Pumpkin Muffins for All

It's hard for me to believe that I've only been a "chicken mom" for 5 months now.  It seems like they have been a part of our lives for much longer and they certainly have found their way into my heart quickly with their unique personalities and comical behavior.  Maybe that's why I'm a little nutty about tweaking traditional recipes for their tastes and needs.  Admittedly, it's not exactly normal for me to prepare something for us to eat and think of what substitutions could be made so it would suit the chickens diet.

Never the less, while making pumpkin cream cheese muffins for my husband (the pumpkin lover of the household), it wasn't all that difficult for me to modify the ingredients and end up with a tasty treat for the flock.  Both versions mixed together very quickly, baked up in no time to golden brown and got the seal of approval of the family.  I used convenience items but I will include some links for those who are a bit more hands on than I was feeling that day and would like to truly get a more "from scratch" type of recipe.  Here we go!

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins (for humans)

    Batter Ingredients

• 1 1/2 c. all purpose flour
• 3/4 c. cornmeal
• 1/2 c. sugar
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 1 tbsp. pumpkin pie spice (more/less to personal taste)
• 2 eggs (lightly beaten)
• 1 c. canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
• 2/3 c. buttermilk
• 2 tbsp. applesauce
• 8 oz. cream cheese (original or any flavor you prefer)

    Topping Ingredients

• 6 tbsp brown sugar (packed)
• 2 tbsp butter (melted)
• 2 tbsp roasted pumpkin seeds (chopped)  OR 2 c. old fashioned oats
• 2 tsp all purpose flour

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit
2. In a large bowl, mix together flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder and pumpkin pie spice until blended.
3. In another bowl add lightly beaten eggs, pumpkin, buttermilk and applesauce.  Mix together until blended.
4. Add wet and dry ingredients together and mix well.  Stir in cream cheese (I chose honey nut flavor, but original or any flavor you like would work) and combine with batter mixture.
5. Line muffin pan with liners and a light spray of non-stick cooking spray.  Fill muffin cups about 3/4 full of batter.
6. In a small bowl combine the topping ingredients and mix until crumbly.  If you like pumpkin seeds, please use them - otherwise you can use old fashioned oats in their place.  (My daughter didn't care for the somewhat chewy texture of the seeds, which is why I did an alternate version)
7. Sprinkle crumbly topping on the tops of the muffins.
8. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until muffins are a beautiful golden (somewhat orange) brown and they pass the "toothpick test".

Pumpkin Oat Muffins for Chickens

Pumpkin Oat Muffins (for Chickens)

    Batter Ingredients

• 1 c. all purpose flour
• 3/4 c. cornmeal
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 1/2.c old fashioned oats
• 1/2 c. wheat germ with flax seed
• 1 1/2 tbsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1 c. whole roasted pumpkin seeds
• 3/4 c. golden raisins
• 1 1/4 c. pumpkin
• 2 eggs (lightly beaten)
• 1 1/4 c. applesauce

    Topping Ingredients

• 6 tbsp brown sugar (packed)
• 2 tbsp butter (melted)
• 2 tbsp roasted pumpkin seeds (chopped)  OR 2 c. old fashioned oats
• 2 tsp all purpose flour

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit
2. In a large bowl, mix together flour, cornmeal, wheat germ, baking powder, oats, seeds, raisins and pumpkin pie spice until blended.
3. Into the large bowl add lightly beaten eggs, pumpkin and applesauce.  That's right - dump it right on top!  Mix together until blended.
4. Add wet and dry ingredients together and mix well.  
5. Spray muffin tins with a light spray of non-stick cooking spray.  (Line with liners if you choose, but I haven't been.  They don't mind the slightly chewy bottoms and lets face it...peeling off that paper only slows you down when you've got beggars at your feet!)
6. Fill muffin cups about 1/2 - 3/4 full of batter.
7. In a small bowl combine the topping ingredients and mix until crumbly.  You can use either the chopped pumpkin seeds or the old fashioned oats.  I encourage the seeds.  The chickens LOVE them!
8. Sprinkle crumbly topping on the tops of the muffins.
9. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until muffins are a beautiful golden (somewhat orange) brown and they pass the "toothpick test".

