Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[Hillbilly Hen]

A weasel or weasels took out my brother-in-laws entire flock. It took three nights, but it slaughtered over twelve birds a night.

It was a flock that I built- all the surplus I hatched plus the large fowl eggs I hatched from Theron.

So sorry to heat that

Good luck Raz!!! I'll be thinking about you tomorrow. I didn't know what was going on and didn't want to ask but I think I've picked up the gist of it by reading others' posts over the past months.

QUESTION: How late in the year can you start meaties here in Michigan or "should" you start, or can you get away with starting? However it should be worded. How late have you gotten started and managed them to weight before the weather turned?

Good luck RaZ

I would think it would be ok to start meaties now. They seem to put out a lot of body heat and it won't be long before it is time to butcher them.

My dad and I are in the process of building a 4x6 addition to my coop. I just have too many chickens and with winter coming they will need more space. He's happy to be needed. He's really been having a hard time with his wife's death so I'm glad to give him a project. Father/daughter time is always awesome too.

Happy Birthday teeville!

Bianca, congrats on the new layers.

 

[greenmimama]

I got 2k meal worms in the mail last week, when I wasn't home.

My husband called me and said "Uh hey what do you want me to do with these loud stinky worms" LOL

They are all safely in there home and laying lots of eggs, I saw some beetles in there too! They will make a tasty snack for the chickens this winter.

My chicks are being sent today and I am going to get there brooder ready, they probably won't be here until wed. or Thur. A friend is going to take 20 isa browns, so that will leave me with 5 Isa chicks and 25 rainbow pullets pack, so not sure what they will end up sending me, it's pretty exciting!!

We had some morning storms roll through, but it wasn't raining when my boy got on the bus for his first day on kindergarten, ooh the swell of emotions! I am praying he has an awesome day and wants to go back!

 

[Opa]

Looks like it is going to be Thursday before I get to pick tomatoes. The sky opened up before I could finish my coffee and unless it dries up quick they will just have to wait.

 

[chickflick]

Happy Birthday, Teeville!! Make it a good day!!
Hi Sam!
Hi, everyone else!
raining here, a nice soft rain.
Good Luck, RaZ!!

 

[SillyChicken]

Does anyone here have pygmy goats?

How much care do they need? Food?

Do you allow them near your chickens?


Are there any diseases I should be aware of?


Just considering my options before committing to anything yet.

 

[Hillbilly Hen]

Hi chickflick!

Enjoy your day!

Opa, I have had a problem with tomato blight. Next year if I grow any tomatoes I may just do a couple of container ones. No plans to do any more gardening, as much as I enjoy it.

green, your little guy will be fine. I bet he was very excited.

Silly, sorry, but I have no experience with goats. Good luck!

 

[Stacykins]

Does anyone here have pygmy goats?

How much care do they need? Food?

Do you allow them near your chickens?


Are there any diseases I should be aware of?


Just considering my options before committing to anything yet.

I have Nigerian Dwarf Goats, which are similar to pygmies (same origin, but are now different breeds, as they have been bred for different purposes for a very long time now).

Care is pretty easy. Clean water, fresh hay (can be grass hay, nothing special, though pregnant or lactating animals benefit hugely from alfalfa), loose goat minerals and baking soda free choice, and shelter. I give mine free choice hay, but you can calculate how many lbs each goat should have, for instance, if you want to be more exact. They do not need grain if they are a dry and unpregnant doe, a wether, a buck not in rut, or are not growing. For grain, I use purina goat chow, technically a sweet feed so they adore it.

Also, hoof trimming needs to be done on a regular basis. Not something you need a farrier for. Ten minutes with some garden snips to shape the hooves and keep the bottoms smooth and even is all you need. If you have a really rocky pasture, you'd likely not need to do this often.

Yes I allow them near my chickens. The chickens ignore the goats and vice versa. The chickens often hop the fence into the goat pasture and go about their scratching and whatnot. They won't share disease, like coccidia, since the protozoan is species specific.

Several big diseases that you should be aware of. Coccidia, just like chickens, a problem for young goats but it can affect an adult. Worms, specifically barberspole, a bloodsucker with a very fast lifecycle, checking eyelid color can show any signs of even early anemia, a sign that this worm is causing a problem. A few others to be aware of are CAE, Caprine Arthritis Encephalitis; CL, Caseous Lymphadenitis; and Paratuberculosis or Johne's Disease. Many people test their hears for those three diseases. Hopefully this doesn't turn you off, all animals have diseases to be aware of.

I love my goats. They are like dogs with hooves. They're all very friendly and incredibly social. I love spending time with them, they're my 'babies' and come running when they see me.

 

[ChickaBangBang]

This weekend really sucked not having Domino around. The girls were all standing around his grave and some even were digging in it so I had to cover it with a big rock just in case they try to dig him up. They also didn't want to eat very much but I did spoil them on tomatoes and watermelon. They are out playing in the rain right now and seem to be doing better so that makes me a little more happy. I've got almost a dozen fertile eggs now so I think I'm going to try and warm them up soon. I'm still looking for a broody hen though. I want to give them the best chance. Any heads up would be appreciated. Or maybe I can get a rent-a-momma

 

[Hillbilly Hen]

Some of you might remember the tree that got blasted by lightening last year...

We decided to take down the other big one on the left. My son was doing the climbing... yes! it is a bit scary to see your son 38 feet up in a tree

The tree was about 90 feet tall.

 

[Hillbilly Hen]

This weekend really sucked not having Domino around. The girls were all standing around his grave and some even were digging in it so I had to cover it with a big rock just in case they try to dig him up. They also didn't want to eat very much but I did spoil them on tomatoes and watermelon. They are out playing in the rain right now and seem to be doing better so that makes me a little more happy. I've got almost a dozen fertile eggs now so I think I'm going to try and warm them up soon. I'm still looking for a broody hen though. I want to give them the best chance. Any heads up would be appreciated. Or maybe I can get a rent-a-momma

I am so sorry for your loss. It would be better to see if someone would be able to hatch them for you. Like Opa said earlier if you try to move a broody hen to a new location it will most likey break her. Good luck!