Table Poultry – Meat Breeds

As we enter the new year a number of people have asked me about that they working with some larger breeds of chicken to provide meat for the table. My first response is that its not the cheapest thing to do but thats primarily because the price of chicken meat in the supermarkets is so low. However to compare a slow maturing 20 week old pure bred table bird with a fast to fatten 7 week old shop bought broiler is a little like comparing oak with pine; and its not just a price difference but also weight and density of the wood that puts oak above pine. The same can be said of home grown chicken meat, the longer maturing bird is noticably different in texture and taste.

So whats behind these breeds of poultry? They were developed with the primary aim of providing meat for the table. The surplus cockerels from many of the laying breeds proved too lightweight to supply a practical source of meat, and whilst the dual purpose or utility breeds straddled the line well in terms of fulfilling the need for eggs and meat, neither gained weight fast enough to warrant them being an effective source of inexpensive meat. Original these breeds came about by unintentional matings
between different breeds that occasionally resulted in fast growing, heavy
weight offspring. Careful selection of these larger offspring and further
breeding then resulted in consistently weighty results. Post WWII many of these
breeds became obsolete by the emergence of the table hybrids designed to meet
the increasing demand for a cheap protein source, however some can still be
found on small scale farms and smallholdings.

Fundamentally, the breeds within this category are heavy and large with the males of some breeds exceeding 5kgs in weight, and the hens not too far behind thus maximising the potential of both sexes to be used in the kitchen. As such they are not really suitable where small children are involved. That said, a breed that is active and flighty is not a breed that will put on weight quickly, so table breeds do tend to be more placid and slow moving birds. They are also very tolerant amongst themselves and not prone to aggression towards each other or the keeper.

The breeds are also a fast growing (although not when compared to a commercial strain) with a lot of the weight being put into the breast. This shifts the birds centre of gravity forwards giving them a more full chested profile.

The development of them for meat meant little attention was paid to their laying qualities and as such some are relatively poor layers when compared with those developed for egg production. They do however show a greater propensity towards brooding than the laying types with the hens making excellent mothers Due to their size it also means they are capable of hatching quite large clutches of eggs.

The majority of these breeds do not readily take to the wing and can be kept behind relatively low fencing. In fact their general docility and mobility is such that they will quite happily live with a penned space as opposed to needing large areas to range over. Due to their size and nature they can have quite an appetite and it’s important to ensure they are adequately fed but not over fed, or with anything too rich in calories, as this can lead to the birds becoming fat and in turn result in leg problems if left unchecked. By the same measure they do need exercise to avoid running to fat. Within a small enclosure this can be achieved by hanging greens just out of reach so the bird has to stretch and jump slightly to access the fodder.

Due to their large size their accommodation needs to be given careful consideration. Pop holes need to be large enough for them to easily enter and exit the house, the nest boxes need to be large enough for the hens to sit comfortably without causing damage to their plumage and perches should not be situated too far off the floor level to reduce the risk of leg injuries when they alight.

At the end of the day though what you produce will hopefully give you an idea of what chicken actually does taste like. You will find that you eat less of it because its more filling and hence the bird may well last 2 or even three meals. And if you run that against the supermarket bird then perhaps it could well be price competitive.

Apple Tree Recovery – Pruning & how to revive an old tree

When we moved here some years back we were presented with quite a wilderness. The house was just about to reach at least its second dereliction in as many decades and the garden was in need of some serious help to try and bring it back to some semblance of order. A previous owner had planted up some wonderful fruit trees included a variety of Shropshire prune, plus a number of apple, cherry and pear trees however these had been abandoned for a number of years and its taken sometime to gradually bring as many as we could back into productivity. Ok, some people would advocate starting over with new stock plants but I really hate cutting trees down unless there is a very good reason such as disease or safety, besides theres something wonderful about a knarled old Bramley bursting into life again.

By the end of February is essential you have most of your fruit tree pruning complete before the plant begins to grow so heres a step by step guide to recovering a neglected spur bearing apple tree.

 

This particular tree has been pruned over previous years as it was in a terrible state so if you have one that really is a congested mess then execute this process over a 3 year period in order to control the regrowth and achieve a level of productivity without stressing the tree and exposing it to potential infection or disease.

As a basic rule of thumb the first pruning activity should be the 3D’s, this is to prune out the diseased, dead or damaged branches, but by the same measure you should look to shape the tree into a bowl structure. This will let light and air through into the canopy which will not only mean healthy growth but quality productive growth. As my grandfather told me once ‘aim to create a bowl shape with enough space for a pigeon to fly through and it’ll see you right’. The old fella’s tips have never failed me yet!

 

What you will need

Tools

• Pruning saw/Bow saw
• Secateurs
• Long handled loppers

 

Step 1

No action in this step, just observation. Take a good long look at the tree structure, try to visualise a bowl like shape. It’s always good to take step back and observe throughout the process also.

 

Step 2

Using a pruning saw remove all dead or diseased wood, cutting back to the main branch or trunk

 

Step 3

Look for any crossing branches, they will usually show rubbing on the bark as this one does. Remove them, they will cause a wound for disease in the long run.

 

Step 4

Prune out any whips growing on the main trunks, these will be unproductive and reduce the light and air in the tree if left to grow.

 

Step 5

Using a bow saw or pruning saw remove any central trunks that may sprout whips and interfere with the bowl structure you are looking for.

 

Step 6

Cut out two out of every three of the remaining new growth whips. Long handled loppers make this job quicker than ladders

 

Step 7

Prune the remaining new growth down to three buds from the main branch cutting about an inch beyond the terminal bud.

