Wisconsin "Cheeseheads"

[Angiebubs]

So our idea to create snow paths in the run for the chickens? Not sucha good idea. My DD13 created paths with lil tunnels into the sides. The paths were over the chickens heads. I go out after dark to close up coop and find 2 pullets sitting on windowsill edge shakign cold. Then couldnt find 2 others...So here I am walking around the path/trails and still couldnt find them. After 10 mins of this and freezinggggggg....discover another lil snow cave with the two pullets huddle inside. Today-kept the coop closed up! (24 chickens with 220-250 sq ft..will be boring but should be ok) Have to get my daughter to jsut create one big pit in thecentr I guess so as not to confuse the "slow" ones :-(

 

[chikenscratch]

I need you guys to stop talking about Egg Foo Yung!!!!!! For the past 2 days now, I'm craving it. Agh.....

DH & I are gonna talk with our landlords to bid on the house that we are currently in. No we can't have chickens legally here, but we have a huge house and an acre. Plus there is a lot behind us for sale. This way we won't be over-extending our budget and can save up for the house of our dreams, go on vacations, and have fun (which we currently can't afford to do).

I can't remember everyone's postings, but here it goes....house looks great in the snow, glad the nephew is okay, hungry on the egg foo yung,and jealous on the snow issue.

 

[Terri O]

Hi all! Duck, duck, soup was great! You saw the beginnings the other day...here it is nearly done:

I would have liked to have more spinach to add for more color. But it was delicious anyhow. I have 3 quarts of stock left for more soup in the future that I am putting in the freezer. I also have THIS left:



It is the layer of chilled fat from before I make the soup. I could take it off in squares--I got 3 containers full...I guess the ducks were pretty fat hey? The question is, what can I do with it? Any of you people have a suggestion? It isnt strong flavored at all but it does kind of taste a bit like duck.

DD20 just came in--I was NOT expecting her today at all! What a surprise! Later! TerriOofftovisit

 

[bigzio]

Evening All... Had a good time today making a road trip to Wega by bl4 for my Christmas soap. Checked out the restored tractor that her hubby has been workin on...all i can say is that it looks showroom quality, and runs nice and smooth. It will be a good skidder for sure...(pretty too).
Talkin about putin on a 3 point conversion too. (sweet)

The soap looks and smells great! Jennie will be a happy camper for sure..thanks bl4!

Nice pics again, thanks for sharing them.

Prolly mix the fat with some mash TO....I sure wouldn't waste any of it....My baseball gloves are good to go!

On the road again tomorrow. gonna go up on the indian reservation tomorrow and meet my daughter for a switch of food and presents and paper products stuff that jennie is sharing...dang those boxes are heavy....need to get them out of the living room.

bigz

 

[delisha]

Use duck fat for frying everything

Makes the best bird suet for chickens

heat the fat, add garlic, BOSS, spinach, chopped tomatoes, bacon. Fill up small cupcake tins, pop them in the freezer, than into zip lock bags

Makes a great winter treat for birds to jump at and get exercise when you hang it.

 

[vickiw]

Thank you all for your input, especially you , Delisha. You were right on with everything I had read elsewhere. Since posting I discovered that the prez of the Ameracauna assoc. is just over in Holman WI. havent contacted yet, just checked out his website but he should be agreat source for pure breds.

jim~so glad you canuse soy sauce, I am envious. maybe after my check up on thursday my onc will lighten up a bit if the echo comes back good this time.

hope everyone is having a good, blessed holiday season and everyone got the snow they wanted.

 

[Hurley]

anyone know more than I do (which is practically zilch) about Amaracuanas? Anyone have them? Size, temperment, egg size, good layers, cold hardy, etc.?????
Thanks in advance for any info you might share.

I got Ameraucanas from Wayne Meredith who raises very nice birds and I had good luck with them in that the birds were big bodied, very pretty full feathers, and once mature laid large or XL pretty blue eggs. Did well through the cold, but they were not very heat hearty. Lost them all this summer on one hot day. Will try them again in the future, loved them, but right now I only have a couple bantams. He's over by Eagle.

 

[babylady4]

Busy day here, nice to see BigZ and the better half today! Thanks for the props on the tractor! I'll let the DH know.

I ripped apart the bathroom today so I could re-paint it. All the caulking needs to be re-done so I was pulling it out this morning.... and it was all coming off in little 1/2 inch chunks. Then drywall patching, and of course I dropped a tool in the tub and chipped it..

Someday I will get it done.... like before my cousins come.

Enjoying the snow here, but not the cold.

TO, here is a link for you on ideas for cooking with your duck fat.

http://www.dartagnan.com/3511/p3475/articles/Cooking-with-Duck-Fat.html

 

[judge]

I am jealous you are getting any eggs. We have 5 hens (3 buff orpington, 2 reds) and are currently getting NO eggs, not one. Not for a few weeks. It was right about the time we got real cold that they stopped but I am really wondering what is going on. If we have an egg eater or what. I have about had it to be honest, close to sending them to the freezer....except the prospect of starting in the spring and waiting all that time for eggs again...ugh!
It might be best though, we are going on vacation for a week in February and our parents are taking our kids (his parents during the week, mine on the weekend) and we so far have nobody to take care of the chickens. We could probably get one of the neighbors to but not sure how much you would even pay someone to do that? I could start with new chicks when we come back and hopefully they will start laying earlier, I love my orps but boy did they take a LONG time to lay. And then there is the husband who just wants to switch to game birds entirely.

I was wondering if we had egg eaters too! We have 17 chickens and are getting anywhere from 3-5 eggs a day now...

 

[jvls1942]

Hi all, trouble with posting more than once a day is not much to write about.. TerriO, water proof your boots with that fat,, then do the suet thing..

had an interesting supper.. I just was finishing cooking my oatmeal supper when Annie announces that she had a steak out for supper..

she bought one of those green frying pans that are super slick.. no oil needed and no unwanted trace elements in the food.. soooo, I cut up the steak and cooked it on med high heat, just to see if it would burn or stick.. no oil of any kind.. just the meat.. It turned out perfect and nothing stuck to the pan.. Not being used to salt, I found it salty.. nobody else did, though.. for dessert, I ate my oatmeal...

....andthatisthelastestchapterinmyexcitinglife......