Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[Wild Rooster]

Are they getting along well with your other chicks? I'm interested to find out of any of them turn frizzled like their Romeo daddy:



As far as when to put them in with the other chickens, I usually wait until they are about 3-4 months old but if you are introducing that many new chickens at once, they won't be able to single out just one to pick on. I think it is pretty normal to have them establish the pecking order. When I have trouble with mine is when I have a broody chicken out to incubate a clutch of eggs for a month, and then when I put that single hen back in the run afterwards, they fight it out to reassert their pecking order again and a lot of "chicken angst" is targeted at that one bird.

ohh very gorgiouse! i wish i had a frizzle!

i am so happy!!! i just got my first silkie!


she is about.....5 to 6 mounths and the size of a pop can. her name is Houdini. she got named Houdini because so far, she has escaped every pen shes been in...untill the master of escape-proofing makes her pen. Mwahahahah!

 

[Trefoil]

Some heritage birds are better at one thing or another - for example, better layers, or better carcass quality. Of the breeds I have kept, Delawares really stand out at both - having originally been developed as meat birds, they grow nice and big, and the hens are really good layers. They also have good personalities. The best ones I have had were from Sandhill Preservation, some from other sources did not measure up either in size or in egg laying.

Dual-purpose birds take about 18 weeks to mature to a decent carcass size, as opposed to about 8 weeks for meat crosses. And the carcass will not be as meaty or as large. However they do have a different, stronger flavor, particularly the dark meat, and taste good. If you are looking for a quick-growing meat bird, the crosses are the way to go. If you want some egg layers and to be able to eat the extra roos, dual-purpose birds are a good way to go, but don't expect the same kind of carcass you will get from a meaty.

Maybe this is dumb, but don't the cornish xs or other fast growing meat birds that you can eat at 8 weeks have a lot less flavor than an older bird? Like veal vs beef?

 

[taprock]

I have had a couple pests around for the last couple months and let it go. But today after watching her run into a chicken, refuse to be scared of me and hoarding food, that it was enough and time to get rid of her. So with tears for the cute little furry critter....










Notice Buzz had to keep tabs on what was happening.

 

[RaZ]

Excellent!

Is that a .22 LR in your left hand?

 

[taprock]

Excellent!

Is that a .22 LR in your left hand?

Yes. Smith & Wesson 7" barrel.

 

[NovaAman]

So, it is the Sunday dress for coyotes, but jeans, plaid coat and yellow crocks for a chickmunck/ground squirrel? Tap, you crack me up! LOL

 

[RaZ]

Yes. Smith & Wesson 7" barrel.

I was just cleaning my .22 Phoenix. It's only a 3" barrel but still accurate enough. I shot a fish with it.

So, it is the Sunday dress for coyotes, but jeans, plaid coat and yellow crocks for a chickmunck/ground squirrel? Tap, you crack me up! LOL

Hunting protocol, Nova.
The higher the animal is in the food chain, the better you should dress. Chippies = jeans. Coyotes = Sunday dress. Bear = evening gown or tux.

 

[NovaAman]

LOL, don't temp her. I bet she'd do it.

 

[fuzzybutt love]

I have very heavy clay soil and rocky. So with the mud and the amount of bumblefoot I have had this summer I decided to fill it with chips, a thick layer of chips. These are very coarse chips.

Did this help? Is it caused by damp and rocks, then?

I have wood shavings in my run. Actually, when I clean out their coop, do a 100% change of shavings. The cleaner scoops of shavings from inside get sprinkled into the run. It creates a nice layer between the dirt, so when it rains the run isn't a slick, muddy mess. And the chickens break down the shavings for me by scratching them up. Before I do the next coop clean, I rake up the majority of the stuff out of the run (I rake on a normal basis, but mostly for feathers and to even stuff out) and put it in the compost. Then I repeat.

That sounds like an awsome system!

I didn't take that particular photo, but I am totally into "chick glamour shots" now haha. Every time I have a new clutch hatch, I try to get at least one super cute photo of the bunch while they still have that cute little eggtooth on.

Mua ha ha ha! (best i could do at a uber cute "glamor shot", dang hay hid the egg tooth. But don't she look so cuddly?! The next one is "hugsy" because he
had to bumble his way up to each and every new hatchling and hug them. But they can't walk yet at that stage so it was more like tough love, lol.



This one is my blond girl, i think it's a girl because my roo had a beard and the hen didn't, my spring hatch the boys were clean faced but these are EE's, so who really knows!

 

[ldomerese]

Do poulty shows sell birds? Because i have never been to one