Cayenne, the Wonder(ful) Pepper!

When you research the medical benefits of Cayenne one of the first things you will find is its amazing properties for healing.  Blood circulation specifically.  Knowing this, you can imagine my surprise when I found myself in a emergency situation with one of my goats and was told to use Cayenne to STOP the bleeding.    I was trimming the hooves on my Nubian/LaMancha Doe and I accidentally cut too much off of one hoof and struck a large vein.  She bled through several rags in a matter of minutes and I started to panic.  I called a friend, a lady who has a large herd and much more experience than I do and she knew immediately what to do.   She directed me to get a clean rag and cover it with powdered Cayenne (which I happened to have on hand because I feed it to my Chickens.)  I packed the rag up tightly against the hoof and wrapped it in sports wrap.  I was astounded that she never really bled through this "poultice" of sorts.  I left the wrap on for days and when I removed it, there was what looked like a large clot directly over the initial wound.  Cayenne actually regulated the blood pressure and started the blood coagulation immediately.  Now in a pinch, white flour can actually act similarly because it absorbs the blood and mimics a clot which is part of the function of the Cayenne-- mimicking a clot.   But Cayenne is actually naturally anti-bacterial so it will also help prevent infection at the site, and reduce swelling as well as pain.   Not only had the bleeding stopped, but the goat was walking on the affected hoof seemingly without flinching.  Going about her business as if nothing had happened.   To me this was nothing short of miraculous.

I also occasionally sprinkle Cayenne in my chickens food.  Especially during the winter, or the wet months.   It actually creates heat within their bodies with the increased circulation which helps to keep their immune systems up and prevent disease.  Chickens don't really have a sense of smell, and they DO have taste buds, but they are so far back in their mouths that by the time anything hits them, is probably too late to spit it back out.  So they don't really complain about about the "Mexican food" I serve up. :-)

And just so you know I practice what I preach, these methods work just as well on people as they do the barnyard critters.   My husband and I both will take a few drops of super hot cayenne extract by mouth when we have a cold or sinus infection.  It literally blows out the infection, clears out the mucous and sets your senses on fire!  I'd also like to clear up a bit of a misconception on hot peppers.  Many people are afraid to try them on an open wound because of the "burn" factor.  But I have found that in a situation where your body is already inflamed and aggravated Cayenne can actually be soothing to the touch.    I know, I know, it sounds crazy, but next time you get a paper cut, try it out and see what you think.  Sprinkle a little in a bandaid and slap it on your finger.  If you don't notice how fast you heal, you weren't paying attention.

I'm going to step out further on my every growing limb here and declare that Cayenne can even stop a heart attack in its tracks!   Famous herbalist, Dr. John Christopher, N.D.  sang the praises of Cayenne pepper and declared: "In 35 years of practice, and working with the people and teaching, I have never on house calls, lost one heart attach patient and the reason is, whenever I go in--if they are still breathing--I pour down them a cup of cayenne tea (a teaspoon of cayenne in a cup of hot water), and within minutes they are up and around."   That is a pretty powerful statement, my friends.  Now of course I am not qualified to give you medical advice, but I think if i were in this type of situation, I would sure want somebody to give me some cayenne!

My husband even remembers when his little sister was badly burned on an iron, and their mom cut open a fresh Cayenne pepper and rubbed it directly over the burn.  The capsaicin prevents the blistering and stimulates healing.  Cayenne has numerous other uses including aiding digestion, boosting metabolism and helping with weightloss.  So I would encourage you to study up on it even more.  There is lots of information available about it online.

The hotness and intensity of peppers is measured in heat units, or Scoville Units and Cayenne usually falls in the 30,000-50,000 range, but you can find it in the 60,000-90,000 range if you want to increase your intake after a while.  It is not the heat alone that heals, as Cayenne is more beneficial than other hot peppers.  So give it a try, and tell me what you figure out! Here are some good options if you want to start taking it as a supplement  (Click image to see product details and purchase info):

         

Also for animals, like I said you can just get the really inexpensive stuff, its still potent enough to help. And here is a bulk bag of it:



Now just to cover my @$&  I need to say that these statements have not be evaulated by the FDA and that this information is not intended to be used as medical advice as the author is not a physician.  Cayenne has not been proven to treat, diagnose or cure any of the above mentioned ailments or diseases.  Blah blah blah, yadda yadda... :-)

What is cuter than a Sebastopol Goose?

.... why a baby goose of course!   We are so excited to have 4 new baby geese on our farm this week. Geese are actually one of the few species in the animal kingdom that share parenting responsibilities.   Mama is super protective right now and hisses loudly if anyone comes within 6 feet of her.

Papa has come in to sit with her now and help keep the babies warm and protected.

We have seen a few of the goslings peek their heads out and even wander out between their parents.  They won't need any food or water really for the first 3 days as their bodies are still absorbing the final nutrients from the egg.  This gives mom time to continue sitting and waiting for any late hatchers.