 

Step 8

Apply a good mulch of well rotted compost to keep the weeds down and give the tree a boost after its ‘surgery’

 

Step 9

Stand back, have a cup of tea, and survey the shape. Identify if there is any remaining pruning required in order to achieve that desired bowl shape

 

Fruits of your labours

Battery Eggs – The EU & their New Years Resolution

The concept of a New Years Resolution can be crap can’t it? People set off with a vaguely positive intent then in the end, more often than not, it gets forgotten after a couple of weeks and you slink away trying to remember who you told about it, feeling slightly uncomfortable that a resolution of creating a resolution you could stick to would have been more appropriate.

Perhaps the solution to the resolution conundrum is to not make a resolution at all? Perhaps it should be to support somebody else in ensuring they achieve theirs, that way you don’t get the mild embarrassment of failing to stick to yours, but you do get the benefit of knowing you are doing something to help someone else with theirs. It’s an interesting concept filled with positives and I know just the person…. the EU.

Sometime ago the EU brought in legislation to outlaw the use of barren battery cages for egg laying hens. The legislation was passed and out of the idleness/goodness of their hearts, the EU made the deadline for the removal of battery cages 12 years after the date the it was passed. That’s T W E L V E long years…. Well 1^st January 2012 marks THE date when battery cage systems for poultry are illegal…… but guess what? There are EU member countries that have still not fully implemented the ban or even made any effort to implement it,  and those lovely fuzzy people in the land of the EU are still now debating the regulations concerning the legalities of exporting battery eggs across Europe, and worst still allowing the export into those member countries that have fully conformed!

This EU legislation has to be potentially one of the most public New Years Resolutions in existence. 12 years ago 1st January 2012 marked the end of all battery caged systems for chickens, and just like so many other people, the good old EU is in very really danger of slipping up and failing in its resolve. But they said it, and unlike some of us, it wasn’t whispered to a few close friends just in case it couldn’t be kept. No, it was VERY public and there’s no ‘slinking away’ from this one. 

You can perhaps sense the of spitting of feathers and potential of a soap box rant about to start but no, I’ve ranted for many a year already and busted many a soap box. I’m not going to go on about welfare, besides if you give a jot about animal welfare you’ll be fully versed, and already avoiding eggs from such farming methods. The same applies if you actually think about what you eat, you will already be making sure the eggs you consume are not from battery systems. In fact it’s distinctly likely that if you frequent this blog then you are probably an advocate of non-battery systems for egg production already….. but if, and its possible, you stumbled on this blog and are reading this for the first time and you’ve not really considered this issue in any depth then be a good person, and help the EU from stumbling into the new year and screwing up the New Years Resolution its spent 12 years building up to.  

Make 2012 will be the year where you ask about the source of the egg products you are about to purchase and don’t buy battery.

If the vendor doesn’t know then don’t buy it, you could (as could the vendor) be inadvertently supporting a battery farm from the EU member countries who obviously have little or no care for poultry, agriculture, food, the law… the list goes on. Vote with your feet and go buy from somewhere that does know and be confident that you are not supporting the sale of illegal eggs.

12 years is a long notice period but a deadline is a deadline. If the politicians don’t have the back bone to make it happens across the board as promised and are that incompetent that they can’t legislate against illegal egg producers and support those who remain legal, then it’s down to the food producers and consumers to make damn sure they do.

2012 – The End Of Battery Cages, make sure THE END means THE ABSOLUTE END and don’t allow illegal eggs into your food chain.

 

Red Hot Chilli Peppers?

This gallery contains 5 photos.

As mentioned in an earlier post, a twitter friend of mine sent me some chilli pepper seeds at the beginning of the year to try out. I like my chilli peppers but had yet to be adventurous enough to branch … Continue reading →

Preserving Chilli Peppers – The Chilli Ristra

This year I’ve had quite a glut of chilli peppers, not that I’m complaining, I adore chilli peppers! Most years though I’ve usually eaten them as they ripen and very rarely have to concern myself with preserving (if only the I could say the same about courgettes… I swear there’s a courgette fairy who wanders around with a small bicycle pump inflating young fruits so cropping becomes an hourly task!).

 

This year however I find myself with more than enough to cook with and plenty of spare ones, not least in part to a twitter friend, Craig, @wegrownourown, who sent me seeds for some slightly more different varieties. I’ll no doubt blog on them when I’ve recovered from the impending taste test.

 

Anybody who knows my kitchen antics will know that whilst I enjoying taking time over cooking, primarily due to the bottle of wine that gets opened, I’m not one for long preparation techniques, and the same can be said of my preserving methods… none of this blanching, drying and bagging for me, its straight in the freezer and fingers crossed in most cases.

 

As such so I took a look into methods of preserving chilli peppers that wouldn’t prove too onerous. I’d seen strings of dried chilli peppers hanging in photographs of  expensive looking kitchens when I stumbled upon a copy of Country Life in the waiting room of a local Kwik Fit… yes it surprised me too, some how Kwik Fit & Country Life don’t really seem like uncomfortable partners. This was reinforced by the burly grease monkey who took it from me and furtively pushed it into his rucksack muttering “….its my mums”

 

Anyway, the concept seemed simple enough, harvest them with enough stalk, take a length of fishing line and a large needle and then string them together. Once done, hang them in a warm, light, well ventilated position and watch them dry. The Chilli Ristra -  what could be simpler!

 

All you need do then is check that none start to go mouldy before they have dried, if so then remove those ones, but ultimately you just leave it hanging there until you need some for cooking with…. and to top it off, I read that in some countries its consider good luck to have a ristra hanging around the place… I hope it brings me some and refills that wine glass once more.