Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[dwalters]

Fuzzy- not sure where your at but I work for Columbia Hospital for Animals in Battle Creek and we see birds on regular basis. Including chickens. My co workers and I just love them. I think but am not sure that Southwest Mich Emergency in Kalamazoo does also.

 

[Amy PT]

Here's a link of avian friendly vets in MI: http://www.avianweb.com/recommendedvets.htm#MICHIGAN
Also, one of the vets here has chickens, so... http://foresthillsvet.com/meet-our-team.html

 

[yorkchick]

I also bought some cute old chickenwire vents at a resale shop

One thing people with a little experience find out, often sooner rather than later, is chicken wire keeps chickens in but not predators out. If there's any possible way raccoons or other predators could get to those vents (and they are always more athletic and better at getting through small spaces than we think they could be), then they can get through chicken wire. Cover those vents with 1/2" hardware cloth (a heavy-duty wire mesh screen, mesh in 1/2"squares, if you're not familiar), and you're in business--as long as you secure the hardware cloth to the coop securely, because the dang raccoons will rip it off the wall if it's just kinda tacked on. Lots of stories, here and all over BYC, of predator losses, and I've certainly had my share--but (so far, knock on wood) none from our coop once it's been closed for the night, and we did try to over-engineer the safety features. Easier to do when you're starting from the beginning like you are, and thinking your design through before you get your birds. Think Fort Knox for chickens.

This is in no way to discourage your do-it-yourself project. I bought a coop from someone who considered himself quite a chicken expert, and I was a complete newby at the time, with no handy person skills. Well, that's all still pretty much true! But I knew (mostly from reading BYC, of course...) when I got the coop that while it was solidly built, it was really inadequate for ventilation and the security features were nonexistent. I bought a Sawzall, put big windows with hardware cloth and replaceable wood panels for winter in the people door, and vents in both long sides. There was existing venting on the back side and under one eave but I also covered those with hardware cloth. And the guy who built it had forgot to make a door to close up the pop door! Whoops! So when he delivered it he handed me a piece of wood, told me it was the pop door, I could easily install it myself later. Of course it wasn't anywhere near the right size--he just picked up a random scrap of wood to cover his mistake for forgetting to put in the door. So I had to figure out how to cut the right size door with my rudimentary tools and my rudimentary skills. And I installed double latches on the people door and the pop door. My DH helped with the stuff I needed two hands with, but he was not exactly loving the project (sample whine: "Can I have my life back now?" LOL). So... Anyway...... Just do it. The things I dislike about that coop now, four years in, are some of the design choices the builder, the "expert," made. Everything I did I'm kinda proud of. (Don't look too closely at how straight my Sawzall cut lines are, 'kay?)

That said, the coop is still solid as a rock and if I had tried to build one from scratch there is no way it would have turned out in any way even fractionally as nice. Doesn't mean I can't complain, does it?

 

[MsChickenMomma]

I was laying in bed and I rolled over and was just about to fall asleep and I saw a huge bright light flash on and back off. Stupid with sleep I thought somebody had turned the big porch light on so I continued to lay there. About 6 seconds later I heard the LOUDEST clap of thunder I have ever heard in my life. I literally jolted out of bed because it scared me so much. Our weather report said we only had a very slight chance of rain tonight, but I checked the radar just now and there was tons of rain directly over most of Michigan. That thunder was probably the loudest I have ever heard. I bet it scared the living daylights out of my sleeping birdies too. Thunder sounds about twice as loud in the barn as it does in the house.

 

[EverMystique1]

Ok, like I said yesterday, brand new at this. Now I've kinda decided to go the route of ordering pullets from a hatchery because I've heard that raising from chicks need tons of attention for about five weeks and no days where you are out of town or whatever and I don't think we are ever home for five weeks straight without having to go away a day or so. So I hear its no good buying off craigslist and there are limited hatcheries that sell started pullets. The ones I am looking at, McMurray and chicken scratch are about $80 shipping. So I am thinking of a couple options...
1. If somone else in greater grand rapids area would like to go in on an order with me and maybe split the shipping cost? Not sure how much each additional chick adds but im assuming it would be a better deal.
2. If someone else is ordering chicks soon and has room and ability to raise about 6 extra for me for the first month and i would pay them an agreed fee for taking care of them to that point. 
Or if anyone else has any other suggestions, i am open to the wisdom of the group.

