Feeding the Poultry

Some folk often wonder what they can feed their poultry other than commercial stuff. I know first hand that over the colder months the cost of layer ration can go up considerably as the birds do not free range. This is a frustrating time of year, the poultry seem to eat their way through bags of feed whilst laying very few eggs.
It can help to add a few scraps into their diet. This gives them a bit of variety and can help cut cost slightly. I give my ducks, turkeys and chickens a few scraps each day. Usually plate scrapings, meat scraps we cannot eat (cut up with no bones in) tea dregs, and any other bits and bobs that may be past consumable for us. I find they will not eat citrus fruit or juice, chili, onion or garlic.
We also have Kefir grains that increase in size rapidly. When we have too many grains I give them to the poultry, they love it. It gives them a good dose of probiotics and it helps increase egg production. Make sure the food is small enough for them to eat easily, nobody want a choking chicken or a blocked crop.

Mini Meringues

I recently made a delicious French Lemon Tart. It used quite a few whole eggs but left me with two spare egg whites. Those lonely two little eggs whites did not go to waste. I made some mini meringues with them.

Tasty Little Treats

In a large mixing bowl whip the eggs whites up until slightly firmed, add one ounce of sugar for each egg white. Keep beating the egg whites until they reach the firm peak stage, when the bowl can be held over your head upside down without the meringue landed on you! Spoon dollops of the mix onto a baking tray lined with foil. Bake on 275 degrees until they are crisp, this can take a couple of hours and depends on the size of your meringues.

Serve as they are or with fresh fruit and cream

Sunshine Melt!

It is once again above the zero mark here, and once again the poultry are enjoying it very much. The ducks seemed to enjoy bathing in the muddy snow melt puddles that formed underneath where we park the car. Not sure what the turkey's made of it!

Snow free and muddy!

When to let the Poultry out

Over the Winter time all of our poultry is tucked away in sheds, it is just to cold here in Manitoba to let them run loose. We learned that lesson the first year of keeping ducks. We let them decide when they came in and out and sadly it soon became apparent that they did not make good choices, we lost most of them to cold exposure that first year. We felt terrible.
It can be tricky to gauge when it is too cold to let poultry out. It depends on breed, hardiness, is it windy, is it too snowy. There is lots to think about. My turkeys will go out up to about minus 10 actual temperature, chickens the same, ducks, no way!
The decision on whether they come out or not is now ours, and many owners differ on when it is fine for them to wander outside. Today all my turkeys, chickens and ducks are out (although not my Muscovy Ducks, who hate the slightest cold) We had fresh snow last night, it is currently minus 4 with a windchill of minus 9.
If it is way too cold for you, it will likely be way to cold for them. If it is cold but you can stay out comfortably the chances are they could to. Use your common sense as they lack it. Remember that your bad judgement can sadly be fatal to our feathered friends.

Soup Sievings Savoury Rolls

Soup sievings, you may ask? Simple really, whenever I make soup that has been whizzed I most often than not sieve it to remove all the stringy pulpy bits. These certainly do not go to waste. With a tomato based soup I usually use these sievings up as the tomato base for a pizza. However, on this occasion I tried a new recipe.

I made a simple bread dough -

400 ml water
Pinch of salt
Pinch of sugar
1 tbsp of traditional yeast
Enough flour to make a soft dough (I used a mix of white and wholewheat flours)

Once the bread had risen for about an hour I rolled it out to a long rectangle. I then spread the soup sievings over the entire rolled out dough and sprinkled it with some grated cheese.

Ready to roll

Roll carefully and as tight as you can so you have a large sausage shape. Proceed to cut them in to sections about an inch or so thick. Place on a baking sheet and let rise for about half an hour.

Ready to bake

Bake on 350 degrees until risen and slightly browned. Savoury leftover soup sievings rolls!

Scrummy!

The New Trio

The weather has been fine lately, still snowy but fine. I thought I would share a photo of my latest poultry trio. They are Golden Laced Wyandottes, and the hens are extremely friendly, the rooster however is slightly more reserved! I am sure he will become less evasive in time. A great dual purpose breed and rather nice to look at.

Looking over his girls!

Snow is yummy!

Empty the Freezer Soup!

We have a couple of large chest freezers outside in the garage which is home to all our homegrown goodies. I bring in bags of veg, meat and fruit into the inside freezer for easy use rather than going outside every time I want a pan of peas for example. Every few weeks I empty the freezer and all its bags of not much that hide themselves away and make a soup. Soup variety varies with whatever I need to use up.

Colorful and Healthy

In this case it was tomatoes, zucchini, red cabbage, leftover carrot and potato water and some stale bread. Seasoned with salt and pepper, spiced with turmeric and cumin. 

Yum Yum

Once cooked the soup was whizzed, then passed through a sieve (sieved leftovers saved for casseroles or to put on a pizza base) The soup was served with baking powder biscuits.

Budget Shopping

Whether we are on a budget or not, most of us like to save money rather than spend it. My budget shudders when my husband has to do the small amount of shopping we need every now and again. The shopping cart or basket for some reason seems to attract things that are not on the list!
So, how do we stay in budget? One answer is don't let the husband do it!
Meal planning is a good start, this featured in a earlier blog, it really helps the purse strings. It is also crucial to write a proper list, go through the kitchen and write down exactly what is needed, nothing more and nothing less. This way you can ensure that you will not forget anything and that those cost adding not needed extra items will not find their way home with you. You will no doubt know your shopping place well, I can run in go exactly where I need to go, grab what I need and run out, paying first of course! You get what I mean.
New shopping venues are the bane of life when it comes to budget shopping, you will always spend to much time looking and then the trouble starts, you spend way to much money in these situations.
A list is essential, but just as important is too never go shopping before eating. This is one of the worst things you can do, hungry rumbling tummies rule the grocery shop.
So, grab you list, eat before you go and happy shopping.
Further tips on this subject to come in later blogs :)

Scrumptious Chicken Soup

We recently had a lovely chicken curry, made by my husbands fair hands. The next day in a large pot went the carcass and scraps to boil in water for about 8 hours. All the meat was then taken off and chucked back in with a handful of potatoes, a bit of leftover porridge, an onion, a few cloves of garlic and some seasoning. This cooked for about half and hour before being whizzed to puree and served with little baking powder cheese breads.

So Simple

Chicken Soup good for the Soul!

Fresh Manitoba Air

Despite the amount of snow we still have on the ground that makes it looks very cold, it has been very mild the last couple of days, it is a nice treat once again for my birds to spread their wings and stretch their legs.

Sun on their backs

Friendly chap

Turkey hen

Snow tastes good

The chickens had to savor the sun in their enclosure as they don't get along too well with the turkeys. It is better when they can all graze in Summer!