Chickens, Start Your Own Chicken Coop Today!

Mankind has enjoyed a unique relationship with the chicken from time immemorial. No other animal has provided such intelligent, loyal service in producing egg's, chicken manure and meat. It's estimated that an astonishing number of chickens of approximately 40Bn. end up in yearly food production. e.g. chicken wings, feets and chicken breast etc.

Another interesting aspect that most of us don't know is the fact that domesticated chickens have been bred by humans from Asian jungle fowl. The chicken is the closest known relative to the great Tyrannosaurus-Rex.

Differences in terrain, climate and man's requirements have shaped and developed the wide variety of types and breeds of chicken existing today. There are hundreds of chicken breeds in existence, some are exclusively meant for meat production whereas some others are better egg producers. 

An interesting list of chicken breeds can be tracked in Wikipedia under: Summary of Chicken Breeds around the World

Many breeds were selected and are used primarily for producing eggs, these are mostly light-weight birds whose hens do not go broody often. The most interesting breeds that are used for egg production are the following breeds of chicken: The Ameraucana, Ancona, Andalusian, Araucana, Asturian Painted Hen, Barnevelder, Campine, Catalana, Easter Egger, Egyptian Fayoumi, Norwegian Jærhøne, Kraienköppe (Twentse), Lakenvelder, Leghorn, Marans, Minorca, Orloff, Penedesenca, Sicilian Buttercup, White-Faced, Black Spanish and Welsummer.

Most farms and homesteads use dual-purpose breeds for meat production. Some breeds are raised mainly for meat: Bresse, Inxworth, Cornish and Jersey Giant


How much does it cost to raise backyard chickens?

The good news is chickens are really not that expensive to keep and there are lots of ways to cut costs and save money. This article will give you an idea of how much you can expect to fork out for the chickens and their basic needs, as well as some ongoing costs. Let's say your starting small, with only 3 hens. The estimated and approximate costs would be:

Chickens: $3.00 to $30.00 per chicken depending on breed and age.

Coop: $50.00 (secondhand/recycled) to $600.00 (new)

Feed approximately $15.00 per month.

Miscellaneous $10.00 per month.

More than just financially the challenging part will be the amount of time that you will be investing in the upkeep. Don't forget once school holidays start, you will need someone to take care after your chickens and upkeep the coop and surroundings. But all other than that dedication and affection to your daily job is key to success. The chickens will compensate the keeper in return with fresh and healthy eggs!

What else is important to have ?

Hanging feeder:

Chickens will eat out of anything you put in front of them, but using plastic ware or metal bowls means you’ll be refilling them all too often. Plastic or galvanized steel hanging feeders are inexpensive and can be found in a variety of sizes to accommodate any size brood. I have a 15-pound capacity hopper and only need to refill it about once a week. The other advantage of the hanging feeder is that it positions the feed high enough off the ground to protect it from moisture and rodents and also cuts down on the mess made by sloppy chickens.

Natural Chicken Poop Smell Removal

Waterer: 

Keeping fresh water available to the flock is essential. Chickens can only survive a couple of days without hydration, so forgetting to refill an undersized bowl every day can spell catastrophe. Large capacity waterers are inexpensive and easy to use, but I can do you one better. An automatic dog waterer connected to a garden hose will provide consistently fresh water and completely eliminates the need to refill. Mount the dish six inches or so from the ground to keep grit or bedding from being kicked into the bowl. Make sure it’s sturdy. Chickens love to perch and the edge of the waterer is as good a place as any for an indiscriminate chicken.

Utility lamp: 

Chickens do just fine in cold weather, but they aren’t going to complain if you throw a little more heat their way with an overhead lamp. In the the winter months, when daylight is at a premium, a light left on in the coop will also encourage egg production.

A wonderful hobby

Raising your own chicken is a fun thing to do and you will get fresh eggs every day. It also teaches your children to become responsible. Instead of just letting the kids spend most of their time watching television or Play-station you could get them involved in maintaining your mini farm. This way, as young as they are, they are already giving their own chores which teach them how to handle a bit of responsibility. I know it's easier said than done but this could be a good alternative to pass most of your time more productively.

Tortilla de Patata - Simply the Best

Well certainly what defines a great dish is your own taste to start with, and your own palate, and if you like that type of dishes, you know? Ingredient may be the most important part of a dish for me. To start with the simplest and greatest of all times is Spanish cuisine. The Spanish Tortilla is a great dish that can be prepared any time and the ingredients can be easily found anywhere on earth! Tortilla is a super dish for old and young! When I get back from work and don't know what to cook, the first thing that pops in my mind is the Spanish tortilla. It's so easy to make and can be prepared for less than ten bucks. It's a real bargain which saves you costs but also time in preparing the exquisite dish for your loved ones. I consider this the basic recipe for Spanish Tortilla and aim to show you that with this Tortilla recipe the making of this Spanish quiche or savory pie's really not difficult at all! You will find this easy Tortilla recipe - which contains only eggs, potato, onion, salt and pepper on the counter of just about every Spanish tapas bar, often accompanied by one or more variations on the recipe.

For this Tortilla recipe for the classic Spanish eggs and potato quiche you will need the following ingredients.

1 Pound Potato, in thin slices;
1 Onion, medium size, in thin slices;
4 Eggs;
dash Milk
5 or 6 tablespoons Olive Oil (for baking of the potato and onion);
1 tablespoon Olive Oil (for baking of the Tortilla);
1/4 teaspoon Salt (or to taste);
fair dash Black Pepper, preferably freshly ground;

The above quantities of Potato, Onion and Egg should be enough to make a nice Spanish Tortilla, of which you can cut eight or twelve beautiful slices.