Can you tell the difference?
in both photos: Human version on right, Chicken version on left

I'd be lying to you if I said I didn't try both versions.  The version for people has a light flavor, hardly overpowering and doesn't make you feel gluttonously full like my apple pie muffins do!  The chicken's treat isn't bad at all.  I would actually eat them that way!  They are slightly denser, but not at all dry or mealy.  Aside from the big pieces of pumpkin seed and raisins hiding in the batter, I'd say that the recipes essentially have the same flavor.

Before I forget, those links I promised!  The links will take you to blogs that will explain how to process your own pumpkin, roast your own pumpkin seeds, make your own pumpkin pie spice, make homemade butter and three amazing ways to can your own applesauce.  These are care of some of the amazing women over at Farm Chick Chit Chat who blog all things homesteading, homeschooling, farming, living and loving the land we have - no matter how big or small the plot.  I encourage you to look through their blogs.  They are a constant source of encouragement to me and you couldn't ask for a more grounded, friendly group of bloggers.  Love you ladies!  :)

Visit Farm Chick Chit Chat

• Radish Girl Thyme shows us how to process our own pumpkin in a few easy steps
• Radish Girl Thyme also shows us how to roast our own pumpkin seeds for snacking
• Fresh Eggs Daily saves you a trip to the store by showing you how to mix your own pumpkin pie spice
• Black Fox Homestead shows us making homemade butter couldn't be better
• Maple Grove brings us a canned applesauce recipe that doesn't add sugar
• Everything Home with Carol shares a trade secret with us for making and canning applesauce
• Timber Creek Farm tells us about her recipe and cherished childhood memories of homemade applesauce

Madame Mim grabs a bite to go

Of course...

I would never dream of ending a blog posting without pictures of the flock enjoying their treats.  Some of my pictures were sabotaged by one Minnie, our Plymouth Barred Rock.  She's perfecting the art of the photo bomb!  Still, too cute not to share them.  Enjoy!

our girls eating their freshly baked goodies

Apple Pie Muffins: for Family and Flock

Earlier this week on Farm Chick Chit Chat, some inspiring bloggers had a showdown of the most delicious kind: Apple Pie Bake Off.  It started my mind (and my stomach) working on how I could possibly make something as wonderful as they had, but still find a way to share it with my chickens.  As of late, I've really enjoyed taking recipes and tweaking them so they are not only safe, but nutritious and tasty treats for the girls!  But there is just no way I could do a traditional apple pie.  I fail at pie crust.  Even the store bought kind.  I normally wait around until my mother-in-law makes her FABULOUS dutch apple pie for holiday gatherings, which satisfies my sweet tooth but that isn't going to help me with an apple themed blog post.  What's a girl to do?  Well, how about some apple pie muffins?

I wouldn't be a very good wife and mother if I forgot the family inside the house, so my first step was making a human batch of these individual sized desserts.  Here are the ingredients you need and steps to make your non-feathered family these yummy Apple Pie Muffins.

    Muffin Ingredients

• 2 1/4 c. all purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• a pinch of salt
• 1 egg
• 1 1/3 c. buttermilk
• 1/2 c. butter, melted
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 1/2 c. brown sugar, packed
• 3 c. diced apples (I used Jonathan, but use whatever variety you prefer)

    Crumble Topping

• 1/2 c. brown sugar, packed
• 1/3 c. all purpose flour
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 3 tbsp butter, melted

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. In a large bowl, mix 2 1/4 c. flour, 1 tsp baking soda and a pinch of salt.
3. In a medium sized bowl, mix together 1 egg, 1 tsp vanilla, 1 tsp nutmeg, 1 tsp cinnamon, and 1 1/2 c. brown sugar.  Once combined, slowly stir in 1 1/3 c. buttermilk and 1/2 c. melted butter.
4. Gradually add your wet mixture to your larger bowl, making sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl to prevent dry clumps at the bottom.
5. Stir 3 c. diced apples into the large bowl.
6. In a small bowl, combine 1/2 c. brown sugar, 1/3 c. flour, and 1 tsp cinnamon.  Slowly mix in 3 tbsp melted butter with a fork until mixture is crumbly.
7. Line muffin tins with heavy duty liners (trust me on this) and give them a light spray of non-stick cooking spray.
8. Fill muffin tins full to the top.  Add crumble topping and very gently press the topping down just enough to keep it from spilling off.
9. Bake for 25-30 minutes.  Allow muffins to cool for about 15 minutes in the pan before transferring the muffins to a rack to cool completely.

