The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[Leahs Mom]

Quote:
I was just like you, Aoxa. My sinuses would swell shut. Lived that way for many years. During part of the year, I would have to find some place to sit upright if I was going to be able to sleep at night.

When they did testing there was only 1 item I didn't react to.

I noticed relief at the first shot I got. Did the shots for about 1.5 years then kind-of had a lot of crazy distractions going on in my life and ended up not going regularly. Pretty soon, I wasn't going at all. Interesting that after at least 40 years of not being able to breath, I got almost immediate relief. And when I quit doing them, the allergies never came back - at least not at the level as before.

I still react when a cat is around with itchy eyes that swell up. But I can breath all year round.

I was SO bad that no OTC med would work. I'd show relief for about 24 hours and then it seemed that the symptoms became worse.

I don't think I would have believed that the allergy shots worked if I hadn't experienced it myself.

 

[BlueMouse]

you need to bring the body temperature down quickly, that's why you ice bathe. I read some articles in my gourmet cooking magazine (actually what put me off store bought meat in the first place... sheesh...) and they said there's better flavor in air cooled chickens, and because they don't absorb the water that all the chickens have been soaking in together, less disease. Obviously that's mostly true in large poultry processing facilities where they are soaking thousands of chickens in the same chlorinated water, but I decided for myself to cool without soaking in water. I immediately put the processed and thoroughly rinsed chickens in zip lock bags (gallon size) and put them into a cooler full of ice. I fit all nine that we did in there. (big cooler) Then I put them downstairs in our big refridgerator to rest for a couple days, then vacuum sealed and froze. They look really nice, but we haven't eaten one yet

I want to get one out for tomorrow and brine it. Guess I should go downstairs and get that out of the freezer......

Any suggestions for extras to put in the brine?

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

Not chicken related but does anyone know a quick fix for sciatic nerve trouble other than cortisone.

There are some useful Physical Therapy techniques that can help you manage sciatic issues -- not a quick fix at first, but a real life-saver once you can do it on your own anywhere, any time. And I find massage to be a huge relief.

 

[aoxa]

I was just like you, Aoxa. My sinuses would swell shut. Lived that way for many years. During part of the year, I would have to find some place to sit upright if I was going to be able to sleep at night.

When they did testing there was only 1 item I didn't react to.

I noticed relief at the first shot I got. Did the shots for about 1.5 years then kind-of had a lot of crazy distractions going on in my life and ended up not going regularly. Pretty soon, I wasn't going at all. Interesting that after at least 40 years of not being able to breath, I got almost immediate relief. And when I quit doing them, the allergies never came back - at least not at the level as before.

I still react when a cat is around with itchy eyes that swell up. But I can breath all year round.

I was SO bad that no OTC med would work. I'd show relief for about 24 hours and then it seemed that the symptoms became worse.

I don't think I would have believed that the allergy shots worked if I hadn't experienced it myself.

How nice is it to be able to sleep without your mouth open?

I don't have to change the sheets every other day either. We had removed all curtains because they harboured the dust that made me so uncomfortable, and washing them every other day was just not practical.

Don't you wish you had of tried them sooner?

 

[armorfirelady]

Here is a pick of Stella today. Red around eyes but wattles and comb are more pink. I checked her vent last night and its not big or moist.

And that's Lucy in front of her with her yogurt mustache is her comb a pea comb? I was scanning pics to try and decide what kind it is. It looks funky to me. She is BCM/EE mix. I know she is laying and I believe the new big eggs I get every other day are hers. Got another small dark brown one yesterday also.

 

[Leahs Mom]

Don't you wish you had of tried them sooner?

For sure.

One day a friend of mine, who was a salesman, stopped at my house while he was out my way on a sales call. This was probably 20 years ago. He was sniffing, and stopped up, and just sounding miserable. He mentioned that his allergies were bothering him and that he was going to have to get started on his shots again.

I had known this guy for several years and had never heard him like that before. Knowing that he was normally okay, it made me stand up and take notice. The reason he had stopped was that it was a 1.5 hour drive to the place he had to get them at that time. I asked him a million questions and then decided to get tested myself.