Spanish Tortilla Preparation

Preparation of a Spanish Tortilla is really a lot easier than it would seem:

• Heat the Olive Oil in a Saucepan and softly sautee the Potato, Onion, Salt and Pepper for like fifteen minutes until the Potatoes are just done; Keep stirring the mix regularly, you want the Potato and Onion to look golden, not burned;

• Leave the Onion and Potato mix to cool until luke warm; Putting the mix in a colander on top of a bowl is an efficient way to get rid of the excess oil;

• Stir the Milk through the Eggs, add a pinch of Salt and freshly ground Pepper, and stir thoroughly;

• Add the Onion and Potato mix to the Eggs, stir softly until you are sure that all potato particles are covered on all sides, and leave to rest for a minute or so;

• Heat the tablespoon of Olive Oil in an 8 inch (20cm) diameter frying pan or skillet;

• Slide the Egg and Potato mix into the frying pan; Use the backside of a fork or spoon to push any pieces of Potato protruding from the mix back down, making sure everything is covered in egg;

• Bake the Tortilla for like a minute on medium heat, then switch heat to low; Depending on how far you let the Onion and Potato mix cool down, it may take anywhere in between 10 to 20 minutes for the Egg at the top to get done; You may use a lid on the pan to retain the heat;

• As soon as the Egg at the top of the Tortilla sets, slide a large flat plate on top of the frying pan and turn the Tortilla around on the plate; Slide the Tortilla upside down back into the frying pan:

• Few minutes later it's done! 

Mango - Love it or Hate it

Mango, love it or hate it it's there several times a year to make us happy. You'd be surprised to find out how many recipes include Mango itself. You'd be surprised that the best Mango's come from Pakistan and recently Australia has been picking up a lot in production and quality as well. Fresh mango season lasts from April until August. I consider myself as fortunate by living in the tropics always guarantees to discover great choices of Mangoes at affordable pricing. In the West a Mango could easily hit $5.50 whereas in South East Asia you could possibly catch a good Mango at approximately $2.50 which is a tremendous bargain! Mango isn't really the King of Fruits, that privilege is already taken by the legendary Durian fruit. All in all Mango is a magic fruit loved by young and old. I happen to do my daily walk a dog and took my camera to record the latest mango season. Parrots attacking the fruits due to its sweetness and its likely one of the birds favorite fruit. Unfortunately it doesn't grow freely everywhere around the globe but here in Singapore you can be assured that a Mango trees succeed like boom town charlie!

A fierce competitor.. some of the Mangoes benefits are:

• Mango fruit is rich in pre-biotic dietary fiber, vitamins, minerals, and poly-phenolic flavonoid antioxidant compounds.
• According to new research study, mango fruit has been found to protect against colon, breast, leukemia and prostate cancers. Several trial studies suggest that polyphenolic anti-oxidant compounds in mango are known to offer protection against breast and colon cancers.
• Mango fruit is an excellent source of Vitamin-A and flavonoids like beta-carotene, alpha-carotene, andbeta-cryptoxanthin. 100 g of fresh fruit provides 765 mg or 25% of recommended daily levels of vitamin A. Together; these compounds are known to have antioxidant properties and are essential for vision. Vitamin A is also required for maintaining healthy mucus membranes and skin. Consumption of natural fruits rich in carotenes is known to protect the body from lung and oral cavity cancers.
• Fresh mango is a good source of potassium. 100 g fruit provides 156 mg of potassium while just 2 mg of sodium. Potassium is an important component of cell and body fluids that helps controlling heart rate and blood pressure.
• It is also a very good source of vitamin-B6 (pyridoxine), vitamin-C and vitamin-E. Consumption of foods rich in vitamin C helps the body develop resistance against infectious agents and scavenge harmful oxygen-free radicals. Vitamin B-6 or pyridoxine is required for GABA hormone production within the brain. It also controls homocystiene levels within the blood, which may otherwise be harmful to blood vessels resulting in CAD and stroke.
• Further, it composes moderate amounts of copper. Copper is a co-factor for many vital enzymes, including cytochrome c-oxidase and superoxide dismutase (other minerals function as co-factors for this enzyme are manganese and zinc). Copper is also required for the production of red blood cells.

Perfect eaten on their own, mangoes are also delicious in salads, paired with chicken, in desserts or grilled on the barbecue. Some special Mango recipes:

Lettuce, avocado and mango salad

Ingredients:

1 green oak lettuce, torn into small pieces
1 large avocado, diced
1 large mango, diced
2 tablespoons slivered almonds, toasted
2 tablespoons dried cranberries
1 tablespoon olive oil
                                                          1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

1. Combine lettuce, avocado, mango, almonds and cranberries in a bowl.
2. Whisk oil and vinegar together in a jug. Season with salt and pepper. Pour over lettuce mixture. Toss to combine. Serve.

Low fat mango fool

Ingredients:
150g low-fat ricotta cheese
1/2 cup low-fat vanilla custard
2 large ripe mangoes, peeled, roughly chopped

8 pieces almond bread

1.Place ricotta in a food processor. Process until creamy. Pour in custard and pulse until just combined. Transfer to a large bowl. Wash and dry food processor bowl.
2. Process mango until smooth. Reserve 1/3 cup mango puree. Fold remaining mango puree into ricotta mixture.
3. Half-fill four 1-cup capacity glasses with mango-ricotta mixture. Spoon over reserved puree. Cover and refrigerate for 15 minutes or longer, if time permits. Serve with almond bread.