Summer Tomato Pie

It seems that the tomatoes from our garden always all ripen at once and I'm scrambling to use them in a variety of different ways. This dinner pie is a quick, easy summertime meal that highlights your fresh tomatoes and basil.

Ingredients for the Crust

2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

1/4 cup ice water

Ingredients for the Filling

3 large ripe tomatoes, sliced thick and sprinkled with salt in colander

Handful of fresh basil leaves, julienned

2 cups grated cheese blend of your choice (mozzarella, provolone, parmesan, cheddar, etc.)

1/2 cup mayonnaise

Salt and pepper to taste

Cherry tomatoes and a sprig of basil for garnish, optional

To Make

Combine flour, salt, sugar and butter in food processor. Pulse until blended. Add ice water in slow steady stream pulsing just until dough holds together, about 30 seconds. Flatten dough into disc, wrap in plastic and refrigerate at least one hour.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Roll out dough and pat onto bottom and sides of tart pan. Bake crust for five minutes, then remove from oven and reduce heat to 400 degrees.

Arrange tomato slices over crust, sprinkle with basil. Mix cheese and mayo in small bowl, salt and pepper to taste. Spread evenly over the tomatoes and basil. Bake pie 30 minutes or until top is browned and bubbly.  Remove from oven and garnish with sliced cherry tomatoes and a sprig of basil.

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A to Z with The Chicken Encyclopedia by Gail Damerow & a Giveaway!

Enjoy these interesting facts compiled by Yvette from the pages of The Chicken Encyclopedia ...and then leave a comment below to enter to win a copy of the book generously donated by Storey Publishing!

Axial Feather
Chickens have an AXIAL FEATHER on each wing. It is the single short feather growing between and separating their primary (longer) & secondary (shorter) feathers. When you spread out a chickens wing, the AXIAL feather is roughly in the middle. If you trim your hens feathers, this is a great way to identify the primary feathers.

Brood Patch
A large defeathered bare area on a setting hen's breast is known as BROOD PATCH. A broody hen is known to pull her breast feathers out allowing her body warmth to get closer to her eggs. This also helps to keep the eggs from drying out too fast by lending moisture from her body to the eggs. 

Crop
Chickens have an expandable pouch at the base of their neck called the CROP.  It bulges after the chicken has eaten. This is the area where digestive juices begin softening the food before it moves into the stomach.  In the AM, their crops should be empty since they have not eaten during the night time.

Dust baths

When chickens thrash around in loose sand or soil, they cover themselves in DUST which helps keep them and their feathers clean and free of parasites. It's natural for them and baby chicks to do. When done, they stand and shake it all off - leaving a big dust cloud around them! To enhance parasite control, some choose to add wood ashes or food grade Diatomaceous Earth to the bathing areas. 

Eyelids
Did you know that chickens have three EYELIDS? Their upper and lower eyelids are alot like humans except that the lower eyelid moves more freely than the upper. The 3rd eyelid, called the nictitating membrane lies between the chickens eye & the other two eyelids. It has its own lubricating duct similar to our tear ducts. It's transparent, so the chicken can see even with this eyelid closed. It's purpose, as it moves horizontally from front to rear, is to clean & moisten the eye and it's also used for protection, such as when a hen's chick tries to peck her eye !

Feather Picking
There are several reasons FEATHER PICKING can occur within your flock.
Conditions that trigger it include:
1) Over crowding
2) Too few feeders / waterers
3) Diet too low of protein
4) Too-warm housing temperature
5) Inadequate ventilation
6) Insufficient opportunities to engage in normal chicken behavior, such as scratching & pecking the ground. 

Grit 

GRIT lodges itself in a chickens gizzard and helps in breaking down tough substances they have eaten.  Chickens that eat only processed feed such as layer pellets or chick feed don't need it as the saliva alone dissolves the feed, but chickens that eat other unprocessed feed will need it to make it digestible. Having grit such as oyster shell or mineral grit available - free choice - is recommended. If your chickens free range, they will generally pick up the grit needed to help digest the food they've eaten.

Hypnotize

Did you know you can HYPNOTIZE a chicken? 
Although, I can't imagine doing it to one of my hens - some people do it to help calm a nervous chicken down. It's stated that it's not harmful to them - it just slightly reduces the heart & respiration rate.
There are several ways it can be done although sometimes it may need to be repeated a time or two to be effective. The book lists 7 ways of doing this but I'll just share a couple of them ~
1) Turn the chicken on it's back, hold it with one hand, and with the other hand gently stroke it's throat.
2) With the chicken standing, repeatedly draw your finger along the ground straight out from under it's beak to about 6 inches in front of the chicken.
Whichever way - after being let go, the chicken will usually not move for several seconds, sometimes as much as a minute. 

