Why Chicks Dig Rock, and Horses like Country Music

 

Chillin' to Classic Rock

I think my chicks are into Classic Rock.
I don’t know if it has anything to do with them being young and living out of a basement; or that they are all feathered in black and sport ”eyeliner”. But when we plugged in a small radio for them this week, the spotty reception gave us two choices: Talk Radio and Classic Rock: the clear choice was Rock. It was like a musical trance as they noticeably set aside their pecking order battles, cocked their quizzical heads to the side, and settled down to listen. One of the girls must have even like Freddy Mercury’s voice, because she soon dozed off in the middle of a Queen song.

Maybe it is human nature in which we personify that our animals would feel alone without us. Or, that they might find comfort in human voice and song in a way that we do. But, who hasn’t left the television or radio on for your dogs or cats when you knew you would be gone all day? Likewise, we had always left the radio on for the horses in the barn, and of course, it was set to the Country station.  I believed they enjoyed it...as it seemed that they would keep time to Toby Keith as they munched on their morning hay.

With a little bit of researching, I found that I am not the only one who wondered about this:
 
To the North of me, at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Animal Psychologist Charles Snowden has conducted research into species-specific music. His theory tests the pitches, tones and tempos of music that are familiar to each particular species. His findings suggest that they enjoy music that matches their species likenesses. Humans additionally like music that fall within our vocal range, and similarly use tones we understand. Further research also suggests that we follow music that progresses at a tempo similar to that of our heartbeats.

With that knowledge, I now began a little experiment on my part with my “Rocker” chicks.
A normal heartbeat for a baby chick is 350-450 beats per minute, and for comparison, a normal adult chicken it is 250-300 beats per minute. Music with a faster tempo should easily be compatible for fowl, right? Our problem with a faster tempo arises when this music scarcely exists for human consumption, and better still, I doubt it would be on a radio stations play list!

Ok, so you are with me so far? Backtracking I look into different kinds of music that are in a regular radio rotation. A simple examination into the beats per minute (BPM) of select popular Classic Rock songs will get us a little closer to the Chicks preference:

Pink Floyd,  Another Brick In The Wall (Part II) ------------ 104 BPM

Guns 'n' Roses,  Sweet Child O' Mine -------------------------- 125 BPM

Queen,  We Will Rock You -------------------------------------------- 163 BPM

The beats are up there, but perhaps I can find an old “Head banger’s Ball“ airing on MTV, or some crazy fast Techno dance music to sooth the chicks! On second thought, I don't think that it won't get too far in my house!

For comparison, a Human has 70 heartbeats per minute, but if you are also curious in comparing the heartbeats of dogs, horses and humans to beats per minute performed in music; here are a few different variations for your consideration:

Dogs: Heartbeats Per Minute                                 Horses: Heartbeats Per Minute

 60 – 100 BPM for Large Breeds                                         30 to 50 BPM for Mature Horse

100 – 140 BPM for Small Breeds                                        45 to 65 BPM for 2 Year Old

180 BPM  for Puppies up to One Year of age               80 to 100 BPM for Newborn Foal

Country Music
Somewhat more suited to the small dogs and foals, maybe?

Toby Keith,  I Love this Bar ----------------------------------------- 115 BPM

Carrie Underwood,  Good Girl -------------------------------------- 130 BPM

Alan Jackson,  Little Bitty -------------------------------------------- 163 BPM

 

Rock/Pop
A wide wide range in this genre, but here's some good picks~

The Beatles,  Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)-------90 BPM

Coldplay,  Clocks ------------------------------------------------------- 131 BPM

Black Eyed Peas,  I Gotta Feeling ----------------------------------200 BPM

photo courtesy of Rocknoaksranch.com

Interestingly enough for horses, if you have seen Mexico’s legendary crooner and film star, Vincente Fernandez performing on his beautiful Andalusian stallions, you would now think, "Hey, he’s onto something!"

Vicente Fernandez,   Por Capricho ----------------58 BPM

Vicente Fernandez and Tony Bennett, 
Return to Me (Regresa A Mi)-------------------65 BPM

I added the above link because it's a beautiful song, and the video shows Vincente's collection of horses~just a little partial here!


