Chicken Treat: Take 2

I followed a recipe this time. I found the recipe at Fresh Eggs Daily. Lisa's came out really well and I was excited to give it a whirl. I don't have a bundt pan- a travesty, I know, but that is another story.
Instead, I used a heavy stainless steel mixing bowl. I inverted a cup in the center and pushed the bacon grease, lard, and chicken scratch mixture around it to form my wreath. With happy anticipation, I put the bowl in the refrigerator to set over night.

It worked!

Well, kind of, anyway. My wreath definitely stayed together... it just wouldn't come out of the bowl. I tried heating the outside to melt a little of the fats to release it. No. I tried freezing it for a few minutes to release it. Nope. I attempted  to ease it out with a small, sharp knife. Nyet. I inverted the metal bowl onto a work towel and tapped it with one of my husband's hammers, gradually hitting harder and harder. Nada. This thing was not going to come out! Eventually, I resorted to scooping hard chunks of it out of the bowl with a large spoon, which worked in that it came out- in clumps.

Unhindered, I grabbed some plastic gloves and rolled the clumps into large balls. I was still sold on my idea of reusing baling twine to hang them, so I simply formed the balls around loops made with the twine. That worked just fine. Then, Sean and I hung them in the chicken yard. These were a big hit with all of our feathered friends, who could care less what shape they were in before they began pecking away at them. They ignored their full feeding stations and rushed at Sean who was holding one of the balls to see would they even want to try it. We had no reason to worry on that score. The worry quickly became whether Sean and I would be able to attach them quickly enough to keep our fingers! We did, but it was a close call!

So, though, I have yet to succeed in making a chicken scratch hanging wreath for my yard, I have made some chicken scratch balls that were well received by the intended recipients. And, at some point, I will try, try again.







Thanks for visiting today. We got another foot of snow drop onto us when we woke Sunday morning. I have some footage I am editing of that and of how the critters are handling the now 2 feet+ of snow laying on the ground. I guess, it is officially winter!

Sean and Sonja ♥

This post also shared with Tilly's Nest & The Backyard Farming Connection