Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[mattsinger]

I'm new to back yard chickens and live up by big rapids and was wondering what is a good chick to start with for eggs and meat and then I would love to get my daughter a bird to bring to the 4-h. Ever since I started talking about chickens she wants one for her self any ideas

Ive actually been trying to get in touch with some 4H folks locally here in Genesee county....with little luck. If you daughter wants to show one at the fair with 4H, Ive got some Marans I'll be hatching....she can have a few.

 

[cluckingrooster]

Thast would be cool do u know a hole lot about the Japanese roster I can't think.of the proper name

 

[Stacykins]

Thast would be cool do u know a hole lot about the Japanese roster I can't think.of the proper name

Some Japanese breeds of chicken include the Yokohama, Onagadori, the Japanese Bantam (Chabo), and the Tomaru. Any of these ring a bell?

 

[Maah]

Um, wow... 1334 posts since my last visit. So we're just going to pretend I read through them all. ...Welcome to the new folk, happy birthday & anniversary & congrats to all those folk, and condolences to any who have lost, and I'm sad that I'm missing on any chicken, goat, or various farm pictures. I'm sure they were awesome.

In my last post I wrote about how we had a mink attacking our farm. It had managed to kill our 3 duck and 5 chickens. So, I'll update on that first. It was upsetting, the mink did a LOT of damage in such a short time, after the ducks were killed, our only ducks, the chickens were in a fully enclosed coop/run. However, the week following we had an ice storm & the weight of the ice broke the fencing along the "ceiling" of the run and made a hole. All 5 hens were killed in 1 night. DH trapped the mink on the 2nd night and then repaired the fence, and the mink was... donated to education (his young cousin is practicing taxidermy). We lost one of our spring mix hens, a silkie pullet, one hen that was my daughter's prized leghorn "Popcorn", another was our momma hen australorp "Jewels", that was a wonderful broody/momma, and also my Marans hen "Penny", that I bought from Wynette last summer.

I'm not happy about that at all... she was my only marans & it took me a fair amount of trouble and help from good people (ladyrsanti & wynette) to get her. Looks like I'll be in the market again this spring for a new marans.

Ugh.

So, naglady has been nag'lady'ing me about dusting off my incubator. She's an instigator for sure & has me itching. And honestly, I'm usually hauling it out by now. I LOVE hatching chicks.

It's meticulous, stressful, causes heartburn & sleeplessness, and it's a pain... but it's also euphoric, addictive, & wonderful just the same. However, even though we lost some hens to the mink this winter, I don't have any "hatching add on" chicks that I feel like adding this year. I plan on replacing my marans, but can't hatch my own on that since she was my only one. I also plan on replacing the leghorn, and an EE this year. But, I don't need to hatch the leghorn or EE cuz I'll just pick up the 2 cuties from FF&H/Townline this spring.

I miss hatching though... Pooh. My poor incubator is just going to sit in it's box for a while. Maybe I'll manage the whole hatching season without it.

 

[Elmer Fudd]

If your daughter is younger you might want to start with a gentle breed. My daughter's first 4H chicken was a Rhode Island Red pullet from the Family Farm and Home that was a blue ribbon winner. Other nice birds that she has shown where Orpingtons, Cochins, Polish Bantams and Mille Fluer Booted Bantams. It gets cold in BR so you will want a cold hardy breed if you are going to keep through the Michigan winters! Have fun!

 

[Our Roost]

Maah, sorry about your losses. Dont know where in west michigan you are located but it will help when we hook up. I am getting some black copper morans eggs to hatchout this spring along with some belgian malines/mechels meat birds. I have blue orps, blue laced red wyandottes, buff colored orps and blue orps. The choice is yours. I will be working on golden cuckoo morans in the near future. Send me a PM and I will help get you back up and happy again!

 

[ladyrsanti]

Um, wow... 1334 posts since my last visit. So we're just going to pretend I read through them all. ...Welcome to the new folk, happy birthday & anniversary & congrats to all those folk, and condolences to any who have lost, and I'm sad that I'm missing on any chicken, goat, or various farm pictures. I'm sure they were awesome.

