Just saw the baby news, Congratulations to you both!!! You two are going to be amazing parents and I can see the joy in both your faces. Enjoy every moment of this time together as you live on your homestead with all the animals and lush growing gardens! 💜💜💜
There is a lot to be said about knowing where your food comes from. I will be interested in what you learn about four legged chickens in the future (rabbits).
I can't wait for the play by play when the baby shows up. Troy: "So I went around to the local junk yard and found some old wheels, took this PVC tubing and a pallet and was able to rig up a small stroller. Now we didn't want the baby to hurt itself so I used twine instead of wire and we put a few fresh handfuls of this really nice hay our neighbor gave us so the baby would sleep better. Now we've tried to schedule feeding time so that the baby will sleep quietly through the night but that isn't working out as expected. If any of you have raised babies before please leave any suggestions in the comments below."
You guys are so amazing, you are good at everything you do! I lived the same “mentality” for years, owned a home, lived frugally, was living the dream and doing it well. Now I have sold my home and bought a 38 foot Morgan sailboat and I hope to do as well at sailing as I did with raising kids and building a comfortable mountain home. Now I am not so confident or knowledgeable about ocean sailing but here goes! If it doesn’t pan out I will buy a small farm to retire on. I really appreciate your adventurous videos and I can tell you they help make me mor courageous in my pursuits! Thank you, best to you!
Congratulations on the new arrival! We raised rabbits for food when we were younger, easy to do and great eating!! We made raised pens so they were easy to clean under. I found them easier to raise than chickens.
40+ years ago my neighbour raised rabbits for food. He first had them in an old shed/building, but of course rabbits can dig like anything, so they had to dig down to try and bury fencing to keep them from burrowing out of the enclosure. They eventually swapped to keeping them in raised hutches off the ground with wire mesh bottoms -- so the rabbit dung just dropped to the ground underneath.
I'm so happy to see that the chicken experiment worked out to your satisfaction. The chicken pluck-er is the only way to go. When I was raising meat chickens, which I no longer do, I was keeping 150 chickens average at a time. I have hand plucked a chicken from time to time but when you are doing a bunch of them doing it by hand is just not fun. You two are doing a great job on your farm. Keep it up. P.S. I think rabbits will be easier, though they are highly sought after by predators like any hungry neighboring foxes and eagles. They are also very tasty and heart healthy. Can't wait to see those episodes.
I admit, I can get a bit squeamish at the whole idea of processing animals. But honestly, seeing how calm, curious, and unconcerned the other animals are to what's going on, helps me feel better about it.
They aren't really abstract thinkers. If everything is calm, no one gets very distressed. It's rare here for even any noise as everything happens very quickly.
Someone might be able to help me here. When my Croatian mum cooked rabbit, it was the driest unnapealling meal I ever remember as a youngster, though mum was an amazingly great cook otherwise. When my German Aunt prepared rabbit though, my goodness, the moist pull apart tenderness. All I can recall from my Aunt is that white wine marination played a part in her process. On a side note, not too much rabbit in a human diet. They say it can be a demineraliser to the human body if consumed too frequently. Thanks for not shying away from the process without actually risking demonitization
You should freeze a few solo cups of water and place a few coins on top, if your freezer ever glitches the coins will sink. It can save some confusion later. Thanks for the video!
You guys have put a lot of hard work in and now you will have a comfy winter and survive on the fruits of your labor. That has to be very satisfying. BTW, I'm assuming you didn't name those chickens.
If you ever get a chance to pick up a chamber vacuum sealer, get one. I got one a few years ago, it's one of my favorite tools. Much better vacuum, wide choice of bags that run about 10 cents each, much better and less expensive.
Really interesting. I love keeping chickens but have never had a flock specifically for meat although I have killed off a number of my own for food. The flavour of a home grown chicken is so different from shop bought. Well done both.
@FreeRangeLiving Hi, meant to tell ya this previous - If not aware, research Black Soldier Fly>Larvae breeding. Minimal requirement, done right it's potentially endless supply of high protein feed. Can also be a cash income selling to locals, including fishing bait. Microgreens also good for income, local cafes/restaurants go through heaps.
I had to rewind to catch the scolding. I've never plucked a bird without scolding. I've never plucked more than five at a time. That Plucker looks to be the way to go for quantity. Nice work on the 2.5k. I used to process rabbits at 2 to 4lbs (1.5k +). Totally Awesome.
Don't you just love the smell of ready to pluck chickens? My grandparents had chickens and it was simply a matter of course that when they wanted to eat chicken the ax would be brought out and the water put on to boil. When I was a kid my parents had about 200 white rabbits. I think in response to rumors that rabbits were the way to go in regard to making money. They didn't last long. One harvest and that was it. Not much help to you, except to perhaps caution you to carefully calculate costs before engaging in an enterprise, including labor costs, even though you're the one doing the labor. My parents, and my brothers and I have had virtually every farm animal in existence on our small farms. Some species lasted many years, chickens for instance, and others lasted not very long at all. We got tired of goats climbing on our cars and the calls of the guinea hens. It was a great adventure and now it's fun watching yours.
