Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[gladahmae]

If anyone has lavender birds, large fowl, and would be interested in sending me some hatching eggs, I would appreciate it! I've got a couple of broodys and we've been trying to get lavender birds for a year now. Please pm me!

 

[SillyChicken]

quick sketch maybe one or two of these Stacy? Supports the bottom and strap with ratchet straps or screw into tree?

 

[aart]

quick sketch maybe one or two of these Stacy? Supports the bottom and strap with ratchet straps or screw into tree?

Solid design, would go with 2x4's...and...maybe extend to the vertical member at the bottom, give you somewhere to drive a screw through easily.

Curious tho, isn't inviting owls to move in a bit risky, predator wise? Snap traps in boxes only accessible to the mice via a small hole might work for ya.

 

[tori8780]

I kicked my broody off the nest so she could stretch her legs and one of the eggs was cracked. Today is day 20. Could this be the beginning of the hatch??!

 

[SillyChicken]

I kicked my broody off the nest so she could stretch her legs and one of the eggs was cracked. Today is day 20. Could this be the beginning of the hatch??!

is it peeping? You can hear the chicks peeping even before they pip or zip... (crazy words). If it is, leave it be!

 

[tori8780]

is it peeping? You can hear the chicks peeping even before they pip or zip... (crazy words). If it is, leave it be!

I didnt hear anything, but I only held it for maybe 30 seconds or less before putting it back. I sure hope she hatches at least a couple out tomorrow!


ETA: I went back out to check and it IS peeping!!! I'm so excited. This is my first hatch. I listed to a couple others and didnt hear anything though BUT, its hard to hear because there are 15 5 week old chicks running around in there and they are all peeping too.

 

[SkinnyDragon23]

Yes, we moved them out to our barn in the newly built chicken coop we have. There's no adult birds out there, no animals can get in, there's pretty good ventilation, so they're safe and happy with all the extra room! We got some more babies also and they're doing great too We're still pretty sad about the other chicks though, it was terrible

 

[SkinnyDragon23]

They were only 3 weeks old so we had them in our garage until they got a little older, and the garage is almost always shut. That yorkie is usually only let outside in a dog run also, so it was just terrible timing… the two doors of the garage were open to let some air flow through for the chicks. Normally I have them covered with wire, but I had 3 separated and one of those liked to fly out so it was being used to cover those… again, just bad timing. Now all the chicks are safe in the coop, which is built into our secure barn with no way for dogs or cats to get in. And once the chicks become chickens, their outside area will be covered and safe also We're going through everything because we don't want anything like what happened to happen again.

 

[The Dixie Chick]

Ugh, I've had a stressful week with these chicks.


So originally, I had 12 chicks that I got from a breeder near us, which included two Tolbunt and some nice little silkies.  Being a first-time chicken owner, I had no idea that I had to prevent coccidia, and had two die from that before I got it under control.  Promptly after that, they got respiratory infections, and are now being treated for that.  But today while I was at school (I'm a sophomore, got the chicks for 4-H), my mom's Yorkie got into the box that my now 3 week old chicks were in, and killed 5.  My mom saved the remaining frizzle Tolbunt that was in its mouth, and a Mille D'Uccle huddled in the corner and didn't get noticed.  The other 3 surviving chicks I had separated the night before because of their respiratory infections.  If that stupid dog had been left out there any longer, it would have definitely killed all those chickens and the 12 week-old chicks that were in the box behind the first one.  Having taken care of these chicks by myself, I was so upset, my brother and I cried because his beloved partridge silkie named Chip and my most beautiful Tolbunt had been among the killed.  It's just been a terrible week for me.  

I'm terribly sorry for your loss! I wish there was something I could do to help, but I know there isn't.

Jeym

 

[1muttsfan]

Skinny, so sorry about your chicks. Certainly bad timing all around.

Vinegar is at best a very weak sanitizer, and will not deactivate many of the more serious pathogens.

Mouse trap - look on Amazon for a Victor Tin Trap or similar mousetrap, very effective and the birds can not get into them