Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[aart]

They won't be day-old though. Do you know how much it matters that they are older?

Sometimes a broody will take older chicks, sometimes not.
The chicks have to accept the broody too, and the younger they are the better.

 

[1muttsfan]

Those chicks aren't SS!!!

I have some concerns about that. Waiting to hear back from the shipper.

 

[RaZ]

I tried slipping day old chicks under my broody. She took the chicks alright but later the rooster killed them. Even though Little Boy is now top roo he still hasn't been able to fertilize an egg. I think he might have to go to freezer camp.

 

[Folly's place]

I think our Chantie roosters, at least one of them, is also shooting blanks. Five eggs cooked this morning, all not fertile.
Our EE bantam rooster is doing fine, but we aren't hatching any now anyway.
Mary

 

[Dreamzchaser]

Good day!
Lots going on here. Got mama and babies out but brought them with me to the garden. They scratch around, found the raspberry bush and then rested there,lol
They can barely be noriced under there,lol

Then I kept on weeding around until sun got too hot for me and gave up. Brought them inside, gathered the rest and ac time,lol

Cleaned between the head lettuce and Broccoli.

Also between the Broccoli and marigolds.


Cleaned out around the end of the peppers.

And some part around the lettuce.

I might go out when the sun goes down but not really sure. Need to keep working on my legal stuff and trying to find important papers that have no clue where they could be. Monday I need to take them to a lawyer. May God work through him.

 

[Sarahmacc1]

I'm not very squeamish but I don't like squishing them once they are fully adult. My current preferred method is to use a jar about half full of plain water. The beetles will sometimes climb or fly out so I keep a hand over the top. If any get themselves oriented, I shake the jar before putting the it under the next beetle.

Last year, I mostly caught them in a hand. They crawl. Sometimes they dig or bite, I'm not sure which but it is all unpleasant although it never actually injured me.

This year, I am weeding rather than mulching as much and I'm finding them as immature beetles under the surface of the soil. I've been squishing them but only because I just found them. I'll take a jar or a jar with some plain water and a lid next time I weed.

The chickens like them alive, drowned, or squished.

My Pepper, Coco, and Mocha are australorps. I have only this tiny sample size of first hand experience but my research said expect the first egg at close to 20 weeks. It wouldn't hurt to be ready at 16 weeks but it would be very, very unusual for an australorp. Most of the examples of that early were white leghorns or leghorn crosses or sexlink layer breeds.

Coco laid her first egg at 19 weeks and four days. I can't tell exactly when Pepper started because Coco didn't lay every day to start with and I can't tell the difference between their eggs. I doubt it was much more than a week, though, if it was that much.

Mocha was much later - about four or five weeks probably. Based mostly on how long her comb and wattles stayed small and pale pink and how long she didn't squat. Also, that I hadn't gotten more than two brown eggs in one day. About the time her comb did turn red, after she had been squatting, I suddenly got a speckled brown egg for the first time. Not long after that, I often got three brown eggs in the same day. I get a speckled egg often enough that I think she usually lays them but at least once I am sure she laid a plain brown egg.

I really like australorps, by the way, for their temperament and personalities, their size, and beauty (as adults; the chick and juvenile stages, not so much)

Thank you so much, this is so helpful! I haven’t enjoyed them as much as I thought I would yet based on the description. I absolutely love watching them but they haven’t come across as friendly yet. I will aim for end of August for eggs then, some are definitely more mature then others!

 

[Dreamzchaser]

Well, took a needed rest but went outside and borrowed the divas from Lil'Mama for their first photoshoot,lol

I cannot tell if boy or girl but so far, they are tiny divas. Will change names later on if I need to,lol

Here is my JLo (she looks so sassy)

This is Gloria like Gloria Estefan
This is Celia like Celia Cruz
And Lupe a singer during Celia's time.

Celia and Lupe look almost the same, but Celia has more gold around her face while Lupe has white. Hope are all girls! Their names are all from Cuban singers except JLo.

Their wings are nice feathers and a tail is starting to show. They are still fluffy like cotton on their bodies,lol

 

[aart]

Mower went down again, so had to attack sassafras saplings in the yard with the string trimmer...worked good(was a bit surprised)... and smelled good too.
Lovin' the cooler days and multi blanket nights!

 

[aart]

I cannot tell if boy or girl but so far

4-6 weeks should tell the tale on the males.

 

[Folly's place]

Love sassafras!!! We had it in the yard at our other house, now there's a couple of trees far off in the fence row. And they aren't as colorful in fall as the ones before, either.
Tried to transplant a couple of them, and failed.
Mary