Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[uchytil]

Hate shaving......

Me too

 

[uchytil]

Beautiful day yesterday. Started, and finished, the spring cleaning of the goat houses and pens. Took all day. Talk about compost material! I build mountains with the stuff.

On a fairly sad note: Our long time gentle giant Hobo died. His story - years ago we got rid of all our roosters and really didn't want another. About a week later I hear crowing and look out the window and there's this huge Brahma strutting up and down the hen's run. He was an older bird as his spurs had been cut off and for other obvious reasons. Anyway, he was so nice right out of the gate letting us pick him up and stroke him we let him stay. He was very protective of his girls but let us do what we wanted. Never found out where he came from but Hobo was the name we gave him.

 

[aart]

Beautiful day yesterday. Started, and finished, the spring cleaning of the goat houses and pens. Took all day. Talk about compost material! I build mountains with the stuff.

On a fairly sad note: Our long time gentle giant Hobo died. His story - years ago we got rid of all our roosters and really didn't want another. About a week later I hear crowing and look out the window and there's this huge Brahma strutting up and down the hen's run. He was an older bird as his spurs had been cut off and for other obvious reasons. Anyway, he was so nice right out of the gate letting us pick him up and stroke him we let him stay. He was very protective of his girls but let us do what we wanted. Never found out where he came from but Hobo was the name we gave him.

Great story and name....condolences.

 

[1muttsfan]

Always so hard to loose a nice rooster. Sorry, John.

I have a 2 year cycle with my compost, pile it off to the side the year harvested and use the next year. There are 2 piles at a time. I also will use composted chips as a light top coat to control weeds. Like John's goats the horses provide LOTS of compost and mixed with the chicken stuff it will grow hair on a billiard ball. Anyone interested should come by with a truck or trailer.

Tap, my retired animal control officer friend swears by hot dogs when making friends with stray dogs.

 

[RaZ]

While we are talking about compost it is a good time to consider getting a soil test done on your garden area. Do it now before you add compost or plant. You can get the soil sample kit at your local extension office and have it tested at MSU. The cost is only about $20. It will tell you what nutrients you need and how much to add.
I took advantage of the nice day and got the entire back yard raked up.The initial spring raking does NOT go to the compost pile as there is just too much winter dog poop mixed in.
Cut down the ornamental grasses and piled them for the chooks. It kept them busy all day eating seed heads, digging and frolicking. They must have enjoyed it because they gave me 7 eggs.
Of roos...This silkie that Kim gave me turned out to be a roo and has crowed a few times; a very quiet and short crow. The big hens tend to chase him away but he has become buds with the new bantam australorp, He dances for her and brings her treats and food he finds. Like a nice juicy worm he found. This is a bad thing because I stop doing my chores and watch the show.
Chickens can be bad for productivity of the chicken keeper.

 

[gladahmae]

Finished the greenhouse (need to get a hook/eye latch for the door and an eyebolt for the window) and got that all set up today. Woohoo! Had it up to 80 in there once the sun started peeking out!

Got one coop cleaned out, and the storage area of the big coop swept out, about 30 feed bags in the dumpster (along with the other random crap that ends up in there), stuff reorganized so there's about 4x as much room in there now. I also blocked off 4 of the best boxes so they only have 2 lower ones to hopefully get them out of the habit of roost in in them at night.

I got three eggs today! Three! And I have a hen who had been in a nest box for awhile now so I'm thinking I'll get four for the day. One of the pullets I hatched out last fall laid an egg today too! Their faces have really gotten red this week and they are growing wattles FINALLY.

 

[snowflake]

Of roos...This silkie that Kim gave me turned out to be a roo and has crowed a few times; a very quiet and short crow. The big hens tend to chase him away but he has become buds with the new bantam australorp, He dances for her and brings her treats and food he finds. Like a nice juicy worm he found. This is a bad thing because I stop doing my chores and watch the show.
Chickens can be bad for productivity of the chicken keeper.

good idea on the testing,, need to get to town and get a kit.

x2 on the chickens and productivity, I find myself watching out the window instead of getting my work done, l


Opa, so glad the new chicken home has turned out well, and they have a good home, leaving eggs was such a sweet thing to do.

had a stray kitten hanging around for a couple days, granddaughter caught it today, and fortunately she has already found a home for it, poor thing was so thin, we already have 3 cats and a dog and 30 some chickens. we don't need another cat, no matter how needy it is.....

sorry about hobo, he had a good life though, someone dropped him of for you.

 

[snowflake]

good job Glad, you got a lot done today,

I think it is a little to early for me to clean out the coops, I usually take all the roosts out and wash everything down with bleach water, like to make sure it is warm enough to dry everything out good before night, in case it gets cold, I do plan to take the winter tarps and wood down from the winter run covers. and get them stored. they still have a cover over the top to give a dry area when it rains and shade from summer sun.but with the tarps down they get more day light.

 

[gladahmae]

I just had to get one cleaned out. They are pretty bad since I didn't manage a fall clean out from being so sick. Once I was well enough to clean coops, winter had set in and the bedding freezes together once it gets cold out. Probably won't do the others until April just based on the weather forecast.

Here's hoping my local TSC has the chicks I want tomorrow. We checked the one in Cadillac on Saturday and they only had ISA Browns, Amber links, CX, ducks, banties, and "st run" barred rocks which maybe 2 in the box were pullets based off head spots.

 

[Grammi]

Me too

Me three, and I am headed to Texas to spend Easter with my daughter, So I will be shaving a little earlier this year than usual!!