Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[lbrykowski2011]

@chickflick -I read ur posts, ur not far from me so always watching for anything going on. I do usually take the weekends off the computer and catch up on mondays, just a nice break.

@Nigellas -Good luck with ur run and if u have an FFH near u, they have no minimum on their chicks

@Brennigan -Actually stole the tote idea from Raz and boy it does work great keeping my cats and dogs out. Then when their big enough, I will move them to a very large dog crate.

@mattsinger -at what age did u move the chicks to the garage and is your garage heated?

@HollyDuckFarmer -1st time w/ducks and mud, o boy! They do seem to love it, but I'm slipping all over trying to walk through there to feed and water. lol When more snow melts, I'm gonna move their feeding area closer to the gate. Can't wait till pond thaws so they can go back out and pen stays cleaner. Do u use anything, like straw, on the ground?

Gonna be a beautiful day, enjoy!!!

 

[mattsinger]

the chicks are just over three weeks. The garage isnt heated....but it is attached to the house and insulated. Two of the sides of the brooder are normally chicken wire...but since its cool, I blocked them all off so no drafts can blow through. They have a heat lamp.....seemed to be doing just fine this morning when I left.....and weren't balled up under the heat lamp.

 

[jlynnet]

I moved most of my 6 week olds outside this weekend. They were fully feathered. I only have my babies on heat until about 2 weeks old. If they seem too cold later this week, we can put a heat lamp out there or bring them in for a couple of days. I'm keeping them locked up for a few days anyway.

 

[chickwhispers]

Tonight I am picking up 4 silkies from my old neighbor. She started raising them about the same time I started with my egg layers. I tried silkies before. Unfortunately they weren't healthy and didn't make it past a week. These are already 2 weeks old and knowing my neighbor they are very well taken care of and have had vaccinations as well. Very excited to get them!

 

[BattleFires]

Picked up these four from TSC in Jackson yesterday. I know two are Pekins since I already have some but I forgot to ask what the other two were! I may be picking up two more today so maybe a helpful employee can tell me.

 

[Maah]

I cleaned out the coop yesterday. YUCK, but it needed to be done. We put a new roof on the house last summer, so I had a roofing shovel in the barn. I used that to scrape the floor & I think it will be my "go to" tool each spring to clean the coop out after winter. It worked quite well, but it wore me out. I'm feeling older than I am.

We had 2 raccoons visiting our place yesterday. They must have been out & scattered when we let our dogs out. One was hiding in the window well of the house & the other was in our garage. Though we did see tracks around the barn & the coop... it was nice to see nothing got in. We are down 7 chickens this winter... 5 to a mink after the ice broke the fencing, 1 to frostbite, & 1 gal to just age & a hard winter. We have 15 left & I'd rather not lose any more thank you very much.

 

[chickwhispers]

Aww. Too Cute! Welcome to BYC!

 

[RoostersCrow HensDeliver!]

Picked up these four from TSC in Jackson yesterday. I know two are Pekins since I already have some but I forgot to ask what the other two were! I may be picking up two more today so maybe a helpful employee can tell me.

Looks like 2 pekin and a mallard/rouen

 

[BattleFires]

Looks like 2 pekin and a mallard/rouen

According to the sign at the store, Michigan TSC can't sell Mallards. I was really hoping they were Swedish and not Rouens….
After looking at Swedish duckling pictures, I think I did in fact get Rouens. Darn.

 

[fuzzybutt love]

I can't wait to hear a sand hill! DH helped me do the blood draws on the goats yesterday.. I think he was more traumatized by it than the goats were. The buck gave me a hard time so we'll try him (the buck) again in a few weeks. I got Star trimmed up for her pending delivery.. she was actually well behaved. Friday we got the girls sheared... they were so cold yesterday, I ran out and picked up a couple boys hoodies, cut off the sleeves and hoods, and put em on the sheep. They have at least stopped shivering now. Poor girls.

I love it! Surgery it is. I had to leave her there. but the tab is still around $100 and that is with going at the bumblefoot, too. He was really wanting to avoid surgery but the mass is solid and he said it felt stuck to hef crop. So no chance without surgery. I thought it was greatly improved from a few days ago. Was bigger and harder before i got her drinking again. But if it is insulation and it passes it will only lodge further in.