Impaction

 IMPACTION is a blockage of a body passage. 

1) Eating something the chicken cannot digest (crop impaction)
2) Blockage of the cloaca resulting in a stuck egg (eggbound)

Either one 'can' be treatable if noticed and handled immediately. Be aware of your hens normal actions and if you notice something out of the ordinary - take note of the symptoms then take action if needed.

Japanese Bantam
The JAPANESE BANTAM is an ancient breed of true bantam developed in Japan. 
They are little birds with short legs that are capable fliers and come in several color varieties. They are brown egg layers that make excellent broodies. They have a large tail in proportion to their size and they carry their tail so far forward that the roosters tail feathers nearly touch the back of his head.

Kelp Meal
 By drying and grinding up brown, cold water seaweeds, KELP can be used as a feed supplement (Kelp meal). It has many rich vitamins, amino acids and especially trace minerals. It's used as a free-choice supplement for layers to help strengthen eggshells and darken the yolks. For breeders, it helps to increase fertility and vitality; and for show chickens - it improves their condition and helps to enhance immunity.

Lice
LICE is a small, wingless, parasitic insect that live on the skin of chickens. They will chew on the chicken causing irritation which will result in your bird picking at itself. Infested chickens don't lay well and can have reduced fertility.  They can be seen looking like straw-colored pests scurring around on a chickens skin leaving scabby, dirty areas usually around the vent and tail area. The eggs of lice (nits) can be found clumped in masses around the feather shafts of your birds. 

Mating Ratio

The number of hens per rooster is called the MATING RATIO. 
On average, the optimal ratio is:
Heavy breeds = 8 hens per rooster (up to 12)
Lightweight breeds = 12 hens per rooster (up to 20)
Bantam breeds = 18 hens per rooster (up to 25)
If too many roosters are present, fertility will be low because the roosters will spend too much time fighting among themselves.
If too few roosters, fertility will be low because the rooster can't get around to all the hens.

Neck

The NECK of the chicken connecting the head to the rest of the body is typically made up of 14 upper vertebrae? A lot, compared to humans that only have 7. This gives the chickens great flexibility in movement, allowing them to turn their heads in all directions. Also allowing them to preen all parts of their body.

Ovaphobia
Did you know that there really is a phobia of eggs? It's called OVAPHOBIA. It's a rare condition of being irrationally afraid of eggs. The most famous person to truly suffer from this was the horror-film maker Alfred Hitchcock. 

Pecking Order
The PECKING ORDER is the social hierarchy that develops among a population of chickens? It determines such things as who eats first or who roosts on the highest perch.  Chicks start establishing their place in the pecking order at about 6 weeks of age. When both sexes are present, the order develops at 3 levels - Among all the males, among all the females, and between the males and females. If any new chickens are introduced to an existing flock, they also will need to be established in the pecking order but not necessarily starting at the bottom.

Quill

The QUILL part of a feather is the stiff, hollow and transparent base of a feather shaft where the feather attaches to the chickens body.  Quills were the everyday writing tools from the Medieval era through the beginning of the Industrial Age, when they were gradually replaced by more durable metal pen nibs, and then by fountain pens, ballpoint pens, and rollerball pens.

Respiration Rate

Did you know that a hen at rest breathes 31 to 37 times per minute? This is known as the RESPIRATION RATE. A rooster breathes 18 to 21 times per minute. By comparison - the normal rate of an adult human at rest, ranges between 12 and 20.

Sebright

 The old breed of true bantam, the SEBRIGHT was developed in England by Sir John Sebright and named after him. They are very unique, have a rose comb and come in two laced varieties - golden and silver. (Silver rooster pictured) Their eggs tend to be low in fertility, as is common among breeds bearing a rose comb. The hens are poor layers of white shelled eggs and seldom go broody. 

Treading

Did you know that when a rooster is attempting to mate with a hen, he will make short, quick movements with his feet to keep himself from sliding off her back. This is known as TREADING. Over time, treading results in the loss of feathers on a hens back. Without these feathers, she has little protection during future matings and may be seriously wounded by a roosters sharp claws or spurs. 
To help prevent injury, roosters toenails should be properly trimmed / filed down or as a temporary measure, dress each hen in a hen saddle for protection.

Urine

A healthy chicken doesn't excrete much liquid URINE but expels it in the form of semisolid urates..?? Urates appear as a white, pasty cap on the top of a chickens droppings. Occasionally a chicken will expel only the urates, which is perfectly normal. 