Finding a song's beat per minute is fairly easy since DJ's and music producers compile this information for the purpose of mixing songs, and there are many Internet sites dedicated to these numbers. Additionally, if you like to work out, produce your own play list loaded with with BPM's to match your desired heart rate.

As far as my lack of radio selection is concerned... I don’t know about these chicks being Groupies yet, but time will tell if my girls will swoon and lay well for a good Bon Jovi ballad!

Cheers!

Buying Local Beef / Our Annual Flip-Steak Road Trip

If you're like most, as soon as the first warm day breaks, you uncover the grill, attach the gas or load up the charcoals, and get to grilling. Nothing tastes better than those steaks or burgers with the grill marks, right?

How about driving four hours round trip to pick up those steaks, roasts and burgers?

 

Yep, that's our annual Beef Road trip...sometimes, there's an annual Pork Road trip also, but that's a different animal with a different pick-up date! Every year around January, our Farmer gives us a friendly call to ask if we are still "in" for our quarter, and then again about a month later to let us know he has dropped off the cattle at the Processor. A few days later, I call the Processor and order my cuts. It's a very satisfying process knowing where you beef comes from, and who is butchering it.

The Processor will call us the very day the beef was processed, and after it has aged. There is always a mandatory 24 hour freeze, then we load up and take the drive out to Seward, Illinois and Eickman's Processing; a small scale, but award-winning abattoir that has thick-cut smoked bacon to die for!

Besides having the resources to pay for your Year's worth of beef up front, there are no downsides if you compare your Farm raised beef to Supermarket beef. Inside those neatly wrapped bundles of white butcher paper, is farm fresh beef. No red dyes, no plastic wrap, no styrofoam trays. Take these points into consideration when shopping for your family:

* You know exactly where all your beef comes from, and there is a Farmer attached to the welfare of your steer or cow. Supermarket beef may be a mix of meat from different animals, from different farms.

*With buying straight from the Farmer and ordering exactly what you need from the Processor, it is cheaper on average when you cut out the Supermarket middle man. Our 1/4 of beef in total (Farmer's price for cow, and processing with extras in packaging) cost us $2.15 a pound for 170 pounds hanging weight. That includes everything from hamburger patties, short ribs, roasts, brisket to prime steaks.

*And most importantly, by buying from your Farmer and Processor, you are sustaining your local economy, and supporting the all-important small-scale family Farmer.

                                                                             A    nice Rib Eye steak, still frozen from the Processor
 

Lastly, if you think you need a separate freezer for all that beef, it all depends on your family consumption. A quarter of a cow, or 60-70 pounds of beef will need about 3.5-4.0 cubic feet of freezer space, and will store for 6-8 months in butcher paper, or 10-12 months if vacuumed packaged. An average family of four, two adults and two children, will have enough of that beef to last about 6 months. If you are considering buying into a quarter or side (1/2) of beef, start by looking locally at U.S.D.A. Inspected Processors. They would certainly have pre-packaged meat, or may have Farmers looking to fill slots for beef...though many already have waiting lists!  Good Luck, and Cheers to grilling season!                                                                                             

 Pictured right: This is our quarter cow tucked away in our old side-by-side freezer.

 

Folk Art Feeder and More with Egg Tempera Paint

Spying the side of my new metal chicken feeder, it was begging for some kind of creative flair. A shiny, sleek canvas with a purpose, it reminded me of the old metal advertising signs for agricultural products. I figured that since I had two pre-kindergarten chicken helpers with me, I could paint on a folksy-type image resembling the chicken's food for the pre-readers (the bonus here is so they wouldn't mix the feed in the waterer!)

The one and only image that would seem appropriate for me would be Dekalb Feed's iconic "flying corn". Since my late Grandfather raised racing pigeons, and I later started college amongst the Dekalb corn fields, that flying corn was like history to me; there was no other choice!

