Washingtonians Come Together! Washington Peeps

[hallerlake]

Quote: I show because we're trying to get Appenzeller Spitzhaubens accepted by the APA. A history of showing is part of the process. I also show so people will see how cool my birds are, and to raise interest in the breed.

Some people are a lot more serious about showing than I am. I only go to shows within an easy driving distance, My birds are well raised, well bred, and clean, but I don't go for some of the fancy preparations some people do.

 

[Stumpfarmer]

Just jumping into the thread here, that is very cool stuff you are talking about. I don't know chickens well enough to tell the show breeds from good layers or meat birds lol. I do know that I am much more interested in production, I just got luck on the pretty part lol

There is no difference between show birds and production. Or at least there shouldn't be. Form follows function. I just notice some preference differences depending on ones focus. A lot of folks that show will choose simple patterns or solid colors, because its easier to get a highly competitive bird, where as non show folks love the different complex colors and patterns. Exhibitors don't give a darn about egg color, it doesn't matter. Non show folk like tinted eggs etc. again not right or wrong, just interesting differences. Edit: other big difference I've noted is exhibitors don't particularly care about the birds personality in general, while the non show people gravitate away from breeds that have tendencies to be flighty or aggressive.

I guess that you can be unselective about temprement with show chickens, but it makes chicken exhibitors look amateurish compared to anyone else: there is no excuse keeping a mean animal, even if they're not likely to turn you into a fine pink paste the way a bad bull will. My life got an order of magnitude easier when I got rid of a mean rooster. It's just too unpleasant and complicated no matter what their apparent physical perfection. I've known people who were killed by bad cattle, horses, and goats, so I may be biased.

Killed by goats!!!

Who would have thought! Good to know!

ONE goat, a Nubian buck who had not been disbudded. Strangely enough or maybe not strangely at all, that is also a story involving a welded steel-pipe gate getting knocked off its hinges.

 

[chickiemomy]

Quote:
If you do want to buy a new - say smaller tractor -- you might look at the county fairs - sometimes the dealers have good sales, end-of-season deals to move this year's inventory. Do your homework ahead of time - sometimes the accessories they throw in at a discount make it worthwhile. We like our little Kubota. Don't know what we'd do without it.

 

[Totalcolour]

Yesterday was pretty busy in the kitchen. I butchered and vacu-sealed 11 rabbits. I fileted the loins and packed them up in servings for two. Five packages per rabbit. (2 packs of legs, one pack of loins, one pack of belly flap [the bacon area] and one pack of livers). The dog gets the feet, ears and lungs. I roasted the bones and made stock.

Then I made pastry for the pies with leftover duck for himself to take to work.Then I stripped the duck and made a good gravy to go with the meat. I made enough pastry so I could make tarts for his weekly managers meeting (they love my pastries!)

I boned and tied a goat leg, then roasted the bone to make stock. The leg is cooking at 138 degrees in a water bath as I write. It will be pan seared just before serving.



I started some levain to make bread at the end of the week (the levain needs to sour over 5 days, with additions or flour each day).

Then there were the ordinary chores of dishes (lots of extra one with all the cooking), the weekly laundry and ironing, plus animal chores. Then lunch, dinner and more dishes. It was lovely to sit down and have a wine spritzer at the end of it all.

Today I'm going to make daquoise with vanilla filling, lemon tarts with ganache, and complete the meat pies. I have 3 more rabbits to do, but I think I may grind them up to make sausages, although they are young so really tender. Maybe not this batch.

I'm not sure what I shall do with the daquoise and extra tarts - I like to make pastries but I don't eat them (I'm dieting).

Hope everyone is having as much fun as I am, despite the overcast skies.

 

[Stumpfarmer]

Yesterday was pretty busy in the kitchen. I butchered and vacu-sealed 11 rabbits. I fileted the loins and packed them up in servings for two. Five packages per rabbit. (2 packs of legs, one pack of loins, one pack of belly flap [the bacon area] and one pack of livers). The dog gets the feet, ears and lungs. I roasted the bones and made stock. Then I made pastry for the pies with leftover duck for himself to take to work.Then I stripped the duck and made a good gravy to go with the meat. I made enough pastry so I could make tarts for his weekly managers meeting (they love my pastries!) I boned and tied a goat leg, then roasted the bone to make stock. The leg is cooking at 138 degrees in a water bath as I write. It will be pan seared just before serving. I started some levain to make bread at the end of the week (the levain needs to sour over 5 days, with additions or flour each day). Then there were the ordinary chores of dishes (lots of extra one with all the cooking), the weekly laundry and ironing, plus animal chores. Then lunch, dinner and more dishes. It was lovely to sit down and have a wine spritzer at the end of it all. Today I'm going to make daquoise with vanilla filling, lemon tarts with ganache, and complete the meat pies. I have 3 more rabbits to do, but I think I may grind them up to make sausages, although they are young so really tender. Maybe not this batch. I'm not sure what I shall do with the daquoise and extra tarts - I like to make pastries but I don't eat them (I'm dieting). Hope everyone is having as much fun as I am, despite the overcast skies.