Vinegar
Not only is VINEGAR a good sanitizer for cleaning feeders, waterers and other equipment - but when diluted, it also is a great benefit for your chickens too!! By adding 1TB to a gallon of water, a couple times a week - it helps to keep their digestive system in line and lowers the pH range. (Bad bacteria can form if the pH range is too high).  Chickens actually like the taste of vinegar too. If you have a chicken under stress due to an injury or illness; they may be disinclined to drink causing their gut flora to become unbalanced. By adding a small splash of vinegar to thier drinking water, this may help to encourage drinking.

Wattles

The 2 flaps of flesh under a chickens beak are called the WATTLES. The wattles are usually red, but can differ depending on the type of breed you have. Some breeds have none at all. A roosters wattles are usually much larger than a hen's.  One of the functions of the wattles is to help keep a chicken cool in hot weather. If given water that has depth, a hot chicken may even splash some onto it's comb & wattles to help cool down through evaporation. Also, a chicken that may be suffering from heat stress may be revived by you applying cold water to it's wattles.

Xanthopyhll

Did you know that XANTHOPHYLL is the yellow/orange pigment derived from plants of a large group known as carotenoids? In a hen's diet, it is deposited in the yolks of her eggs giving them their rich yellow color. This same pigment colors the skin and shanks of yellow-skin hens.
Sources include marigold petals, green grass and other leafy greens, including yellow corn. 

Yokohama

A longtail breed of chicken that originated in Japan is called the YOKOHAMA.  It shares it's history with the Phoenix and is similar in size. They are either all white or red shouldered. Other varieties have also been developed in both large and bantam versions. With a high protein diet, the roosters saddle feathers can grow as long as 3 feet.  The hens are poor layers of eggs, they may go broody and are protective mothers. 

Zoning
Did you know that there are ZONING laws regulating or restricting the use of land for a particular purpose, such as raising chickens? Regulations restricting how many chcikens may be kept, how far they must be from the property line, and whether or not roosters are allowed. Information on local zoning ordinances may be obtained from your town or county zoning board. 

We hope you enjoyed this quick trip through the pages of The Chicken Encyclopedia written by Gail Damerow and published by Storey Publishing. These and more great tips, facts and trivia are included in the book.

Compiled by Yvette C. from the pages of The Chicken Encyclopedia written by Gail Damerow and published by Story Publishing.   Some images courtesy Google Search.



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Backyard Biosecurity

It happens time and time again, but it is heartbreaking to me every time I hear it. Readers too often tell me that they brought home a new chicken from a swap or got a few pullets from a friend or neighbor to add to their existing flock and now all their chickens are sick and/or dying. They always say 'but the new ones LOOKED so healthy.'

I cringe whenever I hear about new pullets or hens being added to an existing flock immediately after being acquired, separated in the run only by fencing. Disease can still spread so easily.  This method is only appropriate when introducing pullets you have raised from chicks that you know are disease-free. 

What a lot of people don't realize is that many diseases do not always manifest themselves in visible symptoms; and chickens, being the ultimate prey animal even within the pecking order of their own flock, are masters at hiding symptoms.

Disease spreads so quickly and easily from bird to bird. At the very least, basic biosecurity precautions really need to be taken in order to protect the health of your chickens.

Biosecurity is merely a routine of basic hygiene measures to keep your chickens safe from pathogens and disease. It's not only during the introduction of new additions to your flock that you need to take precautions - germs also spread very easily through contact with other poultry keepers. They can be transmitted to your flock merely from walking through the feed store after someone with infected birds has been there.

Whether you visit your feed store, go to a local fair, poultry show or chicken swap, or even simply invite friends over who also raise chickens or keep pet birds, you could potentially be introducing deadly germs to your run.

There are several easy precautions you can take to limit your chickens' exposure to the deadly viruses that chickens are most at risk of contracting:

Do not let those who raise chickens or keep pet birds go inside your chicken run.

Caretakers or others who need to come in contact with your flock should change their footwear and wear a pair of rubber boots you keep outside the run dedicated for 'visitors'.

You should also have boots or other footwear designated solely for your use inside the run and they should not be worn outside your home, especially not to the feed store.

Set up a footbath for disinfecting boots. To make the footbath, cut a piece 'fakegrass' door mat to fit inside a plastic dish pan.  Fill the dishpan with a mix of 3/4 Cup bleach per gallon of water.  Also keep a stiff brush nearby. Ask friends who come to visit to first scrub their boots to remove caked on dirt and manure and then to stand in the footbath and scrape the bottom of their boots on the mat before approaching your chicken area. It's also good practice to use it yourself any time you enter or exit the run. (Rinse and refill as needed as the bath gets dirty.)

