Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[chyna]

I need to rehome a rooster. He was hatched in June. His daddy is an Americana. We call him big red. I have 14 hens and two roosters. But it isn't working out so he has to go. We are located north of Bay City. Pm me if interested.

 

[RaZ]

I know we have been over this before, but I'm going to ask it again. I'm getting ready to clean out 3 coops. I will probably have between 1 and 2 cubic yards of pine shavings and chicken poop. My usual MO is to just cart it all to my veggie gardens and spread it out and till it under. But. I'm wondering if I need to figure out some way to actually compost it first this year (I usually do the big clean out in the fall but I had pneumonia and a lot of things didn't get done in September and October) since it won't have as long to sit and age.

Personally I would compost it for a year before putting it in the garden bed. There is just too much carbon right now in the pine shavings and I doubt there is an equal amount of nitrogen in the chicken poop.

 

[gladahmae]

What if I say it's been a year since I did a clean out. (Going to hide now)

 

[gladahmae]

And for the record. Composting is completely baffling to me. Mix together some dry leafy stuff and some green or fresh-like stuff and it magically turns into the best fertilizer ever? Except mine doesn't. It just sits there and does nothing.

 

[Folly's place]

It's early, and I would just spread it in the garden, not deep. Should be fine. Any hints for bait to catch ground hogs in a live trap? And today found mites on the chickens. BAH HUMBUG! Flock treatment time tomorrow, and coop cleanout. Mary

 

[iamfivewire]

We got our NPIP testing completed on all the birdies this afternoon - all negatives !
all is good for another year
+ 2 coops cleaned out & bedding replaced - 4 more to go in next few days.
also 7 days into the hatch due for eastertime - will candle on tues nite for fertility check

 

[ta2d]

Do you rotate and water your compost to break it down faster?

 

[RaZ]

And for the record. Composting is completely baffling to me. Mix together some dry leafy stuff and some green or fresh-like stuff and it magically turns into the best fertilizer ever? Except mine doesn't. It just sits there and does nothing.

It needs water too. Moist like a softly wrung sponge but not dripping. Manually turn it once a month to speed up the decomposition process.

 

[taprock]

I lost another hen yesterday. This hen had trouble last year when she started laying again in the spring so I believed she was an internal layer. She did the same droopy tail and puffy abdomen this time. After she died I opened up her abdomen. It was not full of eggs but had about a quart of clear water/liquid in it. Any ideas?

We have a new dog worry. It seems we have a homeless dog in the area. We've been seeing him since the last snowstorm but he is scared of us and just runs away. My fear is when he gets hungry enough, chickens might look tasty.

 

[aart]

I lost another hen yesterday. This hen had trouble last year when she started laying again in the spring so I believed she was an internal layer. She did the same droopy tail and puffy abdomen this time. After she died I opened up her abdomen. It was not full of eggs but had about a quart of clear water/liquid in it. Any ideas?

We have a new dog worry. It seems we have a homeless dog in the area. We've been seeing him since the last snowstorm but he is scared of us and just runs away. My fear is when he gets hungry enough, chickens might look tasty.

Bummer.. Ascites, usually caused by heart problem, I think. http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/p...s_of_poultry/ascites_syndrome_in_poultry.html

Feed him, make friends? Live trap? Animal control?