The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[iwanaplae2]

flashlight in your mouth......I couldn't live without the headlamps - especially in the winter when it is dark all the time.  Lets me do all my chicken chores (feeding, watering, poop removal, egg gathering, health checks, litter fluffing.......)with two hands.  Lets me carry two jugs of water to the coop.  I used flashlights until this fall when my sweetie, Sue, gave me  a couple of headlamps.  I keep them in my jacket pocket and when I come home at night I can check the girls without going to the house first.

here's a $6 one from sierra trading.  you can spend 50 bucks on one, but....why?

Well that ones cute! I'm one of those moms that never buys anything for myself. The needs of the family always came first. And even tho my kids are all grown and on their own...that still happens lol
Anyways, I put a headlamp on my Christmas list. But apparently my DH and kids thought I was joking

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

the top crust would be the disc of crust that covers the apples in an apple pie. When I make it, I cut 1 heart shaped hole in the center and 5-6 small circle holes around the heart hole for venting. other just make a lattice topping. once the crust in in plaace over the apples, I use a pastry brush to get the milk spread in a thin layer, just enough for the sugar to stick to something. Then I dust the top milk coated crust with granulated sugar. Then I bake until bubbling. typically at 375-400 as I like lighter brown crusts.

Step one it to put flour in bowl, add salt and possibly sugar. stir with fingers or fork to mix in salt. Add fat, shortening, butter, lard, ...Personally I find the butter must be precut to help with the next step. Once the fat is in the bowl, place fingers in the flour in the bowl and gradually work in the fat, as long as your fingers stay flour coated, the fat won't stick to your fingers. once the flour is mixed with the fat it should be grainy looking like sugar coated peas, it should not be over mixed. next is the messier part of gradually adding the water. First make a miniature funnel shapped area by scooting the flour fat mix to the bottom and sides of the bowl. Add 3/4 of the water called for as humidity in the air can change the amount needed. gently pour the water into your funnel area. using your flour but dry hands slowly mix flour from the sides into the water. as long as your hands stay between the bowl edge and the flour, you won't get too much o a sticky feeling. if more water is needed add it. the pie crust should not be super moist / sticky unless it is really hot in the kitchen. once the pie crust dough is made, cover and place in fridge for 10 minutes while you prep the rolling area. LIGHTLY flour dust the rolling area. roll out the crust but only roll in two directions to prevent overworking the gluten in the flour. I ten to roll away from me about 3-4 rolls then from right to left about 3-4 rolls. I typically end up with a square. once the crust is in the pie place I fill with the fruit and such. Then I roll out the next square and top the pie. Then crimp and trim the edges / add venting, top with milk + sugar and here is the part my children love. I take those scraps and re-roll them out. I top with butter , cinnamon, and sugar. I then roll into a log and bake as a treat for the children. I bake the log while the oven is preheating so no set time just until it looks done. Then the pie goes in. and the children stay still long enough to snack on the cinnamon log.

Oh, yummy! I'll skip the pie and go straight for the cinnamon log!

I actually think I can "handle" doing a pie crust like this. I have the most gorgeous bag of locally grown, organic, hand milled, stone ground, whole wheat flour in an old fashioned flour sac, and this would be such a fitting thing to do with it. Since I don't bake it's just been sitting there.

I was craving two-crusted pie SO bad during blackberry season. We sort of specialize in wild blackberries here

(when we're not specializing in mud, that is), and there was a facebook post of a Octopus Pie Crust going around ... just google it an NOT want pie.

 

[Leahs Mom]

@armorfirelady Thanks for the wreath storage container dust bath inspiration!

I picked one up last week when you mentioned it to set aside for the future. Decided to put it under the sun canopy area this morning and it was a "hit".

I put it out today and only used 1/2 but ended up getting out both sides. I'll take it back inside in about half hour so it doesn't get full of snow. Nice thing about it is that you can just dump it all in one side and put the lid on and store it until the next time! I would have put both sides out sooner but didn't have enough peat moss for both sides really, as my bag was getting low. I use a mixture of peat moss and wood ash.

The 3 top girls got in right away.


There was a waiting line.



A fourth tried to join them.

Didn't last long however...they chased her out pretty much right away.


Mister stands guard.



Finally got out the other half. Wish I'd had more peat moss. I'll be getting a couple more bags for the shelf soon.

 

[Leahs Mom]

PS: and you get 2 for the price of one!

 

[armorfirelady]

Spent the last couple hours shoveling snow off the hens buildings, shoveling to the ground & putting insulation board around outside of coop in readiness of the storm coming. The insulation board was wedged between the hay bales & walls of coop. Girls can't peck at it since canvas is hiding it. Kicked all their hay up to the edges of the coop to block air in. And then inside stapled plastic to top and then 2 other pieces so they hang down. Kind of makes am3'sided square. The plastic hangs down to the roost so I stapled the ends to it. Plenty of room for 8 hens to roost between the plastic sides. I cut holes in top piece where roof vents are so humidity can escape. My coop has never been so air tight (it's not really-it's a hoop coop still lots of little spots air can get in). I hung a thermometer in there as well. It's a good 5'degreesmwarmer in the coop. The front door is propped open till the temps start dropping. I am so afraid of not enough air movement now with all the "insulation" I put on/around it and its 42F out now. Thankfully I can leave the door open and when I close it later still open & close the window to keep air coming in? The temps are suppose to rapidly drop to single digits by night time.

I also threw a tarp over the fence between their entrance tunnel & the dog crate and attached it to both. Keep the wind and snow out so they can get to food & water. It will also keep the wind and snow out of the dog crate

Girls didn't seemed bothered by tarp at all. They were out with me inspecting everything.

I took this pic from inside coop at the pop door. Nice air flow in here but everything protected from wind and snow. Your looking down to dog crate.

Front door open till night time. They are calling for 3 ft of snow. Told the girls they better get back outside while its nice

 

[armorfirelady]

LM glad the wreath dust bath is working well. I leave one half out all the time. I figure when it's nice I will use other half under the A frame. My big girls all pile in it at once as well. I never see the tots in it but when Edie turns gray I know they were using it lol

 

[Leahs Mom]

It's easy for me to move it into the kiddo's pen for awhile and easy to store too! Love the handle and all.

@armorfirelady

 

[taylynnp]

Insulating my hoop house today too. Got some hay bales coming to stack around the outside.

I've added some more bedding to the DL and will close the roof vents more. Thinking about taking the roosts out and creating a sleeping box so they have a smaller area to keep warm. That way they'll huddle together in the DL. Didn't someone do that? Thoughts?

I guess my other option would be to staple some plastic around the roost to create a smaller sleeping area like armorfirelady did above. That was clever.

 

[Scott H]

Why close the roof vents?

 

[Leahs Mom]

Here's what I've shoveled out of the kennel run so far (and it's already filling up again.)


Looking out the back gate. That all came out of the run!











I also like to pile some up around the base of the hen shed as it's raised up about 18" off the ground. Adds insulation and keeps things warmer inside so that the wind isn't blowing so much under the shed.