"Store-bought will never replace your own." A resident of the Minsk region keeps a hundred birds in her yard
Six in the morning. At the home of Iryna Lezhaŭka from Karalyova Stan, Minsk district, the day has already begun — while city dwellers are still sleeping, she is already on her feet: distributing feed to ducks, chickens, guinea fowl, and quails. It all started with ten random quails, and a couple of years ago, the flock reached 500. On their family farm, every egg and carcass is their own, raised without chemicals and substitutes, writes pristalica.by.
How it all began: from flowers to poultry
For six years, Iryna's main passion was flowers. Petunias, stock, roses, statice, gypsophila, zinnias, pelargoniums, and calibrachoa adorned her plot and brightened her weekdays with vibrant colors, until one day she saw an advertisement for the sale of ten quails.
That's when her passion for poultry farming began.
"First came the quails, then chickens, ducks, turkeys, geese, we even had five piglets. The number of birds started to grow rapidly when we were able to buy an incubator and began hatching chicks. I remember a time when we kept about 500 birds — we got carried away, although even for our large family, that's a lot," Iryna recounts.
Currently, the farm has about a hundred birds: ducks, chickens, quails, and guinea fowl. Only the hostess looks after them.
Why homemade is better than store-bought
Iryna admits: she stopped buying poultry or eggs at the supermarket a long time ago. Everything that ends up on the table is raised by her own hands.
"Store-bought will never replace your own. I feed my family only what I've grown and raised myself: homemade eggs, meat, fresh herbs, vegetables, berries. That's how I take care of my loved ones and children. Natural village products are the key to health. I get up at 6 AM and return home by 10 AM, and my husband Yauhen is always ready to help: he'll cook dinner and look after the children. But he mostly handles masculine duties, like construction now," says the hostess.
How to hatch up to 200 chicks in 21 days
Every spring, Iryna places eggs in the incubator. The process is already well-established. Depending on the size of the egg, it can hold anywhere from 40 to 200 pieces.
"Quail eggs are small, you can put about 210 of them in the incubator. About 70 chicken eggs. Approximately 40 goose eggs," she explains.
The incubation process for chickens lasts 21 days. For 18 days, the eggs must be turned morning and evening so that the embryo doesn't stick to the shell, and water needs to be added to the incubator. On the 21st day, the first pipping appears.
"I've learned to understand whether the embryo is developing: I turn on the flashlight on my phone and shine it through the eggs. The incubation process itself is very interesting. When the embryos have developed inside the eggs, they start to move — you can see it when you shine a light through the egg; before they hatch, you can hear them chirping. The eggs can spin. If an egg is hard and has a lot of calcium, the chicks need help to hatch," the woman enthusiastically shares.
Once, Iryna managed to hatch two chicks from one double-yolk egg. She spoke about this incident with genuine enthusiasm and pride.
Brooder, broody hens, and masculine ingenuity
When chicks or ducklings hatch, they are moved to a brooder — a special heated box that Iryna's husband built himself. The birds live there until they are strong enough.
If the timing is right, she places the chicks hatched in the incubator under a broody hen. On their farm, there can be up to five mother hens.
What goes on the table: duck egg omelet and stewed duck with prunes
All the birds are slaughtered, plucked, singed, butchered, and frozen. And all available eggs are eaten. For example, duck eggs make a very fluffy omelet. Iryna's son Dzmitry, a chef, often delights the family with new flavor combinations, experimenting in the kitchen.
"Homemade poultry is tougher; it needs to be cooked longer, but the taste is completely different. Stewed duck with potatoes or prunes... You wouldn't believe how delicious it is," the hostess smiles.
Flowers as part of the cycle
Iryna says that a cycle operates on her land. The garden feeds the birds, and the birds fertilize the flowers and plants. In summer, ducks and guinea fowl often stroll between the beds and hundreds of roses, collecting insects, beetles, slugs, and other pests.
In the evening, when the farm work is done, Iryna goes to her flowers. She calls them her medicine and admits that she gathers strength when she sees her flower garden flourishing.