The Urban Chicken Podcast - The Urbanite's Podcast Resource for Keeping Backyard Chickens - UCP Episode 047 – Langshan Chickens: Matt Stillman Discusses this Ancient Chinese Secret?

UCP Episode 047 – Langshan Chickens: Matt Stillman Discusses this Ancient Chinese Secret?

05/12/14 • 66 min

The Urban Chicken Podcast - The Urbanite's Podcast Resource for Keeping Backyard Chickens

Bantam Black Langshan – photo courtesy of Matt Stillman

Question: How do you make the most strikingly beautiful, large, feather-legged, dark brown egg-laying chickens? Answer: Ancient Chinese Secret!

Langshan, Cochin and Brahma are the three breeds that comprise the entire Asiatic Class of chickens recognized by the American Poultry Association. All three of these originated in China and have been causing a stir in the western poultry world since the 1800s.

Matt Stillman

Today on the Urban Chicken Podcast, we are going to discuss at length the rarest of the Asiatic Class birds – the Langshan. Matt Stillman, a breeder of both standard and bantam Langshans and District One director of the American Langshan Club, joins me on the show to share the fascinating history and attributes of this marvelous Chinese chicken.

HISTORY OF THE LANGSHAN CHICKEN

Major F.T. Croad – photo from Croad Langshan Club UK

Langshan chickens were the last of the three Chinese breeds to be brought to western world – first to England in 1872 and then later to the United States in 1878. Though it was Major F.T. Croad, who first imported the lovely Langshan chicken, it was his niece, Miss A.C. Croad, who worked tirelessly to establish the breed in Britain.

Almost immediately upon importation, a bitter dispute erupted between Cochin and Langshan enthusiasts. Many argued that the Langshan was merely a poor variety of the black Cochin. Breeders used the Langshan as stock to improve the black plumage coloring in the British Cochin lines at that time. Miss Croad and other Langshan supporters steadfastly maintained that the Langshan was a distinct breed separate from the Cochin.

Blue Langshan Hen – photo courtesy of Matt Stillman

Looking upon this debate now, it seems laughable that the tall, tight-feathered, athletic Langshan was once mistaken for a Cochin, which is a short, round-bodied, fluffy-feathered and less energetic breed. Truly, these two breeds are easily distinguishable.

Eventually, Langshans were accepted as a unique chicken breed in Britain and elsewhere. The original Langshan breed recognized in Britain is called the Croad Langshan, in honor of Croad family and to distinguish the breed from other Langshan varieties which were bred to accentuate different features. In Germany, the Langshan were bred for long, clean legs. This line became known as the “German Langshan.” In England, one group of breeders created the “Modern Langshan” breed which is similar to the German Langshan and has a body type akin to the Modern Game.

The Langshans in America are Croad Langshans – though we do not use the distinguishing name, Croad. There are three varieties of Langshans currently accepted in the A.P.A. Standard: Black, White and Blue. Black Langshans were admitted into the American standard in 1883 and the White Langshan followed ten years later in 1893. Interestingly, almost 100 years would past before the Blue Langshan was accepted in 1987.

ATTRIBUTES OF THE LANGSHAN

Black Langshan Rooster – photo courtesy of Matt Stillman

The original Langshan chickens were solid black with a brilliant green sheen to their plumage. They are the tallest, non-game breed – the average Langshan rooster stands between 24-36 inches in height. The breed is known for its long legs, which are lightly feathered under the American and Croad Langshan (British) standards. The leg feathering is found on the shank and outer toe of the breed.

Additionally, Langshans are full-breasted, deep bodied birds. Though a large breed with standard weights for cocks being 9 1⁄2 lbs and hens 7 1⁄2 lbs – Langshans are the smallest of the three breeds in the Asiatic Class. Their white skin and abundance of white meat qualify the breed as a good meat bird.

Langshan Chick – photo courtesy of Matt Stillman

The Langshan is also renowned as a prolific layer. The average Langshan hen will typically produce about 150 eggs per year and lay during winter months as well. Consequently, Langshans are considerably better egg-layers than both the Cochin or Brah...

