Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[chickwhispers]

@chickflick I notice your posts as well. Sometimes I don't have time to respond or anything to add to what has already been said and I admit I read through quickly. But like I've said before everyone here has great info and advice! Love the Michigan thread!

@fuzzybutt love Good luck with your girl!

 

[Brennigan]

So the kids picked out a light Brahma, EE, Isa Brown and a silver laced wyandotte from FFH in Almont. DH built this for them by the time we got home. The cats didn't seem to care or the Shepard, but our lil terrier was sure curious. She's been watching them since we got home.

Thanks for this great idea! We have a long tote (about 42"), and its keeping our cat so happy!

 

[Amy PT]

Those brooders look so cozy! Nice job. An unsolicited tip: you'll want to move electronics away from the brooder area, or cover them. I was amazed by the amount of dust that a few chicks can create.

 

[fuzzybutt love]

The kids helping

 

[snowflake]

x2 on the baby chick dust, some last yr. tried sand, don't know if that cut down the dust or not



HEARD SAND HILL CRANES THIS AM.

that is always the first sign that spring is close behind....hope the poor things can find something to eat.

 

[mattsinger]

Got the Valentines day chicks moved out to the garage today. They are a rowdy bunch...

 

[taprock]

It seems lots has been happening. Goats, sheep, chicks. Sorry to hear about your girl Fuzzy, hope you get some answers tomorrow. Silly that poor girl of yours is huge! Handsome little guy farmerboy. Hi to you new folks!

I have had the strangest sinus cold and the weird thing is it is making my lips twitch and jaw hurt. It is anoying enough that I can't seem to get anything done but I feel good enough that I feel guilty to be sitting around.

My silkie did return to the coop Friday and is doing good. However, with the never ending revolving door to the injury cage, I now have my old girl guinea in. She is the one losing most of her toes to frostbite. She has been getting around well and feeling spry enough I couldn't catch her. Today she seemed off, just sitting and I was able to pick her up without a fight, bad sign. She is very light, like she hasn't been eating. I put her in the cage expecting she will be gone in the morning, but I was down checking on her and she was eating and drinking so who knows with that tough old bird. If she is alive in the morning I will try treat her feet before she feels good enough to fight. I hate to keep her in as it is very stressful to the guineas but I may need to until she loses the rest and heals up.

Tomorrow is chick day at our TSC, I'm not sure if I want to go check it out or not. The warm fuzzy side of me says "aww cute peeping chicks"; the realistic side points out the waist high snow and piles roof high. I'm not sure who I'm siding with yet. The wind is pretty wild tonight and I don't recognize the strange 35 on the thermometer, it doesn't have a - in front of it. I'm hoping for a beautiful day tomorrow!

 

[Opa]

The snow has depth has substantially reduced over the last few days and the next two should really make a difference. With snow around my apple trees pruning is out not going to happen until I can set up a ladder. I always follow up pruning with oil spray and with most of the tree's trunks buried under 5' of snow neither is likely to happen soon.

I have 23 hen turkeys that come into the yard several times each day and I noticed a bright yellow spot high on the breast of one. As you know trying to carefully observe an individual bird in a large feeding flock can be exceedingly difficult. I finally was able to determine the the yellow spot is an arrow nock. An arrow shaft protrudes about 14 inches beyond her body. David first noticed the nock back in December when the flock first arrived. It's hard to believe that with an arrow still in her body that she is able to function normally, yet I've watched her feeding for months now and she doesn't seem affected by it. She even flies up to roost with out any difficulty.

What is most aggravating about her situation is that someone shot her with a target arrow. Any hunter knows that taking a turkey with a bow and arrow is a challenge and target arrows are never the arrow of choice. I'm certain it was done with malicious intent.

 

[Scifisarah]

Does anyone in the Rockford/Grand Rapids area know of someone that carries the "mini-flakes" type of bedding? Farm Family & Home used to have Guardian Swift Pick Mini-Flakes, but haven't for some time now. I liked how much easier it was to "spot clean" my little coops with the teeny tiny pine flake pieces, kind of like clumping cat litter. I guess I have turned into a bedding snob...

 

[jlynnet]

Amazing the arrow hasn't done more damage to that turkey! Poor thing.

I moved a bunch of chicks outside this weekend. They'll be locked up for a few days before I let them out in the snowy run.

The warmer weather is exciting! Heat wave. Little more snow on Tuesday doesn't matter.