Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[Sammster]

Exactly!!
23 here right now, starting to clear out the run...gonna be a bear.
5 days to clear run and a couple shed roofs of 16" of snow before the warmth and rain comes.
View attachment 3728411

Yuck! We're getting rain? Well, if the snow melts at least I can get the dogs' potty pen cleaned up. Haven't been able to, since the hard freeze

 

[Sally PB]

Do you have her phone number?

I do. I'll PM it to you.

 

[PhantomSlayer]

Our girl Lemon pepper must have slept outside last night because she has signs of frost bite on her comb. Seems our geese are causing more issues.

 

[Chickin Fairy]

We went out to the beach and Lighthouse yesterday. Just a totally different world in the winter. These aren't my photos, but one of my favorite local photographers took these. Can't get out there safely without cleats. The beach also forms balls of ice as it's freezing up.

 

[Chickin Fairy]

Our girl Lemon pepper must have slept outside last night because she has signs of frost bite on her comb. Seems our geese are causing more issues.

My roo has frostbite on his waddles. Right now they're turning black. He doesn't seem to be bothered by it. I can't catch him anyways, he is essentially feral.

I hope Lemon pepper fares better than my boy.

 

[Folly's place]

Why having birds with smaller combs and wattles makes sense up here in Michigan. Our two brown leghorn hens, our only birds with big combs, do have frostbitten comb tips. Nobody else has any problems.
And in freezing weather I no longer have an open water dish, after having two roosters freeze toes holding the edge and then having wet toes. Only two, over many years, but still too many.
Mary

 

[CedarLane]

Why having birds with smaller combs and wattles makes sense up here in Michigan. Our two brown leghorn hens, our only birds with big combs, do have frostbitten comb tips. Nobody else has any problems.
And in freezing weather I no longer have an open water dish, after having two roosters freeze toes holding the edge and then having wet toes. Only two, over many years, but still too many.
Mary

Do you have a certain breed or two that you recommend as being best?

 

[PhantomSlayer]

My roo has frostbite on his waddles. Right now they're turning black. He doesn't seem to be bothered by it. I can't catch him anyways, he is essentially feral.

I hope Lemon pepper fares better than my boy.

I think its not to bad it's not black just like a greyish color on the back side so it seems probably just mild frostbite. All the others are doing fairly well.

Why having birds with smaller combs and wattles makes sense up here in Michigan. Our two brown leghorn hens, our only birds with big combs, do have frostbitten comb tips. Nobody else has any problems.
And in freezing weather I no longer have an open water dish, after having two roosters freeze toes holding the edge and then having wet toes. Only two, over many years, but still too many.
Mary

We definitely tried to have birds with smaller combs. Specially our rooster. He's an easter egger. LemonPepper is a buff orpington she just has the biggest comb out of all our girls. It's bigger than our other buff orpington Rosemary lol.

 

[Folly's place]

Single combs, especially on roosters, will get frostbitten/ frozen often. Anything smaller is an improvement, when you are shopping for breeds. Our Chanteclers are the best! Bred in Canada originally, to do well in cold weather. See my avatar, an adult rooster, tiny comb and wattles.
Henderson's breed chart is really helpful, lots of information in a small space.
Mary
Look at Buckeyes too, very nice birds.

 

[CedarLane]

Single combs, especially on roosters, will get frostbitten/ frozen often. Anything smaller is an improvement, when you are shopping for breeds. Our Chanteclers are the best! Bred in Canada originally, to do well in cold weather. See my avatar, an adult rooster, tiny comb and wattles.
Henderson's breed chart is really helpful, lots of information in a small space.
Mary
Look at Buckeyes too, very nice birds.

We got 2 Silver Laced Wyandottes & 2 Golden Laced Wyandottes one time . I thought they were supposed to have rose combs, but 1 had a (smaller sized) single comb. A hatchery goof? We ended up going back to Isa Browns. I'm not sure what we'll do next time. This group is the best at laying in the nesting box. Once in awhile (very very rarely) we'll find one on the floor, but most of the time they are in the nesting box. (Previous groups always had at least 2 or 3 that would lay on the floor!) They're about to the age where we could consider starting more pullets this year, but they are so good at laying in the nesting boxes and are still laying fairly consistently this winter that I think it will be worth going through another winter with them.