Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[RoostersCrow HensDeliver!]

This is like, the best chicken egg week ever!!! Discovered that both Marans are laying, one Ameraucana is laying, and NOW my olive egger is laying!!!!! I got the Ameraucana and olive eggs from lark rise off one of the auction threads.

So beautiful, I'm hoping to add more color to my egg basket soon. I really didn't have any luck so far with my Marans.
Where did you get your Marans girls?

 

[eatwhatyougrow]

I had a similar conversation with another MI BYCer. They can take my eggs when they pry them from my cold dead fingers.

It is kind of funny in some ways. Who in their right mind would fight to keep chickens when you can buy eggs and chicken at the grocery store?  
The point of this fight is the loss of rights. First us chicken people and then who? The bee keepers? The wool producers? Anyone who wants to grow their own food? What's next?

I hate to come off sounding like one of those anti-government, conspiracy nuts. I am not that way. I merely want to retain the rights that I have already been granted in taking care of myself, my family and those who buy my products. I want to protect the rights of ALL citizens who want to use agriculture to make a living.

here here jolly good you have summed it up well

 

[gladahmae]

So beautiful, I'm hoping to add more color to my egg basket soon. I really didn't have any luck so far with my Marans.
Where did you get your Marans girls?

These are out of birds I hatched from shipped eggs (papa brooder) from California. It was a long way for them to go and I got a nice assortment of breeds but only hatched 7 out of 32 eggs. I had a lot of detached air cells that never healed and then lost 3 chicks an my broody to a hawk and another chick had vent prolapse. So yeah. 3 birds out of 32 eggs. I would message Wynette and see what she has. Shop local!

 

[RoostersCrow HensDeliver!]

These are out of birds I hatched from shipped eggs (papa brooder) from California. It was a long way for them to go and I got a nice assortment of breeds but only hatched 7 out of 32 eggs. I had a lot of detached air cells that never healed and then lost 3 chicks an my broody to a hawk and another chick had vent prolapse. So yeah. 3 birds out of 32 eggs. I would message Wynette and see what she has. Shop local!

Yes I will deffinitely try to get local eggs, I had eggs shipped up from Alabama and only had 2 hatch and ended up with one dead chick that had birth defects

I was hoping that they were Michigan eggs. If I decide to try Marans again, I will ask her. Thanks

 

[wingless]

Raz, HELP!
I've done and got one of the guys at work all fired up about this whole shebang (he don't believe me). I told him everything i knew based on last year's draft that i went over a ton
.

but this reworded version has me stumped. The wind is out of my sails.......
............................................................................................................
I've been over and over this new draft and i can't find one thing that'll hurt the livestock production facilities, or livestock in general unless you are in the zone 4 no-no area. the #3 area allows for livestock, just not the livestock production of the bigger ag. It even starts the chart out at 50+, so 50 units and under are unregulated??? (5000 laying hens, 2,750 turkeys)

"Category 3 sites may be zoned for agriculture but generally not suitable for livestock production facilities. They may be suitable for livestock facilities." (us little guys)
"Total Animal Units For new Operations ......50-249
Non-Farm Residences ............................... 6-13
Within Distance (of)...................................within ¼ mile
Property Line Setback1.............................. 250 ft

MDARD Site Review and Verification Process Upon Producer Request

Essentially i have to prove to this guy that at least some damage to ag will happen if this goes through. If i can show him this than he'll get his family involved; they own a local meat market or something along that line. They don't have sympathy toward city people and chickens, though.
But it would be a start?

Hi fuzzy - hope it isn't too late to respond to this.

What I would say is that Category 4 sites are those that are zoned residential, which is different than sites that are residential, as we conventionally think of them. Residentially zoned areas include the 59+ acres in Lake Township that one BYCer on this thread is not allowed to have chickens on. I hear rumors that other parcels of 100 or 500 acres are also zoned residential in Michigan. As far as I know, it is completely at the discretion of the township to zone properties, and at least some townships do zone areas that are clearly rural, as residential. So your friend with the meat market might be interested to know that "zoned residential" happens in rural areas, and certainly affects what most of us would think of as traditional farming areas.

I also care that folks who live in true urban residential areas have the right to participate in agriculture. No one who has payed attention to RaZ can have any doubt that even people living in cities can raise chickens well, in a way that benefits both themselves and their communities. And anyone living through the storm of a couple of weeks ago should know that everyone with any number of outdoor animals had to spend time and likely also money to make sure that their animals were protected. Folks who do this for any length of time are committed, resourceful people. You have to be, regardless of whether you live in the country or the city. I can't figure out why that kind of commitment and hard work is honored in one place, but not the other.

Hope to see many of you on Wednesday, at the Public Comment period.

Wendy

 

[preciouskitty]

Yes I will deffinitely try to get local eggs, I had eggs shipped up from Alabama and only had 2 hatch and ended up with one dead chick that had birth defects

I was hoping that they were Michigan eggs. If I decide to try Marans again, I will ask her. Thanks

My Marans are from Wynette. Got them from her last year at CS. There are some pix of the girls in an album under my profile.
Here is a pic of some of their eggs (posted this pic the other day, the Marans eggs are the dark ones in top carton )
I did NOT hatch the girls, though. They were ~18 & 22 weeks old when I got them. Which is just the way I like it. Raising from 1 day old once was enough for me. I am sure I would be like RaZ trying to hatch myself...so I'm not even gonna try !!!!

 

[gladahmae]

I just noticed that town line has liste welsummers as a new breed available this year! St run only and are a darker brown egg layer.

 

[RoostersCrow HensDeliver!]

My Marans are from Wynette. Got them from her last year at CS. There are some pix of the girls in an album under my profile.
Here is a pic of some of their eggs (posted this pic the other day, the Marans eggs are the dark ones in top carton

)
I did NOT hatch the girls, though. They were ~18 & 22 weeks old when I got them. Which is just the way I like it. Raising from 1 day old once was enough for me. I am sure I would be like RaZ trying to hatch myself...so I'm not even gonna try !!!!

Oh my goodness those are RED! Wow, I will most definitely keep her in mind if I decide to get more. It is comforting knowing there is an option for good quality local stock. Thank you for the picture preciouskitty!

 

[Fam project]

I am hoping to put some more in the bator Feb 1st. I have 6 weeks and 2 weeks in the basement. I have to get them moved before I can hatch anymore. The hubby is building a new holding pen for them until the snow melts a little and they can go outside. My neighbors are going to freak out while they see how many new chickens we will have this spring.

I am so jealous. My husband would freak though. I hatched too many light brahmas last year and am just selling the 10 light brahma boys that took over my brooder space. Once they are gone I can regroup my breeds and get ready for hatching. I am probably still 8 weeks away, but super excited. Do you have Picts to post of your groups?

 

[Fam project]

Just thought I'd mention, there are a LOT of ice fishing shantys going on CL, and probably more in the next month or so if you are looking for coops to get  started/expand what you've got.  A little added ventillation, maybe some windows and roosts and you'd be good to go!  (Not that I've been LOOKING or anything like that!  No!  Not me!  3 coops are PLENTY, right?)

Ha ha, I keep saying, I only need one more and then I get it and I realize how I can organize it even better with one more coop. So my goal this summer is to add two coops. I have three now, do you think five coops will be enough? Isn't it easier to add coops than to get rid of chickens or stop hatching?