Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[SillyChicken]

Raz,
Glad your mom's house is almost sold. I'm sure it will be a relief to have it all done.

We start sorting stuff out tonight at moms, wish us luck! LOL! We will be able to keep the wood (oak and walnut planks) the big tools and some of the antiques he had in the basement... and it's not that I am expecting anything out of this.. but being able to pull the big stuff out and just take home, will certainly facilitate getting things cleaned up and out faster rather than trying to sell everything. LOL, now the problem is we need to get a shed put up to store stuff in! I am such a whiner! Like I said, I have no issue with helping my mom, moving her stuff and all that... but I don't like the way she goes about it . I should be used to it as this is the way she has always been with me.

I forgot to date my broody hen's start date on her eggs... I am thinking about moving her to the other small coop I cleaned out because I keep finding broken eggs in her nest.

 

[rachelsflock]

Holy splatter painting, Batman! My profile picture drake, who is as usual in great spirits, appears to be pooping big nasty explosions of just blood-and he's a big bird, so I mean big. Internet suggests worms as a possible cause. I guess I'll worm him first. Half of yard is under water and most of it is wet and it's pretty warm down here so worms are definitely possible. Excess calcium was suggested somewhere, but I'm pretty confident that's not it. Hardware disease would be a death sentence. He's such a sweet, lazy, good natured guy that he doesn't deserve any complications, but I guess this is just part of being a bird (coccidia is another possibility, but it doesn't look like coccidia at all-usually coccidia is frothy and there's still poop mixed in, but if worming does't do anything, I guess I can do a 3 or 5 day course of corid a few days after worming).

And everyone loves Elvis. Currently he's working hard to convince a first year mother muscovy to let him sit on her new babies. That's his thing. He loves young babies as much as the mommies do. Spiteful, my four year girl, will hand her hatch off to him for about half the day and at night after about a week, but Pepper does not seem to be having it, so he's just going to have to settle for following them around and sitting WITH them instead of on them while I work on getting him pooping normally again. At least he's big and seems relatively stable.

Anyone have any suggestions of anything else I could check/treat for? Elvis is basically a pet so I'm a little anxious (although I've had birds for a while, so not too anxious, plus this just started yesterday as far as I can tell).

 

[aart]

...and it's not that I am expecting anything out of this...

There's nothing wrong with finding some joy in acquiring some equipment and materials that can be put to great use....your Dad would probably appreciate it.
Also nothing wrong with whining a bit either.....
....gonna be a lot of pressure ahead with the mourning and the familial conflict,
venting it off a bit once in awhile is a good thing to do.

 

[1muttsfan]

Aw, I'm sorry to hear about Elvis. Hope he pulls through. Sounds like a big marshmallow with babies.

 

[rachelsflock]

Thanks, me too. It will be a sad day when he eventually dies for my kids and I. I'm starting to get a bad feeling about this-his carnuckling is starting to turn over all orange and pale instead of red, which probably implies anemia but I'm doing what I can. Silly duck, running off with everyone's hearts.

 

[taprock]

wcbpolish - we got the goslings! Everyone is settling in nicely. Husband and son left home at 9:00 Monday night, drove to southern Indiana. I think they slept a couple hours picked up a new truck and headed north about 1. It took them until I believe about 7 to get to you. I asked what took so long? Husband didn’t say, son said lots of road delays and cursing involved...so hopefully he wasn’t rude by the time he got to you! They got home about 11:30pm.

This morning is first one that it is now more green than brown outside! Sadly the black flies have arrived and outdoor work has lot a bit of its enjoyment.

 

[SillyChicken]

Rachelsflock... hope a good worming will do the trick. That's what I would try first too.

 

[1muttsfan]

Yes. One day of summer warmth - then the blackflies descended. Going to clean the screened in porch this weekend.

 

[wcbpolish]

wcbpolish - we got the goslings!

Good to know. In retrospect, I gave you guys a great deal, but since they are for 4-H my feelings are not hurt. Hope the polish turn out well also. Would you mind posting/sending a picture of them at fair with all the ribbons I'm sure they'll win for your son I can use it for advertising next year!
You husband left a VM about what they were eating. Geese were on 20% broiler, ground at the local mill. Chicks were eating the same, but also getting 20% medicated chick crumble (Purina?). Plus the geoslings were on range during the day, getting grass and bugs and such.

 

[gladahmae]

Ugh. The black flies were sooo bad the first week it warmed up here. I’m glad they seem to have dissipated a bit.

I’m going to throw caution to the wind and plant the rest of my veggie garden this weekend. I like to use the NMC barbecue as my “cutoff” date since the weather always seems to be unpredictable up until that weekend (could be 90, could snow kind of thing.) I’ve been keeping an eye on the nighttime temps and it looks like I should be in the clear. Of course now that I’ve said that well for sure get a killing frost.

My snap peas are about an inch tall, my radishes have sprouted, and I think I have lettuce sprouts up as well.

I’m still trying to figure out what some of my blehm chicks are. I know he’s breeding a sex link ee, and I thought for sure I had a bunch of the boys, but there just isn’t enough comb development for me to be super confident about it. Guess I’ll just keep feeding them all.

Oh! My pullets are still refusing to come out of the coop. There are a couple that will come out and chase off the sparrows and finches that are flying into the run to scratch in the dirt, but then they go right back inside. What a bunch of weirdos.