Yep, the labour can get you. It helps to be able to talk to people here before we trial something new (to us) as it won't be new to some of our neighbours.
Wow, I've got some catching up to do. I followed your sailing journey's from the beginning round to when you left Tassie for back home in the west. Look at you two, happy as..,😃👍❤️ and practicing what you promote, free range healthy living. Congrats on the new arrival, so happy for the both of you. Regs Chris SE QLD.
Morrissey Rabbitry my Dad created our family hobby! Showing at the rabbit shows was the main fun. And of course meat rabbits were grown and processed. Over 1000 were counted one year. This was is Tecumseh, Kansas, USA So much has changed but you would do good to built a proper building to suit housing your breeding stock. For their comfort and safety. Big sturdy Wire cages that can be hung. The correct bottom wire is a must. I actually still have some cages my dad made in the 1970's Making collecting their manure easy. Best Wishes gathering all the information and thoughts on rabbits.
Another fantastic video, thank you both :) I'll just pop this recipe here, which is my recipe for Chicken Liver Pate ... it's delicious (especially with free range chicken livers!) but bear in mind that undercooked (i.e. pink) chicken livers can harbour listeria, so I always cook/fry them until cooked through (i.e. until grey and cooked completely through all of the liver), which leads to a grey coloured pate (though still delicious, promise!) rather than a pink pate. Listeria is particularly dangerous for pregnant mothers-to-be, hence me popping in this warning to you ... Behr's Luxury Chicken Liver Pate *Ingredients*: 400g chicken livers, de-veined and sinew removed (but don't stress about the odd bit of core that gets in, especially if it's fat - the fat is flavourful) 250g butter, about 50-100 for the cooking and maybe 150g+ for the melting and sealing the ramekins at the end 2 medium banana shallots, finely chopped, or maybe 6 small, round shallots ... but banana shallots are miles easier and less hassle to peel & prep 3 generous sprigs thyme, leaves only (no stalks) - you want lots of thyme leaves in there as chicken livers love fresh thyme so if you fancy more or it's weak thyme then use more 1/2 tsp Mace (can use nutmeg but Mace is better) 8-10 Juniper berries, lightly crushed Optional: 1 tablespoon (or more if you like) pickled green soft peppercorns, left whole 2 cloves garlic, crushed (this is very much to taste - I don't like too much garlic in my pate so often drop this to 1 clove) Brandy ... 50 to 100 mls (but make sure you boil off the alcohol in the pan) Salt & Pepper Melted Butter for topping (see above) *Method*: 1. Fry the shallots & garlic in a pan with butter until lightly sweated and just starting to brown - remove and put in a food processor 2. Fry the chicken livers and juniper berries in more butter (put the livers in first then add the juniper berries), also add to the processor - (fry thoroughly until completely cooked through, although this will give a grey rather than pink pate - see above) 3. Deglaze pan with a generous slosh of brandy (I use anywhere from 50 - 100 mls, then boil off the alcohol in the pan), add the lot to the processor 4. Season with salt, pepper, mace (or nutmeg), then process until completely smooth, then add pickled green peppercorns if using (don't process them leave them whole for little peppery explosions of flavour) 5. Spoon into ramekins, top with melted clarified butter so they're sealed, then chill thoroughly and if possible wait a day/overnight for the flavours to develop fully ... can be frozen once sealed into ramekins and lasts a fair while, or up to a week or more in a fridge if left sealed ... you may need more butter than listed to top, depending ... do not have any of the pate poking through the butter layer as it can allow the pate to spoil so smooth the top with a spoon or small palette knife to make it flat and spoon or pour on a generous layer of butter ... for this reason you don't want to overfill the ramekins so make sure you leave room for the butter topping It's a simple recipe but, having tried dozens, it's the one I keep coming back to ... you can add softened butter to the pate when processing to make it less rich tasting but I love it the way it is ... hope you try it and enjoy it :)
@@FreeRangeLiving Well now here's a slightly odd story ... stay with me on this as it's a bit weird. Quite a few years ago there was a famous TV cook, known as "The Cooking Canon" (the Rev. John Eley) because he was a practising priest, and his recipes were very popular in our household, albeit we're not a religious family (quite the reverse in my case, though I have oddly heard a sermon by the Rev Eley and a wise and decent man he seemed to me to be). He was (and, a quick google suggests, still is with us, so that's nice) a superb fellah - fat, jolly, very amiable, and very down to earth. He was such a good cook that he appeared regularly on a then very popular daytime TV programme called "Pebble Mill At One", and such was the popularity of his dishes that he had several cookbooks, and a copy of one of the best of his (a small paperback book called "The Cooking Canon Entertains - a Selection of Lunch & Dinner Menus") was bought for my gran by my sister and I (you had to send off stamps, of all things, so we kids were able to buy it), and was later gifted back to me by my nan when she went into her Old Folks Home, a few years before her death, so she wasn't cooking for others anymore. The recipes are excellent - obviously a tad old-fashioned by today's standards as this was back in the 70s, but still, very tasty grub and not too difficult to prepare ... he did a lovely glazed lamb dish, one of roast pork with spiced apricots (really nice, that one), etc., and a recipe called "Pork Slosh" ... It was called Pork Slosh because, the story went, the Rev Eley (who was fond of a top drop, be it wine or beer, as well as his grub) knew that, back then (in the 1970s) practising priests had to be very careful when admitting to drinking publicly, or indeed using any form of alcohol, as it tended to anger and upset the more miserable types in any given congregation, and when the he came to write up the recipe he realised he had a problem - the dish contained cream (fine), and butter (fine), but also white wine, and quite a bit of it! If he put down the amount honestly (anywhere between half a glass to a full wine glass) he knew some folk would be angry and disappointed in him, but if he didn't write down the correct amount he would, in fact, be lying to people's faces, which would have been a dreadful sin. What to do? Eventually (whether by prayer or mere thought I know not which) he came upon a solution! He wrote down "... and then add a slosh of white wine", realising that the term "slosh" is always whatever the reader wants it to be ... to the Rev. it was half to a full wineglass, whereas to others who disliked booze it would be about a teaspoon. So that's what he wrote and handed in ... and thus "Pork Slosh" was born, and "a slosh" became lodged in my brain as the amount you put down when you don't really want to admit how much of a given booze you're using without lying about it :)
Hi Troy & Pascale, interesting to see the whole process from small chicks all the way through to being processed as meat. Wishing you all the best from the UK.
