Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[swampducks]

Wish me luck, ya'll! I am attempting to make a sack cyser mead tonight. A sack mead is sweet with a high alcohol content. A cyser is a mead made with apple juice or apple cider instead of water. Everything is sanitized and ready to go!!!!!

Good luck. I told DH what you were doing and he's already doing a web search. He's got another 9 gallons of maple sap boiling tonight.

And I've got about 11 or 12 chicks running about my 'bator. I can't keep track anymore, they're just too busy exploring!

 

[bigmrg74]

Did anybody else hear peepers tonight?? I heard some when I came home tonight.

 

[aart]

Did anybody else hear peepers tonight?? I heard some when I came home tonight.

Heard them for the first time last week.....and saw my first robins yesterday...but back down to 27 this morning, sap should flow today.

 

[uchytil]

Wish me luck, ya'll! I am attempting to make a sack cyser mead tonight. A sack mead is sweet with a high alcohol content. A cyser is a mead made with apple juice or apple cider instead of water. Everything is sanitized and ready to go!!!!!

Yep, good luck. My honey/maple mead has been bottled for about a year. I think I'll crack a bottle on the 4th of July. I just racked 6 gallons of cherry, 3 gallons of blueberry, and 3 gallons of mullberry. I like the fact that I can make all my wines from my own fruits I grow. The only thing I don't raise is honeybees so that's the only thing I have to buy for mead.

Been very busy with all the kids being born. Starting a new pen for my buck. The work never ends. Yes, the peepers are out and singing like crazy!

Sad to see an article RaZ post. Without going into morbid details - best to keep your "non-typical" pets caged or run the risk of having them destroyed by passing authorities. Do we need to be concerned about our free-range ducks and chickens? Will they be seen as threats?

Congrats to all the posters and their new chicks. I have a dozen turkey eggs I'm thinking about incubating. No Gail, not for sale -yet! I'll ask Cindy though...

 

[Stacykins]

Good luck. High gravity brews are always fun to brew. I haven't tried a cyser mead but I've done a few cyser ales. Soooo good.

I'm using my brew equipment to boil down my sap. I think I'll use it for a maple mead after it gets cooked down. On the other hand, I do have some apple juice in the freezer from last fall. Maybe a maple, apple mead is in the works. Hmm.

Maple mead is definitely very delicious! And a maple cyser, whoa that would probably be amazingI I might actually buy some sap from a neighbor (whose sugar shack is in full swing right now) and try a small batch of either strait up maple mead, or an acerglyn, a mix of honey and maple syrup.

Good luck stacykins, it sounds interesting! And congrats on all the hatches. I came home from work to find 6 chicks in my bator, it makes coming home from work even better (like it wasn't already good to get home right?). Happy Easter everybody!

Thanks! Should be a lot of fun!

Good luck. I told DH what you were doing and he's already doing a web search. He's got another 9 gallons of maple sap boiling tonight.

With a bit o yeast and time, he can turn a bit of that syrup into a marvelous ambrosia!

Yep, good luck. My honey/maple mead has been bottled for about a year. I think I'll crack a bottle on the 4th of July. I just racked 6 gallons of cherry, 3 gallons of blueberry, and 3 gallons of mullberry. I like the fact that I can make all my wines from my own fruits I grow. The only thing I don't raise is honeybees so that's the only thing I have to buy for mead.

I hope your mead turned out great! Isn't the wait for things to age a bit agonizing? Once everything is bottled up, I'm going to be chomping at the bit to try it. But mead needs patience. That is so cool your trees gave you all you need to produce some lovely brews! My apple and cherry trees are still a bit too little. Though I do have a neighbor whose Wolf River apple tree explodes every year with apples, he always calls us to come fetch apples since there are far too many for him to use. Maybe 'tis time to plan an Apfelwein or something.

 

[JackieandChicks]

Maple mead is definitely very delicious! And a maple cyser, whoa that would probably be amazingI I might actually buy some sap from a neighbor (whose sugar shack is in full swing right now) and try a small batch of either strait up maple mead, or an acerglyn, a mix of honey and maple syrup.
Thanks! Should be a lot of fun!
With a bit o yeast and time, he can turn a bit of that syrup into a marvelous ambrosia!
I hope your mead turned out great! Isn't the wait for things to age a bit agonizing? Once everything is bottled up, I'm going to be chomping at the bit to try it. But mead needs patience. That is so cool your trees gave you all you need to produce some lovely brews! My apple and cherry trees are still a bit too little. Though I do have a neighbor whose Wolf River apple tree explodes every year with apples, he always calls us to come fetch apples since there are far too many for him to use. Maybe 'tis time to plan an Apfelwein or something.

I think you should bring mead to ChickenStock for us all to sample a few types...

Can you imagine the possibilities? LOL!

 

[fuzzybutt love]

Selecting easter eggers-

If you are simply wanting eggs/ free range the narrow headed ones tend to have wilder blood. You will notice them keeping up with the other stampeeding chicks in the chick bin.

Huggers-
You want the ones that have a wide head and a square body vs the brick shape. Biggest cheek fuzz you can get, they will run but you can see already they aren't the fastest and clearly have no idea why they are running. Lol.Wings that are short vs touching the tail are a clincher. These birds grow up to be round trusting girls, that will more than likely demand petted. Slightly dottie, you will always be saving them from a predicament of some sort but then they wrap their neck into a hug and it will be worth it. Not hardy rangers. These ones are at the bottom of the food chain and know it, will look to you to protect them.

FFH sparta. Caved for two

One of my passed girls

 

[fuzzybutt love]

The chick that looks like she has the type to a T of my passed girls

 

[ToniTalley]

Did anybody else hear peepers tonight??  I heard some when I came home tonight.  

yup ...http://instagram.com/p/1BSndnPV82/

 

[Peep-Chicken]

[COLOR=48B852] Does anyone in the Commerce, Michigan area have an extra chick they would sell? I have a little lone bantam that hatched, and would like to get him a friend. Preferably less then a week old, the chick is 2-3 days.

Just curious what's out there, and we will see if the breeds you have is something I'd be interested in. I'm not too picky though lol.

Thanks [/COLOR]