Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[ladyrsanti]

Okay, sorry for the rant in advance. It's an issue that I'm fairly passionate about.


The manure that is spread on the fields across the street from us comes from a very large dairy operation. It's pure animal waste. They use primarily sand in their barns rather than straw. This particular dairy has had problems despite their insistence that they're a "green" facility and I've heard that our area has had massive fish die-offs in the past 10 years as a result of such runoff. I'm sure their hearts are in the right place but managing that many animals, cleanly, is difficult at best. It's a serious problem and I'm watching it very carefully for the safety of my family. I may be a supporter of RTF protection but large farms need to comply as well, for the environment and public safety. They're located directly on a stream that is part of my watershed. A spill of animal waste is just as toxic as any chemical spill. It's not my food growing out there either. It's alfalfa for the dairy cows and I try to stay away from commercial dairy. I would sooner go vegan than support such large facilities that are nothing short of ticking environmental time bombs.

That said, I put my animal's composted manure on my garden. But I only have 3 sheep and a handful of chickens. It's much easier to maintain responsibility on a small scale.

 

[preciouskitty]

7 inches of sopping wet snow, the da*n roof is still dripping because of the rain before the snow.
Dreading sunrise, shoveling the coop path and seeing if anything caved in.
Not sure if and how I'll be able to clear the driveway. I sure hope this is the last one.

I, too, can't take much more of this. It lost its "pretty" effect after the storm the first week of Jan (well, for me, I pretty much have no tolerance for it after XMAS )
Just took fresh water out to the coop. Already 6"...I measured.
So much for the "3-5"" for today in my area. Maybe they mean "3-5" MORE...
Well, at least I get another day off of work (so much for all the outside work I did yesterday when I took a day of vaca..)
Alrighty...enough whining...as Opa would point out, every morning we wake up is a GOOD day & we can always find something to be thankful for....like not having to drive in this & being safe & sound in my house with my animals (& a couple of chickens, too!!)

Think I'll make a quiche & some cookies

 

[Nigellas]

they lost her on the operating table

So sorry.

 

[SillyChicken]

.........on a happy note, the cranes arrived yesterday..........

 

[preciouskitty]

.........on a happy note, the cranes arrived yesterday..........

Our pair arrived the day before yesterday & were being VERY vocal all day yesterday! We call them "pterodactyls"!!

 

[aart]

Sorry, I'm not done whining yet! But there's is small gratitude at the end.

HOLY CRAP!!! It STINKS out there!!! Snow stuck to the 2x4 wire on the chicken run and it was close to caving in.
I had to get in there and knock the snow off, then scrape the ice off....mostly thru knee to thigh high piles...and still need to get back out and wire a couple of gaps that I didn't wire sufficiently when I built it.

Scraped as much snow as possible off the rigged shed roof (shored from inside and tarped on the outside after collapsing a couple weeks ago) too.

Not even thinking about trying to clear the driveway....not sure what I'll do about that, thrower doesn't throw slush well at all.

Rant over.

Does make me grateful tho that the 10+ feet of snow I shoveled over the winter, which probably got me in good enough shape to deal with today, was dry and light and fluffy and didn't just stick to the shovel like today.

 

[uchytil]

For some reason, I just got pariniod about minks. Why? I don't know, I just did. Do minks live in Michigan? Of they do, do they hunt in the day?

The best defense against any predator is security plain ans simple. Normally they hunt dusk to dawn, normally. Sick animals, and/or hungry ones amble about anytime. I try and have all my birds in their secure coops and pens by dark. ONE time I had a female duck attacked, swung by the neck (blood circle), and by the grace of my wife, saved through diligent nursing. I never thought it would survive. It was because I left them out late into the evening. It is very problematic to be there every time it gets dark so some times it's just luck for some farm animals. An enclosed run is the best defense when it comes to that. Chicken-type wire will not work, hardware cloth is the ticket buried in the ground, or a sunken foundation. Good basic principle for people new to chickens, duck, and other small farm animals to to heed of.

Yes, Michigan has weasels, mink, ermine, fisher, martin, raccoon, possum, skunk, and don't forget the flying threats. I had a nice, large, possum sitting under one of my apple trees yesterday (daytime) about 20 feet from my ducks that were out playing in the sloppy weather. The possum was hungry and eating fermented apples. Probably too drunk to notice my ducks.

None of this applies to feral cats, house cats, and dogs (pet or wild). They hunt all the time and kill without remorse (everything).

The best feeling to have is security.

 

[HollyDuckFarmer]

Does anyone use the armanda layer feed from FFH. Feelings on this feed.

I do and I love it, as do my ducks! Plus the bags are very pretty & sturdy. Nice Michigan Folks too.

@ladyrsanti I love your knitted kitties and would buy one in a heartbeat. & your webbed handled bags. I'm very early stages. So DBA, sales tax licensure, do you do liability insurance in addition to your homeowners or no?.

@SillyChicken I think you're onto something. I did inspect the sand prior to purchase, I thought it looked very fine and good, but it was fill sand... Perhaps it was responsible for the foot issues.... I don't know tho. Everything is perfectly fine when there's no snow out there. Idk.

Sorry, but whoever asked about integration. With ducks, I would only integrate after -8-12 wks at the earliest. Set up a temporary fence in your pen and subdivide it, put the new ones on one side where the old ones can see and hear and acclimate. That's how we roll here.

@opa amazing adorable pic. Melted my heart. For some unknown reason, it Reminded me of the utterly ridiculous news story from yesterday, about the 22# Himalayan Cat that held its family hostage until the humans called 9 1 1 for Rescue... Hahahahaha Some people!

 

[snowflake]

Even manure with small wood chips can be placed directly on a garden during the winter. Come spring everything is tilled under and it does a great job of amending the soil. It is very effective for sanding soil as it will improve the grounds ability to hold moisture while improving fertility. While composting is still the preferred method adding it directly to the garden in the winter works quite well.

was wondering if that was OK have put alot were I plan to plant pumpkins,before we got 4ft of snow, hope to get some spread on an other area

.

We have so much grass!! The chickens love it.

I am so jealous of your grass,,,I had to dig down a foot then let the sun finish melting the ice so a few hens had grass yesterday

we only have an inch more snow so far,, hope that is it. have to drive into GR for an apt. this afternoon

Love all the baby pics, keep them coming

 

[Folly's place]

Another snow day!

I may try to drive to work later__or not__ 55 miles one way! Thinking about it, maybe a really bad idea. More ranting__ last night THREE raccoons and a possum under my front window, fighting over the fallen birdseed. Live traps frozen to the ground at the chicken house. No safe line of fire to take the poor little guys out. Won't use poison. UGH!!! Baby chicks not coming until mid-April, so trying to not look at TSC bins. Spring is coming, right? Mary