You were lucky, we lost all of our chickens to a predator getting through that kind of rabbit wire! If you want to be extra sure, maybe use hardwire mesh next time when building a chicken tractor - or include a fully enclosed box for them to sleep in at night. We're still on our journey to keep chickens alive long enough to either get eggs or get into the freezer...
I think my vendetta with some traps and the dogs enthusiasm for chasing foxes and kangaroos combined with an electric fence all around has dissuaded the local foxes from our plot of ground.
Many years ago, when I was in Morocco, there were a couple of guys selling meat chickens. They were live and killed them to order. The feathers were removed within seconds of killing them. One of the guys just stuck the chicken in the enclosed machine whilst holding onto its feet. I wish I had of asked how it worked. I have never seen better. Once he pulled it out, he passed it onto another guy who took the guts out washed it and bagged it. Handing it over to the customer. The whole process maybe took a minute.
In Egypt, I saw a plucker that was an old repurposed washing machine with springs inside instead of the rubber fingers. Ingenious, but did require a small boy running about the shop to clean it!
Yes..! I have raised rabbit meat and chicken at different times and decided for my own needs the rabbit was a little easier but I also wanted to point out how simple it is to build a chicken plucker the one you borrowed looked like you could make one like it using the basket from an old washing machine perferated tub .. the rubber fingers are avalible out there somewhere I'm sure ...!
Love the chicken plucker. Back in the early 90’s I made the mistake of buying 100 day old chicks which were 50 cents each. The food they went through was horrendous. Then the labour in hand plucking them. By the time I’d finished I think I could have purchased two supermarket chickens for every one of mine 🥺
Recovering waste from industry here makes things easier on the budget for sure. The producers as well as the animals are happy to see us with the trailer now!
I never thought I would say this and I am going to eat humble pie. When you changed to this channel I thought this is going to go tits up. But I don't even think about the sailing anymore not even Pinky ( that's a blast from the past Ha Ha) I do so look forward to your videos and life on the farm
the stomachs are delicious too, you just carefully cut them in half cutting around the circumfence then pull the inner lining, then wash it thoroughly, I slow cook them in soups and stews, they are soft and tastey
Amazing!!! Especially seeing the Cockatoos in the trees.We definately dont have birds like that in the wild.We have a variety of birds but they are seagulls and crows,sparrows etc.CHEERS from Westcoast Canada!
Brings to mind the tongue twister "I'm not the pheasant plucker, I'm the pheasant plucker's son, and I'm only plucking pheasants till the pheasant plucker comes." Not to attempted if you have imbibed of anything even mildly alcoholic!
Hand plucking isn't so bad I used to just run a few meat birds with my flock basically a broody bantam was given a clutch of eggs from time to time results were either replacement chooks or meat roosters. But yes the plucker saves time when doing 50.
We had been raising broilers for many years. They grow fast, gain weight well and lay enough eggs. Also do not refuse to incubate eggs. But, you need to be careful. I noticed a lame chicken in the video. Due to large weight they can break legs when they jump from a roost or a hight point. Best wishes from Irkutsk.
These birds did get very heavy toward the end there and would get exhausted easily. We had to treat them much more carefully than regular barnyard fowl.
I have a very safe enclosure against pest apart from snakes for my white chickens and they often roost in the trees if I don't hassle them into their coop. I take all the rejects boys from the factory and raise them for meat.
Love the videos guys, I’ve got a question! Since your chicken coop doesn’t have the sides dug in, nor a floor, how do you stop the chickens getting eaten by foxes ?
I had chickens about 20 years ago . Despite a 10 foot high fence that was also buried in the ground the goddam foxes still got in . You can't eat feathers really 😎
@@FreeRangeLiving we have gone with New Zealand White x Giant Flemish breeds. We got around 2kgs of meat from each rabbit last time. We did let them grow to 16 weeks. Most people do harvest them at 10-12 weeks. Anything after 12 weeks they call roasters. We’ve made our first batch of sausages from that last litter.
