Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[NovaAman]

I would love love LOVE a CS... they are lovely birds...

 

[chicken grandma]

Hi AmyPT! How are your pretty hens?

 

[Ferrret]

Just looked up the isbar breed, holy cow those are some green eggs!
Looks like they're more of a rare breed and a little higher in price than BF would want to spend on a chicken (and he'll tell me we don't have any room for more

). If we every find the right property to move to and expand our flock, I'll keep this breed in mind. Lovely birds and eggs.

 

[greenmimama]

Wow. those isbars are really beautiful and such a pretty green egg.

So another question for you, when I bought these birds and brought them home last Friday, she said that the Isa Brown was broody, does that mean I could giver her some chicks?

I know everyone uses a brooder and such, but years ago they didn't have them and they still raised chicks, just the hens did all the work right?

So how do you know a hen is broody or not?

Thanks for all you advice, I have been learning so much!

 

[NovaAman]

Is she sitting in a nest box day in and day out not wanting to budge? When they do that, they may also mutilate themselves by plucking out a patch of breast feathers. Lol. Not mutilating really. Lol, well any way, I have used brooder and hens. I prefer the hens do the work. But the brooder chicks are friendlier from all the handling.

 

[BackyardFarmMom]

They had some nice straw outside at $4.95 per bale. Kind of pricey, but considering the drought and current pricing, it's not that bad. I think I need to unload the flatbed and go get some for the winter

I don't think I am going to use straw... I think they will be okay with pine chips this winter. They poo so gosh darn much in that coop and the chips are much easier to clean the top layer off.
Better go get some before there is none to get!

And it's a plastic bottle. The original top to the waterer broke, and this just seemed to sit inside perfectly. Just stuck a hole in the bottom edge.

Darn... I was hoping you had a trick for me. I want to cut the bottoms off of some wine bottles for spring... then I can put them over my seedlings ( Greenhouse effect)

 

[NovaAman]

Oh, and I would not try giving the Isa chicks unless you KNOW yourself that she is. The move from one home to another may have broken that. If she is broody though, oh boy will you know it. She may try and take chunks out of your hand if you touch her. I'd think if she is not wanting to get out of the nest, she very well may be. If you do get some day old chicks, stick them under at night time, but be prepared for her to reject them. I have had this happen, but I did have another hen broody at the time, and she adopted them.

 

[Brethren49619]

Just tried it last night with my broody silkie. She seems to be a real good broody, doesn't peck at me at all any more. Took the eggs and golfballs out from under her after dark. Then put the chicks under her. I left the red heat lamp on, figuring that there were so many chicks, if they didn't all fit, they would migrate over to the heat and be okay. Well, every single member of my family had to come into the pen. Mom/Grandma loudly commenting 'how cute, did you get pictures, what? I can't hear you, your whispering' etc. 16 Yr old son back from football game waving a flashlight around, talking to all the other chickens, and DH taking the golfballs (dropping a few on the way)

The chicks seemed to "wake up" They were running like mice all over the place, chirping like crazy. Broody mama came out of her trance and started to peck at those not under her. Pretty soon though all but 2 were running around. I ended up putting them all in the box under the light. Mama was still sitting on her nest when I wet to bed last night but with nothing under her. If she wants to be a mama, she can go over to the box and mama the babies there.

 

[Amy PT]

Hi AmyPT! How are your pretty hens?

Aw, they're missing their new pal, but they're doing well. They tried coneflower seeds last night. Not very interested, but I'll offer them a few more times and see.

BYFM: you can take the ends off of glass bottles. I have never tried this, but here's a tutorial with links to other tutorials: http://blog.makezine.com/2010/03/08/how-to-cut-a-wine-bottle-in-30-seco/

 

[RBahmer]

Buffy layed a pinkish egg... Wasn't as pink looking as Skeeters is though. Theyre are considered cream or tinted... Anyway, Lankenvelders and Faverolles will give you a tinted egg. Silkies also can give tinted. Leila's eggs were more of a tanish pink, and Vanillas (formerly Snowbunny) lays a whiteish egg, both silkies.... I want to say that Lorelie and Beulah both lay an egg that is more pink tinted than cream.. They are both faverolles.

I love my faverolles by the way. They are very sweet birds. I have a LOT of fav crosses in the yard, and they are all just sweet and adorable. I get a wider range of colors from them though, since they are mix breed birds..

There used to be a breeds page here that showed every breed, its egg laying ability, and the egg color. Now if you click on the breeds tab, you have to put in the qualities you are interested in, and then it gives you a list of birds that fits those qualities. I personally do not like that. I liked it the old way better...

Lakenvelders lay a white egg not tinted.