Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[chickflick]

SAM! CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW?? YOU'LL AND THE OTHERS WILL BE HAPPY TO KNOW THAT I STILL NEED TO WASH THE WALLS DOWN. WHEN THE MEN ARE DONE PUTTING THE FLOORS DOWN AND MAKING A BIG MESS!!! SO, DON'T WORRY, YOU DIDN'T MISS THE FUN!

My hens have slowed down in laying, also. I was going to go out and see if I can find a nest in the flower garden somewhere. I've been breaking broodies for a few weeks, one at a time. My EE took a week to break. Stubborn lil girl.

 

[gladahmae]

My egg count is also all over the place. 11 eggs one day and 6 the next. No hidden nests unless they're burying the eggs in the shavings in the coop

 

[keyt1969]

Thanks to a trick we learned a couple of years ago from a good 'ol boy, we get boatloads of eggs from February to about November. I've asked him what his trick is to get almost the same numbers in the winter but he hasn't given that up yet lol I don't get any in the winter.

Today we got 49 eggs. I only collected eggs from the ducks yesterday, the rest all came from today =)

 

[RaZ]

A couple of random thoughts on a few topics:

Horse manure as compost is pretty good but it is best if it has been composted for a couple of seasons. Horses pass weed seeds through their digestive tract which hardly disrupts the seed germination process. Hot composting helps, but I like to wait 2 years before using road apples in the garden. Other composters will argue the point.

Same with tilling, many people till the garden every year and have good success with their crops. But tilling can bring the seed bank to the surface and you end up with more weeds. Several studies support both theories.

Egg production gets even trickier. Several factors come in to play about when hens lay eggs. Common thought is that long days yield more eggs and that is true to an extent. Most published studies support that but keep in mind that those studies focus on production birds that are fed the exact same diet every day of their production lives. Most of us have a huge variety of breeds, from daily layers to once-a-week layers. I also suspect that what our birds forage for is a factor in egg production. Same with environmental conditions that the studies can't address. Then there are stressors that occur that affect egg output. A stressed hen may not lay every day yet I've seen show hens lay in a cage in the middle of a show.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that there is no one correct way to garden or raise chickens. But by asking questions and sharing experiences, we all can learn a bit.

 

[taprock]

I got an email this afternoon that my chicks had been shipped on 5/22?? That's tomorrow so I'm not sure why they are telling me they have been shipped. I'm curious how many I end up with. I have never order from Ideal. They say they put in extra roosters for heat if needed. I guess it will be a surprise.

 

[HollyDuckFarmer]

My eggs increased after starting FF. hey RaZ, what about baking the soil in the 200'F oven to kill the weed seed? I have weed city in my garden, you are exactly correct about the tilling. I have 2 tiny areas that I will till again, the rest I'm leaving alone. There's a lot to do with timing the germination too, I think. I'm trying to remember the 3 sisters planting I did last year.... I think first I planted 4 corn in a square, then a week or so later 3 squash inside that, finally a pole bean in the center. Seems like the corn was up first, then the squash shaded out the weeds.

Gaitngirl-- good to meet you today. Hope everything is going well.

 

[NovaAman]

left my eggs in a bucket last night on the retaining wall... It stormed... Was messed up day yesterday... anyway... There was a enough water in the bucket that the eggs were completely covered... they're ok, yes?

 

[gaitngirl]

My eggs increased after starting FF. hey RaZ, what about baking the soil in the 200'F oven to kill the weed seed? I have weed city in my garden, you are exactly correct about the tilling. I have 2 tiny areas that I will till again, the rest I'm leaving alone. There's a lot to do with timing the germination too, I think. I'm trying to remember the 3 sisters planting I did last year.... I think first I planted 4 corn in a square, then a week or so later 3 squash inside that, finally a pole bean in the center. Seems like the corn was up first, then the squash shaded out the weeds.

Gaitngirl-- good to meet you today. Hope everything is going well.

Holly,
The girls are settling in just fine. They were a bit freaked at first but they are following the other ducks all over now. The Pekin that I 'thought' was a girl may actually end up being a boy!!! There is a funky feather that I can't tell if it's going to curl or not like the other boy's is starting to and all of a sudden 'her' voice went from a loud honk to a more hoarse quack. It's not raspy like the drake's is but it's not as loud as the other hens . . . *sigh* She followed your two around and took way more interest in them than a hen should, I think. My Muscovy drake started eyeballing them too, lol. Your older girl put the smackdown on him, though.
They loved the pond. They spent most of the day in it. They had to be coaxed out of it at feeding time, even. We'll see how they do tomorrow, if they lay. I set up another box and straw - hopefully they will take the hint and lay there, lol!

THanks again! It was nice meeting you, too.

 

[Nigellas]

OK, friends! The 2013 Michigan Chickenstock attendance list is up and running - go sign up!

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/784162/michigan-chickenstock-2013-attendance-list

(PS - Thanks, OPA - I used most of your original wording from your thread from last year)

 

[RaZ]

My eggs increased after starting FF. hey RaZ, what about baking the soil in the 200'F oven to kill the weed seed? I have weed city in my garden, you are exactly correct about the tilling. I have 2 tiny areas that I will till again, the rest I'm leaving alone.

Digging soil and baking it seems pretty extreme to me.
Try the newspaper treatment after you till. 6-7 layers of newspaper covered with mulch. You can plant directly into the new bed.