Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[ladyrsanti]

Wow.. Did we just have a nice magenta line of storms come thru here. Hail & all; probably 2" of rain in 30 min. So much for getting lawn done as intended when I left work early. But on a positive note, the birds are loving digging for worms right now

The forecast this morning for the day simply said "mostly sunny". Then around noon a dark cloud rolled in, poured rain and the forecast was immediately changed to 30% chance of showers and thunderstorms, lol. Way to go NOAA!

 

[preciouskitty]

The forecast this morning for the day simply said "mostly sunny".  Then around noon a dark cloud rolled in, poured rain and the forecast was immediately changed to 30% chance of showers and thunderstorms, lol.  Way to go NOAA!

Yeah. I want their job. Went from perfectly sunny, me picking beans & hot peppers; chatting with neighbor as we were rounding up her escaped puppy labs to us both going "was that thunder?"
Minutes later, complete deluge with hail & unreal lightning.

Fortunately NOAA put out the "significant storm advisory" just as it was winding down.

So, my juvenile hawk finally made his/her move on the chickens a little bit ago. Happened to walk out on side porch to see what the "kids" were up to just in time to see it sweeping down to the bushes where half of them were chowing down on berries & bugs. I yelled, but Bigboy had it under control & had the girls hidden in a split second....but it was a little too close for my comfort.

This stupid bird has been driving me crazy for weeks with its constant screeching & is now hanging out in 2 of my trees; right now the one out front. Luckily the birds were in the mood for their treat early, so I just went ahead & put them in the pen attached to their coop.

 

[fuzzybutt love]

idk if this could help those people fighting to keep their therapy birds, but i didn't know that companion animals aren't restricted to cats or dogs; it seems birds are included too.

You need a dr to recommend it for you, for ptsd or bipolar, depression, some thing along those lines.

At any rate, it shows that birds are indeed considered of value for therapy reasons.
http://www.avianweb.com/emotionalsupportanimals.html

 

[fuzzybutt love]

also last night i searched for hours and couldn't find any adult birds that died from eating insulation; only one story about chicks. Most agreed that the bird just pooped it out, including the fiberglass kind.

Which brings me back to internal problems maybe.

Do any of you know whether a vet could test an old dropping?
I had planned on bringing him in, but he didn't make it. This one was worth it to me. Just didn't have the $$$ when i needed it. This is tearing me up, the not knowing.

 

[Lisa and girls]

also last night i searched for hours and couldn't find any adult birds that died from eating insulation; only one story about chicks. Most agreed that the bird just pooped it out, including the fiberglass kind.

Which brings me back to internal problems maybe. 

Do any of you know whether a vet could test an old dropping?
I had planned on bringing him in, but he didn't make it. This one was worth it to me.  Just didn't have the $$$ when i needed it.  This is tearing me up, the not knowing. 

the not knowing is the worst. My thoughts are with you

 

[snowflake]

sorry for your loss, fuzzy, don't know if a poo testing will tell you what you need to know, most vets around here need me to tell them what kind of parasytes to look for. Chickens are just not brought in often enough for them to be familiar with problems. If you were thinking of taking them to MSU I believe you can wrap in towel and bag and freeze, however that is not the best either

 

[Scifisarah]

Raz, so all you need to get is cute pigtails, friendly neighbors, and a dad with connections.

Honestly though, I hope it does get passed so she can have her chickens.

Oh and it is funny when people complain about "runoff". I think someone that owns 3 black labs probably creates a lot of runoff compared to 4 chickens.

Little girl leads call for change allowing backyard chickens
BY GARY GOULD
810-452-2650 • [email protected]

Photo by Gary Gould DAVISON — Chloe Hinkley, 9, said she just likes chickens — and she wouldn’t mind having some free eggs for her family to enjoy either.
After selling her parents on her detailed plan to build a chicken coop in the family’s backyard, raise chickens and harvest their eggs, the little girl who loves animals then had to take on city hall to change the local ordinances.
Davison has an ordinance restricting farm animals from residing within the city limits. Chloe’s father, former City Councilman Chris Hinkley, currently serves on the planning commission and he took his daughter’s proposal up with the city leaders.
“The city ordinance doesn’t allow (chickens),” said Hinkley. “So (Chloe) asked me ‘how do we get the law changed?’”
The matter has been before the planning commission and is now going to a public hearing Sept. 9 at 7:35 p.m. in council chambers. A new ordinance under consideration would allow residents to own up to four chickens.
Other communities have already taken the lead, allowing but limiting backyard chickens. Fenton, Burton, Clio, Flushing and Linden have so far passed ordinances allowing residents to raise a limited number of chickens.
The push for raising chickens stems from Michigan’s Right to Farm Act and people who see backyard farming as a way to help cut some costs in difficult economic times.
Hinkley said his neighbors have been supportive of the plan, especially after he reassured them they would not own a rooster. He is married and the couple has two other children besides Chloe.

There has been mixed reception around the city however, with concerns raised about smell, water runoff and noise.
Still others say they are in favor of allowing chickens, as long as it is regulated.
Chloe, who said she’d some day like to be a veterinarian, said its not just about having a “odd pet” or harvesting eggs, but she said she thinks owning and raising chickens is a good way for children to learn about money, operating a business and responsibility.
“It’s good to challenge a child,” she said. “It builds confidence. It teaches about money management. I’ve spent a lot of time online studying about chickens — I like studying.”

 

[NovaAman]

My initial thought to the run off was a few foul words about round up etc...

 

[SillyChicken]

They're all lame excuses because people are ignorant....I think someone summed it up in that article Raz posted earlier... some of the comments under the article were basically, people feel like we're a bunch of back woods hicks for wanting chickens and they think they'll be associated with that some how, cause... we're "those kind of people".......People have this funny notion that they are better than anyone who has/wants chickens. Like we're a lower class of people..... It doesn't matter what kind of noise or odor or chemical pollution they produce, LOL, as long as it's not naturally occurring!

 

[RaZ]

Ignorance is a treatable condition.

It is the willfully stupid that bother me the most.