Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[MIchickens]

It always amazes me of the kindness of strangers. I have been on Craigslist looking for materials for my coop. I had email back and forth to this gentleman about some windows he had listed. We arranged to meet at his home last Sunday. I was just leaving drill so I had my uniform on. When I got there he was the nicest guy you ever wanted to meet, as well as his family also. He asked me what windows I wanted, I told him and started to hand him my money. He said that I could have them for nothing and to put my money away. He also said that we don't do enough for our troop and this was his way of giving back. All he asked is that I meet his 8 year old son who loved the military. I was quite happy to do this for him and thanked his for his generosity. I had a nice little visit with his son and he asked me a ton of questions which is how I imagine I would have been at his age. I told him I had done 2 tours in Iraq and that sparked a whole new line of questions...lol. We then proceeded to the garage and loaded the two windows that I wanted. He told me if I wanted any of the other ones I could have them, or if I knew any other military member that needed them they could have them at no cost! I explained that I would like to have a vent that he had and 1 additional window...but I would have to come another time to get them since I had my Ford Escort with me. He said that would be fine. So I arranged to pick them up today...in the meantime this week I put together a goodie bag filled with a couple Air Force T-shirts, one older helmet that was unserviceable but still did the job, a web belt, canteen, poncho, 1 mess kit, 2 hats, and a couple other odds and ends for his son. When I got there today and gave the boy his goodie bag, you would have thought he won the lotto! I felt really good making this boy so happy! That feeling is addicting!
So in all this man gave me two 2'X4' windows, 1 4'X4' window, and a functional and decorative vent for my coop...FOR FREE! All these item are in near new condition!

It means a great deal to me to know that people believe in us and the sacrifices we make. I love my job and I love the military. I will have 10 years in the service this coming year and I look forward to the next ten.

THANK ALL OF YOU WHO BELIEVE IN AND SUPPORT US...YOU MAKE WHAT WE DO WORTH-WILE!

 

[Trefoil]

Congratulations!!!!


Not to be a buzz kill....but....I have a question. I am going to order 6 or 8 Blue Laced Red Wyandotte's, and they only sell them straight run through McMurray...So to save on shipping I am adding them to my 25 chick order...My question is...I don't want any roosters....so...do you think I should hold onto them until ChickenStock so I can do some wheeling and dealing with them....or would one(or a few) of you like the roosters I get? Either way doesn't matter to me. I'm just trying to see if there's any interest in them.

Hi- I'm in Millington, when did you intend to order? Maybe we can combine our order .

 

[MIchickens]

Hi- I'm in Millington, when did you intend to order? Maybe we can combine our order .

I ordered them through Murray McMurray. They will be here around the 28th of January.

 

[Trefoil]

So much for that idea. Good luck with your chicks. Did you get all wyandottes?

 

[MIchickens]

So much for that idea. Good luck with your chicks. Did you get all wyandottes?

Not all....4 buff orps, 4 barred rock, 4 Jersey giants, 4 araucanas, 5 silver laced wyandottes, 4 golden wyandottes.

 

[Trefoil]

That will make a nice mix, hope you get hens.
Does anybody in Michigan raise lf- white cochins?

 

[Opa]

I would not recommend that anyone hang on to extra cockerels in hopes of selling or trading them at Chickenstock. You might even have difficulty giving them away.

Keeping cockerels until they reach a decent butchering weight also isn't financially prudent. I've tried it and it isn't worth the cost and time. Welsummer roosters weigh about 7 pounds when fully developed which takes almost a full year. I fed a half dozen for months and when I processed them the amount of meat was pitiful.

In order for a chicken to be an economical source of food you should stick to the meat breeds like Cornish Crosses or Freedom Rangers.

 

[chicken grandma]

MIchickens! Thank you for your service!

Opa - thank you for sharing your wisdom!

 

[Opa]

If you see enough sunrises you manage to acquire a lot of experience. When you share that exprience I suppose could be called wisdom. However, after a while that sharing can become the senile rambling of an old man. Hopefully someone will tell me when that starts to happen and I will still have enough on the ball to listen.

Today I stopped at the hardware store and picked up a bottle of Super Glue to repair a cracked mixer blade. From there I went on to the library. As I arrived a woman and her daughter were not quite a half step in front of me. Since our library is a historic building with a very heavy door, and since the gentlemanly thing to do would be to open the door for them, I quickly reached past them and pulled the door open. They both smiled and thanked me as they entered. The only thing that detracted from this minor but pleasant incident was that as I pulled the door open the nail on one of my fingers caught and tore.

I initially started to pull the broken nail off until a closer examination revealed that doing so would remove at least 2/3's of the entire nail. Then I remembered the Super Glue. I'm sure you ladies have probably repaired broken nails but it was a first for me. While I must admit it did sting slightly it did securely reattach the nail. When I got home Hope suggested buffing it and now only with intense scrutiny can you even tell it was torn. To me it was quite impressive and saved me the iritation of not bumping that finger as I waited for the nail to regrow to a protective length.

 

[theron]

We have been discussing about raising bees. I have read the Bee Keeping Thread (all 70 something pages) and it mentioned somewhere that you could possibly drop off a nuc hive to a local beekeeper and sometimes will start off a new colony for you instead of getting a package shipped with the queen and all. Heard it is quite stressful. We will definitely be putting our order in for all the supplies soon and was wondering if any MI people here would be willing to start off a nuc hive and give us a tour of their hives just to see what it is like? Thanks!