Nevadans?

[NevadaRon]

Holy crud, Sunny. I wondered why you were so quiet for so many hours while the rest of us jabbered on. I'm glad you made it through safely.

Yeah Sunny called me yesterday saying she was in Dayton (I was still at work

- too bad, she could have stopped by and seen my farm!) asking how to get to Fernley for her ride home!

It's like 15 miles or so east of Dayton on Hwy 50 to Silver Springs where you turn North on Hwy 95A for another 10 or 15 miles to Fernley, then jump on I-80 east for another 20 miles just to get back to downtown Reno!

Re: the fire. My brother has a friend who's grandmother was the person that died.

Also, his sister's house was one of the one's that was destroyed - she lost everything including her animals - horses, dogs, a cat and some chickens too. So sad! My friend Sunny W's son lives out there, too. He is in Eastlake though so I don't think they had any fire over there but I'm not sure - she doesn't work on Fridays so I wasn't able to ask her and she never answers her cell phone!

He has a dozen or so chickens, too - I traded him some of the Black Am / EE crosses I got from Sunny Dawn for some Buff Orpington's.

 

[NevadaRon]

You're right; if someone gave me a bread machine, I would immediately regift it.

But it's a great option for someone who doesn't have the time and patience to learn all the little nuances like humidity, temperature, and dough texture. I don't like how the loaves turn out, but they're still better than storebought and you have total control over the ingredients.

LOL on the regifting!

I've had to do some experimentation with the amounts of the ingredients to get the right texture, etc. Adding more water, for instance. But yes, they are waaay better than storebought and as you say, I have control over the ingredients! The loaf size is kinda funny - my main problem with it. But you can just have it make the dough, then put it in any size pan you want and bake it in the oven. I haven't tried that yet but I think I will!

BTW - you were saying how the fresh bread doesn't last as long as the storebought. A couple of the preservatives they use in commercial bread, specifically BHA and BHT, are actually very powerful antioxidants. You can even buy them in supplements, usually mixed with other antioxidants like vitamin C or E and amino acids like lyseine. The jury is still out on whether they are good or bad for you, though. I remember reading an article about them by Durk Pearson and Sandy Shaw (if you don't know who they are you should find out!), but I don't remember what the upshot was.

 

[americanvalkyrie]

I found this ad and called on it, and I'm now the #2 person to call and pick them up:

http://reno.craigslist.org/zip/2810045927.html

Apparently, it's a LOT of spent grains... they load up a ball-hitch trailer every couple of weeks. The trailer has a hydraulic dump. You just pick up the trailer, dump the grains, and return the trailer. More grains than I'll use! With all the chickens we have on this thread, I thought we could probably work something out with hauling, dumping, and sharing these. Free food!

It's the Silver Peak Brewery on Wonder, and the trailer sits in the lot across the street, if anyone wants to come by and look at the hitch. I know my Yukon has the square-type hitch (I'm dumb on truck lingo.)

 

[Penturner]

Missy, I can come give it a look. I have no idea what we use in the way of grain per month etc but I think we could use the side of my driveway to dump it. Folks could then come by here to get what they need.
I know nothing about wether spent grain is good for the birds or not but free food sure sounds like a good thing.

 

[americanvalkyrie]

This article says it's a good addition in up to 10% of egg-layers' diets. It cited a second study that said up to 30% of dried grains was ok before it inhibited production. It's high fiber but not that high in protein.

http://www.fao.org/ag/aGa/agap/FRG/afris/Data/468.HTM

It sounds like an overload of grains, so we would probably just need a trailerload once in awhile, and those who have hundreds of chickens can really load up on it. It would also be good in compost. I wonder how well it would do if we dried it then stored it.

Still reading up on it... apparently it's grain that is steeped, before the fermentation process begins. So there's no alcohol to worry about. But you want to use it fast enough that it doesn't get moldy. Some people also use it to make dog biscuits. Some make spent-grain bread, but I don't think grains from a trailer would be good for human consumption.

 

[SunnyDawn]

Holy crud, Sunny. I wondered why you were so quiet for so many hours while the rest of us jabbered on. I'm glad you made it through safely.

Thanks. It was really heartbreaking cause people were trying to get through to their families and pets. One kid behind me was trying to find his Dad and Brother. He was frantic! I felt so bad for them and so helpless.

 

[SunnyDawn]

a number 9 is that really dark what about a number 10. what number do marans usally lay and how can you juge it.

A number nine is the darkest and they are almost unheard of. That's why I laughed. The chances of that happening in a new flock are really slim.

 

[SunnyDawn]

Yeah Sunny called me yesterday saying she was in Dayton (I was still at work

- too bad, she could have stopped by and seen my farm!) asking how to get to Fernley for her ride home!

It's like 15 miles or so east of Dayton on Hwy 50 to Silver Springs where you turn North on Hwy 95A for another 10 or 15 miles to Fernley, then jump on I-80 east for another 20 miles just to get back to downtown Reno!

Re: the fire. My brother has a friend who's grandmother was the person that died.

Also, his sister's house was one of the one's that was destroyed - she lost everything including her animals - horses, dogs, a cat and some chickens too. So sad! My friend Sunny W's son lives out there, too. He is in Eastlake though so I don't think they had any fire over there but I'm not sure - she doesn't work on Fridays so I wasn't able to ask her and she never answers her cell phone!

He has a dozen or so chickens, too - I traded him some of the Black Am / EE crosses I got from Sunny Dawn for some Buff Orpington's.

Oh my gosh!!! I can't magine losing all my animals at once! That would be so horrible!!!

We will have to come by and see your farm another time Ron. BTW the trip wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Just under 3 hours to get all the way back to upper Red Rock and that included a couple of stops. Traffic was heavier than normal of course but I guess most everybody took the Gieger Grade. That's the way I came over cause Virginia City was one of my stops but after seeing what traffic looked like the other way (it was bad enough heading toward Carson) I knew better than to try that! Of course I'm not counting the 2 hours I was stuck on 395.

If someone gave me a bread machine I would be tickled pink! It's one of the things on my wish list. I have heard from friends, that love theirs, that they just skip the last step in the machine. Well for some doughs they say they need to let it have one more rise after disturbing it but then they just pop it in the oven to bake. IDK how weird is the shape? If it tastes good I'm not sure I would care. At least if it's just for me and Steve. It's pretty handy that it turns itself off and everything. Course then I can't dust the outside crust with crushed nuts/grains which I love on bread. I stll think I'd let it do some loafs all the way.

I'd be happy to get in on some of that spent grain! How fast does it go bad?

 

[2seth2]

ya but with my luck the pullet i want will be the one

 

[SunnyDawn]

ya but with my luck the pullet i want will be the one

Well I've got 14 pullets right now and they are still young so it's gonna be hard to tell at this stage who is gonna be the prettiest when she matures anyway. The breeder I got these from specialized in show birds not dark eggs so I'm not holding my breath for super dark eggs. I'm really waiting for Wynette's chicks that are coming in Spring. My 2 oldest boys are from her and they came from super dark eggs. Not number nines either but still really really dark eggs. I can't wait for spring!!!