@@FreeRangeLiving We would love you to come visit. Yes we breed but I wouldn’t say we are breeders. We have 2 litters of 3 week old kits that will be weaned at 6 weeks. You are welcome to take your pick from each litter to set up a breeding pair if you like. Once your new family have settled in hit us up and we can tea up a time to catch up. Cheers Lee
I can afford to patronize you guys but i got heaps of useless opinions to share. 1) A Maggot generator is a good way to convert food wast into a better food/protein source for you meat birds, you just have to remember to keep on to of it otherwise you get heaps of flies. 2)commercial meat birds are washed in a sodium hypochlorite solution, called Pathogen Reduction Treatments and/or Direct Intervention , because of the nature of poultry and how they are processed; dunked in water and then eviscerated if there is any faeces on the feathers or feet, or the intestines are ruptured, especially using a plucking machine, they can be contaminated and meat is hard to wash off. salmonella in particular. especially storing large quantities for long times, Even freezing. its easy/cheap insurance to help combat the problem. 2.1) sodium hypochlorite is in bleach, but household bleach also had surfactant and perfume. you need a food grade sodium hypochlorite, also called just hypochlorite or hypo. it is a very safe, even food safe, chemical used for sanitation and sterilization. it is very reactive with organic matter and breaks down basically into saltwater and oxygen with time and heat and light. it should always be used with cold water. 3)heat shrink bags, you can get vacuum or normal, are going to be the best bags to pack in to reduce freezer burn and keep the shape of the bird without crushing it too much. you should be able to easily get both these at a butchers supplier or maybe through you local butcher if he will order it for you. if all else fails i could have it send to you.
MMMMMMMMMMMMMMM baconnnnnnnnnn, ok and some chicken too............. now separate the chickens in their own free range area surrounded by electric fence netting so the pigs dont get them and bring down the cost to about $5 or less and trade the excess chickens for other stuff u need. U may need a bigger boat.... oooops i meant freezer.
Big meaty rabbits? Flemish Giants but better still are the New Zealand Giants (name only but not from New Zealand). Big rabbits are easier to handle and much quieter than the small varieties. The pretty Rex Rabbit varieties are a nightmare in terms of behaviour. Be warned! Rabbits are an escape machine and they can bite severely. You'll know if a big male rabbit likes you - it will piss on you. Highly entertaining animals.
Would never have guessed that I would enjoy this as much, or more, than your sailing adventures. Thank you for sharing your journey.
I know right, just waiting for Troy to say he feels like some fish!!!
It’s was so funny that the chook got your finger. Maybe he or her heard you about putting it under the knife . 😂😂😂
Just saw the baby news, Congratulations to you both!!! You two are going to be amazing parents and I can see the joy in both your faces. Enjoy every moment of this time together as you live on your homestead with all the animals and lush growing gardens! 💜💜💜
Thanks Anne.
Where'd you see the news?
@@waterboy8999 Look a few videos back from this one.
@@annecasillas5402 oh that news, I thought the little one had showed up!
There is a lot to be said about knowing where your food comes from. I will be interested in what you learn about four legged chickens in the future (rabbits).
I can't wait for the play by play when the baby shows up.
Troy: "So I went around to the local junk yard and found some old wheels, took this PVC tubing and a pallet and was able to rig up a small stroller. Now we didn't want the baby to hurt itself so I used twine instead of wire and we put a few fresh handfuls of this really nice hay our neighbor gave us so the baby would sleep better. Now we've tried to schedule feeding time so that the baby will sleep quietly through the night but that isn't working out as expected. If any of you have raised babies before please leave any suggestions in the comments below."
LOL. Suggestions always welcome.
You guys are so amazing, you are good at everything you do! I lived the same “mentality” for years, owned a home, lived frugally, was living the dream and doing it well. Now I have sold my home and bought a 38 foot Morgan sailboat and I hope to do as well at sailing as I did with raising kids and building a comfortable mountain home. Now I am not so confident or knowledgeable about ocean sailing but here goes! If it doesn’t pan out I will buy a small farm to retire on. I really appreciate your adventurous videos and I can tell you they help make me mor courageous in my pursuits! Thank you, best to you!
Congratulations on the new arrival! We raised rabbits for food when we were younger, easy to do and great eating!!
We made raised pens so they were easy to clean under. I found them easier to raise than chickens.
40+ years ago my neighbour raised rabbits for food. He first had them in an old shed/building, but of course rabbits can dig like anything, so they had to dig down to try and bury fencing to keep them from burrowing out of the enclosure. They eventually swapped to keeping them in raised hutches off the ground with wire mesh bottoms -- so the rabbit dung just dropped to the ground underneath.
You've done it again. You never fail to impress. Humanely, professionally and skilfully executed, pun intended. Bon Appetite.
I'm so happy to see that the chicken experiment worked out to your satisfaction. The chicken pluck-er is the only way to go. When I was raising meat chickens, which I no longer do, I was keeping 150 chickens average at a time. I have hand plucked a chicken from time to time but when you are doing a bunch of them doing it by hand is just not fun. You two are doing a great job on your farm. Keep it up. P.S. I think rabbits will be easier, though they are highly sought after by predators like any hungry neighboring foxes and eagles. They are also very tasty and heart healthy. Can't wait to see those episodes.