Bantam Black Langshan – photo courtesy of Matt Stillman

Question: How do you make the most strikingly beautiful, large, feather-legged, dark brown egg-laying chickens? Answer: Ancient Chinese Secret!

Matt Stillman

HISTORY OF THE LANGSHAN CHICKEN

Major F.T. Croad – photo from Croad Langshan Club UK

Blue Langshan Hen – photo courtesy of Matt Stillman

ATTRIBUTES OF THE LANGSHAN

Black Langshan Rooster – photo courtesy of Matt Stillman

Langshan Chick – photo courtesy of Matt Stillman

Previous Episode

UCP Episode 046: The Good Egg – Cookbook Author Marie Simmons Teaches Egg Cookery

Many Eggs – photo by woodleywonderworks

It started off as a match made in heaven. You got some backyard chickens and they started laying you delicious eggs. It seemed perfect at first. That handful of hens though, turn out to be fruitful birds... I mean, REALLY productive. Now you find yourself awash in eggs. Sure, giving some away is a neighborly, friendly thing to do. However, raising chickens in order to keep your neighbors in eggs is not what you had originally envisioned. Your unimaginative egg cooking skills though have burned you out and landed you squarely in an egg-eating rut. Don’t despair! There is a way to find that egg cooking spark again so you once more luxuriate in the bounty from your backyard flock.

To help you rekindle your love for eggs we are joined this week on the Urban Chicken Podcast, by Marie Simmons – a distinguished cooking instructor, food columnist, and award-winning cookbook author. Marie shares how ideas and tips on how to spice up your egg-eating love life.

Marie Simmons

Marie Simmons has authored over a dozen cookbooks and countless cooking articles for magazines and newspapers. Her book, “The Good Egg: More than 200 Fresh Approaches from Soup to Dessert,” is a manual of egg-cooking genius. In this book dedicated solely to the topic of egg cookery, Marie shares delicious and reasonably easy to prepare egg recipes. In addition to the recipes found in “The Good Egg,” Marie also shares helpful hints on working with eggs which one finds scattered throughout the book.

Though “The Good Egg” is not the newest egg-centric cookbook on the market (it was first published about a decade ago), it is the one on my bookshelf that I like best. I am not alone in my admiration of “The Good Egg” as it won the prestigious James Beard Award for single subject cookbook when it was first published.

One of the most interesting egg preparation methods that Marie shares in “The Good Egg” is her recipes for Strata. The name Strata means layers, which is exactly what this recipe is – layers of bread, seasoned with various combinations of savory meats, herbs and vegetables, covered with an egg batter and baked. Essentially, a Strata is a savory twist on bread pudding. Strata recipes are a terrific way to put a half dozen eggs and some stale bread to good use! Here is a link to Marie’s recipe for Ricotta Basil and Roasted Red Peppers Strata with Parmesan (Recipe HERE).

The Good Egg – by Marie Simmons

Marie’s passion for food and cooking is rooted in her childhood having grown up in an Italian household where culturally – food is love. She studied Foods and Nutrition at the Pratt Institute in New York and began her career as the Test Kitchen Editor for Woman’s Day magazine. Marie has worked as a pastry chef at the historic Brooklyn restaurant, Gage & Tollner and eventually became the food editor for Cuisine magazine. Additionally, Marie has penned countless food and cooking articles for many different periodicals, such as Bon Appetit, Cooking Light, Eating Well, Fitness, Redbook and the Los Angeles Times. Over the years, Marie has shared her knowledge and passion for cuisine as a cooking instructor at several prestigious culinary schools.

Here is a sample of her published cookbooks:

I also appreciated and enjoyed the egg quotes and poems that she placed at the beginning of each chapter in “The Good Egg.” The poem that introduces Chapter 12 of her cookbook particularly struck me.

