CSI: Missing Chicken Edition

UPDATE- as of 2/27/24.  Found the other hens dead in their coop this morning.  I will spare you the gorey details but this attack seemed to have been a weasel. :(  Guess we will for sure be pullet shopping in the spring.
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More silliness but alittle sadness.

We had our first hen go missing this week.  It was  Penny, one of the Ameraucanas, that layed colored eggs.  Sniff, sniff.  Penny is the copper colored one in the front here-

Question is what happened to her?  There is no sign of any foul play (or fowl play).  Crime scene is clean-

But we investigated...

And investigated...

There were a few feathers found coming from the coop but not enough to raise suspicion.

This guy is the most likely suspect but there still should have been traces of a struggle.

Hmmmm...

I have my guess what happened but its not interesting enough to share.  Questionable whether this entire post was interesting enough to share.  Guess we will be pullet shopping in the spring.  I would like a Barred Rock but really like those Easter Egg laying varieties.  Decisions, decisions.

Much more interesting post about our chickens-
Keeping Chickens is it Worth It, Are Free Range Hens Eggs Better?
MTV Cribs, The Pullet Chalet

Curing Hams

We are attempting to cure our own hams this winter.
Mainly for two reasons:

1. The place we send our pigs to de-bones the hams and smokes them, the hams are usually small and somewhat dry (granted they are not injected with solution like the store hams).
2. After Jonathan ate my parent's home cured country hams he fell in love.  You can't get anything like that around here that I know of.  Maybe something similar at a specialty store possibly but would be expensive.

So with my parent's counsel we are trying to cure our own.  I hope I wrote down the correct notes over the phone from my Dad.  At the time I was over due pregnant and more brain challenged than usual.

Here is what we did-

We started with one of our FRESH hams.  Not one that talks back, but one that has not been smoked or cured.  The ones at the store are usually smoked or cured to cut down on cooking time.  Our meat processing house gave us one full fresh ham back cut into the two standard pieces: the shank and the butt-

The Butt End is what it implies, the butt or buttocks of the pig.  The Shank is the part below the butt, so more like the pigs back thigh area.

Here is our Butt and Shank (the shank ham already has the rub on it).  They are about 8-10 lbs each.

Here is the recipe my Dad gave me.  I had to search around for Salt Petre (potassium nitrate) but was finally able to get it through the CVS pharmacy for around $5.  Its available online also.

2 cups brown sugar, 1 cup table salt, 3 teaspoon black pepper, 1 teaspoon salt petre-

Rub it on to about 1/8" thickness.  It also exfoliates your hands.

Then we wrapped them in butchers paper.  I was told not to use any waxy type paper so the meat can breath and drip out juices.  Now they just need to cure for around 30-40 days in temperatures between 32-40 degrees Fahrenheit.  The old timers would hang the hams in their smoke house.  We plan to do the same in our shed but temperatures have been really cold here this month.  Right now the hams are curing in our frig.  

If the temperature is below freezing then its not a big deal, the hams just won't cure due to being too cold.  Therefore you would have to allow for more curing days.  If temperature gets above 40 degrees though then the meat could spoil.

Crossing my salty fingers it works!  We will let you know.

Just Some Snow Pics

Taking it easy, but I am missing sharing pictures and such.  So here are some random photos from around the homestead during these cold snowy days.

These are the faces they give me when I ask them to look at the camera and smile.... maybe I should start trying reverse psychology?

Oh wait, they looked at the camera-

I have to say, even the cats and rodents make more sensical roadways than the ones here in New England (they are straight, I always love those "S" curves on I-95).  Those twigs are our asparagus plants, looking forward to this coming season harvest of them.

Here is the rat highway to the chicken coop.... they are snatching food from their feeder.... or maybe both enjoy company during these cold winter months.

A note about salmonella (from my understanding)-  Eggs get contaminated with salmonella when a hen eats the feces of an infected rat.  When a hen is infected I hear it is quite obvious, she shows obvious signs of illness.  Then you know not to eat her eggs.

This is obviously where the rats live.  We plan to get rid of all these scrap piles in the spring to hopefully cut down on them.  The cats have really helped in this regard also (not removing scrap piles but killing some of the rats).

Ice sickles on the chicken coop wire.

Hens have been spending lots of time in the coop, very cold most days.  We don't heat their coop, we just try and keep it insulated with straw.  They are hardy girls.

Change of topic.....  Baby comparison pics.
Baby 1.0 at around 1 month old-

Baby 2.0 at around 1 month old-

Baby 3.0 at almost 1 month old-

We think she looks more like baby 1.0 (big brother) but with bigger cheeks and dark hair.... but its hard to tell.

I plan to start writing about real stuff again soon.... such as trying to cure our own hams and some house updates.  Bear with me please. :)

My Babies' Daddy

With our newest daughter's birth day still fresh on my mind I have to write a short piece about my husband and his role during the process (the birthing process that is).

This probably sounds very cliche.... but I literally don't know how I could go through labor without Jonathan.  I know the baby would still come out, but the experience would not be the same.

