Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[Totalcolour]

If I put the naked neck in with the Ams, I will get green egg laying naked necks with beards and Muffs - how crazy is that!

 

[Opa]

If I put the naked neck in with the Ams, I will get green egg laying naked necks with beards and Muffs - how crazy is that!

Sounds kind of scary.

Yesterday we pressed cider again.
David putting apples through the grinder made of a garbage disposal mounted on a plastic lug. The outlet dumps into a large plastic pail.

Our 100 year old press.

The apples were predominately yellow delicious, a few red delicious, and some super sweet primas. We pressed 9 gallons and David took 5 of it home for wine. With it that sweet it should make some rather potent wine.

Today we made 22 pints of apple sauce from the yellow delicious and it really came out nice. We quartered the apples and cooked them peel, core, and all in an electric roaster. Once they were soft we ran them through a Victorio food strainer.


Placed the hot apple sauce in pint jars, then processed in our steam canners. While the FDA doesn't recommend using them, I've been using them for 25 years without a problem. However, common sense needs to apply. Make sure the food is very hot when placed in the jars, and then allow the steam to vent for 30 minutes before removing heat. You want to make sure that the food becomes hot enough to kill any bacteria.

 

[Totalcolour]

Yesterday we pressed cider again.
David putting apples through the grinder made of a garbage disposal mounted on a plastic lug. The outlet dumps into a large plastic pail.

Our 100 year old press.

The apples were predominately yellow delicious, a few red delicious, and some super sweet primas. We pressed 9 gallons and David took 5 of it home for wine. With it that sweet it should make some rather potent wine.

Now that's just plain brilliant! We make a ton of wine, and I never thought of using a garbage disposal. Have to show this pot to Himself. It sure will make things a lot faster.

Hope your friend's cider turns out well.

 

[mara1]

well just got home live trap worked just not what I was hunting for. I got two in the pack one small and lg. Trying to get that coon and rats. Well I guess I got a tree rat(squirrell). Didn't know they go for marshmallows.

 

[tororider]

Opa, that looks great. My three oldest just made some applesauce with my mom. I love homemade applesauce. By the way, we are moving out to Whitmore Lake, with space, so next spring I will be ready for chickens again. Woohoo.

 

[SillyChicken]

Well I heard good news this morning! Just went out and opened the door between the breeding coop (they are still roosting and laying in that) to the floor of the large coop surrounding it.

Came back in to sit here and I hear Buddy Boy crow twice!!!!!!

This is his first crow since the hawk took his Purby Hen from us. Well took her life.... the carcus I rescued and it is in the crock pot right now! But am so glad he is crowing again!

Worked on coop yest and will try and upload the photos later as Photo bucket won't load right now for me.

They are finally coming out of the little coop and exploring changes I made to the coop around the coop LOL. Store bought coop is 1/6 size of larger coop. Plenty big for the two birds!

ps... you can upload directly on here, no need for photobucket.

 

[NovaAman]

Roosters are crowing... All 9 of them (mine), both neighbors are also. Got a jap pullet who has found her voice this morning. She is making such a stink in the garage coop, I thought something got in. Nope. She's just exercising her big hen voice. Rotten midget chicken. Those two will be named teeny and tiny. I can't tell them apart. I just know there are two.

Sweet apple press!

Bearded puffy faced uggo! Can't wait to see that!

 

[ladyrsanti]

Anyone else get hail last night? About 10:30pm it dumped hail stones here. POURED hail. Pretty crazy.

Anyway, the coop got a partial roof yesterday. Unfortunately our help (BIL) lives an hour away and can't be here everyday to get this thing finished. So it will probably stand half-roofed for another week or so until we can get him or someone else out to help (I can't see my husband getting much accomplished on his own).

While I have little trouble with heights or ladders, my back isn't so good and those boards are HEAVY. My doctor once told me not to lift anything heavier than a sack of flour. I've ignored his advice pretty much ever since (oh, about 12 years now) and suffered on occasion. I already snapped something just from working on the rafters so I'm done with the heavy stuff. I'm working on the windows and trim currently.



So here's the roof. The north side is almost done. The south
side is going to be the hardest, even though it's smaller. It's
seven feet off the ground at the roof line. I had them put some
more cleats in, don't worry. They were giving me a heart attack
working like that.



And just ignore what my husband calls "the carpenter's repose"'
for he is neither a carpenter nor reposing. He's laying down on
the job.

No, see my windows? They're all installed now,
just getting them sealed and then, hopefully soon, hardware
cloth and then trim over that. The windows came from our
house. One of the first things we did when we moved in was
get half the windows on the second story replaced. I had the
guys leave the old ones just for this purpose; although, they
contain lead-based paint and are in terrible condition. I've had
to be very careful with them, painting over the old stuff and
re-glazing here and there. BUT SEE ALL THE SUN THIS COOP
GETS?!!! I'm so excited!

 

[chickwhispers]

What a terrific coop it's going to be! Your flock will love it.

 

[preciouskitty]

Anyone else get hail last night? About 10:30pm it dumped hail stones here. POURED hail. Pretty crazy. Anyway, the coop got a partial roof yesterday. Unfortunately our help (BIL) lives an hour away and can't be here everyday to get this thing finished. So it will probably stand half-roofed for another week or so until we can get him or someone else out to help (I can't see my husband getting much accomplished on his own). While I have little trouble with heights or ladders, my back isn't so good and those boards are HEAVY. My doctor once told me not to lift anything heavier than a sack of flour. I've ignored his advice pretty much ever since (oh, about 12 years now) and suffered on occasion. I already snapped something just from working on the rafters so I'm done with the heavy stuff. I'm working on the windows and trim currently. So here's the roof. The north side is almost done. The south side is going to be the hardest, even though it's smaller. It's seven feet off the ground at the roof line. I had them put some more cleats in, don't worry. They were giving me a heart attack working like that. And just ignore what my husband calls "the carpenter's repose"' for he is neither a carpenter nor reposing. He's laying down on the job. No, see my windows? They're all installed now, just getting them sealed and then, hopefully soon, hardware cloth and then trim over that. The windows came from our house. One of the first things we did when we moved in was get half the windows on the second story replaced. I had the guys leave the old ones just for this purpose; although, they contain lead-based paint and are in terrible condition. I've had to be very careful with them, painting over the old stuff and re-glazing here and there. BUT SEE ALL THE SUN THIS COOP GETS?!!! I'm so excited!

Wow. Just...wow. Awesome...