I admit, I can get a bit squeamish at the whole idea of processing animals. But honestly, seeing how calm, curious, and unconcerned the other animals are to what's going on, helps me feel better about it.
They aren't really abstract thinkers. If everything is calm, no one gets very distressed. It's rare here for even any noise as everything happens very quickly.
Someone might be able to help me here. When my Croatian mum cooked rabbit, it was the driest unnapealling meal I ever remember as a youngster, though mum was an amazingly great cook otherwise. When my German Aunt prepared rabbit though, my goodness, the moist pull apart tenderness. All I can recall from my Aunt is that white wine marination played a part in her process. On a side note, not too much rabbit in a human diet. They say it can be a demineraliser to the human body if consumed too frequently. Thanks for not shying away from the process without actually risking demonitization
Marinade would definitely help, as does brining. Perhaps she had a little Bauchspeck handy?
Very entertaining educational 👏🏻👏🏻
You should freeze a few solo cups of water and place a few coins on top, if your freezer ever glitches the coins will sink. It can save some confusion later. Thanks for the video!
Lo-tech genius
You guys have put a lot of hard work in and now you will have a comfy winter and survive on the fruits of your labor. That has to be very satisfying. BTW, I'm assuming you didn't name those chickens.
If you ever get a chance to pick up a chamber vacuum sealer, get one. I got one a few years ago, it's one of my favorite tools. Much better vacuum, wide choice of bags that run about 10 cents each, much better and less expensive.
We would love one!
Really interesting. I love keeping chickens but have never had a flock specifically for meat although I have killed off a number of my own for food. The flavour of a home grown chicken is so different from shop bought. Well done both.
Great video, thanks for the updates
Thanks for sharing!
@FreeRangeLiving Hi, meant to tell ya this previous - If not aware, research Black Soldier Fly>Larvae breeding. Minimal requirement, done right it's potentially endless supply of high protein feed. Can also be a cash income selling to locals, including fishing bait. Microgreens also good for income, local cafes/restaurants go through heaps.
I had to rewind to catch the scolding. I've never plucked a bird without scolding. I've never plucked more than five at a time. That Plucker looks to be the way to go for quantity. Nice work on the 2.5k. I used to process rabbits at 2 to 4lbs (1.5k +). Totally Awesome.
I think skipping the scald is a recipe for disaster. We are like you in that until this day, we had only done a run of 5 chooks.
@@FreeRangeLiving My little brother's best friend is not a fan of chicken skin... He's weird... He skins his birds like catfish. 🤥
Don't you just love the smell of ready to pluck chickens? My grandparents had chickens and it was simply a matter of course that when they wanted to eat chicken the ax would be brought out and the water put on to boil. When I was a kid my parents had about 200 white rabbits. I think in response to rumors that rabbits were the way to go in regard to making money. They didn't last long. One harvest and that was it. Not much help to you, except to perhaps caution you to carefully calculate costs before engaging in an enterprise, including labor costs, even though you're the one doing the labor. My parents, and my brothers and I have had virtually every farm animal in existence on our small farms. Some species lasted many years, chickens for instance, and others lasted not very long at all. We got tired of goats climbing on our cars and the calls of the guinea hens. It was a great adventure and now it's fun watching yours.
Yep, the labour can get you. It helps to be able to talk to people here before we trial something new (to us) as it won't be new to some of our neighbours.
Maybe it could be for Troy if he misbehaves! Lol! Beautiful area you guy live at there in Australia.
Christmas for Jet with all those chicken heads :D
She has quite a few happy days in a year...
Wow, I've got some catching up to do. I followed your sailing journey's from the beginning round to when you left Tassie for back home in the west. Look at you two, happy as..,😃👍❤️ and practicing what you promote, free range healthy living. Congrats on the new arrival, so happy for the both of you.
Regs
Chris
SE QLD.
This is best method I have seen for harvesting 50 chickens. 👍
Surprised us in how little time it actually took!
Thank you for sharing! Love you guys!
So enjoy your videos. Learn a lot about stewardship of land and creatures
Love the animal side of your farming, love it all. Animals do have personality. Love it guys thx
Morrissey Rabbitry my Dad created our family hobby!
Showing at the rabbit shows was the main fun. And of course meat rabbits were grown and processed.
Over 1000 were counted one year.
This was is Tecumseh, Kansas, USA
So much has changed but you would do good to built a proper building to suit housing your breeding stock. For their comfort and safety. Big sturdy Wire cages that can be hung. The correct bottom wire is a must. I actually still have some cages my dad made in the 1970's Making collecting their manure easy. Best Wishes gathering all the information and thoughts on rabbits.
Would you mind sharing the breed your family favoured for meat rabbits Marie?
