Probably. At least according to conventional wisdom.
Happy Friday! 43 degrees here and out finishing the coop!
You could call MSU & speak with their chicken people. Does someone know who she should ask for? I know nothing about mareks, but if I were you I would have any chicks I bought vaccinated against it. Depending on what hatchery you buy from it can cost up to a $1 a piece, but if that's what's killing them, its worth it. Have you done a search using the symptoms? I hope you find out what's causing this and can take care of it. I hate to lose a chicken.
That is done with milk cows, as I'm sure you are aware of. The cost would be prohibitive for most of us but good luck with your endeavor.Hello Michigan Chicken Keepers!
Thanks for such a warm welcome and great advice early on. Sorry this is a long post but I would really appreciate any feedback.
My wife and I did get chickens. We have 5 very cute New Hampshire chicks growing like mad in our living room. They are pretty chatty girls. Seem to be very happy and healthy. Can't wait till the thermometer climbs and we can get them roaming free.
Background on me. I am an engineer living in Metro Detroit. My interests include electronics, gadgets, woodworking, home automation and now chickens! I run Sanborn Engineering LLC which is focused on high quality cost effective products.
Keeping chickens to me has many benefits (fresh eggs, bug control, fertilizer, and food). They do have some downsides mainly they need to be monitored daily. Add food, add water, collect eggs, let them out in the morning, and close them up at night . Automation is the solution I see. It allows you to go away on the weekend and not worry about the chickens. A friend or neighbor just has to swing through to give a quick check.
I am hoping to get some feedback from you experienced chicken keepers about potential products to help make your lives easier. My goal is to make the world a little better place through high quality products promoting sustainable behavior.
I would love to hear any great ideas you have. There must be lots!
I will have some prototypes on display at chicken stock this year. It would be great if I could get some in the hands of a select few people before hand to get user feedback.
My intention is to start producing the products that have market potential and start selling them locally. Eventually reaching out into other markets.
Here are my ideas. All of which I have at least one solution to solve.
Key
1. Basic
2. Advanced
3. Cutting-edge
Automatic door
1. Motorized door - Open or close based on schedule/daylight - Has safety built in to prevent injury to any chicken, locks to prevent varmint intrusion and has manual override in case of a dead battery.
2. Location tracking - Monitor to detect when each bird leaves the coop and returns. Notify if a bird does not return at dusk.
3. Time inside Time outside - Track behavior to detect early signs of illness.
Egg Laying
1. Egg Notification - Track which hen lays an egg
2. Egg marking - Which hen lays which egg to monitor quantity / quality / health
3. Egg weight - Measure each egg weight
Perch monitor
1. Sleep monitor - Track how long each hen stays perched during the night
2. Weight watcher - Track each birds weight to detect any health issues
Food
1. Food monitor - Notify if the feed is low or feeder jammed
2. Lack of eating - Notify if a hen is not eating
3. Consumption Monitor - Track how much feed each hen consumes
Water
1. Water monitor - Notify if the water is low or frozen
2. Lack of drinking - Notify if a hen is not drinking
3. Consumption Monitor - Track how much water each hen consumes
Inside conditions
1. Coop environment monitor - temperature, humidity, methane, smoke, wind and light
2. Auxiliary light - Turn on during winter months to extend daylight
3. Drying agent - Prevent frostbite spread drying agent when humidity and temperature reach critical levels
Control
1. LCD Control panel - LCD to display coop information and control functions
2. Wireless link Control panel - LCD inside the home to display coop Information and control functions
3. Internet connection - Monitor and control coop from anywhere in the world with an internet connection
I hope this image shows up correctly. This is my block diagram.
My services are for hire. If you are looking for a custom solution I would love to talk with you.
Feel free to shoot me a message or e-mail.
If you would like to speak in detail please give me a call 1-517-605-3602.
Thank you very much,
James Sanborn
[email protected]
Sanborn Engineering LLC
It seems like weeds always grow better than what you want right! My blackberries are wild but always produce thumb size berries. No work there. Blueberries get pruned every few years and I mulch them in the fall with pine needles and in the spring with compost I make. Raspberries get cut back and show new canes in the spring. Grapes (did them yesterday) get a buzz haircut, literally I remove all of the previous years vines. I prune all the apple trees by cutting suckers and branches shooting upwards. My pear trees are young but soon they'll get pruned. Mt tart cherries are getting old but I have a 6 year old tree starting to produce and I just ordered a new tart and sweet cheery tree to put in in April, plus some new grapes. About ten years ago I started planting evergreens, like blues, balsams, douglases, fraziers, and norways around the property. I ordered 10 more fraziers. Some day I need to look into pruning them ( or not).
Oh gosh, I have no idea, but this sounds so distressing and I wanted to offer you my sympathy, I hope you find answers soon.
