Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[chickwhispers]

Welcome to BYC to everyone who is new!

 

[Amy PT]

Amy PT and Farmerboy - awww!

For those of you with chicks in totes, you will be very surprised at how fast they will outgrow them - and what a mess they will make. At 6 weeks they will be half grown, and if acclimated properly, they will be big enough to go outside without supplemental heat.

AND how quickly they're ready to jump our wing their way out of an open-topped tote.

Just wanted to say Hi. I am new to this forum. We have 6 chickens, 2 Silkies, 3 Isa Browns and I Silver Laced Wyandotte. I love my chickens, except the Silkie rooster he likes to try and flog me ever chance he gets. I live near Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Welcome! There are a lot of folks here who are in/near GR, including me.

 

[RaZ]

I looked at the outdoor temperature on the remote unit and it said 58 degrees! Then after a cup of coffee, I realize that the sensor is getting hit with full sun. The real temperature is 30 but it stills feel good with the brilliant sunshine.
We go through this every spring.
People are lured in to stores having "chick days" and come home with some cuties that they may or may not be ready to care for. We see an uptick of new people on the thread. Some lurkers introduce themselves and some people have just found this forum. Either way, welcome new people.

Feel free to ask questions. Even if you think it is dumb. Every person here had to start and probably had a similar question along the way. And no one answer is perfectly correct either. Some methods work for some people and some don't so they use another method. I ask that you exercise due diligence in raising your flock. Whether you put your chicks in a tote or a crate brooder or whatever, you are responsible for the life of that animal. They will grow faster than you think, eat and drink more than you think. And poop way more than you think. Keep them fed, watered, clean and give them plenty of room to grow. Have a plan for now, next week, next month and for the rest of the life of that chicken (or any animal).

Welcome to the Michigan thread.

P.S. Chicken Stock (CS14) is June 21. Join us. See my siggy for details.

 

[chickflick]

To all the newbies. Hope you enjoy the forum.

Farmer.... glad you found your little goat! He's a cutie!

 

[Emilieb]

AND how quickly they're ready to jump our wing their way out of an open-topped tote. 

Welcome!  There are a lot of folks here who are in/near GR, including me.

Cool.

 

[SillyChicken]

Farmer, so glad you found him! I plan on camping out in the shed when Star's time comes.

We sheared the sheep today. The gentlemen shearing have been doing it for 57 yrs! Guys like this are few and far between. They were very nice and kind to the sheep.


The girls are so tiny! esp next to the big girls. It looks like Dani may not be pregnant. She would have about 6-8 wks to go and doesn't look much bigger than Penny. Disappointing.. so now I need to find a spring ram, to breed them with.

 

[RaZ]

March 20 is the next meeting of the Agriculture Commissioners and they are likely to vote on the proposed GAAMPs changes.
If this concerns you (it should), please take a little time and read the essays from this blog. http://sustainablefarmpolicy.org/not-about-chickens/
There are arrows at the bottom so you can read it all from the beginning.

ETA:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/211213627...gment-Calls-for-Reversal-of-Swine-Regulations
ETA: Part of the Ag meeting tentative agenda. It has not yet been posted on the MDARD site, but here is a preview. I have the PDF copy if anyone wants it, PM me.

9:05 a.m. 5. Farm Bill Update: Senator Debbie Stabenow
9:20 a.m. 6. Commissioner Comments and Travel (action item)
9:30 a.m. 7. Director’s Report
8. Director’s Travel – no new out of state travel planned
9:40 a.m. 9. Public Comment on Agenda Items
In accordance with the Public Appearance Guidelines in the Commission
Policy Manual, individuals wishing to address the Commission will be
allowed up to three minutes for their presentation. Documents distributed at
the meeting will be considered public documents and are subject to
provisions of the Freedom of Information Act. The public comment time
provides the public an opportunity to speak; the Commission will not
necessarily respond to the public comment.
10:25 a.m. 10. Final Draft of the Generally Accepted Agriculture and Management
Practices (GAAMPs):

 

[jlynnet]

Welcome to all the newbies!
The clip on heat lamps freak me out a bit! We bought an Aladino hanging lamp. It's covered too. Works great. Costs more but for me the safety was worth it. I splurged this year and bought an ecoglo. I really like that one a lot.
I use the black 100 gallon stock tanks for brooding. It's wide so lots of room to grow and easy to clean. If you plan on getting chicks more than a couple of times, it's worth the investment. My DH made a lid with wood and wire. Keeps the cat out and chickens in.

 

[fuzzybutt love]

OK, impacted crop/ favorite hen:
So i've put her on wet mash made of chick feed and yogurt, or applesauce, or kefir..... little snot just wants scratch. Can't have scratch! Won't drink, so i don't dare...
Anyway i found the # for the vet in cedar springs, and they DO treat chickens!!! The vet said that they normally can get out an impaction with flushing it, and don't have to knock them out if the hen allows...... oh please, please be a good girl!!! Only $60 for the procedure supposing that all goes well. I tried to explain that the impaction was the size of 2 golf balls but they still insist? Well i guess they know better than I. If i had to get rid of every chicken i owned THIS is the one i couldn't and would probably become some "odd vagrant living in my car" for...she is the closest daughter to the one i loved dearly that i still have in my avitar.



Bad news is that the earliest i can get her in is mon at 10 am. They say that some scratch is ok and won't make a bigger mass, but??? everything i've read before and now says to withold dry hard foods??? Probiotics are always good in any event. Any one else go through this? I've fixed sour crop, but my last impacted hen died. I still feel awful, though i did try hard. Don't want to lose this one, still pooping so hoping she makes it to monday.

The website/ yellow pages i found this place on is http://www.yellowpages.com/grand-rapids-mi/avian-veterinarian
I'm bookmarking it in my notes too. May you never need it but always know where to find it. Feel free to follow my notes so you have handy access, i update a lot too so never know what might be of use.

 

[fuzzybutt love]

for those doing this on a phone, this link is at the bottom of my posts when viewed on a computer https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/fuzzys-notes

It is everything useful i've found about chicken care, how to fix ailments that happen along the way, hatching info, coop cleanliness ideas, etc.

Welcome to any newbies, and feel free to consult my notes or any of us if you have a question! I had lots of questions when i started, amassing this info has taken 4-5 years!!! I didn't even know that chickens needed to eat more than just scratch grains at first, so don't feel intimidated! NO question is stupid. I don't even remember who it was that let me know about pellets, but i was soo embarrassed! But thanks if you are still around!

Also I highly recommend gail damarow's book "poultry health handbook". It covers eeeeverything, from chick-hood, feed, housing recomendations, sicknesses, medications, diagnosing help, adresses of different poultry agencies... everything i needed to know and some i wish i didn't! (i was kinda scarred when i flipped the page and saw instructions on doing an autopsy) Thank you guys for mailing me a copy!! I haven't forgotten you and some day when i get a day off and a dollar in the same event you will get a present of some sort!!