Keep your chickens in an area that wild birds can not enter. Do not hang bird feeders in or near your run. Take up all feed, seeds and kitchen scraps every evening and secure leftovers from wild birds and rodents.

Keep waterless hand sanitizer in or near your run - and use it often. Also keep one in your car and use it after visiting the feed store.

Don't share cardboard egg cartons, flats or wooden pallets with other chicken keepers.  They are too porous to be able to disinfect well enough.

~photo courtesy www.theeggcartonstore.com~

 Avoid borrowing feeders, waterers and other supplies from friends or neighbors who keep chickens. If you must, disinfect them with bleach before using them.

Avoid visiting farms or other households that keep poultry or pet birds.  If you do, change your clothing and wash everything immediately when you return home.  Disinfect footwear as described above.

Any birds you bring to shows or fairs should be quarantined from the rest of your flock for at least two weeks after you return home with them. New birds you bring home should be kept separate for at least 30 days. Buy birds only from reputable sources. Clean and disinfect your vehicle tires after visiting poultry swaps, shows and fairs.

If you have a bird die of old age, a predator attack or other injury, be sure to dispose of the body in accordance with local ordinance.

Watch for signs of disease or unexplained deaths in your flock.  There are two diseases in particular that spread quickly and are of particular concern to the backyard chicken keeper.

Avian Influenza is a virus that is carried by migratory waterfowl. It can be fatal and spreads by direct contact from bird to bird as well as through manure, farm equipment and vehicles, egg cartons and crates, pallets, as well as on your clothes and shoes.

Sudden unexplained death with no symptoms is possible, but common symptoms include: decreased egg production, soft-shelled eggs, swelled or purple head, eyelids, combs, wattles or legs, nasal discharge, coughing and sneezing, loss of coordination and diarrhea. 

The virus can stay alive for long periods of time at moderate temperatures, and indefinitely at temperatures below freezing.

Exotic Newcastle Disease is a virus that is spread by direct contact or the bodily excretions of infected birds. It is highly contagious and nearly always fatal. The virus is so deadly that many birds show no signs of disease.  The incubation period ranges from 2-15 days. Possible symptoms include decreased eggs production, soft-shelled eggs, sneezing, nasal discharge, gasping for air, diarrhea, drooping wings, twisted head and neck with swelling, paralysis and loss of coordination. 

The virus can live for several weeks in a warm, humid climate on feathers, manure, clothing and shoes, and indefinitely at temperatures below freezing. However sunlight and dry conditions destroy it quickly.

Report sick birds immediately if you have sudden, unexplained deaths or see any of these symptoms in more than one of your chickens.  Call your veterinarian, local cooperative extension service, State veterinarian, State diagnostic laboratory or the USDA at 1-866-536-7593.

For more information as well as educational materials, including posters, brochures and guides, plus detailed instructions on reporting an outbreak of disease visit the USDA at:

http://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/birdbiosecurity/index.htm

There is no charge for USDA veterinarians to work with you on investigating a suspected disease.

Source:  http://www.aphis.usda.gov

Pasta Carbonara with Farm Fresh Eggs

When it's hot outside the last thing I feel like doing it turning on the oven...or even the stove honestly. But we get tired of sandwiches and salads for dinner every night in the summer, so I often make this quick, easy stove top pasta dinner that really showcases our fresh eggs.

It only uses a few ingredients that I always have on hand anyway, so it has become our go-to 'I can't eat another piece of lettuce or I'll turn into a rabbit' meal. Vegetarians can easily leave out the bacon and still end up with a yummy dinner.

PASTA CARBONARA

Ingredients:

1 pound box of spaghetti

8 slices of bacon, coarsely chopped

3 cloves of garlic, minced

4 large fresh eggs

3/4 cup heavy cream

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

(*note: the eggs are not technically 'cooked' except for tossing them in the hot pasta, so I would recommend using only your own eggs in this recipe to reduce the chance of contracting salmonella)

Cook spaghetti according to box instructions. Meanwhile, saute bacon in a frying pan until crisp.  Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate and discard all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat in the frying pan.  Add garlic and saute until it just starts to brown, maybe a minute or so. Remove from heat and set aside.

Whisk eggs, cream and cheese until combined.  Drain pasta and return to pot.  Pour sauce over the pasta and toss quickly.  Add the bacon and garlic, season with salt and pepper, and serve immediately, passing additional Parmesan cheese to sprinkle on top and warm garlic bread.

Buon Appetito!