I gain weight reading your posts! I have done nothing this morning beyond getting out of bed, feeding the cats, eating breakfast, and finally, finally getting my husband out of bed. I'm letting his male friends lean on him about taking disability retirement; what I am doing is making him face what is necessary for him to do if he's going to keep working. Of course the fact he does anything from a half hour to six hours of telecommuting in the middle of the night means I don't have a handle on what he's actually doing, but there you go, I guess. We fed the young Hamburgs late yesterday, so I guess I'm at the same place as him on late chores. I didn't need to take vicodin yesterday for the first time in over a week, yay me!

 

[Hinotori]

Quote:
If you do want to buy a new - say smaller tractor -- you might look at the county fairs - sometimes the dealers have good sales, end-of-season deals to move this year's inventory. Do your homework ahead of time - sometimes the accessories they throw in at a discount make it worthwhile. We like our little Kubota. Don't know what we'd do without it.
Oh you're right. There was a dealer at the Pierce County Fair last year and we always go there.

 

[Hinotori]

Quote:

X2 on being hungry. And now I feel lazy for making tacos for dinner tonight.

I'm glad you're feeling better Stumpfarmer. I hope it heals up quick on the bruises.

 

[Totalcolour]

Well, it started off well but then it all went sideways fast. I shot dacquoise out of the top (instead of the bottom) of the pastry bag, all over the kitchen. What I saved went into the oven, but then I had all the cleanup. Plus, I managed to get some into the egg yolks I'd saved for the pastry cream. Luckily I bought 2 dozen eggs a couple of days ago.

In fact, I had eggs for lunch - can't believe how dreadful store bought ones taste. I'm so looking forward to having layer hens again.

After this tea break, it's back to the kitchen.

I'm sorry there are so many hurting people out there. Having mostly recovered from surgeries this past year, I know how the pain can be. I feel so lucky being able to do almost everything again.

 

[DuncanA84]

Yesterday was pretty busy in the kitchen. I butchered and vacu-sealed 11 rabbits. I fileted the loins and packed them up in servings for two. Five packages per rabbit. (2 packs of legs, one pack of loins, one pack of belly flap [the bacon area] and one pack of livers). The dog gets the feet, ears and lungs. I roasted the bones and made stock.

Then I made pastry for the pies with leftover duck for himself to take to work.Then I stripped the duck and made a good gravy to go with the meat. I made enough pastry so I could make tarts for his weekly managers meeting (they love my pastries!)

I boned and tied a goat leg, then roasted the bone to make stock. The leg is cooking at 138 degrees in a water bath as I write. It will be pan seared just before serving.



I started some levain to make bread at the end of the week (the levain needs to sour over 5 days, with additions or flour each day).

Then there were the ordinary chores of dishes (lots of extra one with all the cooking), the weekly laundry and ironing, plus animal chores. Then lunch, dinner and more dishes. It was lovely to sit down and have a wine spritzer at the end of it all.

Today I'm going to make daquoise with vanilla filling, lemon tarts with ganache, and complete the meat pies. I have 3 more rabbits to do, but I think I may grind them up to make sausages, although they are young so really tender. Maybe not this batch.

I'm not sure what I shall do with the daquoise and extra tarts - I like to make pastries but I don't eat them (I'm dieting).

Hope everyone is having as much fun as I am, despite the overcast skies.

sounds so yummy!! I have never eaten rabbit. My husband has and we're alos just getting into raising rabbits. He wants to smoke one so badly he can't stand it. I told him he slaughteres them though. Just need to figure out how. Wont be too much longer before some of the ones we have will be breeding and then we can have some nice meat rabbits! Your post makes my mouth water!!!!

 

[DuncanA84]

Ok, so, I have a rogue Hen that I can't catch! She has been living in the bushes in front of the house. She was one of the ones that got away when the neighbors attacked about a month ago. We keep going out with a flashlight at night trying to find where she is roosting. Still can't find it, but I need to catch her. I'm surprised she has gone this long on her own. I know she has plenty of food, but baffels me where she is getting water. The problem is that these bushes are to thick to get in. So even if we find her spot, we can't reach her. Any ideas???