Getting Started with Chickens (and Ducks) Part 1: Why and How?

So you want to get chickens? In a city? With a small backyard? So did I, about a year ago!

Well, to be honest, I wanted to get bees (for honey that I use in bread and wax that I use to make candles) but my husband compromised with me and he told me that I could get bees if he got chickens. The deal was that I would take care of the chickens (which would only be about 5 feet away from our two story suburban house) if he took care of the bees (which would be in the furthermost corner of our 1/3 acre lot and might -- okay, definitely would -- involve stinging).
It seemed like a good compromise!

Before the bees arrived (which never did because we later realized that I was pregnant and didn't want to take the chance of an allergic reaction), we began the chicken project.

First, I joined several chicken groups on Facebook. I found them easily by typing in keywords like "Alabama" "Chickens" etc. I found one that had chickens for sale and began watching pictures for ones that seemed popular or that I liked the look of. I also began messaging my friends who I knew had chickens to ask what breeds they had and recommended. The OVERWHELMING favorite was Buff Orpingtons. After a year of owning 2 Buffs, I wholeheartedly agree. They are kind, fluffy, pretty, and predictable layers over the winter (more on that later). Initially, I planned to buy 3 Buffs that were laying from a man on the Facebook group from Birmingham for $30 each but, before the weekend came to meet him, I found some 9 week old Buff pullets (young female chickens who are not laying yet but old enough to be outside) just south of Huntsville for $15 each. In the next day, I read about Easter Eggers which produce colored eggs and are also pretty idiot-proof for beginners. I decided to get two Buffs and one EE.

When I pulled up for the chicken exchange, we chose the pullets and headed home with the chickens in a rubbermaid tote with a breathable blanket on top. We had ordered a coop on Amazon (that my husband had ordered after reading reviews https://www.amazon.com/Pets-Imperial-Chicken-Poultry-Rabbit/dp/B076JHDYCN) but the chickens needed somewhere to sleep for two nights. We let the three chickens stay in a nice clean dog kennel in the garage since it was mild temperature and they were too big to escape through the slots. The kids quickly got acquainted and "claimed theirs." (More thoughts on this later.)

The first day involved lots of chicken holding and feeding them grass and feed. It also involved cleaning up a lot of chicken poop, which is not granular like mammals and they like to step in and track across the floor. 😆 The next day, we realized that, in order to have three chickens, we needed to get three more pullets because the chances of all of them surviving were low. (This was true.) Off to see "the chicken man" we went the next day again and got 2 more EE and one Barred Rock.

The coop indeed arrived in two days and Matt and our son got to work building it. It was super easy to build and only took about 4 hours. The chickens went in and spent their first night.
Not just one night but a whole week, would be needed for the chickens to stay in their coop to "home" or realize it was their safe spot. It was a long week waiting for them to come out to play but this technique is essential and important to do -- we also did it with our new flock this year.






So, to recap in Part 1, to prepare for my chickens to come to our home, I:
1) joined Facebook groups and messaged friends for info on breeds
2) found chicken sellers on Facebook groups and arranged for cash sale (choose one and stick with it -- do not mix chickens from different flocks; different germs/parasites)
3) ordered a coop online
4) kept the flock safe and warm inside until coop arrived
5) went to Tractor Supply and got a chicken waterer and chicken feeder and LAYER MIX food. I would later add PetRX and chicken grit to my routine... more about that later)
6) shut them up tight in their coop for their first night (and first week to "home")

Pressure Canning Part 1 -- Making the Most of Your Pantry to Free up your Freezer!

Pressure Canning/Cooking used to be a term that most people had no relatable experience with. The sound of it brought back memories of grandmas or great-grandmas who would make jam, or jelly, or tomatoes that they had made from their garden fruits and vegetables.
Then the Instapot came on the scene a few years ago and suddenly EVERYONE started pressure cooking, making meals in half the time and cooking meats that were both tender and quick! Now when you Google "pressure cook," almost all the entries involve an Instapot or a knockoff.

Pressure Canning or Cooking in the way I'm talking about is both and neither of those. It involves putting fruits and vegetables (from your garden or the store/freezer) into a Ball jar and making sure the lid gets sealed, but it can also involve the most tender and juicy meat that you can make in bulk in half the time of normal -- and it all can sit on your pantry shelves for almost a year!

In a time when most people's freezer are full to the brim, this art of pressure cooking is the perfect opportunity to learn to keep up your food supply in a safe and delicious way!

So what do you need to pressure cook?
1. A pressure cooker like my All American Pressure Cooker (or borrow from a friend -- we pressure canner types like to show and share!)

2. Jars

3. Lids and Bands

4. A food item from the list of acceptable foods (pretty much the rule is nothing with rice, noodles, flour or cornstarch to thicken)
              Some of my favorite items to pressure cook:
              -hamburger
              -chili
              -chicken noodle soup (without noodles -- you can pour it over noodles when you eat it!)
              -spaghetti sauce with eggplant
              -kung pao chicken
              -chicken pot pie (thicken and pour in a pie pan when you eat it!)
              -applesauce
              -pie filling (apple, cherry, peach, berry)

How do you do it?
Easy! Get some instructions on how to prepare the food before you put it in the jar. You might be surprised to see that you can put raw chicken and beef into a jar right away but you might want to cook applesauce before you can it.

For Beef Stew, I prepare it like I would if I was making it for dinner that night minus the corn starch or thickener. Then I make sure I wipe the top of the jar mouth clean with a paper towel and put a clean lid (just rinsing it in soapy water is good!) and ring on top of the jar. That one is ready to go. Often, you want to put 5 quart jars in a pressure canner at once so doubling the recipe helps with that. Once all the jars are filled, wiped, and lidded/banded, you are ready to pressure cook!