Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[1muttsfan]

For anyone installing an electric fence, I would highly recommend a device called a Fence Alert. It hangs on the fence, and if the power goes out or the fence grounds out a red light starts blinking. I have one hung on the horse pasture fence where I can see it from the house, great for peace-of-mind.

Jaques the rooster will need a separate pen.

 

[Opa]

It might be that these new hearing aids are a little to powerful because I'm pretty sure I heard my grass growing. It is rapidly approaching baling height. At the very least I will have to run the sweeper over approximately 1 1/2 acres or it will look down right nasty.

I went out around 930 and worked on standing everything that yesterday's rain flattened. Even many of the corn stalks were knocked down. by 1130 I had to quit as I was "glowing" excessively. Every time I would look down perspiration would drip onto my glasses. I came in a immediately jumped in the shower. I can't do much about being an old goat but I certainly don't have to smell like one.

I think for the foreseeable future I am going to do all of my gardening from 6 - 8 am. Might be a little less sweat inducing.

 

[BTinks]

Jaques the rooster will need a separate pen.

I'm curious why? Will he not settle in to his new number 3 spot? We just don't have the space for a second chicken pen so I was hopeful that he would come around and cheer up again.

 

[RaZ]

A couple of stump-clearing, gully washers have rolled through since yesterday.
The rain gauge under the big tree shows 2 inches of rain. The one in the open garden got knocked over.

So after lunch I have to decide to work in the garage or in the house. I'll have to flip a coin.

 

[ladyrsanti]

Wow, I really need to do something about my mean hen. Turkey (midget turkey) slipped out of the coop with the hens when I let them out to free range and Souffle did not like that. She attacked full force and when I went to pull Turkey away, I got bit. It's not bleeding but left a pretty good mark in the shape of her beak and blood blister in the center where she bit down. Turkey's okay and back inside. But Souffle needs more than just being sort-of separated. I need another pen! The grow-out pen has the two quarantined hens in it and the tractor is housing the two 12 week-old roos. I would hate to keep her in a small crate but it's all I got.

 

[ladyrsanti]

Oh and several people asked me at CS if I had any yarn spun from my own sheep. Unfortunately, I didn't at the time because everything I'd spun from them had been promptly knitted so that we'd finally have something to wear from our own sheep (it was desperately desired and long-awaited). BUT, I have finished some hanks finally from Tartan's wool, my funny wether, that I will sell.


So here they are. They're not listed on Etsy yet (a lot of work, listing). This one is
a strand of each, the white and black. It was hypnotizing to spin but such a fun yarn.


When I separate the white and black wools there is invariably a lot of gray area. Here
that "tainted" wool is spun randomly and from the locks so you get the full range of tonality.
The above yarn was carded (a sort of combing) that homogenizes the wool, so to speak.
So the sun-kissed tips (caramel brown) are visible in this hank because it has not been mixed.

 

[NovaAman]

I swear to gracious... I had a whole post written out, stupid thing... lost it... so... mad... i... could... spit.

ANYWAY, BTinks... Is there a possibility you could add a small coop to your enclosure, and make a separate pen inside? Or possibily get a dog house, put on a door and vents, elevate it... and do something like this...

Its 4x4, completely enclosed on top, bottom, all around. A coon tried getting in, and didn't. I built the ground frame, attached the fencing to that, set it in place, adde the 4 uprights, then put a 10 foot pvc arch off of each, then took the fencing and started from the bottom, rolled it up and over the top, and down to the other side, and secured it. The from there made it so it went over the top of the coop roof, so the birds can sit up there too if they want, made a door, frame, locks. Put in 1x1 fencing around the inside, up 3 feet to keep grabbing hands from getting in and grabbing birds. Yes, I know.. not the prettiest, but a raccoon did try to get in one night, and couldn't so I am happy. The whole thing, is only 4x7, so not to much space does it take up.

 

[BTinks]

We do have a little dog house shelter/run inside our main run that our meat roosters are occupying right now. I could put Jacques there once we butcher the meat Roos. I'm just worried that if I separate him that I'll eventually have to reintroduce him and he will have to go through the fighting for position all over again. Is the separation so that he can heal or are you recommending a permanent separation?

I swear to gracious... I had a whole post written out, stupid thing... lost it... so... mad... i... could... spit. ANYWAY, BTinks... Is there a possibility you could add a small coop to your enclosure, and make a separate pen inside? Or possibily get a dog house, put on a door and vents, elevate it... and do something like this...

Its 4x4, completely enclosed on top, bottom, all around. A coon tried getting in, and didn't. I built the ground frame, attached the fencing to that, set it in place, adde the 4 uprights, then put a 10 foot pvc arch off of each, then took the fencing and started from the bottom, rolled it up and over the top, and down to the other side, and secured it. The from there made it so it went over the top of the coop roof, so the birds can sit up there too if they want, made a door, frame, locks. Put in 1x1 fencing around the inside, up 3 feet to keep grabbing hands from getting in and grabbing birds. Yes, I know.. not the prettiest, but a raccoon did try to get in one night, and couldn't so I am happy. The whole thing, is only 4x7, so not to much space does it take up.

 

[Opa]

Roosters are genetically programed to chase off any competition. Even birds that are raised together lose any kinship they might have once held. Multiple roosters can be kept in the same enclosure and often an uneasy truce will ensue. However, fights will occur. It's been my experience that a rooster that is easily cowered will not fair well with others and often serious injury or death is the outcome.

 

[gladahmae]

Depending on when DH gets home tonight, and what we can scrounge up for materials, I think I'm going to evict the chicks from the basement brooder tonight. Our pallet coop just needs a roof put on it (with HINGES this time so I can get food/water/bedding/chicks in and out of it as needed) and put in the run. They're between 3 and 4 weeks old, and it's plenty warm out for them! I also put the old trampoline tarp I appropriated (with permission) from the house up our driveway that got foreclosed on this spring. The cleaning guys were just going to throw it and a perfectly good dog house away, so I asked if they minded me taking it. It looks awful installed, but it'll do the job of giving the girls shade for most of the day. I don't think DH will complain too much since you can't see it from the house.

I've got 11 eggs due to hatch in the incubator tomorrow, and 5 under my broody silkie. I think I may slip a few of the 11 under her once they hatch, and the rest that hatch under my OTHER broody. I'll give her a test chick if I have enough of one of the breeds hatch to 'test' her with.......she's not the friendliest chicken we've got.....that's for sure. Hopefully I won't have to brood any chicks in my basement until this fall if all 5 of my BLRW chicks end up being boys (it's looking that way right now).

Ugh. I think I got sunburned today. My fault. I spent some quality time in the lawn chair with a good book while the kids swam in the pool this morning.




I think this was discussed last year, but what is the 'going rate' in other areas for getting chickens processed? I'm 2-3 weeks from finishing up my meaties and the guy I took my roos to this spring charged $4/bird, and told me for the meaties that if they were "too big to fit" in the bags he uses, that it's $5/bird (basically anything that dresses over 6#.) That seems like a lot to me.....