Excellent transition from boaties to farmie.. Proud of you guys keep going. Rob in South africa
Another fantastic video, thank you both :) I'll just pop this recipe here, which is my recipe for Chicken Liver Pate ... it's delicious (especially with free range chicken livers!) but bear in mind that undercooked (i.e. pink) chicken livers can harbour listeria, so I always cook/fry them until cooked through (i.e. until grey and cooked completely through all of the liver), which leads to a grey coloured pate (though still delicious, promise!) rather than a pink pate. Listeria is particularly dangerous for pregnant mothers-to-be, hence me popping in this warning to you ...
Behr's Luxury Chicken Liver Pate
*Ingredients*:
400g chicken livers, de-veined and sinew removed (but don't stress about the odd bit of core that gets in, especially if it's fat - the fat is flavourful)
250g butter, about 50-100 for the cooking and maybe 150g+ for the melting and sealing the ramekins at the end
2 medium banana shallots, finely chopped, or maybe 6 small, round shallots ... but banana shallots are miles easier and less hassle to peel & prep
3 generous sprigs thyme, leaves only (no stalks) - you want lots of thyme leaves in there as chicken livers love fresh thyme so if you fancy more or it's weak thyme then use more
1/2 tsp Mace (can use nutmeg but Mace is better)
8-10 Juniper berries, lightly crushed
Optional: 1 tablespoon (or more if you like) pickled green soft peppercorns, left whole
2 cloves garlic, crushed (this is very much to taste - I don't like too much garlic in my pate so often drop this to 1 clove)
Brandy ... 50 to 100 mls (but make sure you boil off the alcohol in the pan)
Salt & Pepper
Melted Butter for topping (see above)
*Method*:
1. Fry the shallots & garlic in a pan with butter until lightly sweated and just starting to brown - remove and put in a food processor
2. Fry the chicken livers and juniper berries in more butter (put the livers in first then add the juniper berries), also add to the processor - (fry thoroughly until completely cooked through, although this will give a grey rather than pink pate - see above)
3. Deglaze pan with a generous slosh of brandy (I use anywhere from 50 - 100 mls, then boil off the alcohol in the pan), add the lot to the processor
4. Season with salt, pepper, mace (or nutmeg), then process until completely smooth, then add pickled green peppercorns if using (don't process them leave them whole for little peppery explosions of flavour)
5. Spoon into ramekins, top with melted clarified butter so they're sealed, then chill thoroughly and if possible wait a day/overnight for the flavours to develop fully ... can be frozen once sealed into ramekins and lasts a fair while, or up to a week or more in a fridge if left sealed ... you may need more butter than listed to top, depending ... do not have any of the pate poking through the butter layer as it can allow the pate to spoil so smooth the top with a spoon or small palette knife to make it flat and spoon or pour on a generous layer of butter ... for this reason you don't want to overfill the ramekins so make sure you leave room for the butter topping
It's a simple recipe but, having tried dozens, it's the one I keep coming back to ... you can add softened butter to the pate when processing to make it less rich tasting but I love it the way it is ... hope you try it and enjoy it :)
We to like a "generous slosh of Brandy" ;)
@@FreeRangeLiving Well now here's a slightly odd story ... stay with me on this as it's a bit weird. Quite a few years ago there was a famous TV cook, known as "The Cooking Canon" (the Rev. John Eley) because he was a practising priest, and his recipes were very popular in our household, albeit we're not a religious family (quite the reverse in my case, though I have oddly heard a sermon by the Rev Eley and a wise and decent man he seemed to me to be). He was (and, a quick google suggests, still is with us, so that's nice) a superb fellah - fat, jolly, very amiable, and very down to earth. He was such a good cook that he appeared regularly on a then very popular daytime TV programme called "Pebble Mill At One", and such was the popularity of his dishes that he had several cookbooks, and a copy of one of the best of his (a small paperback book called "The Cooking Canon Entertains - a Selection of Lunch & Dinner Menus") was bought for my gran by my sister and I (you had to send off stamps, of all things, so we kids were able to buy it), and was later gifted back to me by my nan when she went into her Old Folks Home, a few years before her death, so she wasn't cooking for others anymore. The recipes are excellent - obviously a tad old-fashioned by today's standards as this was back in the 70s, but still, very tasty grub and not too difficult to prepare ... he did a lovely glazed lamb dish, one of roast pork with spiced apricots (really nice, that one), etc., and a recipe called "Pork Slosh" ...
It was called Pork Slosh because, the story went, the Rev Eley (who was fond of a top drop, be it wine or beer, as well as his grub) knew that, back then (in the 1970s) practising priests had to be very careful when admitting to drinking publicly, or indeed using any form of alcohol, as it tended to anger and upset the more miserable types in any given congregation, and when the he came to write up the recipe he realised he had a problem - the dish contained cream (fine), and butter (fine), but also white wine, and quite a bit of it! If he put down the amount honestly (anywhere between half a glass to a full wine glass) he knew some folk would be angry and disappointed in him, but if he didn't write down the correct amount he would, in fact, be lying to people's faces, which would have been a dreadful sin. What to do? Eventually (whether by prayer or mere thought I know not which) he came upon a solution! He wrote down "... and then add a slosh of white wine", realising that the term "slosh" is always whatever the reader wants it to be ... to the Rev. it was half to a full wineglass, whereas to others who disliked booze it would be about a teaspoon. So that's what he wrote and handed in ... and thus "Pork Slosh" was born, and "a slosh" became lodged in my brain as the amount you put down when you don't really want to admit how much of a given booze you're using without lying about it :)
Wow, that was good, amazing chicken friends, lots of food there, well done farmers, I would love to farm, thankyou
That plucka is a beauty. So is that Rugged Esky. I have one identical to yours and it's the bee's knees. cheers.