If he hadn't stopped taking them I probably never would have done the testing for myself! But seeing him in that condition, and knowing how he was "normally", and hearing his account of how they worked for him, made me decide to go check them out for me.

 

[delisha]

Quote: Very important. All meat goes threw a natural breakdown during the process of death and deterioration. Your objective is to cool the meat quickly and let it go threw the process to tenderize, and add texture and better profiles with out making the meat stringy or spongy.

Quote: always

you need to bring the body temperature down quickly, that's why you ice bathe. I read some articles in my gourmet cooking magazine (actually what put me off store bought meat in the first place... sheesh...) and they said there's better flavor in air cooled chickens, and because they don't absorb the water that all the chickens have been soaking in together, less disease. Obviously that's mostly true in large poultry processing facilities where they are soaking thousands of chickens in the same chlorinated water, but I decided for myself to cool without soaking in water. I immediately put the processed and thoroughly rinsed chickens in zip lock bags (gallon size) and put them into a cooler full of ice. I fit all nine that we did in there. (big cooler) Then I put them downstairs in our big refridgerator to rest for a couple days, then vacuum sealed and froze. They look really nice, but we haven't eaten one yet

I want to get one out for tomorrow and brine it. Guess I should go downstairs and get that out of the freezer......

Any suggestions for extras to put in the brine?

salt, lemon, sugar, ....
I love it when the apples ripen and I cook them to slime and use that for brinning. I leave all skins and cores. I strain them out and give to the birds after. Save some fresh for ACV!

 

[delisha]

Lucy's comb looks like strawberry, cushion or possibly rose.

 

[chirpingcricket]

Very important. All meat goes threw a natural breakdown during the process of death and deterioration. Your objective is to cool the meat quickly and let it go threw the process to tenderize, and add texture and better profiles with out making the meat stringy or spongy.
always
salt, lemon, sugar, ....
I love it when the apples ripen and I cook them to slime and use that for brinning. I leave all skins and cores. I strain them out and give to the birds after. Save some fresh for ACV!

Could you list the "recipe" for the brine? How much water, salt, lemon juice, sugar, apple/slime????

Post processing/plucking, (cleaning/washing/pat drying the meat...) how long do you leave the chicken in the ice water?

Then, how long in the brine?
Do you freeze the meat in the brine? or rinse it off before placing into ziploc bags??
Thanks so much, got this chore staring me in the face as soon as the weather cools...
Birds will be about 6 months old, looks like I'll have 8 to do my 1st time. Nervous, need to get it all figured out real soon. Thanks, Chirp

 

[delisha]

Quote: Hi Chirp.

As I process the chickens I place them in a plastic tote with running hose water(we have a well).
They could be in there for an hour or 4 depending on how many I am doing.
I have a chest cooler 1/2 filled with ice and brine all ready. (brine refrigerator cooled)
BRINE
2 gallons of water
3/4 cup of sugar or honey or you can use 1/2 with stevia leaves chopped up if you hate the sugar idea
3/4 cups kosher salt
4 lemons sliced and floating

I brine over night and bag them up the next day.
I do not freeze with brine.

If i am doing just a few birds, I bag them up and add the brine to the bags and over night them in the fridge. I dump out the brine, rinse, and freeze or cook.


ACV

I stuff a glass jar with apple cores and apple peelings. Or you can food process the whole apples if you have a few that are not good for pies or eating. over ripe winter apples work best
Cover them with cooled boiled water and 1 tablespoon of sugar
Cover the top with cheese cloth and place on the counter away from the sun. 60-80 degrees is best.
You are letting the apples ferment. The more apples you have in the jar the faster it will ferment.
3-4 weeks
I put the cap on over the cheese cloth and tip the jar over to stir once a day threw the fermentation. Remember to remove the cap because it needs air to ferment.
I also leave the cheese cloth on and dump the vinegar out when it is ready before storage. I give the jar of peelings, cores to the birds.
Store in a dark place until the mother starts to form.(I use the same jar, remove the cheese cloth and put the lid on after I wash it)


For adding to brine I just pick the apples off the ground, wash them, cut out spots and food process the whole apple. (I have 4 trees) I even use crab apples.
I use this liquid as part of the brine measurements. So if i have 1/2 gallon of apple slime i use 1 1/2 gallons of water.