Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[yorkchick]

York, that sounds like a great class, , the actual culling is difficult, I can not seem to get the twist right

Sounds like a good class to take. Make sure you're doing it correctly. Any idea of when they're having some more of those classes in the future??

Probably no more classes till next year--they did two of them this year on consecutive Saturdays, using birds that were raised on the farm. I was in the second of the two classes, and I think we processed all the birds they had left. I was kind of glad to see they were Red Rangers and not the white Cornish Crosses. even though those have more meat on them, just because I find those Cornish Crosses a little... "weird"? "icky"? Which is really irrational since I was going to be killing them, right?

But these chickens looked like normal chickens and had been living out on pasture in a chicken tractor, looked pretty happy. Again, irrational. since I will eat a chicken from Meijer that someone else killed and that had a miserable short life before that.

No twist, snowflake. This class had us using a killing cone. Hard to get that just right, too. Like I said, I didn't walk out of there feeling great about my abilities, just better. (I would also like to feel more confident about the twist...) Of course, I'd rather not have to use those skills at all, but of course sooner or later I'll have to, so I hope to be better prepared the next time.

 

[bigmrg74]

Hello,I was just wondering if I could join the thread? I live in Ohio but we are very close to the Michigan/Ohio line. I grew up in a very small town called Sand Creek which is near Adrian MI. We have a very small flock of 4 hens but are looking to expand. Raising egglayers is all very new and exciting we are definetly loving it!

You're pretty much on the other side of the county from me here in Clinton.

Probably no more classes till next year--they did two of them this year on consecutive Saturdays, using birds that were raised on the farm. I was in the second of the two classes, and I think we processed all the birds they had left. I was kind of glad to see they were Red Rangers and not the white Cornish Crosses. even though those have more meat on them, just because I find those Cornish Crosses a little... "weird"? "icky"? Which is really irrational since I was going to be killing them, right?

But these chickens looked like normal chickens and had been living out on pasture in a chicken tractor, looked pretty happy. Again, irrational. since I will eat a chicken from Meijer that someone else killed and that had a miserable short life before that.

No twist, snowflake. This class had us using a killing cone. Hard to get that just right, too. Like I said, I didn't walk out of there feeling great about my abilities, just better. (I would also like to feel more confident about the twist...) Of course, I'd rather not have to use those skills at all, but of course sooner or later I'll have to, so I hope to be better prepared the next time.

Figures, Oh well, I'm pretty busy this fall with GVSU games, so something in the spring or summer would be nice. Just hope it doesn't end up being the same weekends as some Thai Massage classes that I've been thinking about taking.

 

[fuzzybutt love]

Got these two roos today to add to my recreational breeding flock. Was told they are a Brahma/Silkie mix. Cool looking and kinda excited!

Neat!

I have been working like mad at that job. 7 days a week and 10+ hours. Been reading but have been pretty worn out. But i am still here!

Taprock? Was it you with the swollen face hen? Is she still alive?

 

[taprock]

Taprock? Was it you with the swollen face hen? Is she still alive?

She is still acting totally normal. I did talk to Dr. Fulton. He said her sinuses are where the infection is. I have flushed them with Peroxide. I did however go get an antibiotic from the vet so I have it if I see her needing more. I thought I would give her a few days to recover without meds. I hate to have to collect eggs and pitch them from her. The swelling has gone down some but I won't likely be able to look her over well until this evening. The only time she has acted in pain is while cleaning out those holes. I just wish I knew what she had done that caused it.

 

[SillyChicken]

I have a fellow coworker that knows that I raise BBW turkeys every year for my freezer. This year she asked me if I would sell her one for Thanksgiving. This is something that I have not done before so was wondering how do you figure out what to charge for a finished/processed turkey? Do you sell it by the pound? What is a reasonable price? I didn't keep track of how much expenses were per bird since I had several diffferent sets of turkeys at multiple times throughout the year! Hoping my fellow Michigan experts can help me out with this!

I sell my heritage for $5 a pound... but since bbw are what you typically can get in the store, you may want to charge close to that price.

 

[boersmamrs]

Hey there! Pretty new to byc, learning how to navigate the site. You all are from michigan? This is my first year with chickens. Question for you all... Do you heat your coop in the winter. Our coop is fully insulated but I am sure you.all know how harsh our winters can be.

 

[LisaLouHoo]

Hey there! Pretty new to byc, learning how to navigate the site. You all are from michigan? This is my first year with chickens. Question for you all... Do you heat your coop in the winter. Our coop is fully insulated but I am sure you.all know how harsh our winters can be.

Welcome to BYC!! I live near Delton, between Kalamazoo and Hastings. No, I don't heat my coop. I believe staying dry is important, though. Last year, one rooster got a couple black spots on his comb that I suspected was frostbite. I've heard that putting vasoline on large combs works well to stop this and I may try it this year.

 

[boersmamrs]

Welcome to BYC!! I live near Delton, between Kalamazoo and Hastings. No, I don't heat my coop. I believe staying dry is important, though. Last year, one rooster got a couple black spots on his comb that I suspected was frostbite. I've heard that putting vasoline on large combs works well to stop this and I may try it this year.

I live much further north.in.the upper pennisula. What was your coldest temp last year?

 

[chickflick]

We had such a harsh winter!! Polar Vortex and all! Think we got to -30, or colder with the wind chills. Schools were closed because of the cold winds. Most people don't heat their coops. One reason being, if you lose power, then your chickens will be plunged into the cold temps instead of their bodies being prepared for it. There are some people from the UP, so I'm sure they will chime in and help you out with any questions you will have.

 

[preciouskitty]

@zoey87
@boersmamrs


I think you'll find the majority of us do not heat the coop.

Last year was my first year with chickens & took the advice of many of the Michigan BYCers & didn't add heat. One of the reasons not to: if the power goes out & the birds are used to heat they may not have built up enough feathering to keep themselves warm.
Another huge piece of advice was to make sure there is adequate ventilation. This helps to keep moisture down in the coop & prevent frostbite.
Also, making sure the roost bars are set with the wide side up so the birds can easily rest on their feet to keep them warm.

Even here in lower Michigan, last winter the temp without windchill was close to -20 a few times at my house. I only had a few very minor cases of frostbite on the birds with larger combs, but nothing major..just tiny black dots (nothing fell off!).

I'm sure you will get tons of tips & pointers from some of the other UPers here