Hi Troy & Pascale, interesting to see the whole process from small chicks all the way through to being processed as meat. Wishing you all the best from the UK.
I was thinking about you guys today… and here you are❤
Very cool to see How GREAT you are doing!!! Pascale Looks AMAZING!!!!!! RABBIT is a GOOD Choice YUMMY meat Very Lean
Looking good you both but extra good Pascal and thanks to you both for an interesting VLOG
You were lucky, we lost all of our chickens to a predator getting through that kind of rabbit wire! If you want to be extra sure, maybe use hardwire mesh next time when building a chicken tractor - or include a fully enclosed box for them to sleep in at night. We're still on our journey to keep chickens alive long enough to either get eggs or get into the freezer...
I think my vendetta with some traps and the dogs enthusiasm for chasing foxes and kangaroos combined with an electric fence all around has dissuaded the local foxes from our plot of ground.
Thanks!
Much appreciated, thank you
Thnx chicken
Thanks
That really put the "super" in Super Thanks. Cheers legend
Many years ago, when I was in Morocco, there were a couple of guys selling meat chickens. They were live and killed them to order. The feathers were removed within seconds of killing them. One of the guys just stuck the chicken in the enclosed machine whilst holding onto its feet. I wish I had of asked how it worked. I have never seen better. Once he pulled it out, he passed it onto another guy who took the guts out washed it and bagged it. Handing it over to the customer. The whole process maybe took a minute.
In Egypt, I saw a plucker that was an old repurposed washing machine with springs inside instead of the rubber fingers. Ingenious, but did require a small boy running about the shop to clean it!
Yes..! I have raised rabbit meat and chicken at different times and decided for my own needs the rabbit was a little easier but I also wanted to point out how simple it is to build a chicken plucker the one you borrowed looked like you could make one like it using the basket from an old washing machine perferated tub .. the rubber fingers are avalible out there somewhere I'm sure ...!
In the one shot with the chicks, it looks like the cat might have been scoping out some DIY chicken nuggets 😁🤣
Love the chicken plucker. Back in the early 90’s I made the mistake of buying 100 day old chicks which were 50 cents each. The food they went through was horrendous. Then the labour in hand plucking them. By the time I’d finished I think I could have purchased two supermarket chickens for every one of mine 🥺
Recovering waste from industry here makes things easier on the budget for sure. The producers as well as the animals are happy to see us with the trailer now!
Awesome video the chicken pluker really worked great
I never thought I would say this and I am going to eat humble pie. When you changed to this channel I thought this is going to go tits up. But I don't even think about the sailing anymore not even Pinky ( that's a blast from the past Ha Ha) I do so look forward to your videos and life on the farm
I was actually thinking of building a little boat in the shed!
the stomachs are delicious too, you just carefully cut them in half cutting around the circumfence then pull the inner lining, then wash it thoroughly, I slow cook them in soups and stews, they are soft and tastey
Amazing!!! Especially seeing the Cockatoos in the trees.We definately dont have birds like that in the wild.We have a variety of birds but they are seagulls and crows,sparrows etc.CHEERS from Westcoast Canada!
Brings to mind the tongue twister "I'm not the pheasant plucker, I'm the pheasant plucker's son, and I'm only plucking pheasants till the pheasant plucker comes." Not to attempted if you have imbibed of anything even mildly alcoholic!
Hand plucking isn't so bad I used to just run a few meat birds with my flock basically a broody bantam was given a clutch of eggs from time to time results were either replacement chooks or meat roosters. But yes the plucker saves time when doing 50.
OH yes do meat Rabbits I am keen to have a go at that I am sure your experience will lead me down that path or maybe save me the angst.
Interesting fact: The mighty T-Rex is a direct descendent of the modern day chicken. Imagine the size of the two pack at KFC!
Any mouse that gets uncovered by the chooks here can support your claim!
Newbie ❤
We had been raising broilers for many years. They grow fast, gain weight well and lay enough eggs. Also do not refuse to incubate eggs. But, you need to be careful. I noticed a lame chicken in the video. Due to large weight they can break legs when they jump from a roost or a hight point.
Best wishes from Irkutsk.
These birds did get very heavy toward the end there and would get exhausted easily. We had to treat them much more carefully than regular barnyard fowl.
Plenty of eggs and chicken salad!
Hard to beat that 3 month turn around. But interested to see if other, slower growing, chicken breeds are worth it for flavor etc.
Our old egg birds had fantastic flavour, though less and tougher meat. Great in a soup or slow cooked dish.
Congratulations seem to be in order
Oh August ... I guess I missed the announcement ... goodf on ya guys, much love
I stopped at @14:34. I'm to tender hearted for the rest. 😢
I have a very safe enclosure against pest apart from snakes for my white chickens and they often roost in the trees if I don't hassle them into their coop.