The Hen – by Oliver Herford

ALAS, my Child, where is the Pen
That can do Justice to the Hen?
Like Royalty, She goes her way,
Laying foundations every day,
Though not ...

Next Episode

UCP Episode 048 – Fermenting Chicken Feeds the Right Way!

Swedish Flower Hens eating fermented feed – photo courtesy of Leigh Edwards

Fermenting certain foods is a very traditional method of food preservation and also enhancing nutrition. When it comes to feeding our backyard flock, fermentation is an excellent method to improve the diet and health of our flock through improving the gut chemistry of our birds.

Today’s guests on the Urban Chicken Podcast are Leigh Edwards and Sue Strantz – both experts in holistic, natural chicken keeping. Leigh and Sue join me on the show to discuss all of the ins and outs of how to properly ferment various types of chicken feed.

Leigh Edwards and Sue Strantz are seasoned at the practice of fermenting chicken feed for their flocks. The reason they both bother to go through the process of fermenting their chickens’ feed is to improve the nutritional value of the feed, to improve their bird’s digestion and to save money on feed.

Not all of the nutrition in food is actually available for absorption upon consumption. Grains and legumes in particular are designed to “pass-through” the creature eating them and come out the other side still fully able to sprout, if possible. Consequently, grains and legumes are naturally protected by anti-nutrients, which act to save the viability of the seed of grain or legume by prohibiting the creature from eating them from being able to physically access their nutrients (i.e. stored fats, proteins and minerals) during the digestive process.

The anti-nutrients which are typically found in legumes, grains and seeds are: 1) phytic acid; 2) enzyme inhibitors; 3) tannins; and 4) hard-to-digest proteins. There are certain problems associated with eating anti-nutrients. Anti-nutrients block the absorption of calcium, magnesium, copper, iron and zinc in the intestinal tract leading to deficiencies in these essential minerals. The consumption of anti-nutrients can also stress the pancreas, inhibit digestion in general and cause allergies and digestive disorders. More disturbing, the anti-nutrients found in grains and legumes may actually bind to the nutrients in our intestinal tract that are from other food we eat and render them indigestible as well!

Fermentation either reduces or fully eliminates the anti-nutrient properties in grains and legumes. The process also increases the bioavailability of many nutrients including B vitamins, vitamin C, folate, fiber, and essential amino acids (e.g. lysine) Additionally, lacto-fermentation cultivates beneficial bacteria that help your bird’s gut chemistry and improves digestion.

There are various types of fermentation. Alcoholic fermentation is a process using yeasts to produce alcohol. Acetic fermentation is the process by which vinegar is made. Lacto-fermentation is the process which creates beneficial lactic acids, enzymes and probiotics and thus is the proper fermentation process of grains and legumes for our flocks’ consumption.

Much of the advice on fermenting feed for livestock consumption out on the internet is simply incorrect. For example, beware of on-line fermentation advice that suggests that you start your feed fermentation process with a packet of baker’s yeast! Yeast in your fermenting bucket of grains and/or legumes will produce alcohol, which is NOT beneficial for your flock.

Quick step-by-step process to properly lacto-ferment your chicken feed:

Use only food grade plastic, glass or ceramic containers (if it is a lead-free marked ceramic container) for your fermentation. Metal containers must NOT be used!
Fill container about 1/4 full with the feed to be fermented.
Cover that feed with water (ideally filtered) so that it fully covers it with about an inch excess.
The grain will absorb the water – keep adding water to cover the grain fully with excess water (about 1 inch) until the grain stops expanding.
Cover the container with a loosely fit lid.
Stir the grain WELL everyday (ideally 2-3 times) very well. It is essentially to get to the feed at the bottom.
After about 3 days – the feed will take on a slightly tangy scent. The feed is then fermented and ready to serve.
You can either start over or you can reserve a little bit of the fermented feed to start a new batch.

Since interviewing Sue and Leigh, I have been fermenting some scratch grains in a 5 gallon bucket with great success. Feed fermentation is not a difficult or particularly time consuming practice to take on. The little effort input to ferme...