Month: May 2021

By Jackie Clay-Atkinson

Although we have a big freezer, I can up most of our meat. We raise beef cattle, turkeys, chickens, and we hunt, so we have a lot of meat. (Besides that, I am always on the lookout for sale prices on various meats from ham to whole boneless pork loin.) Why the heck do I bother canning it when I have a freezer, plus three upper freezer units in our propane refrigerators? Well, many years ago my fairly new chest freezer suddenly quit working for no apparent reason. It left me the huge job of canning up pounds and pounds of meat before it thawed completely and went bad plus (it seemed like!) tons of vegetables and fruit.

Things went well the first day. And night. But by the second day I was getting tired, racing to save our much-needed food. At that time I had eight kids at home and not a whole lot of income. By covering the chest freezer’s top with heavy quilts and only opening it to yank out a new box of half frozen food, I managed three days and nights of canning. But by the fourth day I was exhausted and the food was getting past prime. We carried out buckets of soggy vegetables and fruit to the pigs and chickens. But I had saved nearly all of the meat. It took me a week to recover and I swore that would never happen again. So I started canning my meat. Once it is well sealed and in the jars, that meat is good for decades. No more worries about freezer burned food, power outages, or defunct freezers for me!

Venison canned in chunks and ground

Another advantage is that canned meat is very tender, tasty, and handy. You don’t have to plan your meals around the freezer. If you decide on having a roast beef dinner, you just head to the pantry and pull out a quart or two of beef roast, some potatoes, onions, and carrots or other vegetables, dump them in a covered roasting pan and turn on the oven. In short order you have your dinner, fit for surprise company or your family who has been working hard all day. So easy!

And, best of all, canning meat is very simple. You just need your basic canning equipment and supplies: canning jars, lids, rings, a pressure canner, lid lifter, jar lifter, and canning funnel. Don’t forget, most important of all, your canning book! Even though I’ve been canning all my life, I look at the recipes and instructions every time I can anything.

Luckily, nearly all meat with the exception of fish and seafood is canned about the same way so, in order to save space here, I’ll just give you some general directions on canning meat so you’ll get the hang of it and see for yourself just how easy it really is.

No matter what anyone says, you must…

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By Jackie Clay-Atkinson

As winter approaches, we all are thinking of ways to make our livestock and poultry as comfortable as possible when the cold weather hits. Visions of blowing and drifting snow swirl in the backs of our minds. But even in the coldest areas of the country, our chickens can remain comfortable and happy even when blizzards rage outside and the temperature drops.

Because I’ve lived most of my life in northern climates and have always had chickens, I’ve learned a lot about keeping them safe and contented during winter months. Let me say, it is amazing how much chickens enjoy going outside on sunny days, even in the middle of a sub-zero winter. Just like the chickadees in the pines, our hens sunbathe against the south wall of their coop, singing and cackling happily just like it was summer.

But they do have a few needs that should be met to keep them healthy.

Our chickens happily sunbathe outside even when it’s sub-zero.

We like bedding chickens with wood shavings. It insulates the ground and is easy to clean out come spring.

Housing

In extreme northern, cold climates, it’s best to provide the chickens with an insulated coop. It need not be fancy but adding a few inches of foam board insulation to the walls and ceiling of the coop really helps keep the birds warmer, especially when icy winter winds blow. This insulation does need to be covered with something such as plywood, OSB, or boards as chickens will pick and eat this insulation. It really isn’t good for them, and having big, gaping holes in the insulated walls does nothing to keep the chickens warm.

Or, like a house, you can use fiberglass insulation between the wall studs and rafters. But, again, you do need to cover it with siding or the birds will peck and pull it apart. Besides, it becomes a great attraction to nesting mice.

Ventilation

Do make sure the coop has ventilation, however. You do not want to create an airtight building because moisture buildup, due to breathing and manure, can create respiratory problems such as pneumonia and disease. A simple crack on the down-wind side of the coop which can be covered with a flip down board in storms is adequate.

A south-facing window will not only let in the sun’s warmth during the winter but also light to keep those girls happy and singing all winter long.

Yes, chickens can and do live happily in uninsulated coops but breeds with combs will sometimes have their combs frozen during cold spells. The combs will swell and darken and finally fall off. It doesn’t seem to bother the chickens but I don’t like to see that happen. Having breeds with rose combs, which lay tighter to the head, will prevent this as will having an insulated coop.

The roosts are best constructed of round poles, about an inch and…

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