Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[Jake Levi]

I use the GQF styrofoam incubators, with turner and it works fine, but the thermometers that come with them arenot cosistent, so I got a Brinsea digital with probe and it works fine. The only Brinsea product I trust. I am going to get another GQF bator this year. The year before I had basically a disaster, finding out after that the room humidity was way too high. Now I hatch in my bedroom and it works great. I am hoping to hatch some this year under broodys also.

I am wanting to find a couple shows in MI this year to exhibit some of my Icelandics at, a couple pairs or trio , just to make them better known here. I am about north central almost on the sun coast, a couple hours north of Saginaw. Suggestions? I have been to the Alma and Lansing shows. I have a couple cages to use, or can use theirs.

Silly that portrait is a beauty. One of yours? They are a wonderful breed.

Re the GAAMPS meeting, yeah, defining terms makes sense, we dont need any of the feely fuzzys, that doesnt tell anybody anything. Keep it simple, and positive to what is available. Fresh versus factory store eggs.

 

[mindylee]

I know I have itchy fingers for hatching but since I use my broodies, I have to wait. Plus, I want to buy some hatching eggs from folks here and its too cold to ship... so still have to wait.

LoveMyChichlets,
Hopefully you get some very pretty chicks from my eggs. The colors are endless in my flock and they will definitely be some colorful chicks!

 

[gladahmae]

hmm. the breeders she lists as her startup are the best i know of? Maybe she didn't know what to cull for..... 

anywho those sure are some pretty ones! (to my untrained eye)

Oh it's a good bird.....better Wyandotte type than my hatchery ones, but having high quality stock doesn't guarantee breeding quality offspring. I *was* planning on breeding her before my roo died knowing id have a lot to cull for. The cockerels that the dogs got looked great. If you get birds from her you will not be disappointed.

 

[wingless]

I do want chickens in the city, i apologize if i come off sounding callous. I was attempting to show the other view as well, as this mindset is what we are up against. I myself have incognito mini hens in my city trailer (at least until spring). I love each and every one of my birds! My dad is a good representation of "the other guy". I wasn't raised with him after 4th grade, and upon meeting me he was disturbed to say the least to find out i'm one of those "bleeding heart tree huggers". LOL. Very disgusted with my gardening and chickens, he moved us out of illinois to get away from the lowly farm life to find me trying to BE one LOL.

I wrote an article about this that i think is pretty simple and would get people's attention, but i don't have the foggiest idea where to send it........

fuzzy, I didn't think you were against chickens in the city - it was your meat store friend and his view of city slickers that I was responding to.

I would love to read your article, if you don't mind sending it to me. [email protected]

Also want to make sure that everyone knows that this change to the GAAMPs does NOT change the law. The law still says what it says, and in my (non-lawyer) view, if MDARD makes changes to the GAAMPs that conflict with the law, the law prevails. So we will have to explain this in every court case that we fight, but we will not actually have lost any legal rights. MDARD and the Ag Commission don't have the authority to do that.

Also want to say that this will not be over after the public comment period on January 22nd. Once that is done the GAAMPs Committees will review comments and then send a final draft GAAMPs to the Ag Commission (February at the earliest), and the Ag Commission will vote on them at their next meeting (March at the earliest). The Commissioners take public comments at every meeting, and they can be contacted via email anytime. So this issue will continue to be fought into the spring.

 

[SillyChicken]

Good morning..

Well my DS is in the Ukraine with her family to adopt 2 girls. They'll be there for 6 weeks I think.. rather than make two trips it was cheaper for them to stay. What an adventure! Anyway, that means I'll be an aunt again.

The tom turkeys are all getting uppity with each other, so maybe we will have a spring some day.. soon.

 

[naglady]

Will be putting my eggs in the bator this afternoon, i counted 21 days on the calender for valentines day, and i would have to set eggs thurs or fri.. Cant wait that long.. lol


I always caliberated my thermometers/hygrometer.. before i set eggs.. gives you the best chance of having a good hatch.

 

[chickflick]

Just beautiful, Silly

 

[chickflick]

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[chickwhispers]

Yep, still here!

 

[RaZ]

Trying to prepare for this GAAMPs meeting...I think we'll have a better chance of "victory" if we first DEFINE what a victory would be to us. I don't think a board of councilmen and women want to necessarily hear "Ooh, I just love my chickens, they're so cute..." Of course that's what many of us will be speaking about, and that's fine, but I think that along the way we need to identify what we specifically want. I have the impression-after being on this website for only a couple of months that most of us here are what I call "hobbyist" or "semi-pro", meaning that we either have our chickens for our own use/enjoyment or we supplement our incomes with sales from chicken eggs and occasionally meat. Meaning raising chickens is not our full time or primary occupation. That's what Big Ag does. Politicians, and hopefully councilmembers, pay attention to NUMBERS of people who have identified a common goal.

So whatever we have to say, I think we should end it with something along the lines of "Please exclude Categories 3 and 4 in section 3 from your GAAMPs amendment, thank you." If that's what we really want (the zoning definitions).

Is that what we really want? Am I wrong about all this?

No one here is going to say that you are wrong. You should address your comments to best reflect how this affects you personally, especially if you raise your animals for ANY commercial reason. I sell eggs, chicken compost and honey. I am engaging in legal commerce. I also sell feathers to a jewelry artist in Maryland, thus I am engaged in legal interstate commerce. Any change that prevents that is unconstitutional. That is how I see it and how my letter is flavoured. A personal letter is much better than a form letter.

I would like to think politicians are trustworthy but sadly I think it is otherwise. Here in GC, it was proposed to allow chickens and had support of half the council. The mayor quashed it immediately saying "I don't want chickens in MY city." The same mayor and council who voted to violate state law in hiring the city manager despite the city attorney saying that it was illegal and the state attorney general saying that it was illegal.

These people are the ones who will be making farming rules IF the changes go through. State law covers ALL of us but that will be weakened and I can see a potential rise in charges and court cases everywhere.