Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[1muttsfan]

If you get chicks from that guy you should plan on a MINIMUM 2 week strict quaranteen.

As far as your brooder, it seems like those lights are awfully close to the flammable shavings. And very bright. Manufactured brooders have a sealed heat source that only gets so hot, and is not brightly lit 24 hours a day like light bulbs are if used for heat.

 

[rachelsflock]

Hey @gladahmae, there are lots of other breeders of rare breeds down here in the Detroit area. They just may not have anything hatching yet. Breeding pens may not be up yet. The year is young! You may want to keep looking/waiting before resorting to a chicken dealer.

I raise red english orpingtons, for example. There's someone by me that has blue laced red or whatever wyandottes and coronation sussex. There is/was an american type lavender orp breeder in South Lyon last I checked. Another friend in Ann Arbor loves orps too, and has other colors as well. Our area was once swamped with greenfire farms black copper marans and legbars a few years ago, and SOMEONE around here breeds or bred real Americauna (spelling!) in lavender. That's just the breeders I know about. If you wanted hatching eggs of my breed you could pm me for them, or later in the month I'd check CL and FB poultry groups for other breeders selling their first hatch of chicks. Personally, I'm not putting eggs in until the 11 or 12 of this month. I'd just watch and wait a week or two. The fancy birds are just starting to lay again and chick season is lurking just around the corner.

 

[rachelsflock]

Yeah, I don't know them personally, but Lyon Oaks Farms in South Lyon might be worth a look. They are NPIP, at least. And they don't have 5,000 breeds from who knows where either.

 

[snowflake]

I agree, the light seems very bright, you can get smaller wattage in red at pet stores that sell iguana's and reptiles. I have had more pecking when I use white light.

be ware of chickens from unknown breeders, you don't want to bring something into your yard that your birds are not used to.

also zip ties are great for putting up netting, they come in many sizes

 

[gladahmae]

The lights are on a dimmer. They're about 7in above the shavings (which I know is hard to see) so I'm not really worried about it getting too hot and catching anything on fire. Thermometer said it was 85 when I just went out, so I dimmed it about half way for the night to see how it holds up. I should be home all day tomorrow to play with that part of it. If it holds temperature well enough, I'll probably evict my basement chicks next weekend (most of them will be 3 weeks old) to the grow out coop and the hover. Dh did all the wiring in metal (metal junction boxes, metal clad wire, etc) so there's no chance of birds pecking through romex and exposing wiring.

 

[RaZ]

The fox knows where to go for a meal. He was back again last night. I was on to his plans with a spotlight and a watchdog. I spotted him and Bella took off after his fuzzy tail. She didn't catch him and he ran away. I didn't see him again afterwards.

Both were out this morning on his scent trail. So today I need to work on some security for the coop. I don't want to lose any more birds. The fox took the rooster and 3 young RIRs. I'm saddened by the loss but on the other hand I still love living here in the woods.
I'm re-thinking about adopting the barn cats. Will a fox take a cat for a meal?

I got my 10% TSC coupon today. It's good until the 11th. and I do have to go to Bad Axe today.

I was looking for the Michigan CS18 forum and didn't find it. Anyone have a link to it?

 

[Folly's place]

Foxes will kill cats, but savvy barn cats (already survivors!) know this and are careful. Adult cats are not an easy meal for a fox either, so I think the two species would tend to practice avoidance instead of fighting.
My barn cats have died of other causes; cars are #1!
Mary

 

[wcbpolish]

be ware of chickens from unknown breeders, you don't want to bring something into your yard that your birds are not used to.

Yeah, I'm not taking in any strays this year. I brought some nasty respiratory thing home last year... hopefully nothing else.

 

[RaZ]

Foxes will kill cats, but savvy barn cats (already survivors!) know this and are careful. Adult cats are not an easy meal for a fox either, so I think the two species would tend to practice avoidance instead of fighting.
My barn cats have died of other causes; cars are #1!
Mary

Good to know. I'll plan on picking up 2 from Huron Valley next week.
Now I'm off to pick up a fence post driver. Got to get some fencing up today before it snows. Hope I can drive them with this weak hand. Overdid it yesterday cutting and hauling wood.

 

[1muttsfan]

Chickenstock thread

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/michigan-chickenstock-2018.1220286/