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This recipe appears here:  No Ordinary Blog Hop, Raising Homemakers, Not Just A Housewife, and Growing Home, Farmgirl Friday Blog Hop, Your Thriving Family, Little House in the Suburbs

New and Improved Breakfast of Champion Layers

We have never had such beautifully-colored eggs with nice strong shells or healthy-looking hens as we do now. All our chickens are beautiful and glossy with shiny feathers, bright eyes, and rosy combs and wattles.

We have never had any problems with respiratory infections or other illness in our flock either, and I think it is due in large part to the feed mix I have developed for the girls and how strong their immune systems are because of it. 

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, for chickens as well as for people, and my girls get this custom mix every morning before they get any treats. 

A hen eats approximately 1/2 Cup of feed per day (more in winter, less in summer, more if they don't free range). A 50 lb. bag contains approximately 85 cups of feed and lasts me about a week for my 21 hens, lone rooster and 8 ducks. So I figure this recipe will be a one week ration for our flock.

I mix it up in a large Rubbermaid tote and then divide the mix into three plastic buckets set inside metal covered pails.  I have read that metal can 'weep' and create condensation, but of course rodents can chew through plastic, so the plastic inside the metal seems a perfect solution.

The original recipe that I posted in December of 2011 appears HERE. That was when we only had 8 hens and I mixed up their feed in small batches. (Since I first started mixing in the supplements, I have found two wonderful new products that I now use. I also recalculated the measurements here for a 50 lb. bag of feed.)

Whether to feed organic feed or not is a personal decision. There are pros and cons to both organic and non-organic feed, cost being a main consideration.

I recommend either Nutrena Layer Feed (non-organic), Scratch and Peck Feeds (non-GMO organic whole grains) or Nature's Best Organic Layer Feed (organic).

BREAKFAST OF CHAMPION LAYERS

1 50lb. Bag Layer Crumble 

1 Large Canister Old-Fashioned Oats (grocery-store size canister)

2 Cups Cracked Corn

4 Cups Shelled Sunflower Seeds

1/4 Bag Omega Ultra Egg

1-1/2 Cups Thomas Labs Brewers Yeast and Garlic Powder

1-1/2 Cups Probiotic Powder

1-1/2 Cups food-grade Diatomaceous Earth

Handful of mixed dried herbs (read more here)

1) Omega Ultra Egg contains ground flaxseed for Omega-3s that pass into the eggs they lay. Here are some other benefits of the supplement:

•INCREASES Omega-3 levels in eggs

•SUPPORTS brilliant, high-quality plumage

•IMPROVES laying rates, flock health, and spent hen value

•PRESERVES egg flavor, aroma, and nutritional value

•ALL NATURAL without artificial preservatives

•NATURAL occurring amino acids – valuable protein building blocks

•FORMULATED with stabilized, ground, whole flaxseed high in Omega-3, folic acid, vitamin E, and vitamin B-12 using proprietary technology to maintain full nutritional value, guaranteed for 18 months 

You can purchase Omega Ultra Egg direct from www.omegafields.com. They offer a 5% discount if you use the coupon code FRESHEGGS.

2) The probiotic powder assures better intestinal health. Probiotics form a barrier that prevent bad bacteria from attaching to the intestinal walls and also aid digestion, assist in nutrient absorption and help boost productivity. They support the immune system in general and increase growth rates. Probiotics are also thought to help combat coccidiosis in flocks. [Read more about the benefits of probiotics here...]

3) Layer feed of your choice.

4) Thomas Labs Brewer's Yeast and Garlic Powder is a great product, especially if you have ducks, because the niacin in the brewer's yeast helps them grow nice strong legs. The garlic helps repel fleas, ticks and other parasites, as well as having lots of health benefits and benefiting respiratory health.  The garlic provides both a boost to their immune system as well and is also a help in mite/tick prevention. 

5) The DE is a natural parasitic and adds beneficial silica while the powdered milk provides them extra calcium. 

The sunflower seeds provide excellent protein and the cracked corn contributes to orange egg yolks - and is a bit of a treat for them (you can adjust the amount of cracked corn, I give less in the summer and more in the winter)

I also dry and crumble herbs that I grow all summer into their feed mix.  It's not any set amount, I just add what I have.  Various herbs have great health benefits to laying hens. Here is more information on adding dried herbs to your feed as well as an easy drying rack made out of repurposed picture frames.

The additions to the feed certainly do set me back a bit, but the better diet the chickens have, the healthier they will be and the more nutritious their eggs will be. They love the feed and all are good eaters. As you can see, sometimes they can't even wait for me to dish it out into the feeder ! There is literally no waste. They eat every crumb of their feed.

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