Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[chickflick]

That's too bad. I take it you don't have electricity in the coop. You're goning to have to figure something out so the birds can get water. I have a heated water dish in my coop. Before we got the coop fitted with power, we had an extension cord running from the garage to the coop. You might want to try that. Makes life a lot easier. Hope you get your coop fixed up this week end before it gets cold again. Good Luck

 

[mindylee]

I smack out water bowls x2 a day. Been doing that for all my 80+ chickens for yrs without issue. Even have baby chicks in the barn. I do this also for bunnies and 8 mini horses.
I have electricity but can't afford to run too much out there. Just a light in coop and heat lamp for chicks and 1 heated bucket in barn. Otherwise everyone knows drick up when I give fresh cause it will be 10-12 hrs before ya see me again.

 

[fuzzybutt love]

Dawg is good, i learned a lot from his posts early on. The poultry health handbook has been invaluable, merecks manual, the poultry site, poultry pedia, and lots of online research papers from labs and such.

He and i strongly disagree on some key points though. Whether you are trying to make money or whether yours are pets will be the ultimate decider. His advice is geared toward commercial, advises culling in these types of cases. My approach differs in that i am not washing 5 years of breeding efforts down the drain because my birds picked up something from their environment. I prefer to breed for resistance, their chicks will be stronger than them. I was told that micoplasma chicks would be weak, sickly things but those girls were very robust. Only thing that took them out was a penchant for eating straw, which i have learned recently might be linked to needing more fiber. Mine can not simply be replaced, and if it is in my area i would just face it again down the line. I don't handle other birds without a good change and wash, no one visited my coop so it is what it is. I understand carrier status but with the exception of meraks i do not fear it.

 

[fuzzybutt love]

What sucks though is mine haven't been out much. He came down with it right before the new coop came, and i put mosquito screen up the day i got it. They have lots of room in there, it is an outside birdcage essentially. The mosquitos were terrible and i have no doubt that they/ the mice brought it. I do not have hollow walls/ insulation in this coop, drew the mice.

 

[Stacykins]

I just sold all my purebred Araucanas. I've been having issues (not with the birds but life in general) so they went to someone who can continue to improve the breed. I'm sad to see them go, but it is probably for the best.

I kept two Norwegian Jaerhon hens and I still have the Magpie ducks.

 

[1muttsfan]

Staci, so sorry to hear that, I know how much work you have put into them. Hope things get better for you soon.

 

[PDPercherons]

Happy to share this collection of beautiful eggs the girls have been giving me. Most just started laying within the past week or two. So happy I chose to get chickens.

 

[tntchix]

What pretty eggs.

 

[bigmrg74]

That's too bad. I take it you don't have electricity in the coop. You're goning to have to figure something out so the birds can get water. I have a heated water dish in my coop. Before we got the coop fitted with power, we had an extension cord running from the garage to the coop. You might want to try that. Makes life a lot easier. Hope you get your coop fixed up this week end before it gets cold again. Good Luck

Yeah, the heated water bowl works great. I just wish I went with something more like a gallon water bowl vs the quart water dish I got. Between my 6 girls, they go through that water in a hurry.

 

[tntchix]

OK folks. Woke up to bare ground again. No white stuff anywhere and it's drizzly but warmer. Make up your mind November.
Good news if it stays like this or stops raining we can get the run roof on before the next storm.