Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[wannahomestead]

I ended up snagging 2 of the fake ones at FFH for like 5 bucks or something. A touch pricey but I'm sure they'll do fine.

Thx everyone. Hoping for a dry day tomorrow so I can get the run started.

 

[OldMissionChick]

Just curious if everyone names your chickens? I've had mine about 2 months now, I think I have their personalities figured out. Having a tough time coming up with names. My daughter named my barred rock, Oreo, of course. (Daughter is 24 yrs old, lol) I have 1 red cross who is very unsure, not mean or anything, just likes to hang back and watch everyone else. Suggestions?

Yes all our birds are named
Our Chickens
3 RIR: R., E. & D.
2 EE: Tiger & Cheetah
2 Black Jersey Giants: Black Beak & Speedy
1 Isa Brown: Chicka
1 Black Australorp: Aurora

Ducks
3 Rouens: Snickers (Drake), Nibbles & Minnie (Hens)
2 Peking: Howard (Drake) & Peeper II (Hen, we lost Brave to a predator :'( )
2 Khaki Campbell's: K.C. & L.S. (Drakes)

 

[bigmrg74]

Tweaked my back throwing some hay bales this morning. Somehow our hay supplier managed to get 3 wagons of pretty decent hay made this week in between raindrops. felt it start to go and I dropped the bale and started to stretch it out. got through the hay and made it thru work today, and was even able to get a little table time in. Still going to be moving slowly and carefully for a while. Just icing it down right now before bed.

 

[1muttsfan]

We were unloading hay last year and as I threw a bale down the ones underneath me slipped and both bales and I went flying through the air from 6 feet up - somehow managed to land upside down without major injury. Just missed the trailer hitch, though. Haying is a dangerous sport.

 

[Opa]

Two years ago I was in southwest Missouri visiting my son and it happened to be when he was baling hay. My son was baling, my granddaughter was driving the truck pulling the hay wagon, while I ran along side tossing the bales up on the wagon. After what seemed like hours I got on the wagon and stacked. A neighboring family was helping with the haying and their ten year old daughter was stacking bales as high as I. It was a little humiliating to watch a little girl toss bales easier than I. When I mentioned that she should take it easy she told me she was doing fine but thought I needed to take a break. Sadly she wasn't wrong. Age is a humbling experience.

 

[bigmrg74]

We were unloading hay last year and as I threw a bale down the ones underneath me slipped and both bales and I went flying through the air from 6 feet up - somehow managed to land upside down without major injury. Just missed the trailer hitch, though. Haying is a dangerous sport.

That it can be.

 

[gladahmae]

Anyone had luck putting chicks/eggs really close to hatching under broody hens that have only been sitting for a few days to around a week? I have eggs due to hatch later this week (if the power outage didn't kill everything) and 2 hens that I'm pretty sure are broody.

 

[hopingforchicks]

Any chicks avilable in southwestern Michigan? Looking for ameracaunas.... Only a couple pullets for backyard coop.

 

[nickdlny]

I'm wondering, since my girls will be 20-24 weeks old in Sept-Oct, will they lay at all because of the decrease in light hours?

As I understand it, they should still lay just fine. I haven't had a flock through the winter yet, so I can't speak from experience. this was my question too because I got my flock in the end of March/beginning of April. I've seen some suggest that putting a light on a timer in the coop will keep egg production up, but I've also seen some suggest that cold weather can require extra energy spent in the direction of keeping the bird warm--that may decrease egg production as well. Most discussions on the topic point to a general understanding that egg production decreases in the winter; but as long as your birds are hardy breeds and they have access to everything a bird needs, they should still produce. Just make sure you get the eggs before they freeze

 

[nickdlny]

My chickens will be 18 weeks on Monday. I'm going to get their nest boxes opened up this weekend and do a little bit of modification to them (they lack a piece of wood in the front to keep the nest in and the bedding out.)

Should I spring for the dummy eggs at TSC/FFH to encourage laying in the nest? I feel like they are kind of a 1 time use thing.

FWIW, I plan on just using eggs for that--As the first several eggs come, I will move them to the nest box if necessary. I have a suspicion that it shouldn't be all that complicated a thing to get the birds to lay in boxes. Then again, maybe I'll regret saying that