Stacy

(I have a habit of over researching things to the point where i freak myself out a bit with all the possibilities and things that could go wrong)

Stacy, are you seeking a specific breed? I have about 20 chicks, but they are barnyard mixes. Daddy is a RIR, moms vary a little.

I apologize if you have akready answered this. I am just getting caught up on several pages of posts.

Laurie

 

[Farmerboy16]

We got rain! We got rain! We got rain! Woo hoo!!! 4 weeks of no rain was really turning everything brown here. The creek was no longer running, and the pond had dropped 2 feet. I don't know how much we got, will have to find a bucket standing upright to see how much we got. I had seen the lightning on my way home from work, so was praying/hoping for rain. I checked the radar, and there was a storm covering most of Michigan, so I knew that we WILL get rain. Fell asleep at 11:20, was jolted awake at 12:04 by the lightning(Very rare for me to wake up during storms as I am deaf, so can't hear anything while sleeping) and shut my bedroom windows. The rain was very dense, even with all the lightning going on I could barely see the barn less then 100 feet from the house. We got rain! Woo hoo!

 

[birdie44]

Did I read that someone has a Partridge Chantecler Rooster? I want to know more about him before he takes his freezer nap. Thanks!

Been gone for several days, went back some pages, did I miss something? are you able to have chickens now? Or are you hatching for some one else? I have an old sussex that is broody and I have no more room so she is in a cage with a fan as we speak welcome!! were abouts are you? I don't have room for more but I have some sweet ameracaunas and chanteclairs that are show wothy (I think) and would love to learn more about showing. That is very sad, my heart goes out to that family sounds delicious, just froze some blueberrys hope to get some peaches soon,

I have too manyu roosters too, Lavender Ameracauna,black amaracaunas , partrige and buff and white chanteclair, delaware, spanish mix, all will most likely go to freezer camp, Daran the calf is adorable,

 

[Opa]

When I first retired gas was $1.15 per gallon and everything else has increased in price accordingly. As a result I have some months that have more days than I have money. Yet, I think I am an extremely rich man. How can this be possible? Simple, I have several friends that I have been close to for double digit years.

In this mobile, disposable world we now find ourselves in maintaining close long term friendships is extremely difficult, yet for some reason I have several that exceed 30 years and my closest friend and I have know each other for 52 years. Just last week he accompanied me to a boat mechanic in Wellston for now other reason than to spend time together.

I decided to go visit and friend that lives 25 miles southwest of me. He is a 90 year old retired farmer who is still extremely sharp mentally and physically. I stopped at a bakery, picked up some coffee and sweet rolls and went to visit for an hour or so.

When we first met his father and older brother were living on their farm and they graciously allowed me to hunt. His father and I hit it off immediately while he and his brother remained some what aloof. Their father did most of the talking and they would rarely comment. When their father passed his older brother assumed the role of family spokesman.

Since they were both bachelors, and had no family in the immediate area, we would include them in our family holiday dinners and a very important part of my sons memories of childhood. In the fall my sons fully expected that we would be helping them harvest their crops.

He has a nephew who would rarely make an appearance and I probably saw him maybe a dozen times in 25 years. When he started visiting his uncle more often I thought it's about time and that it would make my friend's life a little better having family more involved with him. This sudden increase in visits only lasted until he was able to get his uncle to set up a living trust with him as beneficiary and to get his uncle to give him $60,000.

Now is trying to convince his uncle that he needs to be designated as financial and physical guardian over my friend. This is a action my old friend is opposed to and resents.

When I arrived yesterday he was glad to see me and felt the the visit was quite fortuitous since he had intended to call me to help him take legal action to prevent this from happening to to go with him to see an attorney to block any such action and possibly break the living trust. I told him I would be glad to accompany him and my advice with regard to the living trust was really quite simple, outlive him.

It really is sad to see someones family not have any genuine feelings for their relative and their involvement in that person's life is only motivated by greed.

 

[Hillbilly Hen]

Opa, your friend is lucky to have you.

I hope all will work out for the best

 

[HollyDuckFarmer]

I'm jealous of all of you who got rain... Didn't get a drop here and it is dry dry dry... Positive tho in the sense that the dryness means we can still get trees cleared out back. Saw wild grapes galore yesterday, think I see a day of jelly making in my immediate future.