Somebody's gotta do it!!!!! (How to filet a catfish)

Can you just see the "EEEEWWWWWWWW!" on their faces?????

I know this isn't for the faint of heart- but if your gonna fish ya gotta know how to clean what ya catch!!!! Here's a step by step!!!

[caption id="attachment_51" align="aligncenter" width="400" caption="Begin by securing the head of the fish with your hand"][/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_52" align="aligncenter" width="400" caption="Using a very sharp knife(or electric knife) begin the cut just behind the gills"][/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_53" align="aligncenter" width="400" caption="as your knife touches the spine turn it toward the tail and continue cutting just above the ribs and spine"][/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_54" align="aligncenter" width="400" caption="continue working toward the tail moving the flesh away from the knife"][/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_55" align="aligncenter" width="400" caption="separate the flesh at the tail"][/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_56" align="aligncenter" width="400" caption="turn the fish over and repeat the entire process"][/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_50" align="aligncenter" width="400" caption="MOST IMPORTANT- clean EVERYTHING up !!!!!!!! "][/caption]

Still waiting........

The egg Madeline has been sitting on for 3 weeks is silent- no sign of a baby chick- but we are gonna give it a couple more days , just to be sure.

 

Things are growing elsewhere on the property- wild flowers,vegetables and pot plants of every size and description!!! My morning walk to feed the chickens has turned out to be so pleasant. I wander throught the garden, pick wild blackberries and even nibble on fresh broccoli,still wet with dew!!!

I admit I'm spoiled!!!!

My little flock....

I want to introduce you to the girls- Daisey,Lillie,Zsa Zsa, Eva Bridgette,Madeline and of course Jake(our toy rooster).

 

 

 

 

As funny as it sounds, I look forward to seeing these girls every morning. They peek through the wire at the top of the henhouse as soon as they hear me scooping out food to fill the trough.

They flutter out the door the moment it's opened and happily cluck and start breakfast.I stand there watching them as they settle into the morning and then start cleaning the house and nest boxes. I have one broody( a hen that won't get off the nest) hen,Madeline, and I pick her up ,check the egg she's setting on and clean her box a bit.She currently has only one egg- we marked it the day we allowed her to keep it-April17th.

The incubation time for chicks is 21 days- that means we should have a baby chick or rotten egg on May 7th(STAY TUNED for the outcome!!)

I won't pretend that we ever planned to make money with chickens- or even to save much. The goal was to provide more of our own diet for ourselves, through care and keeping. Being closer to our own food just makes sense to me.

I think chickens are one of the easiest farm animals for beginners - they don't require much more than protection from predators,food and water.

Our 6 hens provide plenty of eggs for the 3 of us-so think about how many eggs you want to deal with BEFORE you decide how many hens to buy.

By the way- I have eggs to barter or sell if you're interested!!!

($2.00 doz.--$3.00 18pk)

Farm casualty......

Sadly, one of my hens died-ON THE NEST, a couple of days ago.

She had been fine as far as I could tell. When I open the henhouse door early on Tuesday she didn't move. I went to investigate and she was dead.

Luke and I inspected her for any injury or bites but she was perfectly intact. Nothing else to do but dispose of her properly-(that's what Luke is doing.)

The rest of the flock seems fine and no signs of any illness are present.

I really hate losing an animal but I promised myself that I would take responsibility for the care(and now disposal) of the animals no matter how distasteful it may become.

Looks like I got the chance to actually do that.

LIZA was my barred Rock hen-very pretty! I sure will miss her speckled happy self prancing around the yard.

Lots of gifts........

This week has been FULL of good things......

First off....all 7 hens laid on Tuesday!!!

Also.....my oldest daughter made me a little gift...a lavender eye pillow

And finally..... Abby brought me some adorable salt dough SpRING decor!!!!