Now, finding a food safe paint for metal, was another obstacle, since I wouldn't want any leeching to occur from the paint into the feed. I leaned towards egg tempera, a natural type of paint made from egg yolk, chalk and water. So simple that can be made easily at home! I am not overly concerned about the longevity of the image, since I am looking for a more aged advertising sign look, but you can also seal paint to a metal surface with food-safe clear shellac. Egg tempera also works great on wood, and canvas if you are looking to paint a sign for interior decorating.

Here is what you will need to paint with Egg Tempera
Fresh eggs, and two jars to separate the yolk from the white.
Vinegar
Water
Various size artist brushes
Pencil
Chalks (I used Artist Pastels I had on hand)
Muffin tin
Fine cheese grater

Our Chicks are home to roost!

After much anticipation, we are happy to introduce our new bunch of gals ~

Two of the girls are Barred Plymouth Rocks and two are Black Jersey Giants. Although the Giants weren't on list of breeds I would like start with, they were my Husband's one and only choice. And as fate would have it, a trip to Farm and Fleet found us staring down at the tub containing these little peeps. With a deep sigh and uttering, "What the hay..." I guess he got his birds. Since our small lot of Buckeyes are still on back order at the Feed Store, two of my favorites, the Barred Rocks, also took the trip home with us on that snowy afternoon.

Now our brooder is a bit unique in that it is actually a portable Iguana cage, left over from my Husband's *cough* single days. It works quite nicely once I lined it with cardboard and pine shavings, giving the chicks plenty of room to roam.

 

 

And of course, everyone in the family has to take a peek at what is cheeping...

 

 

Our Rottie mix, would love to sleep there if I let her. But, I don't think the chicks would sleep easy!

Both breeds are cold hardy and friendly with people, which were my two greatest concerns in deciding which birds would suit us. I also do appreciate the fact that they are considered Heritage breeds. Any type of conservation of the American breeds, though minimal on my part, is worthy of a good try. If you are interested in reading about the efforts to save historic American breeds from the brink of extinction, please click on this link for the  American Livestock Breeds Conservancy which is a non-profit working to categorize and preserve Heritage fowl, rabbits, goats, sheep, swine, cattle and horses.

Another "chick pic" of one of the Barred Rocks who is showing a bit more personality as of yet. She seems to have earned the name, Fanny Price, from Jane Austen's book, "Mansfield Park"; one of my favorite reads.

 

 

 

 

Well, I believe I have just made another project for myself...plans for the Chicken coop! It won't be long before these girls will need to go outside! Stay tunes for more updates and antics as these babies get bigger...

 

 

Cheers!

 

 



New Additions!

Please take a peek and check out some new information added to the site's Equestrian tab (above) including an on-going series, "Training Secrets from a Mounted Police Officer", which remarks on some of the serious and funny aspects to a job that is worth 8 hours in the saddle. Also, try clicking on some links to a few known, and unknown, upcoming events in the Equestrian world!
I look forward to reporting back on some of these Horseless outings as well!

Friday Feast: Peel 'n Eat Shrimp with "Chain of Lakes" Cocktail Sauce

If you ever happen to be in Wisconsin, and on any Friday night, you must go to a Fish Fry! It is a deliciously deep-rooted tradition that has even bled over to the Illinois side of the border. Every neighborhood Church, VFW, bar or restaurant in town will hold the "best of the best" cod dinner for any newbie fish fry go-er!
Similar, my area is referred to as "The Chain of Lakes" and during the Summer, you can cruise the channels between the Lakes, dock your boat at a resturant and enjoy some mouth watering boiled Peel-n-Eat Shrimp. What makes the shrimp great, besides it's freshness, is the zestiness of the cocktail sauce. I like mine with a touch of sweet, so I bring you my version of a:


Chain of Lakes Cocktail Sauce

1/2tsp   Worcestershire Sauce
2Tb       Horseradish (less if you want to reduce the Zestiness)
2Tb       Brown Sugar
6 Tb      Ketchup
1/2        Fresh squeezed Lemon or 1/4 tsp of lemon juice

Mix all the ingredients together until blended, and refrigerate until cool. Enough sauce for 2 pounds of seafood.

And, just in case you need a quick Boiled Shrimp recipe for two pounds:
Heat approximately 8 Cups of water in a large pot and add:
1/4 Cup of Old Bay Seasoning
1 can of Beer
and black pepper to taste.
Once the pot is boiling, add shrimp and cook until pink.

