Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[mrcush]

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!

We have been possibly talking about the same thing. Of course this is new for me and I still have tons of research to do on the subject but let me know if you find anyone

 

[gladahmae]

I've also been considering looking into getting some bees in the spring. THANKS RAZ! I needed another expensive hobby!

Is this beekeeping thread in the garden part? can someone post a link?


Opa: I have 2 or 3 cockerels that I'm not planning on keeping. They're about 9 weeks old now. Do you have a recommended method of dispatching them? I was planning on keeping them around until sometime near february and then butchering (knowing they'd be small still.) Not as an economical way to get meat, but just because I didn't want to have to deal with that part of things.


Looks like Norovirus is going around! Wash your hands a LOT! My oldest son's school actually closed for 2 days last year because something like 80% of the students called in sick one day and they wanted to make sure it wasn't food poisoning. I was pregnant with my youngest and DH was in Illinois on a hunting trip. Noooooo fun.

 

[tjbeckman]

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

Wow, small town, I am in Millington also!

 

[Opa]

Obviously the sooner you can identify that the bird is in fact a cockerel the easier it is to dispatch them. I recommend doing a cervical separation where you hold the body with one hand and the head with the other. A quick pull separates the cervical spine and death occurs rather quickly and is blood free.

 

[gladahmae]

Obviously the sooner you can identify that the bird is in fact a cockerel the easier it is to dispatch them. I recommend doing a cervical separation where you hold the body with one hand and the head with the other. A quick pull separates the cervical spine and death occurs rather quickly and is blood free.

Good to know. Don't know, however, if I have the nerve to do it.

DH agrees that they can just become dinner. There are several places near us that process chickens.

Found out today that the big girls had dug a hole big enough on the south side of the coop to get UNDER it and have been hiding eggs. I could reach 2, and could see another. Who knows how many more are under there! Their access has now been blocked and hopefully our *collected* egg count will go up.

 

[fuzzybutt love]

ha ha ha. That was sneaky, glad! You have devious girls. I bet you are getting the stink eye now, you egg stealer!

 

[Farmerboy16]

MIchickens- Thank you for your service!

I got so many things done this weekend!

Got my first day off on Friday!!! WOOT

Friday- repaired the damage to the coop that the steers did, torn out the window that the chicken broke and covered both windows. Finished the hay feeder for the cows. I got a few large pieces of plastic from work for free. They were used to cover the silage, so my pieces were a bit dirty, BUT WHO CARES! They will keep the chickens warm in the winter. One side of the sheets is white, and the other side is black, so I had the black on the outside of the coop, and it will absorb the heat and make the coop a bit warmer.

I took the biggest greenhouse plastic that the steers had torn off the coop, and used that to cover the window that the chicken broke, and used the silage covering for the other window, as I did not have any clear ones for it.

Saturday- Took 15 July hatched cockerels, 5 turkeys, 2 geese to Ravenna auction, dropped them off there, then went to the bakery bread store in Walker to pick up LOTS of old bread for livestock, went to a few stores in Sparta for Christmas shopping, got all Christmas shopping done! WOOT

Annabelle the American Guinea Hog, is expecting her 2nd litter of piglets soon! Her milk line is starting to fill up. Need to move her out of the garden into the hog pen soon... Two other hogs are expecting on Christmas day, so will have lots of wee piglets playing in snow.

Jasper the boar snuggling in the straw.

June born piglets awaiting their milky treat. I bring home about 16 gallons, sometime up to 30 gallons of treated raw milk from work every day, they go nuts for that stuff!

The coop wreckers

Chicken prints last week's snow. No snow here now, all washed away.

Little Ann posing

Griffin-

Some of my flock-

Icelandics

 

[BobBry]

I read several posts, not too long ago, written by a young woman (early teen i guess) who expressed frustration at life in general, and family life during the holiday season. Within a few posts an epiphany occurred and she stated something to the effect of 'Forget it, Mom loves me. Life doesn't suck.' Anyone ever hear of such a thing before? Do ya think we should tell her that most of mankind has experienced those kinds of feelings? Girl, sounds to me as if you have a great start in life. Keep learning, loving, reading.

 

[BobBry]

Farmerboy- now a man,

I'm glad things are coming along for you. Keep up the hard/good work!

 

[chicken grandma]

You farm looks GREAT Daron!!

Lovely photos and thoughts Bob!