" them personally, though - & I never watched them being killed, so all I ever saw was the carcass strung up for processing.

I have "offed" several mean roosters - after they attacked me & drew blood, I got mad enough that I grabbed a sharp axe & marched them down to the bayou & whacked their heads off & pitched them into the water for "gator bait".

OK, so I finally processed one last year- Jim grew up on a farm in Wisconsin & he walked me through the process - plucking & all that -- & I put it in a ziploc bag in the freezer.

And there it stayed - I could not bring myself to cook it! I finally got rid of it. I felt so guilty every time I opened the freezer door & saw it laying there...:/

Now I remember my Grandma going out & pointing out a chicken for me to catch when I was a little kid, & she would wring its' neck right then & there, pluck it & we'd have chicken & dumplings or fried chicken for dinner! - and I know she is frowning down on me for being such a wimp! -- so, I am determined that the next roos I hatch are going to be processed AND cooked & eaten.

Jim said his Dad used to say: ''I fed you, now it's your turn to feed me" - about the lambs & chickens he raised for them to eat. That's a good philosophy; I just have to hold fast to it!

Celie you have such a good, positive attitude! - you definitely have my vote for group motivator!

The only time I did process anything by myself was the day I came home and found that one of my guineas had an accident and died. It got stuck between the fence and a piece of tin. It was already dead, so I just plucked it. I couldn't see wasting some good "road kill", oops, I mean "chicken yard kill". It was still fresh being as though it died during the day. It made a delicious and very small guinea gumbo. I want to hatch and process as many guineas as I can for next year's gumbos.