annaraven - more random update stuph

[Shiloh Acres]

My first silkies came as hatching eggs from a wonderful couple who raised them. They had a lovely white silky that was a pet. The lady mentioned taking the silky camping and holding her, and people would come up and ask what kind of dog it was ...

So yah, you could probably tell them anything. I used to raise fancy hamsters that more than one person thought were some kind of miniature monkey when they saw the hand-over-hand crossing of the wire-topped cage. If I were an unscrupulous person, I probably could have gotten $300 for those "miniature monkeys" ... Errr ... Hamsters!

 

[AnnaRaven]

I felt like this poor cat, trying to print my labels for my soup. Note: NSFW
Just *take* the paper! Take it!

 

[Neko-chan]

...

 

[Shiloh Acres]

Pretty much all breeds of chickens have show-chickens.

Silkies are bantams with silky-textured feathers, often looking more like fuzz or fur than feathers. Most people might not like to eat them because they are black-skinned, but they have at least an Asian market for that reason. But yes, you could eat them.

They are very docile, as a breed, and great broodies. I got mine as incubators, but I've decided I'm going to incorporate their genetics into my mutt layers I hope to breed. They lay almost as well as my laying breeds. Though the eggs are smallish (still large for THEIR size) they have full-sized yolks. They are better foragers and much better broodies/mothers than my other hens. This may just be my strain, but I'm VERY pleased with them from a utility standpoint. Just not sure what I'll do with extra cross-bred Roos. Maybe dog food, if I find the skin bothers me.

 

[Henrietta23]

My only silkie is a rooster. We just love George! He hatched in my hand with a slight assist on George Washington's birthday, gosh is it 3 years ago now or 4? He's an awesome protector of my flock of standard breed hens. It can be quite amusing to observe!
I'm pretty sure PurpleChicken from BYC has eaten silkie meat. He's the one who told me about the color difference.

 

[AnnaRaven]

Just finished making and canning homemade orange marmalade with agave instead of sugar. Took bloody forEVER to reach "gelling point". (I've never made jam or candy or anything like this so it was definitely a learning experience.) I did use a candy thermometer. I think part of why it took so long was because I cooked the orange bits with the recommended amount of water, and then added the agave - which changes the liquid proportions. So it needed longer to cook down. Still and all - the *flavor* is incredible! So now I have 6 jars of orange marmalade with agave - which means my DH who is diabetic and doesn't get blood sugar spikes from agave can have one of his favorite things: orange marmalade.

The oranges, btw, were free. The neighbor's orange tree overhangs our yard and they told us we were welcome to any oranges we can reach. I suspect I'll be making and canning some more marmalade soon...

 

[Neko-chan]

...

 

[ORChick]

I felt like this poor cat, trying to print my labels for my soup. Note: NSFW
Just *take* the paper! Take it!

Of course, you and I know that that should have been a female voice

 

[booker81]

I'm pretty sure PurpleChicken from BYC has eaten silkie meat. He's the one who told me about the color difference.

Got some free silkie crosses a couple weeks ago, maybe a month ago?

I skinned them out and make a fabulous stock from them in the crock pot, and got a fair bit of shredded meat. The skin is black, along with some of the tendon, which also translates into some black on the meat. The majority of the breast meat is white but is black by where it's touching bone.

Marmalade is GOOD! I've not tried the agave - does it taste about the same as regular sugar?

 

[Denim Deb]

You can eat silkies. There's a cooking competition on some food channel my hubby watches. And, for a Halloween competition, the menu included silkies! Though if I had to live where you couldn't have chickens, I thought about Polish Crested. From what I understand, they're a better layer than silkies and people probably wouldn't realize it was a chicken.

And AR, did you say you were getting a pygmy goat or 2 since they're so small people may not realize you have them?