Muscovy Duck Starting to Lay Eggs

Our Muscovy ducks are starting to lay eggs (again).  This will be the 3rd clutch of Muscovy eggs that we have had this year.  We got this particular flock back in March 2013.  We purchased 8 Muscovy ducks at that time all together there were 4 males and 4 females.

We have since culled 2 males and 1 females.  Our Muscovy ducks are a mixed breed of Peking and  Muscovy.  They were much smaller than the Mallards that we raised.

We had a lot of excitement on this Farm previous that simply just was not photographed and/or video and we apologize for that, but are making an effort to correct that.   So without delay here is the picture of the first egg which was laid about a week ago (I'm just finding the time blog about it) :)

I actually caught this egg just after it was laid.  You can even see it is still wet.

The Muscovy is a native South American duck and appears to be the only domestic duck breed which is not a descendant of the Mallard. Muscovy drakes lack the curly tail feathers characteristic of drakes of all other breeds.

You can take a look at some of our actual Muscovy duck videos.

Stay tune for the video update next week. It's already made and wait to you see how many eggs that have been laid now!

Lamb/Sheep Cobbler Recipe

What's on your table for Thanksgiving 2012.  In stead of that traditional Turkey dinner how about trying this Lamb/Sheep Cobbler Recipe:

Cook time: Cook 2 hrs 30 minutes

INGREDIENTS

    1 tbsp sunflower oil
    7oz smoked turkey bacon , preferably in one piece, skinned and cut into pieces
    2lbs lamb neck fillets, cut into large chunks
    12oz baby onions , peeled
    5 carrot , cut into large chunks
    12oz small button mushrooms
    3 tbsp plain flour
    3 bay leaves
    small bunch thyme
    350ml lamb or beef stock
    large splash Worcestershire sauce

FOR THE COBBLER TOPPING

    12oz self-raising flour
    4 tbsp chopped mixed herbs , including thyme, rosemary and parsley
    1/2 lbs. chilled butter , grated
    juice 1 lemon
    5 bay leaves
    beaten egg , to glaze

Method

Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a casserole dish, heat some oil, then sizzle the turkey bacon for 5 mins until crisp. Turn up the heat, then cook the lamb for 10 mins until brown. Remove meats with a slotted spoon, turn the heat up to maximum, then add the onions, carrots and mushrooms. Cook for about 5 mins until starting to color, then stir in the flour. Return the meat to the pan with the herbs, and pour over the stock and Worcestershire sauce. Season, then cover and braise in the oven, undisturbed, for about 1 hr 20 mins.

After about 1 hr, make the topping. Tip the flour and herbs into a large bowl, then season with salt and pepper. Add the butter and mix using a fork. Make a well, then add the lemon juice and 3 tbsp water. Gently bring together to make a soft dough. Roll out on a lightly floured surface to about 5mm thick, then cut into rounds using a 19"pastry cutter. Re-roll the trimmings, then cut out more rounds until the dough is used up. After 1 hr 20 mins, take the casserole from the oven, remove the lid, then arrange the circles of dough, overlapping, around the edge of the dish, sticking bay leaves between them. Brush with egg and bake for 45 mins until golden.



Try a different version below:

Middle neck of lamb

This is available as chops or neck fillet. Neck has risen in popularity as it can be either fried, grilled, roasted or braised. It is sold in supermarkets, where two little fillets are packaged in a big box and sold at a premium. But from butchers, middle neck chops and neck fillets still make for a cheaper option than more prime cuts. Look for even-colored meat with a layer of fat running through it.
Per serving

963 kcalories, protein 45g, carbohydrate 59g, fat 60 g, saturated fat 31g, fibre 5g, sugar 9g, salt 2.89 g

Our Arrival: Shami Goat (Espresso)

We've named this Shami goat (buck) Espresso.  Espresso was born on June 1, 2012.  His mom's name is Mocha and his dad's name is Cappuccino so we're developing a line of coffee Shami goats, no just kidding.

Without a doubt Espresso is a splitting image of his mom.  This is a very large breed of goats that are known for both their milk and meat. These particular Shami goats are naturally polled i.e. they do not have horns.

 

Espresso was born without any intervention from us. We didn't even have to tie off the umbilical cord.   In fact, we weren't expecting him but on this particular day we were in the house busy and didn't even hear him coming into the world.  My wife went out to feed the animals during their regular feeding time and discovered him.  We had Mocha in a make shift birthing pen expecting the delivery any day.  

For those of you who don't know, you can get an idea when the doe is about to deliver by observing her udder.  Normally, one of the signs that she is about to kid (give birth) is that the doe's udder will get really full a day or two before she is about to deliver.  Mocha's utter had done just that, so we knew she was close to kidding.   We did miss an opportunity to video record the process, oh well maybe next time. 

Pay close attention. As the Shami goats get older their hair color changes.  He is deep chocolate now all over, but he will develop white and golden color hair down the middle of his back. Just like his dad.  Look at the middle of his back and you'll see a dark line which will too change color. 

Espresso is looking in the area where we store the animal feed.  Believe it or not, this guy actually got inside that gate.  I had to reduce the size of the space to stop Espresso from getting inside.

Espresso trying to get a drink of milk.  This buck is vicious when it's time to drink.  

All of our animals are raised for our benefit on our homestead/farm.  Our Shami goats are bred for either providing milk for our family and/or meat on the table.  We will be slaughtering one of the Shami goat bucks in January 2013 or February 2013.

We will be adding a new flock of Rahmani sheep and Baladi sheep during January 2013 for the purpose of selling them for Eid Adha in October 2013.

If you're looking for high quality Shami goats to add to your herd look no further. We ship both domestically (Egypt) and Internationally World-wide.  Contact us at: 01066147490 or 310.773.5936.  American Owned and operated company (A & M Enterprises LLC)