Monday, June 29, 2015
Rooster wannabe
Someone was crowing in the coop today. I'm pretty sure it was the cream brabanter. Sometimes in a flock of all hens, one of them will start acting like a rooster - crowing, protecting the flock, and even mounting the other hens. If she gets to be too loud, or she's crowing at inappropriate hours, I'll need to cull or rehome her. I'm crossing my fingers that it doesn't come to that.
Friday, June 26, 2015
Crochet projects update
I've been steadily crocheting away! Here's everything new:
Cat ear-warmers:
Lamb bonnet:
Dragon Tail neck warmer (I should have make it longer so that there would be overlap. I think I'm going to make a second one with different colors):
And the updated army cap with buttons:
Cat ear-warmers:
Lamb bonnet:
Dragon Tail neck warmer (I should have make it longer so that there would be overlap. I think I'm going to make a second one with different colors):
And the updated army cap with buttons:
Wednesday, June 24, 2015
Chicken therapy
The homestead doesn't pause just because the farmer is sick. I had planned to do a deep cleaning of the coop today, but ended up just squeezing in a visit at dusk to refill the water, food, and grit, and put down a flake of straw. Yet the visit perked me up immensely.
I had anticipated that I would enjoy having chickens around to take care of - if not, I wouldn't have bothered with getting multiple heritage breeds, and would have simply gotten a flock of leghorn pullets. I underestimated just how much I would enjoy them, though! The time flies as I watch them scratching and clucking in their run. I buy them a melon or two at every run to the grocery store because it's their favorite treat. I still have a couple last upgrades to make to their coop to make their layout even better.
The older girls are possibly just two weeks from laying their first eggs. I just bought them layer feed and adult-sized grit to replace the chick-sized bags. Counting down...
Wednesday, June 17, 2015
Sunbathing chickens
They never fail to amuse me. They LOVE the sunshine.
The Ameraucana was totally blissed out - her eyes were even closed.
Wednesday, June 10, 2015
Rabbit butchering
Warning: I am going to talk about butchering rabbits and tanning hides in this post. For some reason, few of my friends want to hear about the details of the workshop I attended on Sunday.
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The Institute of Urban Homesteading in Oakland holds two classes about rabbits, both of which I recently attended. The first was general rabbit raising and husbandry, and the second was a demonstration and hands-on practice of butchering and working with pelts. I really liked the idea of raising my own meat animals. My diet is limited and meat is an integral part of it, but I'm disgusted by the conventional agricultural system. Organic meat is an improvement, but not really good enough. By raising my own meat animals, I can ensure that they have a high quality of life and a humane death. But of course, the biggest question for someone who has grown up buying meat in a package at the grocery store is whether I would be able to look my food in the eye and then dispatch and process it.
The instructor started off with discussion, then demonstrated how she dispatches rabbits. There are two methods that are generally considered humane: breaking the rabbit's neck (the Rabbit Wringer is an easy way to do it) or shooting it with a pellet gun or captive bolt gun. Our instructor places the rabbit firmly between her thighs as she sits on the ground and covers its head with her hand to help it calm down. She likes that this contact allows her to be fully present with the rabbit and able to tell when it is calm. The first time she removed her hand, the rabbit tried to wiggle away. She held him longer, felt his heartbeat slow some more, and when she let go again he just calmly sat between her legs. It was now appropriate to end his life with an instant, as-painless-as-possible shot right into the top of his brain.
From what we could tell, consciousness immediately left the rabbit, but the body was still filled with electrical impulses that caused it to kick and wiggle for a few extra seconds. This part was hard for everyone to witness. The instructor then laid the rabbit on a wooden board and used a cleaver to remove its head, to make absolutely sure that it was 100% dead before we started the skinning process. This required some strength. At this point my stomach felt queasy and I was light-headed. I sat back down and did deep breathing and uncontrollable yawning. I'm curious about skinning with the head intact so that you get those few extra inches of fur, but on the other hand, I too will want to be absolutely sure that the rabbit is fully dead first.
She then cut off three of the rabbit's feet, hung it up by the remaining back foot, and showed us how to skin it and remove the internal organs. After her demonstration and some more discussion, the workshop participants were split into two groups and took turns dispatching, skinning, and gutting two more rabbits. I wanted to do the dispatch of ours but lost in rock-paper-scissors to a pregnant lady who was also gung-ho about the experience. I was less confident about cleaving off the head and feet. But I stepped up to do the first part of skinning: making the initial cut through the the skin (trying not to nick the meat underneath) at the thigh and pulling the skin off of the flesh around the leg. It was so strange to stick my fingers into the warm body of the rabbit and work its skin loose. However the moment that the hide started to pull back and reveal the meat underneath, my brain flipped a switch from "animal" to "carcass," and I felt no reservations about the rest of the process.
With all the rabbits ready for rinsing and cooking, we headed inside. The body should be placed into the fridge for a few days so that it can go through rigor mortis and soften back up again - or you can put it straight into the freezer and remember to let it process after thawing. The instructor had rabbit stew on the stove and we all got a small amount to eat. It was delicious. She also fried up the belly of one of the rabbits, which some call "rabbit bacon." Some people liked it, but for me it was much too chewy, and the texture grossed me out.
Then it was on to processing the pelts! The instructor uses a solution of salt and alum to cure the hide for a few days. You then take the pelt out of the bucket and manually pull the bottom layer of skin and fat off. This takes time and muscle. She says that she will do six pelts at a time, sitting in front of the TV and working away. You remix the solution and soak the pelts for a few more days to finish curing. Then rinse, wash gently with shampoo, and hang up to dry. Periodically as its drying, you work the hide to make it soft. If you don't do this enough, the pelt will be stiff and tough. If you properly break the proteins up with your hands, it will be soft and wearable.