I remember when he was made fun of by his co-workers for attending birth classes with me before our first child.  Thankfully he didn't care what they thought.  I also remember him taking notes in that class... such a good student.  And those classes (Bradley Method).... were well worth it.  They prepared both of us very well for my tough first labor.  Jonathan knew just where and how to rub my back through the back labor I was having.  I had not dilated to 4cms yet so drugs were not an option, but the discomfort was very real and the early labor was very long.  He rubbed my back with tennis balls through every contraction all night and part way through the next day.... without eating or sleeping since I wasn't able to.  The midwife even commented on Jonathan's supportiveness.

I remember with our second child Jonathan holding my hand through every contraction and coaching me through the pushing and breathing.  With every push he would tell me how much progress I was making.  He knew that encouraged me.

Baby #2 getting swaddled by the best swaddler in the house.

Nap with Baby #2

I clearly remember just a few weeks ago Jonathan rubbing my hamstring since there was a huge knot in it while I was laboring.  Tense muscles in labor are not a good thing.  I told him I was sorry if my water broke on him to which he responded he didn't care (I would've cared).  He held my hand just as with the others.  I am not a touchy feely person... but I guess during labor I am.

All three times, his wanting to be involved meant alot to me and made the process, in my mind, something we went through together.  He's pretty awesome. :)

Cooking so I can rest

Some other pics of the new baby and family-

 

Big sister looks really big next to her little sister-

'Twas The Night Before Christmas (Baby In utero version)

'Twas the night before Christmas,
When all through the house
Two creatures were stirring
My mommy and her silly spouse (a.k.a. my daddy but that doesn't rhyme).

Stockings were hung on the fireplace with care,
And mommy and daddy were busy preparing for something exciting
I could sense it,
Even inside my warm little lair.

When I heard the talk of presents, of gifts and of play,
I decided that I needed to get out of here,
So I could participate in such a day.

So I pushed and I prodded,
I elbowed and kicked.
Then on came the contractions
I thought I had done the trick!

But my mommy's body is quite stubborn,
This I have learned as she has gotten fatter.
All night I tried to get out,
I even head butted her bladder.

But Christmas morning came,
And I remained warm inside my mom.
So instead I set myself,
To doing random photo bombs.

There seemed to have been alot of fun,
That went on there that day.
My siblings were excited
With all the new things to play.

As for me I'm still waiting.
Guess a birth day on Christmas wasn't meant to be.
I hear it's up to Someone Else
The One Who has formed me (Psalm 139: 13-18).

So I will continue to grow,
To punch and kick with all my might.
In the meantime, Merry Christmas all
And to all, except mommy, a restful night.

The end

Quinoa Experiment in Conclusion

So as expected the quinoa did not get past its 'green stage' before a hard cold hit.  Unfortunately this killed my plants.  Since the quinoa came up later than planned this was expected but we figured we would give it a try.  Anyway, here is what's left (beautiful picture, right?)-

Quinoa CAN tolerate cooler weather, but not frosts before their green stage.  Quinoa is an early spring crop preferring cooler soil temps.  It can be stunted if many of its growing days are over 90 degrees F.  I attempted to start them in the late summer for a fall crop but they did not germinate immediately to get good growing in before the cold season.
Anyway, if you are interested in more here are my other posts on the quinoa experiment.  Seeds were from here.
Quinoa Growing Experiment and Fall Garden
Cover Cropping and Sneaky Quinoa

At the moment I am not planning on growing it next year.  I have moved onto wanting to grow naked oats instead.  We eat and use oats way more than we do quinoa.  We will see.

Something else in danger of frostbite is Penny.  Poor thing has went into molt having to get through cold nights with these naked spots.  She needs a scarf-

I have insulated the coop with straw but other than that they are on their own.  Last year they did just fine.  They are hardy chickens and the gradual cooling (with no heat in their coop) is good prep for the cold winter.  Only thing they get extra in the winter, besides extra straw in the coop, is cracked corn to build their body fat.  I have to break the ice out of their water daily but thats it.  I'm still getting eggs so the trip to the coop is needed anyway.
So dead plants and naked chicken necks..... thats all the excitement I can take for now.

My Son, Ricky Bobby

I'm on a roll of posting nonsense.  Here is another random rambling about the kids-

Little man has two speed loving parents.  Daddy ran track in college and was the winger/sprinter on his college rugby team.  Momma still likes to get her run and race on.  Past credentials.... two words- Field Day Greene County friends, Field.Day. ;) (this is a joke if you are not sure).

So our first born seems to be speed loving too.  Like, REALLY into speed.... or maybe the competition.  So far we are not sure which it is.  Unfortunately he seems to have inherited my stumpy legs instead of long Trexler ones.  That doesn't keep him from trying to run fast.

Life's a.... practice track-

Race against younger sister

Race against clueless cat

Race against chickens

Race against people who let me win

Race/practice Eric Liddell style.  Chariots of Fire opening scene, amazing movie.

Race in the dark

Race in a car

A real race

Well.... at least he enjoyed himself

A soon happy birthday to our little man.  Who is growing up fast, like its a race.