   
When she is sure there are no more babies coming, or even when she just decides she's done, she'll roll the unhatched eggs out of the nest and start focusing on her little ones.

Tomorrow I will setup a water bowl and feeder for the babies.  They will start to come out from under their mother more and more each day and by tomorrow will be starting to be hungry.  I usually feed my babies a non-medicated starter that is at least 18% Protein.   I like my animals to be as healthy as I want to be, so I purchase my grain directly from a local mill where I can get freshly milled grains that have  not been sitting in bags on warehouse shelves for as much as 2 years before they get to me.  How could that possibly have any nutrition left.

Also baby geese can eat chopped up greens right from day one.  They can have blades of grass, and kitchen scraps such as spinach and lettuce.  I also feed my birds Hay because even though its not living it is a good source of secondary greens for them and is high in protein and vitamins.  The babies can eat the "flake" that falls off the bale as the pieces are quite tiny.

Setting up a safe water supply for geese can be quite challenging.  More so if they are not being raised by their moms.  Waterfowl (geese and ducks) can get cold very easily and if they don't get warm quickly enough they can die.   When they have their mom to keep them warm, this is usually not a problem, but if they are just under heat lamps, they cannot dry of and get warm quickly enough.  Plus they LOVE water.  So they will play in it all day which will surely endager them.  So the trick is to have water that they can stick their whole head in and wash their eyes several times a day, but also make it so they can't get IN completely to swim.

The best solution I have found is a 16 oz water bottle.  You cut a hole in the side of it at about 1.5 inches above the bottom.  Just big enough for them to get their heads in and drink.  You'll have to get new water bottles and cut higher holes as they grow, but it works great.  Keeps the brooder dryer, and they stay dry as well, while still being able to wash their eyes.  You do have to fill it several times a day.  Also the water needs to be close to the food.  They get food in their mouth and then walk over to the water to get it wet and soggy before they chew and swallow it.

Now I won't have to worry about them swimming when they have a mom to protect them.  This is the first time I have let a mom hatch and raise goslings though, so I am excited to watch!

Stay tuned for more photos and updates as the goslings grow!  :-)


UPDATE 4PM ** FINALLY GOT SOME GOOD PICS!**

The babies found the food I left this morning!   Also I just have a standard chick waterer in here temporarily but will replace with a gosling swimming pool in a few days.   :-) As I mentioned Mom raised goslings are allowed to go swimming from day one.  Its just been so cold and windy I am not quite ready to let them get all wet.  Just being extra cautious.

The Bees have arrived!

We I have been wanting bees for a long time.  Hubby and I have discussed it many times, and I was waiting for him to take action.  Well, needless to say, that didn’t happen, so when a friend emailed me, looking for locations to host his hives, I jumped at the chance.  I thought this would be a good opportunity for us to be around them, get a feel for what needs to happen, and learn the process.  I will do several “update” posts throughout the year keeping you informed about the progress of our hive and the things that we learn along the way.  

Below are photos from the setup process, and don't miss the video at the end where Jed explains whats happening with the bees.

These are the bees that were taken from the parent hive to start this new hive.

Inserting the Foundation trays for the bees to start building on.

Left:  The new queen safely in her box until a few days from now when the bees chew through the marshmallow on the bottom.  This gives them a chance to get wind of the Pheromones she produces and accept her before she is released.

Setting the new queen in.  As you can see the Bees are all buzzing around her.  In the video below Jed explains what is happening and why they are acting this way.

What came first, the Chicken or the egg?

Its springtime, and around here that means babies.  We are anxiously awaiting the arrival of several babies this month on the farm.  I have a couple goats who should be delivering anytime, and a Sebastopol Goose who is sitting on a clutch of at least 7 or 8 eggs that should be hatching this week.

    I even have a broody hen, which I haven't let set on her eggs yet, but I think I am ready to give her some.  Why pull out the incubator when I have a willing mother hen ready to do all the work?  

   Many of you have asked me at one time or another what kind of chicks I recommend.  And while that  depends largely on several factors, the one factor that most people care about is egg production.  All the ones listed below lay nice brown eggs unless otherwise noted.  If you just want a chicken that lays an egg daily, and you don't care about anything else, you can choose between quite a large list:   

One of our Black Stars with her brood.

Black Star (sexlink)

Red Star (sexlink) 

Easter Eggers (Americaunas) (green eggs)

Buff Orpingtons 

White Leghorns (white eggs)

Black Australorps

Rhode Island Red

Barred Rock

Delawares

     But did you know that some of these birds are have a much higher feed to egg ratio, and will even lay an egg a day for 365 days?  Does that matter to you?  If it does, your very best choices are going to be the Black and Red Stars.   They also have a good temperament, and are good foragers in a free ranging setup.  I have even had one go broody and hatch out 10 eggs all at once.

  If you are determined to have white eggs, the White Leghorn is a good choice.  This is the bird that lays most of the eggs you find in stores.  But your eggs will still be better if you are raising a free range bird.   I personally like to have "easter eggs" all the time.  I like to have several different colors of eggs in my basket.  So i have white, brown, pink and green layers.

