Michigan Chickenstock 2014 - planning ahead!

[Wynette]

Attendance thread for MI C-S 2014: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/847882/michigan-chickenstock-2014-attendance


In the vein of starting a thread just after for the 2012 Chickenstock, I thought it would be a good idea to start one up for next year now, while ideas are still fresh in our minds.

Two things I wanted to mention & get thoughts on:

1) It dawned on me, watching the very long food line - why don't we pull the food tables out so that we can access it from BOTH SIDES? It would be easy to do, and we could just unplug the crock pots just before the line begins so that no one would need to step over them. Thoughts?

2) I chatted briefly with Gail (glambka), the member selling Pysanky and plants, about the possibility of her hosting a discussion next year about pysanky - the origins, history, meaning, etc. If anyone would be interested in something along these lines, she'd be happy to do so, and we can set a time for it at next year's C-S.

I also got to wondering if folks would be interested in someone coming in to speak on a subject each year - my thought is to contact MSU's poultry sciences deparment and ask someone from that department to pop over to discuss a different topic each year - things such as biosecurity, the importance of quarantining new stock, feeding regimens, etc. We've got plenty of time to discuss topics, and if there would even be interest.

Anyway, I just thought I'd throw these ideas out there for now.

Observations: DH thought the food was the best of any C-S so far!

There seems to have been issues in the past with folks not taking their leftovers back home with them (or otherwise disposing of them appropriately), but this year seems to have gone much better in that regard.

I don't know if Sam has reported out on the number of attendees, but I would love to hear that number!

Any other suggestions or observations you'd like to share?

 

[chickflick]

Expect a lot of good food. Lots of friends to be made. There's a park right there for the kids to play at. Restrooms are right there, also. You can bring chicks to sell or give away or anything else. Critters or crafts. It's a bit of everything.

 

[chickflick]

Would love to see the Iowa Blue!

 

[LoveMyChicklets]

Love the turkeys in ur avatar photo. I want to get just 3 or 4 turkeys in the spring for meat. I have chickens n ducks, never done turkeys. Was looking at the BBW n BBB's. Any advice?

If you are looking for turkeys for meat those would probably be your best bet. Just be careful with blackhead if you put them with your chickens, of course. And try not to get attached to them! They eat a ton of food and can be really wasteful so if you have to feed them anything but free range try pellets if you can. I let all my birds free range and supplement with organic from a farmer in the area but the turkeys kill me in feed during the winter months. OUch! Oh and one important thing... turkeys can't have the limestone that's in regular chicken feed. It's like arsenic to them. If you have to buy feed you may want to keep them on grower which has no limestone (at least my farmers doesn't). I'm not a professional but this is my experience.

 

[chickflick]

If you mean eating, that's life. If fighting, that's lousy.

Wouldn't care either. Just doesn't look right when they stuff the poor roos in a burlap bag.....

 

[SillyChicken]

I think maybe we should have a loose agenda (poster) for what we plan and when, so that everyone is aware and we don't need to have people yelling when lunch is, or the raffle starting.

Having a speaker would be great. I spoke to Raz after CS and we talked a little about certification..I wish he was able to share what he knew - maybe next year.

 

[Wynette]

I think maybe we should have a loose agenda (poster) for what we plan and when, so that everyone is aware and we don't need to have people yelling when lunch is, or the raffle starting.

Having a speaker would be great. I spoke to Raz after CS and we talked a little about certification..I wish he was able to share what he knew - maybe next year.

We tried an agenda I think year before last and it didn't seem to work, but we can sure give it another whirl.

I've often thought one of those bullhorns or whatever they're called would be quite helpful but I have absolutley no idea where you'd fine one! Maybe a sporting goods place? I can price those out & pick one up before next year if they're reasonable.

Do you mean NPIP certification?

 

[Opa]

In order to have a two sided food line we will need people to bring folding tables. Our current setup utilized the existing wall mounted table and the two folding tables that I have brought each year. Obviously the seats on the picnic tables make them unwieldy for serving tables.

We also might list food categories so we don't wind up with quite so many desserts. We still have enough plates, napkins, and utensils that we won't need anyone to bring any next year.

We've had posted event times in the past and I still had to go around trying to get folks to come up to the pavilion.

 

[kimmie6067]

Wow!! All excellent ideas. I love the MSU talks, and the egg talk by Gail I would love both. I need to learn as much as I can, hahaha. Yes next year I will bring what I said I would bring, sorry. I think if we said 12:00 is lunch 1:30 is raffle etc.. should work, surely we are a little like cattle you see one headed up to the feed trough everyone fellow, lol. We can before CS tell everyone the times things will happen and to print it out and fellow it. Everyone will be talking about the raffle at lunch to stick around or come back after eating to have the raffle. Ok, now this next year there should be an announcement to make sure everyone has their name in raffle who brought something before calling names. Oh and yes a bullhorn, I will be asking around for one.

Kimmie

 

[Wynette]

I didn't realize those tables at the front were fixed. Geesh! Good thing I'm not an Engineer for a living, eh? I think if I was, I'd not be a very good one to let a detail like that slip by.

I would be happy to bring a folding table so that we could do 2 lines next year. I only have one folding one, but I'll watch for another at garage sales this summer!