The instructor had a pile of extra uncured hides available for participants to take home. There were beautiful pure white and black furs that got snapped up immediately. By coincidence I ended up with the hides of the two light brown rabbits that the class had butchered that day. I am totally happy with that; it feels appropriate. They're in my freezer until I order the supplies I'll need for curing.
I now feel confident that I want to raise and process my own rabbits for their meat and fur. I have multiple plans for the fur - I will be registering a new business this year! Selling the meat for either human or pet consumption would require permits, fees, and access to a commercial kitchen, so that's out. However I am allowed to eat it myself and feed it to my pets - healthy raw food for just the cost of rabbit feed. I won't be jumping into purchasing breeding rabbits right away, but I will be ordering frozen rabbits online to practice skinning and processing the pelts and cooking for myself.
My current small vegetable and fruit garden doesn't grow enough food to do more than offer snacks and supplements. However between gardening, my chickens for eggs (and potentially meat), and rabbits, I look forward to someday having a quite self-sustaining lifestyle. I feel empowered.
.
.
.
.
The Institute of Urban Homesteading in Oakland holds two classes about rabbits, both of which I recently attended. The first was general rabbit raising and husbandry, and the second was a demonstration and hands-on practice of butchering and working with pelts. I really liked the idea of raising my own meat animals. My diet is limited and meat is an integral part of it, but I'm disgusted by the conventional agricultural system. Organic meat is an improvement, but not really good enough. By raising my own meat animals, I can ensure that they have a high quality of life and a humane death. But of course, the biggest question for someone who has grown up buying meat in a package at the grocery store is whether I would be able to look my food in the eye and then dispatch and process it.
The instructor started off with discussion, then demonstrated how she dispatches rabbits. There are two methods that are generally considered humane: breaking the rabbit's neck (the Rabbit Wringer is an easy way to do it) or shooting it with a pellet gun or captive bolt gun. Our instructor places the rabbit firmly between her thighs as she sits on the ground and covers its head with her hand to help it calm down. She likes that this contact allows her to be fully present with the rabbit and able to tell when it is calm. The first time she removed her hand, the rabbit tried to wiggle away. She held him longer, felt his heartbeat slow some more, and when she let go again he just calmly sat between her legs. It was now appropriate to end his life with an instant, as-painless-as-possible shot right into the top of his brain.
From what we could tell, consciousness immediately left the rabbit, but the body was still filled with electrical impulses that caused it to kick and wiggle for a few extra seconds. This part was hard for everyone to witness. The instructor then laid the rabbit on a wooden board and used a cleaver to remove its head, to make absolutely sure that it was 100% dead before we started the skinning process. This required some strength. At this point my stomach felt queasy and I was light-headed. I sat back down and did deep breathing and uncontrollable yawning. I'm curious about skinning with the head intact so that you get those few extra inches of fur, but on the other hand, I too will want to be absolutely sure that the rabbit is fully dead first.
She then cut off three of the rabbit's feet, hung it up by the remaining back foot, and showed us how to skin it and remove the internal organs. After her demonstration and some more discussion, the workshop participants were split into two groups and took turns dispatching, skinning, and gutting two more rabbits. I wanted to do the dispatch of ours but lost in rock-paper-scissors to a pregnant lady who was also gung-ho about the experience. I was less confident about cleaving off the head and feet. But I stepped up to do the first part of skinning: making the initial cut through the the skin (trying not to nick the meat underneath) at the thigh and pulling the skin off of the flesh around the leg. It was so strange to stick my fingers into the warm body of the rabbit and work its skin loose. However the moment that the hide started to pull back and reveal the meat underneath, my brain flipped a switch from "animal" to "carcass," and I felt no reservations about the rest of the process.
With all the rabbits ready for rinsing and cooking, we headed inside. The body should be placed into the fridge for a few days so that it can go through rigor mortis and soften back up again - or you can put it straight into the freezer and remember to let it process after thawing. The instructor had rabbit stew on the stove and we all got a small amount to eat. It was delicious. She also fried up the belly of one of the rabbits, which some call "rabbit bacon." Some people liked it, but for me it was much too chewy, and the texture grossed me out.
Then it was on to processing the pelts! The instructor uses a solution of salt and alum to cure the hide for a few days. You then take the pelt out of the bucket and manually pull the bottom layer of skin and fat off. This takes time and muscle. She says that she will do six pelts at a time, sitting in front of the TV and working away. You remix the solution and soak the pelts for a few more days to finish curing. Then rinse, wash gently with shampoo, and hang up to dry. Periodically as its drying, you work the hide to make it soft. If you don't do this enough, the pelt will be stiff and tough. If you properly break the proteins up with your hands, it will be soft and wearable.
The instructor had a pile of extra uncured hides available for participants to take home. There were beautiful pure white and black furs that got snapped up immediately. By coincidence I ended up with the hides of the two light brown rabbits that the class had butchered that day. I am totally happy with that; it feels appropriate. They're in my freezer until I order the supplies I'll need for curing.
I now feel confident that I want to raise and process my own rabbits for their meat and fur. I have multiple plans for the fur - I will be registering a new business this year! Selling the meat for either human or pet consumption would require permits, fees, and access to a commercial kitchen, so that's out. However I am allowed to eat it myself and feed it to my pets - healthy raw food for just the cost of rabbit feed. I won't be jumping into purchasing breeding rabbits right away, but I will be ordering frozen rabbits online to practice skinning and processing the pelts and cooking for myself.
My current small vegetable and fruit garden doesn't grow enough food to do more than offer snacks and supplements. However between gardening, my chickens for eggs (and potentially meat), and rabbits, I look forward to someday having a quite self-sustaining lifestyle. I feel empowered.
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