Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[SillyChicken]

Why cull, you would be having a wasted product then. You could pluck the bird.... You'd only be plucking the hackle area... Then you don't have to constantly replace the bird... Just a thought.
Sorry if anyone was/is offended by this. But if the rooster wouldn't be good for eating, then it is kinda a waste of bird to kill it just for the feathers when you could very well pluck it, blue kote it and wait for them to grow back in and be ready again in 6 months. Two months less waiting that regrowing the birds back out and waiting 8 months again before you have a new supply. Do 10 birds at at time in rotation, you'd have a constant supply. To protect the area from other birds and sun burn also after the plucking, you could raise the top feathers up out of the way, like you are going to mohawk the bird, so those hackles fall back into place, and wahla... no nekkid looking roosters.

What about cutting the quills? I don't know that much about which part of the feather they need, but if the tip of the quill isn't that important... it may be less stress on the bird to cut them off rather than pulling. and you save a good bird for breeding and more feathers later.

 

[NovaAman]

There's an idea.

 

[SillyChicken]

Driving to Grayling in a few mins for the weekend. My husband has a Turkey Permit.. I guess this will mean another year with a store bought turkey for Thanksgiving LOL! I can't wait for goat pics.. I truly love the critters. I used to have one 30 or so years ago and he was a lot of fun. I can't wait to have a few of my own. I will take pictures of my "yard" so you can all get ideas of where I should place my raised garden beds and Chicken coop. I will also take Pics of the other yard I want to have the goats in. My Husband, Father and I have accumulated 5-21/2 acre parcels over the years and all of the adjoin. We have 2 houses ( one for me the other for my Dad) and the other a trailer with an addition ( for my grown *** kids and they call it the "Party Palace") and a big pole barn.Only about 2 and a half acres are not wooded but you will see in the pictures if it does NOT snow.
TIna

Before you get started.......... have you checked your township ordinances to see if you are allowed to have them? Some people can win the battle over keeping birds, others haven't been so lucky, even though MRTF laws are present, some people in government, have their heads up their proverbial backsides when it comes to chickens.

 

[jrsckn]

ok i just figured out that my 3 barred rock chicks i purchased from tsc that are getting close to a month old, are probably not what i thought they were, sign on bin showed barred rock.. i am guessing its jersey giant.. these 3 are all black, white down underside.. and black legs with yellow soles.. so i am kinda disappointed.. was really wanting the barred rock that is the only reason why i got 6 more chicks from them..
does anyone have jersey giants.what do you think of them..

well i am sure i will get used to the idea of not having barred rocks.. live and learn, i guess its meant to be..


does tsc carry french copper maran chicks because these look like those also.

I have both barred rocks and jersey giants and like both. The BR can be mean and bossy or nice and friendly, the JG I have tend to be on the shy, laid back side. If I had to choose, I'd get JG before BR. I haven't ever seen maran chicks at TSC.

Here's a pic of my barred rocks




and Jersey Giants. You can totally see the difference!

 

[1muttsfan]

For fly-tying the buyers want the feathers to be attached to the preserved skin.

 

[fuzzybutt love]

Ewww. chicken poop in the face! xP I love my birds, but sleeping with them pooping all over................. Ewwwwwww.

 

[teeville5]

does anyone have jersey giants.what do you think of them..

The BR can be mean and bossy or nice and friendly, the JG I have tend to be on the shy, laid back side. If I had to choose, I'd get JG before BR.

I have both. My BRs are friendly and I think they are a great chicken to own and my JGs are a bit on the shy side like jrsckn said, but they are super foragers. Love that about them. When we got them last year, they started foraging everywhere and all the other chickens we have caught on from them that there were even more tasty things to find than what they were finding from just the main yard.

 

[NovaAman]

For fly-tying the buyers want the feathers to be attached to the preserved skin.

oh.. well then, guess use the roosters for dog food if they're not all that great for people food.

 

[jrsckn]

I have both. My BRs are friendly and I think they are a great chicken to own and my JGs are a bit on the shy side like jrsckn said, but they are super foragers. Love that about them. When we got them last year, they started foraging everywhere and all the other chickens we have caught on from them that there were even more tasty things to find than what they were finding from just the main yard.

I guess I should've clarified my statement a little bit lol. The BR can be mean and bossy to other chickens in the flock, they're the ones that always start stuff with the other girls. They've always been good to us humans

 

[naglady]

front black and white..? no white on head like the others.

this one now that i look closer may be barred rock.

my white leghorn was posing so i snapped a picture, they seem pretty friendly



this brown one is a mystery chick anyone know what it is

here another pic of mystery chick

is this beginning of barring.. if it is i may have a barred rock.. maybe i have 2 of them.. is this what they look like when they are young..