reading time: 5 minutes
How do you get the most out of your chicken flock? Matthew Wilkinson He shares his thoughtful and practical perspective on the difficult task of handling your own chicken.
Early foraging lessons
In middle school, I was a book freak Hunt wild asparagus by Yoel Gibbins. I’d rush home from school, pick up the book, and go into our local woods, looking for new food treasures within the woods. During that time of exploration and adventure, I was drawn to Simple Dandelion. Gibbons loved “weed,” which everyone seemed to hate. When I read about the common dandelion, I began to appreciate the diverse offerings that the parched plant has to offer. Dandelions are giving! The plant provides an array of culinary delights—you can harvest its bright yellow flowers and turn pedalos into smooth wine; Add leaves to the salad. and grind the roots into a strong, charred, bone-coloured coffee. This simple botanical instilled in me the understanding and practice of using the total food product, wasting no usable part of anything I have grown, harvested or raised.
I stockpiled these lessons until I made my first chickens. Here was a new form of dandelion. I was challenged and didn’t have a grandfather to show me how to use the whole bird, or even a book with clear instructions and pictures. I was alone in the world of total chicken use.
using all parts
Something absolutely magical happens when you take the time to nurture and nurture any living thing for food. The time, energy and resources required to take a plant or animal from its conception to the final product is a personal and intimate experience. I spent many hours in hackneyed positions weeding row after row of carrots, loosening each bundle of stems of young plants, and trying to separate the carrot from the weed. During many weeding races, I only thought about how many more carrots I had to collect before the job was complete. However, the effort of the task is what ultimately connected me to the value of the carrot. I no longer see carrots as a simple food. My time and effort in developing vegetables has shaped a much higher level of respect for the plant. When it came time to pull out the carrot and take advantage of it, I was determined to use every bit of it.
I feel the same about all my chickens. At first, I was determined to learn to use as much of each bird as possible. I quickly learned that there is a huge variety of products every chicken can offer. Once the life of a living being is ended, the clock that records the quality of the product begins to tick off. It is essential that you have a clear knowledge of what you want to gain from and how to move towards that goal. You only have so much time before the product starts to lose value in its level of quality.
Learn how to treat my birds
Beginning with blood
When I set out to treat the chickens, I put a five-gallon bucket under each kill cone. If you were to handle your own flock, you would become closely associated with chicken blood, whether you like it or not. We always inform and remind new chicken handlers not to lick their lips or laugh at someone’s jokes while killing chickens. Doing so is a surefire way to get good tasting chicken blood.
Chicken blood is useful for many different purposes. Those interested in the culinary arts can use chicken blood as a thickening agent, wetting or enhancing color and flavor. Once the blood comes out of the chicken’s neck, mix it with a little vinegar. This will prevent it from curdling and will preserve it as a valuable food ingredient. Our family was not involved in using chicken blood in our foods, but we collected the blood and poured it around our fruit trees, taking advantage of its rich levels of protein and minerals.
Feathers and manure
Chicken feathers are the main player in animal exploration through product use. Rich in keratin, chicken feathers are used in animal foods, cement, and plastic formulation. It is a hot commodity in the animal waste world. Chicken manure is not as varied in its overall uses when compared to chicken feathers, but it is arguably more effective at leveling heat. Always allow chicken manure to age in the compost pile, allowing nitrogen levels to decrease while still providing ample soil amendments. Not providing a “time out” for chicken manure can result in bad burns or kill any plants that come into direct contact with the manure.
inside out
As I process each bird, I take great care to carefully separate the entrails, and collect the organ meats. Our family happily turns liver into chicken liver pate, while other organ meats are fed to our dogs and pigs. Many people devour the heart and gizzard of their birds. All other inedible indoor products for birds are piled on the same compost heap with feathers and manure.
up and down
Although I haven’t done much before, we have friends who gush about the taste of fried cocks, the red, wobbly appendages that sit atop a hen’s head. There is also a huge bone broth movement due to the health benefits of eating broth made from chicken feet. If you dare to venture into any authentic Asian restaurant and sink your teeth into a heaping plate of Chicken Feet – absolutely crunchy and delicious!
Broth and bones
Once the main parts of the chicken have been used up—such as the legs, breasts, and thighs—the carcass is turned on. We always add a few peeled carrots, onions, and celery with the chicken carcass, and begin to boil in a pot of water. The result is a dark yellow, greasy liquid from chicken broth that will save you from any winter sickness. Then we scoop up any meat left on the carcass for fries, chicken salads, and tacos. The cleaned bones are then added to the ever-growing compost heap. Before turning the bones, extract the “wishbone” from the breast area of ​​the chicken carcass. It’s fun for kids to pull out a bone and see who can make a wish.
Deepen your relationship with your birds
I doubt I would have taken the time and energy invested to use the bird holistically if I had not been so attentive to the flock as it developed. You develop a connection to every animal you care about. Those steamy hot summer days, bring water into their pens. Scene of storm clouds racing toward unprotected birds. All of these moments form a bond between you and the animals that depend on you. This connection is what allows us to forge an enduring respect for the total value of these living beings. It is this respect that drives us to use every part of every plant or animal. This level of connection took me back to the days of forging wild plants, and the pleasure I gained from using every bit of what I collected, found, or grew. The same thing will happen to you if you take care of your food animals.
Matthew Wilkinson He is known for his humor, knowledge, and easy-to-understand explanations of settlement techniques and systems. Wilkinson and family own and operate the Hard Cider Homestead in rural East Amuel, New Jersey.
Originally published on the Community Chickens website.