Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[saysfaa]

I've driven past Torch Lake several times, and watched fireworks over it one 4th of July. Good memories. Is it basically look at it or am I missing something?

Is the Iroquois Point lighthouse open for walking up in it?

Does anyone have a recommendation between Dow Gardens and Frederick Meijer Gardens? And between Potter Park Zoo and John Ball Zoo?

Has anyone been to Dutch Village lately? I took my kids there maybe 25 years ago; it looked pretty run down then but since it has looked better from the road, at least. Same for White Pine Village. Fort Michilimackinac has been top notch more recently but is not so much a stop on the way (unless doing the Fort instead of the Island).

Lots of good suggestions, all, thank you. Some are on my short list of favorites; some I didn't know about; both are helpful.

 

[Sally PB]

Does anyone have a recommendation between Dow Gardens and Frederick Meijer Gardens?

Both are nice. I know FMG better, as it's a 40 minute drive from me, so I've been there half a dozen times or more. They have a concert series there. We're going to see two of our favorite Celtic groups on the 11th.

Dow Garden is much older, but I don't know it as well. I lived in Midland until age 11.

Torch Lake... ah, yes gorgeous. Very clean to swim in too. So, mostly very beautiful to look at. If "the colors" are good, it is really stunning. It has shallow sandbars, and some very deep areas (the locals refer to it as "the drop off," as the bottom literally just drops off). This is what I mean by "the colors." Pale green to deep blue. With some whitecaps, if there are waves.

 

[Folly's place]

We haven't been to the Dow gardens, but FMG is beautiful!
Winterthur out east is spectacular, but not here in Michigan.
Mary

 

[Folly's place]

Latest bad news: EEE found in mosquitoes in Barry county, and a rabid kitten in Oakland county. Isn't summer wonderful...
Mary

 

[1muttsfan]

Iroquois Point Lighthouse is open for viewing, not sure what the hours are. There is another lighthouse in Mackinac City, not the one down by the bridge but just west of town that was rediscovered a few years ago - McGulpin Point, also open for tours.

 

[RaZ]

There was quite a storm here. Lost power around 4:30 on Thursday morning. It was out until Friday morning. At least I have a small generator so the chicks did have the heat lamp. They were only off heat for about 3 hours and fared well. They are a few weeks old now with some a week older. They will probably go out to the coop before the end of the month.
My rain gauges registered 2.10 inches storm total. Winds were brutal. Many wheat fields were flattened in the area. According to some reports, power poles were blown over which delayed getting the power restored. Friends who live 10 miles away had little rain and not much wind. Ya gotta love how weather moves in an area,

Car show on Sunday.

 

[Sally PB]

Advice needed, please...

I have 5 hens and a rooster. And now (5) 8-week old chicks. The chicks have been in a "look, don't touch" section of the coop and run for almost 2 weeks.

One of the hens, Lark, is "the mean girl." She was in the last integration, and she's doing exactly the same thing this time. If she could go through the fence at shared snack time (mash spread along both sides of the fence), she would. Yeah, she's low on the pecking order, so I was/am not surprised. This isn't constant, but she does not like the chicks.

At my last integration, I ended up putting her in a dog crate for a few days (3? 4? don't recall) out in the run, to give the littles a chance to get their bearings without Lark hounding them. I'm planning to do the same thing this time.

The other thing I did last time was to rearrange the run substantially when the dividing fence came down. In the dark, by headlamp. That way, the first morning, the run was different for everyone. I will be adding some more clutter too; some had to come out to make way for the dividing fence.

I wish I could enlarge the run again, but that's not going to happen. I have approximately 164 sf for (now) 11 birds. The coop did get an addition and is about 62 sf (minus 2 nest box areas). Once the divider in the coop comes down, I'm going to make some more roosts and redesign the nest boxes to make more efficient use of the space.

Should I wait another week so that the chicks are 9 weeks old? They're (4) Bielefelders plus (1) Blue Australorp, so LF birds.

 

[Folly's place]

It will be more crowded, the rest of your plan is good. Out of sight areas really help too, and have your youngsters in their own separate area at night for a few days if possible. they can then eat and drink without issues first thing in the morning.
Our may chicks are integrating now too, and it's going pretty well. they are locked in separately at night for their morning feed and water. They are now free ranging with everyone, and pretty much stay separated all day.
Mary

 

[Captnrex]

howdy all, figured I should stop by and post in here lol, also to mention I got 3 brahma roosters (2 dark 1 buff), little over 3 months old, in my batch of chickens I am going to have to rehome since I can't have any in my area (around the 48390 zip) if anyone is interested in 1 or all

 

[aart]

Should I wait another week so that the chicks are 9 weeks old?

I'd have started the integration 2 weeks ago with tiny doors.