Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[kimmie6067]

I won't start my flock until spring, but am wondering how to deal with water in the winter. I won't have power in my coop, so any thoughts? Still looking for folks in Oxford, btw. I'm working on changing our ordnance and need some support.

Hi Ron, I had my hubby make one of those cookie tin heaters its so easy, really easy since he had to do it

. We ran a extension cord to the coops. Here's the link
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/107951/cookie-tin-water-heater

 

[ladyrsanti]

Kind-of-fun NPR article and videos about chicken head stabilization. The experiments are flawed but still fun to watch. It reminds me of the day I was catching chickens when we were getting ready to go somewhere and I picked up our rooster and danced with him for my kids. His head, of course, remained stationary while his body danced with me. They laughed so hard.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/krulwich/2012/11/28/166059579/is-life-a-smoother-ride-if-you-re-a-chicken

 

[greenmimama]

Ugh, they did it again, I can't get out there in time to rescue my EEs eggs before they get eaten, I think I am going to have to build one of those nesting boxes where the eggs roll to where they can't get them, if I can get them to use them that is.

They aren't eating there own eggs, they are only eating the EEs eggs

 

[Scifisarah]

I do have electric in my coop, and I only have the 6 hens, I just got a heated dog dish from TSC and so far so good. The dog dish is already set to go off at 40 degrees, so I didn't need a thermocube for that one

I did buy an bigger 3gal one it's on it's way from Amazon, and a thermcube. Hoping this will be enough water for my chicks, they always drink the 2 gal. dry, so hoping adding a 3rd gal will solve that problem.

It's a big laundry day here, I know so exciting, but I got off my game over my relaxing weekend. Ahhhhhhhh

Hopefully you will have better luck with the thermocube than I've had. I bought the 35 on 45 off one from amazon by Farm Innovators and my coop was up to 55 degrees yesterday and the dang heat lamp was still on. I am thinking about returning it and getting an on 20 on 30 off one instead so it turns the lamp on only when it gets extremely cold. I just keep the electric waterer plugged into the main outlet because I don't trust the thermocube yet. We were away the 21st-25th and evidently the chickens were nice and toasty in their coop the whole time we were gone.

 

[teeville5]

I've got 30 hens. I get from 0 to 4 eggs a day! My EEs don't seem to like to lay in the winter. Been thru molt, look great, but no eggs.

I've got 40 hens and get the same amount each day, too. Although, for the past few days I've been getting 5 or 6. No EE eggs, though. Haven't seen any of those in at least a month and a half.

 

[Fancy Favie]

My faverolle eggs are due to hatch tommorrow, I can't wait to see my lil cuties I will post pics when they arrive.

 

[Fancy Favie]

My faverolle eggs are due to hatch tommorrow, I can't wait to see my lil cuties I will post pics when they arrive.

Ok take that back I have 2 chicks so far that have hatched

 

[Wrightsx4]

I want to see!

 

[NovaAman]

Well... For a few weeks, I was down to just a few (3-4) eggs a day. I chalk that up to molting girl, broody girls, and raising babies. Now I am back up to 8-10 a day. No silkie eggs for quite some time either. But my NH both lay everyday. My GLW youngun, she lays every other day, and my older GLW is laying again, even though she hasn't finished her molt.... Either that, or she likes to just go and sit in the nest box...

Well anyway, Y'all remember when Buffy got killed from the hawk about this time last year? I got another hen that I named Fiametta. Fia has gone through a pretty hard molt and if I hadn't watched the change every day, I wouldn't recognise her.


This summer...


And now she has a lot of blackish/grey in here...

 

[NovaAman]

Here are the boys I got from CS from Randy in Muskegon... Aren't they gorgeous! They are bigger than what Mr. Fluffers was too!