In my last post I wrote about how we had a mink attacking our farm. It had managed to kill our 3 duck and 5 chickens. So, I'll update on that first. It was upsetting, the mink did a LOT of damage in such a short time, after the ducks were killed, our only ducks, the chickens were in a fully enclosed coop/run. However, the week following we had an ice storm & the weight of the ice broke the fencing along the "ceiling" of the run and made a hole. All 5 hens were killed in 1 night. DH trapped the mink on the 2nd night and then repaired the fence, and the mink was... donated to education (his young cousin is practicing taxidermy). We lost one of our spring mix hens, a silkie pullet, one hen that was my daughter's prized leghorn "Popcorn", another was our momma hen australorp "Jewels", that was a wonderful broody/momma, and also my Marans hen "Penny", that I bought from Wynette last summer.

I'm not happy about that at all... she was my only marans & it took me a fair amount of trouble and help from good people (ladyrsanti & wynette) to get her. Looks like I'll be in the market again this spring for a new marans.

Ugh.

So, naglady has been nag'lady'ing me about dusting off my incubator. She's an instigator for sure & has me itching. And honestly, I'm usually hauling it out by now. I LOVE hatching chicks.

It's meticulous, stressful, causes heartburn & sleeplessness, and it's a pain... but it's also euphoric, addictive, & wonderful just the same. However, even though we lost some hens to the mink this winter, I don't have any "hatching add on" chicks that I feel like adding this year. I plan on replacing my marans, but can't hatch my own on that since she was my only one. I also plan on replacing the leghorn, and an EE this year. But, I don't need to hatch the leghorn or EE cuz I'll just pick up the 2 cuties from FF&H/Townline this spring.

I miss hatching though... Pooh. My poor incubator is just going to sit in it's box for a while. Maybe I'll manage the whole hatching season without it.

Sorry to hear about the losses.

 

[snowflake]

I'm new to back yard chickens and live up by big rapids and was wondering what is a good chick to start with for eggs and meat and then I would love to get my daughter a bird to bring to the 4-h. Ever since I started talking about chickens she wants one for her self any ideas

bad question to ask here soooo many fun beautiful breeds, WELCOME TO THE MI BYC The Ameraucanas are a good Mi breed, very pretty blue eggs, small combs and cold hardy also the chanteclair small comb very cold hardy Delaware's good egg layers lg breed, bantams are a good bird for 4-H I have some small Lavender Ameraucanas that are supper sweet, but there are many others too

 

[Maah]

Maah, sorry about your losses. Dont know where in west michigan you are located but it will help when we hook up. I am getting some black copper morans eggs to hatchout this spring along with some belgian malines/mechels meat birds. I have blue orps, blue laced red wyandottes, buff colored orps and blue orps. The choice is yours. I will be working on golden cuckoo morans in the near future. Send me a PM and I will help get you back up and happy again!

Thank you to Our Roost & Ladyrsanti...

Our Roost... I think you & naglady are both instigators. LOL. I'm trying to hold off on incubating cuz once I start up I have trouble stopping & hubby rolls his eyes at me & I have brooder boxes full of chickie doodles at various ages throughout my house. But I don't "need" more, he'll say. HE HE

I should clarify. After re-reading my last post I see it sounded like the mink took out our whole flock, it didn't. The mink killed all 3 of our ducks (so yes those are all gone), and 5 of our hens, but it wasn't our whole flock of chickens. The little bugger just managed to take a few of our favorites in it's night of gluttony. We still have (I think) about 10 hens & 2 freeloading silkies (are they EVER going to start laying? Sheesh! LOL). The ladies are laying very well lately 6-10 eggs a day. I am happy to say that the mink did NOT get my EE/Brahma cross hen that I hatched out last summer. I'm still getting my beautiful green eggs from her. Phew. But still upsetting just the same.

If I get marans hatching eggs, (first I'll have to bat my eyes at DH while he's rolling his), but I'd need them sooner rather than later. Otherwise I'll be on the lookout for just a pullet this spring. I don't care about "show quality" in my hens. My goal is egg color. My customers like the multiple colors & so do I. So a marans with the darker the better egg color is what I'll be going for.

 

[fuzzybutt love]

Quote:Originally Posted by eatwhatyougrow In summary spend time with your birds and use that thing called a brain and a healthy helping of common sense. Good article.


I'm starting to watch the roo's behavior more closely, My old favorite roo did indeed dance but was also forceful to the point of seperation at times. But he was especially kind to newcomers, babies, and sick ones. The last couple roos didn't dance, and were just aggressive in general. My new roo hasn't been seen to dance, but for some reason when he walks behind the ladies they "swoon to his greatness??!" LOL He's not aggressive at all, i'm just glad he figured out how to stand proper and not fall off the side He also likes babies.