I take all the rejects boys from the factory and raise them for meat.
Nice, Don’t think the chickens enjoyed the carnival ride though.
Love the videos guys, I’ve got a question!
Since your chicken coop doesn’t have the sides dug in, nor a floor, how do you stop the chickens getting eaten by foxes ?
Our dog is the fox liason officer. She has cleared them out of the general vicinity.
Roger that thanks for the reply! Im out near denmark and see foxes all the time... perhaps will need to get some guards!@@FreeRangeLiving
I had chickens about 20 years ago . Despite a 10 foot high fence that was also buried in the ground the goddam foxes still got in . You can't eat feathers really 😎
I'm glad our foxes aren't of the calibre of your opposition!
We are located in Bunbury and do meat rabbits. If you are interested hit us up 👍🏻
I'd be interested to hear your opinion on breeds if you have run through a few.
@@FreeRangeLiving we have gone with New Zealand White x Giant Flemish breeds. We got around 2kgs of meat from each rabbit last time. We did let them grow to 16 weeks. Most people do harvest them at 10-12 weeks. Anything after 12 weeks they call roasters. We’ve made our first batch of sausages from that last litter.
Oh just seen your news congratulations 🎉
That seems a very good return for the effort. Are you breeders who we might visit and get a few starters?
@@FreeRangeLiving We would love you to come visit. Yes we breed but I wouldn’t say we are breeders. We have 2 litters of 3 week old kits that will be weaned at 6 weeks. You are welcome to take your pick from each litter to set up a breeding pair if you like. Once your new family have settled in hit us up and we can tea up a time to catch up. Cheers Lee
😃👍👍👍❤
Chicken feathers will plug-up pig intestines.
Our pigs may be able to handle them with the roughage they get foraging. So far, the hunter pig is quite hearty.
I can afford to patronize you guys but i got heaps of useless opinions to share.
1) A Maggot generator is a good way to convert food wast into a better food/protein source for you meat birds, you just have to remember to keep on to of it otherwise you get heaps of flies.
2)commercial meat birds are washed in a sodium hypochlorite solution, called Pathogen Reduction Treatments and/or Direct Intervention , because of the nature of poultry and how they are processed; dunked in water and then eviscerated if there is any faeces on the feathers or feet, or the intestines are ruptured, especially using a plucking machine, they can be contaminated and meat is hard to wash off. salmonella in particular. especially storing large quantities for long times, Even freezing. its easy/cheap insurance to help combat the problem.
2.1) sodium hypochlorite is in bleach, but household bleach also had surfactant and perfume. you need a food grade sodium hypochlorite, also called just hypochlorite or hypo. it is a very safe, even food safe, chemical used for sanitation and sterilization. it is very reactive with organic matter and breaks down basically into saltwater and oxygen with time and heat and light. it should always be used with cold water.
3)heat shrink bags, you can get vacuum or normal, are going to be the best bags to pack in to reduce freezer burn and keep the shape of the bird without crushing it too much.
you should be able to easily get both these at a butchers supplier or maybe through you local butcher if he will order it for you. if all else fails i could have it send to you.
I must get round to a maggot farm again. I used to make fish bait that way when I was little.
Say this fast, three times
I'm not the chicken plucker
I'm the chicken pluckers son
I'm only plucking chickens
Till the chicken plucker comes
Noooo
Just curious. What's the going price for a broiler chick in Australia?
$2.50 at our low numbers
@@FreeRangeLiving Thanks. Still that's not bad.
How about 6 months supply? I wouldn’t keep chickens in the freezer for much longer than 6 months
Perhaps you may be right. Hopefully the vac bags were worth the effort.
I've kept chicken pieces for over 12 months in the freezer, no problems.
raise ducks also. then more eggs and meat
Contact 'Good Simple Living' who breed meat rabbits in the US
Is a Horse on your list? How many acres again?
No horse for this 9 acres. I'd love to get my niece on Hugo the goat though!
@@FreeRangeLiving lol ok then. love you guys.
So would you say these are Free Range Chickens?
Most days, I think so. They may not be free to range into the pigs enclosure!
@@FreeRangeLiving bacon and eggs don't get along?
Do you eat chicken feet?
Oh yes. They are very good.
MMMMMMMMMMMMMMM baconnnnnnnnnn, ok and some chicken too............. now separate the chickens in their own free range area surrounded by electric fence netting so the pigs dont get them and bring down the cost to about $5 or less and trade the excess chickens for other stuff u need. U may need a bigger boat.... oooops i meant freezer.
Turns out bird brain might be a thing.
Big meaty rabbits? Flemish Giants but better still are the New Zealand Giants (name only but not from New Zealand). Big rabbits are easier to handle and much quieter than the small varieties. The pretty Rex Rabbit varieties are a nightmare in terms of behaviour. Be warned! Rabbits are an escape machine and they can bite severely. You'll know if a big male rabbit likes you - it will piss on you. Highly entertaining animals.
I'll have to try walk the tight-rope of not angering male rabbits, while keeping our friendship at a very low level it seems.
👍👍
Thanks for sharing!
Thanks!
Thank you.