Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[ChickenWing]

Ok i need a little advice. We are building our first hoop coop. I've been trying to come up with a way to keep critters from digging under and getting in. I'm thinking of putting in a "floor" of wire. Do you think I need to use hardware cloth? I think a fencing with larger holes would do a better job of letting the poop out and maybe be a little easier on the pocketbook. The hardware cloth is already about half the cost of the coop! Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!

You could try putting hardware cloth on the ground 2 feet around the outer perimeter. No predator will try digging from more than 2 feet away and go under. They will try to dig right at the edge of the coop, and hit wire. Maybe you can rig a way to make it fold up for when you need to move the coop (if you need to).

If its going to be stationary, I would bury hardware cloth along the perimeter.

 

[troyer]

Tahiti daffodil.


Mount Hood daffodil.

 

[Opa]

Wannahomestead, the posts are the only pressure treated material you'll need since they are the only thing having ground contact. Since you indicated having little building experience I would suggest you install 2x4's around the perimeter of the posts to facilitate installation of the wire fencing. The bottom 2x4 should also be treated.

When using the area under the coop for additional run area, keep in mind that the height you build needs to factor your being able to access it easily for cleaning or retrieving birds.

If you are using standard 16" spacing of the floor joists I would advise using 3/4 plywood for your floor. Anything less will deflect too much.

Yesterday Hope and I went on the Huron river below Flat Rock. While hooking a few steelhead would have been nice, the trip was to verify that the repairs I'd made on the outboard were effective and to attempt to retrieve a $180 rod and reel that had dropped in the river a couple of weeks ago.

The rod and reel in 6' of water about 3/4 miles below the boat launch, but until I knew the motor was running flawlessly, I opted to launch 8 miles downstream. The motor worked great and within 30 minutes we were anchored in the area of my loss. Repeatedly tossing and retrieving a large grapple hook brought numerous branches to the surface and even several large enough to qualify as logs.

After about thirty minutes it came to the surface so coated with a muddy slime as to be almost unrecognizable. After cleaning it I found that the line counter no longer works so it will have to been sent in for repair. That's still much cheaper than a replacement.

 

[aart]

.....

After about thirty minutes it came to the surface so coated with a muddy slime as to be almost unrecognizable. After cleaning it I found that the line counter no longer works so it will have to been sent in for repair. That's still much cheaper than a replacement.

Sweet!!! Tenacity pays off!!

 

[JackieandChicks]

... and to attempt to retrieve a $180 rod and reel that had dropped in the river a couple of weeks ago.

You do know you are only supposed to drop the bait/hook in the water to catch a fish, not the entire rod, right?

(ducking...)

 

[Folly's place]

Must have been a really BIG fish to run away with your rod and reel!

Mary

 

[JackieandChicks]

Is there a USDA rule that at auctions/sales poultry cages have to be sold with the poultry? Someone just came back from a sale and they were told that and I can't find it anywhere....

 

[1muttsfan]

No, you do not have to buy the cage as well, and the seller is not responsible for providing a transport cage.

 

[ChickenWing]

Is there a USDA rule that at auctions/sales poultry cages have to be sold with the poultry? Someone just came back from a sale and they were told that and I can't find it anywhere....

Alot of places have permanent sale cages that you have to put your birds in, like at Hillsdale. They've been using the same cages since I was a wee lad, 40+ years ago. I dont think they are gonna sell those with a chicken haha. But I've never heard of it. I dont know what such a rule would accomplish? Any diseases are already transported by the owners shoes.

 

[mistyhollow]

Alot of places have permanent sale cages that you have to put your birds in, like at Hillsdale. They've been using the same cages since I was a wee lad, 40+ years ago. I dont think they are gonna sell those with a chicken haha. But I've never heard of it. I dont know what such a rule would accomplish? Any diseases are already transported by the owners shoes.

I was at an semi-annual small animal sale yesterday and the auctioneer announced that according to the USDA all animals were to be sold with the cages that they were in and that all cages must have food and water containers.

They then stated that since it wasn't on the flyer that they would expect sellers to provide boxes for the animals.

At any future auctions they would not allow this practice. Many animals came in boxes with chicken wire on top or in a ball of chicken wire with a board placed in the bottom for them to stand on.

Those that did not plan on selling cages had to announce it when the animal was being auctioned off.