Cheers!

"Working out" in your Garden!

My garden is my gym. The rake, the hoe, the shovel and wheelbarrow are my gym equipment. Time spent outside in the warm sun, well, that's my tanning bed. As a plus, when the first Summer heat wave arrives, I have awesome toned biceps to show off. Now, I do try to be mindful of what we eat and that's one of the reasons I garden, so naturally, I was also curious as to how many calories were being burned with my so-called backyard “workout”.

In searching for any kind of reliable source to measure the activities I was doing in the backyard, the results were varying. Mostly, what I could find was calculated by the hour, mile or repetition, and at different body weights. So here I broke down very similar gym-type workouts to match some common outdoor chores, and compiled the following list.

I feel I have an average frame, average age and lifestyle, so the following activities apply to fit my 5’7”, (give or take) 150 pound ratio, and adjusted for a normal pace of activity in a half-hour interval. Mind you, these are not by-the-book figures, and just a general estimate for the curiosity and fun of it all! Since I am not a Doctor, Personal Trainer, Nutritionist or otherwise, I would advise to seek Medical advice to determine what activities would be beneficial for yourself.

                        Calories Burned per Half Hour

Weeding the Garden..............................125
Planting seedlings..................................140
Tilling the Garden..................................153
Everyday Gardening..............................184
Raking....................................................135
Turning compost pile.............................200
Hanging sheets out on the clothes line.....70
Walking in the yard..................................70
Chicken coop or fence building..............202
Stacking 50lb bags of feed......................300
Feeding chickens or livestock.................161
Pushing wheelbarrow with load..............189
Bird/chicken watching..............................85
Actively playing with your animals........140

And if this applies to you right now!
Walking through snow............................135


Whether or not I burn off that deliciously sweet French toast breakfast, I am sure you'll agree, nothing beats enjoying your time outdoors in the garden and with your animals!

Cheers!

Lessons in Laurel Resting

 I would say I am on the verge of middle-aged, a gen-x'er...but, you know...still under 40.  But, that doesn't mean that I am not looking forward to the big 4-0 bash. Actually, I have already started thinking about the logistics of it all. No, not about the awesome horse racing themed party my Husband is obligated to host; but that nagging, yet important milestone question. Am I making my mark?

"Don't rest on your laurels"  begins to chatter through my head like a NASDAQ ticker.

Some American households wouldn't be complete without a brimming shelf dedicated to the accomplishments of their family members. Humorously, I announce that there are two such shelves in my home! One is dedicated to my accomplishments in the Hunter ring, and the second, my Law Enforcement career. Which, might I add, predominantly displays my time as a Mounted Police Officer. Now, of course, these shelves take residence in an Equestrian-themed library, amongst the collections of books, photographs and figurines. And this makes it completely justifiable in my head.

But with the annual Spring cleaning taking shape, I now debate if more books would put these shelves to a better use. Truthfully, in embracing the shift of simplicity, these old achievements now wane in value. Maybe, it has something to do with the renewal of Spring. The careful thought that goes into planting the garden, the preparations for the first batch of fuzzy chicks. The hum of honey bees, and the smile that forms when you step outside and inhale fresh, sun-warm air. 

But, as my personal thesis takes shape, I reference my practical and plucky Grandmother for her insight and guidelines. Plainly, our differences lie in the fact that she truly lived during a time where she succeeded with what she had, and I...well, I have a choice. In her almost 90 years of living simply, she has undoubtedly made her mark on me, and her accomplishments were rooted in her strength of character. There will always be a high for every low. And if you are a "worker bee" like I am, wisdom will tell always you to start small, even with big ideas, and hopefully there will be new Laurels to attain. But, don't tell that to my prompting competive side, which has me thinking:

"Oooh! The County Fair season is just months away!"

It's another lesson in living the simple life; inspiration and objectives go hand-in-hand. But, like the thread-like seedling breaking through the peat in my starter trays, I too will eventually produce new fruit. Both making our mark on this year.

                                                                         Cheers!