Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[rachelsflock]

...it's still snowing. Why?

 

[snowflake]

yard was almost all green yesterday

 

[gladahmae]

Long time no chicken-chat friends! We went to Floriday over Christmas and New Year and came home to almost 3 feet of snow, and my cattle panel greenhouse with a very collapsed roof (I forgot to take the shade tarp off in the fall, and it appears that the snow just stuck to it, and the weight bent it in.) Anyone know if you can *straighten* these back out, or am I doomed to having to pull the ENTIRE thing apart, take the plastic off, and replace them? They are actually BENT about 2.5 feet up on one side instead of just being flexed. We JUST put 5yr plastic on the whole thing last spring and I don't want to have to spend all the money on new plastic because I don't think there's enough excess to salvage what's on there if we have to take the whole thing apart. :/

Also, I was looking at John Blehm's website (because a group of families in our area are talking about doing a bigger chick order from somewhere and there was a lot of interest in blue egg layers) and it's now saying that *only* Ameraucana club members can order Ams from him???

 

[1muttsfan]

Hi Glad! Not sure about the roof, can you post a pic? I would ask Raz or John, they are builder types.

I will have eggs or possibly chicks this year from my Arkansas Blues, they are great layers of blue eggs, not unfriendly but not interested in being handled. They are smaller and feed efficient but lay large to XL eggs. They also fly quite well. I could also possibly do some olive eggers, as I have 2 Delawares and a Welsummer hen. I hatched a Delaware/AB pullet last summer, she was the first of my young birds to lay and her eggs are a light olive color.

 

[aart]

and my cattle panel greenhouse with a very collapsed roof (I forgot to take the shade tarp off in the fall, and it appears that the snow just stuck to it, and the weight bent it in.) Anyone know if you can *straighten* these back out, or am I doomed to having to pull the ENTIRE thing apart, take the plastic off, and replace them? They are actually BENT about 2.5 feet up on one side instead of just being flexed.

Not sure about the roof, can you post a pic?

Yes, a pic would help.
I have a cattle panel hoop with a tarp(partially built hoop coop-just the panels no HC), rescued it just before the thaw, it was pretty bowed but not 'bent'. Once the metal bends/kinks it won't spring back, you might be able to bend it back, not sure exactly how tho without taking it apart.

 

[dyorto]

 

[dyorto]

One of mine keeps laying an egg like this. At least the last 4 or 5 times. Should I be doing something?

 

[aart]

Wrinkled or Corrugated eggs.
#12 &13 in this article.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/common-egg-quality-problems.65923/

Had a couple do that all one winter, like the one in the skelter, they had had mild respiratory issues that I did not treat, not positive that was the cause tho it's possible. Eventually their eggs returned to normal.

 

[dyorto]

Thank you for that link. Super helpful!

 

[bigmrg74]

Long time no chicken-chat friends! We went to Floriday over Christmas and New Year and came home to almost 3 feet of snow, and my cattle panel greenhouse with a very collapsed roof (I forgot to take the shade tarp off in the fall, and it appears that the snow just stuck to it, and the weight bent it in.) Anyone know if you can *straighten* these back out, or am I doomed to having to pull the ENTIRE thing apart, take the plastic off, and replace them? They are actually BENT about 2.5 feet up on one side instead of just being flexed. We JUST put 5yr plastic on the whole thing last spring and I don't want to have to spend all the money on new plastic because I don't think there's enough excess to salvage what's on there if we have to take the whole thing apart. :/

Also, I was looking at John Blehm's website (because a group of families in our area are talking about doing a bigger chick order from somewhere and there was a lot of interest in blue egg layers) and it's now saying that *only* Ameraucana club members can order Ams from him???

Yeah, some pictures would help. You might be able to get away with being able to jack it back up and brace it with like a couple of 2x4's. Would likely need to take the snow off of the coop to do that.

The Amish finished up the barn roof Thursday while it was all warm here. Got the rest of the back main barn, the addition' roof with the flashing done on it, and even did the roof of a run in shed as well. Kinda wish we had ripped off the roof of that first as that's really rotten and we will probably end up peeling most of it out sooner or later. Hopefully, we should just be able to back my brother's truck right into the coop and we should be able to get most of it there and collect all of those shingles and nails.