Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[JackieandChicks]

can you get a better direct head down shot, but based on the pic provided, 1 girl, 2 maybe boy, 3 maybe boy, 4 girl, 5 girl but again the angle is a bit off but that would be my guess, I had 25 of these last spring.

Will do! I think just #2 maybe a boy, but not sure as I've never done them before. I only want 2 hens,so once I figure it out the other 3 will be available

 

[jlynnet]

Welcome Brightfarms! Won't be long and we'll have you hatching chicks!

 

[SillyChicken]

Hello!

I just joined BYC after lurking around the forums for a long time and I thought I'd finally introduce myself to my fellow Michiganders!

My husband and I have 6 acres in the SE Michigan area near Port Huron. It all started at a neighbors cookout, they had horses and I mentioned how I always wanted goats, my husband thought I was joking and said "Sure, whatever you want,"...Well I'm sure you can figure out how that went.

Now we have 15 Isa Brown hens and recently added 5 Buff Orpingtons, 3 Polish, 1 RIR and 2 mutt chickens to the flock. Surprisingly, my husband wants more because he sells all the eggs to his co-workers before we can even eat them! This from the man who insisted we would never have "smelly, nasty chickens!" He also wants to build a bantam pen and add D'anvers to the farm after admitting "Yeah...I guess they're pretty cute."

We also have 4 Icelandic sheep, one is due sometime in late March or early April, so hopefully no one minds cute lamb pictures on a chicken forum. Our flerd (flock+herd) continues with 2 mixed goats (Nigerian Dwarf/Fainting), one who is also due this spring! And our 2 spoiled house cats round out the family.

Whew! I think that's our life right now, hauling warm buckets of water through snow drifts to hungry, impatient animals twice a day!

Spring has to come sometime right? Right?

Hope everyone is staying nice and warm!

Welcome to the forum... you can post all the picts you want... I know I'll be showing my goat and sheep baby picts as soon as they hit the ground too!

 

[Opa]

While the thaw is welcomed, I am more than a little concerned about how quickly all of this snow melts. With snow piled up as deep as it is going to create a lot of water. I was hoping for warmer weather but would prefer a slower thaw.

 

[ladyrsanti]

One more pic. This is Souffle, one of the three BRs that almost didn't survive her molt. She's still thin and pale but she seems to be past the worst of it. Scrambles, the other BR, is back to normal though perhaps not laying yet. Just Slipper didn't make it, poor Slipper. Bad genetics is all I can figure.

She was very into eating the snow and was flinging it everywhere.

 

[1muttsfan]

Hello Brightfarm, welcome to BYC and the Michigan thread - we are more a social group than strictly for chickens, so goat, sheep, kids, wildlife, etc. pictures all welcome

Stacykins, there is a Ag for Tomorrow conference in Escanaba on March 11th at Bay College, they have a presentation on Small Flock Poultry. Also one on beekeeping in the UP.

 

[iamfivewire]

2 at a time:

 

[uchytil]

They say the same about cooking moonshine. Wood fired is better. I was wondering if the soots swirled up and into the open pot. Now I know.
I should get around to bottling my maple mead. It has been in a carboy for about 8 years now.

Sure is a pretty day. Sun shining, snow melting. Street flooding.

I saw a recipe for maple mead. I have a mess of syrup from last year in mason jars. I might just make some. 8 years? WOW! No way I'm waiting that long. Wine usually sets 2 weeks in primary, 4 months in secondary, and then in the bottles. I'm drinking it out of the secondary (carboy).

I do notice a better quality in the cherry after it's bottled, and sets awhile. The apple is a bear though. It won't clear for nothing. The winemaker I know lets' his 55 gallon drums sit 4 years for apple and pear just because they are so slow to clear.

 

[ladyrsanti]

Alright, I lied. I have more pictures. Took the camera out with me this morning and thought I'd give you a tour of the farm.

 

[SillyChicken]