My family really loved them and even though I'm on a diet right now, I admit I had to indulge in one!  The apples were just tart enough to let their flavor stand out and the muffins were very moist.  If you really wanted to, you could add in some more diced apples, however I chose not to because I didn't want the muffin to become even heavier.  It is a heavier muffin as it is, so don't expect that you'll sit down to eat two or three at a time!  Though maybe one warmed up, served with a scoop of french vanilla ice cream...

Back to the recipe!  Here is my modification I made for my chickens.  Yes, they deserve dessert too.

Muffin Ingredients

• 1 c. all purpose flour
• 1 c. oats
• 1/2 c. chicken feed (any brand is fine, but I use Fresh Eggs Daily's Breakfast of Champions mix)
• 2 tbsp. wheat germ with flax seed
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 egg
• 1 1/3 c. buttermilk
• 1/2 c. butter, melted
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 1/2 c. brown sugar, packed
• 3 c. diced apples (I used Jonathan, but use whatever variety you prefer)
• 2 c. craisins

    Crumble Topping

• 1/2 c. brown sugar, packed
• 1/3 c. oats
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 3 tbsp butter, melted

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. In a large bowl, mix 1 c. flour, 1 c. oats, 1/2 c. chicken feed, 2 tbsp wheat germ with flax seed, and 1 tsp baking soda.
3. In a medium sized bowl, mix together 1 egg, 1 tsp vanilla, 1 tsp nutmeg, 1 tsp cinnamon, and 1 1/2 c. brown sugar.  Once combined, slowly stir in 1 1/3 c. buttermilk and 1/2 c. melted butter.
4. Gradually add your wet mixture to your larger bowl, making sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl to prevent dry clumps at the bottom.
5. Stir 3 c. diced apples and 2 c. craisins into the large bowl.
6. In a small bowl, combine 1/2 c. brown sugar, 1/3 c. oats, and 1 tsp cinnamon.  Slowly mix in 3 tbsp melted butter with a fork until mixture is crumbly.
7. Line muffin tins with heavy duty liners (trust me on this) and give them a light spray of non-stick cooking spray.
8. Fill muffin tins full to the top.  Add crumble topping and very gently press the topping down just enough to keep it from spilling off.
9. Bake for 25-30 minutes.  Allow muffins to cool for about 15 minutes in the pan before transferring the muffins to a rack to cool completely.

Chicken Version

Human Version

Was the original version ok for the chickens?  Sure it was, but I'd like to think that by removing some of the excess flour and adding in good-for-them things like oats, wheat germ, flax seed and chicken feed that they are benefiting from the recipe tweak.  My flock loves craisins so I couldn't resist mixing them in, although you certainly don't have to.  Feel free to mix in whatever goodies your girls (and boys) love!  Maybe some nuts? Diced carrot?  Shredded zucchini?  Let me know what you come up with!

In case you wondered, this recipe is whole heartedly endorsed by my chicks.  With very few exceptions have I ever seen them eat something with such excitement!  They were making the most adorable little contented clucking noises and scrambling around to find the biggest muffin chunks they could spy.  After they cleaned up every last crumb, they came over to me and began their big eyed pleading for more.  You know the look: head tilted to one side, one eye keenly focused on you, a little questioning clucking breaking their intense stare.  With reactions like that, I'll be sure to fire my oven up every now and again.

Four of the girls dig in

Boo and Fifi spy an apple chunk at the same time

Clicker Chick: Introduction to Clicker Training a Chicken

You didn't misread  that.  I really said ‘clicker training a chicken’ just now.  You may be familiar with the concept of clicker training a dog, as the training method has really taken off in the last decade.  But the connection to a well trained Fido and your backyard flock isn't that far apart!

For those of you who don’t know, or would like to become more familiar with the training method, here are the very bare bones basics in a nutshell.  Clicker training is a term for a variation in operant conditioning, a method of modifying behavior so that an action is specifically linked to a positive (or negative) feeling/sensation so as to increase (or decrease) the likelihood of being repeated.  This is not to be confused with classical conditioning, another method of modifying behavior so that a formerly neutral stimulus becomes coupled with a desired behavior after repetitive exposure to the unconditioned stimulus eliciting a desired response.  Confused?  Let’s give a few examples.

Positive Operant Conditioning:

The dog sits.  Clicker noise sounds.  Dog receives treat.  Repeat.  Dog associates: Sit + Click = Treat.  The dog learns over repetition and keeps working to get more clicks/treats.