My Coronation Sussex with her newly hatched babies

     Orpingtons are a heavier breed, and tend to eat much more.  They do still lay very well, and double as a good table bird if you wanted to butcher a few.  Also one of my favorites in this same category are the Light Sussex.   They are an excellent Table bird, and lay a medium size pink egg, daily.  They are good mothers too, and tend to go broody in early spring.

More rare birds that still lay well:

Light Sussex (pink eggs)

Coronation Sussex (pink eggs)

Speckled Sussex

Brown Leghorns

Blue Andalusians (white eggs)

These birds tend to be more in the “pretty feathers” category, but will still lay eggs for you pretty well.  5-6 eggs a week or more.  I really like the Sussex, they are a great all around bird.  Andalusians are good layers of white eggs, they are very small, lightweight birds, with a good feed to egg ratio, and are also foragers.  I could never keep mine in the pen.

I like to keep a mix of pretty birds, good layers, and unique egg color in the coop.  My current flock consists of a few Americaunas, a light sussex, some Black stars, a white leghorn, and a couple of mixed birds.  Any old farmer will tell you that mixed birds lay better eggs.   Black Stars are actually a mix of Rhode Island reds Roo and Barred Rock Hens.  Red Stars are also a mix of Rhode Island Reds Roo and Delaware Hen.   I also have some fancy feather birds, a Coronation Sussex and a breeding trio of Golden Cuckoo Marans.  Now Marans don't lay worth a darn.  2-3 eggs a week in their best season, but they lay dark chocolate colored eggs, have feathered legs, and are very pretty birds.  So to me, that makes them worth keeping around.

If you have any specific chicken questions, feel free to email me, or leave them in the comments below so all can benefit from the discussion.

Make a Fresh Multi-grain Flour at Home!

  I use Multi-grain flour in most if not all of my baking, so I thought it would be good for those of you who plan to follow my blog to know what I put in my flour, and how I make it.    I heard or read somewhere once that grains are not meant to be eaten alone.  That each grain has different nutrients and properties that compliment other grains.  So by mixing grains you get more nutrition, enzymes, and even flavor than eating just one grain can provide.  I have been doing alot of research online trying to find the source of that information, and have come up empty handed.  But it was one of those things that just felt right to me when I learned it.  And immediately I started using more grains, mixing them in everything, and enjoying them.   For me there is really no rhyme or reason for which grains I mix, but I will give you a couple successful mixes that I have tried just so you know that if you mix these particular grains you will have good results.
     Also keep in mind that these grain mixes really only work with baked goods such as sweet breads, cookies, cakes, etc.  There are completely different rules for mixing grains when it comes to gluten breads because there has to be enough gluten in the grain in order for the structure of the bread to develop properly.   So anytime I put up a recipe calling for Multi-grain flour, you can be sure that you can use almost any flour combination.   For breads I will put up specific flours and substitutes as well as amounts so as to keep the grain ratios properly balanced.

     While I do have a nice Nutrimill grain mill for large batches of flour, I prefer to use my Vitamix to grind the mix.  There's a couple reasons this works out better.   One is that all the grains are not uniform in size, so if I were to put them in the Nutrimill, it would have a hard time putting out a nice consistently ground flour.   Secondly, for this small of an amount it is much quicker in the Vitamix.
For this batch I used the following grains:  Amaranth, Buckwheat, Quinoa, Millet, Sorghum, Oat Groats, Rye, Kamut, & Spelt.   I did 1/4 C. of each grain, which filled the container to just over 2 cups.

I only purchase small amounts of these grains at a time because I use them collectively in small amounts.   I will do several batches all at once if I'm planning to bake a lot that week.  But I still do them in the Vitamix because of the consistency issues with mixing grains.   I suppose I could grind each grain separately, but that would produce more flour than I needed, take longer, and be hard to get a good mix.   The blender mixes the grain as well as grinds it.  As you can see, I am left with a beautiful white flour.

This is fantastic in sweet breads, cookies and cakes.   I used this specific batch in the Multi-Grain Banana Oat bread I make, and let me tell you, it was mouth watering!  The only other flour I put in the bread was Coconut flour.  Which obviously isn't a grain, but it increases the protein content of baked goods as well as ads vitamins, and a bit of sweetness.

     As I said before you can really use ANY of the grains in any combination and just experiment.   When I don't have 9 or 10 different grains around, I usually just do 1 C. of Wheat, 1 C. of Brown Rice, and 1 C. of Oat Groats in the blender and use that as my basic multi-grain flour.  I have used that combination in Pancakes and waffles and we LOVE IT!  

You can add in some Barley, or whole organic popcorn, any variety of rice you want to try, or whatever you have around.  It all makes good flour.  I DO try to buy organic and non GMO where practical, but it can be quite expensive.  I would say if you are going to buy one thing Organic, Non GMO, make sure its your corn.  Corn is so screwed up with all the genetic modifications they have tried on it, that if its not ORGANIC and non GMO, I don't trust it.