Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[flufssilkies]

Does anyone have a peahen. I don't care what breed or color.

 

[TreeTree411]

Odd question ... since ticks are already horrible this year, do we have to check the chickens or would they just eat them?

I would like to know too. Good Question. I would hope they would eat them off each other.

 

[JackieandChicks]

Quote:
Are you on Facebook? Someone has some for sale.... https://www.facebook.com/HumbleAcre...41833.219959158170924/468571349976369/?type=1

 

[bigmrg74]

I don't believe that in the brutal winters we have up here that a hoop coop would provide adequate protection or comfort for birds. You could easily add an enclosed coop to one side for the winter..

All the birds really need is a place that's out of the wind in the winter. Throw some tarps or shower curtains over the hoops with just a few gaps for ventilation and they'll be fine.

And darn it, that cockerel I'm trying to move managed to chip his beak.


guess I can't market him now as a show quality Iowa Blue now.

 

[uchytil]

I don't believe that in the brutal winters we have up here that a hoop coop would provide adequate protection or comfort for birds. You could easily add an enclosed coop to one side for the winter

Brutal? Oh yeah you live in the UP.

Come to think of it Hillbilly Hen's hoop was connected to a another "regular" coop. I have to say though in the winter, inside the hoop, it was dry and comfortable. Given it had a clear plastic covering the sun could light it up inside. Sort of like a greenhouse.

 

[1muttsfan]

Downstate is more temperate with around 6-8 weeks less cold than up here. I'm sure on sunny days they are very comfortable. But we often get daytime temps below zero, and nighttime lower than 20 below often enough to be an issue. When the winter storms change from a near-hurricane east wind to a bitter cold north wind for days, a tarp-covered anything is not enough. The ground becomes iron hard and frostbite is a constant risk. You just can not believe how bitter it can be - I do not know how people live in worse climates.

 

[ToniTalley]

Downstate is more temperate with around 6-8 weeks less cold than up here. I'm sure on sunny days they are very comfortable. But we often get daytime temps below zero, and nighttime lower than 20 below often enough to be an issue. When the winter storms change from a near-hurricane east wind to a bitter cold north wind for days, a tarp-covered anything is not enough. The ground becomes iron hard and frostbite is a constant risk. You just can not believe how bitter it can be - I do not know how people live in worse climates.

I can attest to the brutal weather, we are just over the border into Ohio, and even in a wood coop with a heated waterer and a heat lamp, the roosters did get a touch of frostbite. At 20 below with winds, it's incredibly cold even out of the wind.

 

[chickflick]

I don't understand why anyone lives in the UP during winter!!

Looks like a nice day. Sun is out. A bit humid, but hey, not going to complain.

Looking forward to our first camping trip this weekend!!

 

[mwhisman]

Can someone give me some contact info for a NPIP tester for certification in or near Tuscola county.

I have done some searching but have not found any current info.

 

[aart]

Anyone here have any first hand experience with grain mites?
If so, please chime in here https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/981212/grain-mites
TIA.