Negative Operant Conditioning:

You install an invisible fence to your property, complete with those adorable yard flags, and equip Fido with a collar.  Fido see’s a squirrel on the neighbor’s property and decides to eradicate it for them.  He hits the property line and receives a shock.  Repeat situations may occur.  Dog associates: Running off the property + Electric shock = Do not leave yard.  The dog learns the consequences of leaving his yard and, in the owners hopes, does not attempt to roam again.  (don’t ask me my opinion/experience with invisible fences though…that’s a whole other matter!)

Positive Classical Conditioning:

Think Pavlov’s dogs, a study with amazing results that never intended to go that way!  A very condensed version of his study on the salivary reactions of dogs showed the following results.  When the dogs were provided a neutral stimulus (a bell ringing) before a positive response to that occurred (being fed), in time the dogs began to drool simply by hearing the bell ring.  They learned:  Bell = Food.  They anticipated a positive response from a formerly neutral stimulus due to their exposure/experiences.

Negative Classical Conditioning:

Do you know a dog who is terrified of thunderstorms?  Essentially, they have classically conditioned themselves to be afraid of thunderstorms.  They experience a thunderstorm to a higher degree than we do; sights, smells and sounds are greatly magnified – and super scary!  If they have a close enough bond with a human who is afraid of storms, they can even pick up their emotions as well.  So they may begin to associate something, like the roll of thunder (or similar sounding noise) or a flash of lightening (or similar visual) with an impending storm.  They learn:  Sound/Visual = long, scary storm is coming.  Before you know it they are cowering in the corner of your closet.

     Summing that Up:

• Operant Conditioning:  Repeated Behavior + Repeated Reinforcement (click) = Repeated Action

• Classical Conditioning:  Repeated Action = Repeated Experience/Perception + Repeated New Behavior

So how does this apply to chickens, you ask?  A group of people who innovated the very study and concepts of Operant Conditioning made astonishing breakthroughs training  – wait for it – chickens!  B.F. Skinner, Keller Breland and Marian Breland-Bailey (and all those who followed in their esteemed footsteps) applied the methods of operant conditioning with many species of animals, but they perfected their skills on chickens.  Why?  We’ve all seen just how quickly a chicken can move.  We have also witnessed how quickly they can grow tired of something and have an attention span shift to something else.  These animals are perfect for training a person’s response time and ability, not to mention that the treat hungry species is nearly always willing to work for food!

Chickens were so successful in their training program that they became part of a traveling show in which they showcased their tricks and abilities.  The birds would do simple tasks like pecking a target, all the way up to far more sophisticated things like walking a tightrope, doing ‘treasure hunts’, playing a baseball-like game, turning on a jukebox and dancing, and playing the piano!  Now I have a question for you.  Don’t YOU want a chicken that plays the piano?

This "Clucking Calculator" could answer a mathematical question for which the solution was a number 0-5

Casey and her team were all big hits at the animal shows

 People could have their "fortunes" read by the chickens

 Tina the Truck Driving Chicken was another big star

(I've got to show support for another Tina!)

In the Show, chickens defied death, ok...maybe just very small heights

A Barred Rock beauty rocks out

Now that you have an idea where I’m coming from, you’ll see that I’m not (completely) mad when I aspire to have a few clicker chicks in my flock.  Where do I go from here?  I’ve begun my training with the chicks and I will blog about our progress to let you know how it is going.  I’ll share our experiences and let you know how I’ve strategized a training plan for them, and for myself.  Let’s keep our fingers crossed that it works.  I can already picture myself being serenaded to Bach by a Barred Rock!

Check out the Dancing Chicken!

Home Run, Casey!

Nobody Drives like Tina the Chicken!

An animal run newspaper?  It could happen!

**Photo and Videos from: IQ Zoo**

Click on their Exhibit's page to see more photo's and video of incredible animals talents

I dare you to visit and not smile!

Disclaimer:  I am not a training professional.  I have experience and have the desire to learn more and do more, that is all.  I recognize the terms I highlighted above (operant and classical conditioning) are far more complex than I explained.  These are simply brief explanations of the behavior modification systems that I have provided.  I encourage anyone who is interested in learning more to do some research and read up on these fascinating subjects.  (I'd be happy to recommend some wonderful books!)  For a wonderful article on clicker training concepts, please visit What is Clicker Training by Mary Hunter of the awesome animal behavior blog Stale Cheerios.