Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[RaZ]

Total egg count for 2012 was 1699. Just over 4.6 per day on average. I think the hens did well.

 

[gladahmae]

gladahmae-Do you mean your going to keep all your roo's together, away from the hens..so they wouldn't be fighting over hens? If so I think that may work...depending on how aggresive your boys are. If they have no hens to fight over it may reduce the fighting.

yes. that's the plan. I only want to keep 2 of them (the EE and one of the blue splash 'dottes) but currently have 5. The 'problem' is that I want to make OEs and more EEs......so I don't *need* the other cockerel. But he's pretty.

I've also got this little Lavender Orp. roo that it seems I need to figure out what to do with........


Does anyone here sell eggs at farmers' markets? We've got one very near us that *might* be free to sell at. It used to be free anyway.

 

[ladyrsanti]

My poor Chip (EE) is having a rough time of it. She was listless this morning and not eating. I picked her up and gave her a once over. Everything looked alright, except her comb was pale. This afternoon when I went out to put a saddle on her (she has no back feathers anymore from her affectionate roo), she was doing much better and complaining at me while I saddled her up. When I put her down, the rooster did his little dance around her and moved on. I was worried he'd be angry at the saddle but I made it to match her color and it really does match pretty well. Hopefully she perks up and carries on. Her comb was of better color also. She just wasn't chattering with me like she usually does. She's my talker.

 

[chicken grandma]

Quick question about worming. I wormed the new girls last Thursday with ivermectin. Do I need to repeat again after 2 weeks?

I was told to repeat after 10 days.

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

 

[chicken grandma]

Total egg count for 2012 was 1699. Just over 4.6 per day on average. I think the hens did well.

I think that is fantastic!

 

[Opa]

Driving any great distance just to get a chicken does sound like an advanced case of chickenitis. A few years ago I called on a trio of show quality BLRWs. When I said that I wanted them the seller asked repeatedly if I was serious about coming to Ohio to get them. I assured him that I would be there and we continued to talk. During the conversation I discovered that he was a priest and that the birds were at a monastery. I got the address and we agreed that I would meet him at 7am the following morning.

Only after I did a map search I discovered that he was located 180 miles south of me. Getting in touch with him originally required leaving voice mail and I didn't relish the idea of calling him back and saying it's too far. I couldn't just not show. That wouldn't be right plus did God have some kind of special punishment for those who lie to priests?

While it required driving in the dark, I was watching the sun come up as I pulled into the monastery's drive shortly before 7am. As it turned out it was quite interesting to look at the hundreds of birds he had of many different breeds and I learned several things during our visit. He was quite elderly and his knowledge was encyclopedic.

I had thought my drive bordered on excessive until I was contacted a few years ago by a man in Oklahoma who wanted to buy Welsummer cockerels from me. My rooster's picture was shown on the Welsummer Club of North America's website as an example of an ideal cock.

I was adverse to shipping birds during the heat of the summer with the birds having to endure temperatures in excess of 100 degrees. I told him that at the end of September I would be visiting my sons in southwest Missouri about 40 miles from Oklahoma and that I could bring a bird with me if he wanted to come and get it. He was thrilled that I would do that and we spoke on several occasions about Welsummers as we waited for the end of September.

When the day for our trip finally came I crated the bird and headed south. At each stop I would take the cage out and give him fresh water. The first day we stopped just across the river from St Louis and an aunt and uncle's to spend the night. At 5am the next morning we, and their neighbors, were awaken by the rooster's raucous call. My aunt said it reminded her of her childhood in Arkansas and for the sake of her memories the bird continued crowing the entire time we ate breakfast.

That afternoon when I was explaining why I had brought a rooster with me he asked where the guy was coming from. I told him I wasn't real sure but I had just talked with him and he would be there the next day. When he arrived I found out that he had to drive 260 miles to hook up with me and was turning around and heading back home. When I remarked that 520 miles was a long way just for one bird he replied "not if it's what you want."

 

[greenmimama]

I love to peruse all the thread on here, I learn so much.

Ok so if I feed my chicks grit, I can feed them scraps too, and just to be sure, when you say grit, is this dirt, or something I buy at TSC?

I am thinking any day now they will start laying, it's kind of exciting.

 

[Farmerboy16]

we eats our potato skinsies.... yes... we eaaats them........GoLLuM, GoLLuM!!

I just finished reading The Hobbit yesterday!

Driving any great distance just to get a chicken does sound like an advanced case of chickenitis.  A few years ago I called on a trio of show quality BLRWs.  When I said that I wanted them the seller asked repeatedly if I was serious about coming to Ohio to get them.  I assured him that I would be there and we continued to talk.  During the conversation I discovered that he was a priest and that the birds were at a monastery.  I got the address and we agreed that I would meet him at 7am the following morning. 

Only after I did a map search I discovered that he was located 180 miles south of me.  Getting in touch with him originally required leaving voice mail and I didn't relish the idea of calling him back and saying it's too far.   I couldn't just not show.  That wouldn't be right plus did God have some kind of special punishment for those who lie to priests?

While it required driving in the dark, I was watching the sun come up as I pulled into the monastery's drive shortly before 7am.  As it turned out it was quite interesting to look at the hundreds of birds he had of many different breeds and I learned several things during our visit.  He was quite elderly and his knowledge was encyclopedic. 

I had thought my drive bordered on excessive until I was contacted a few years ago by a man in Oklahoma who wanted to buy Welsummer cockerels from me.   My rooster's picture was shown on the Welsummer Club of North America's website as an example of an ideal cock. 

I was adverse to shipping birds during the heat of the summer with the birds having to endure temperatures in excess of 100 degrees.  I told him that at the end of September I would be visiting my sons in southwest Missouri about 40 miles from Oklahoma and that I could bring a bird with me if he wanted to come and get it.  He was thrilled that I would do that and we spoke on several occasions about Welsummers as we waited for the end of September. 

When the day for our trip finally came I crated the bird and headed south.  At each stop I would take the cage out and give him fresh water.  The first day we stopped just across the river from St Louis and an aunt and uncle's to spend the night. At 5am the next morning we, and their neighbors, were awaken by the rooster's raucous call.  My aunt said it reminded her of her childhood in Arkansas and for the sake of her memories the bird continued crowing the entire time we ate breakfast. 

That afternoon when I was explaining why I had brought a rooster with me he asked where the guy was coming from.  I told him I wasn't real sure but I had just talked with him and he would be there the next day.  When he arrived I found out that he had to drive 260 miles to hook up with me and was turning around and heading back home.  When I remarked that 520 miles was a long way just for one bird he replied "not if it's what you want."

I drove from here to wolverine in fall 2011 to get a small flock of Icelandics, my parents thought that I was nutter than a nut to drive total of 370 miles just for some chickens.

 

[Opa]

Ok so if I feed my chicks grit, I can feed them scraps too, and just to be sure, when you say grit, is this dirt, or something I buy at TSC?

Since chickens don't have teeth they must ingest small gravel (grit). This travel to their gizzard when it is held and used to grind their food. While chickens do pick up small gravel from the ground this is next to impossible during the winter or if your birds are kept indoors. Grit that is specifical size for chicks or for adult birds is available at TSC or any like store.

 

[taprock]

Does anyone here sell eggs at farmers' markets?  We've got one very near us that *might* be free to sell at.  It used to be free anyway.

I sold at the local farmers market this past year. I was able to charge more and it built up my customer base. Our farmers market is a free one.

I haven't gone too far for chickens but I did have my parents pick up eggs for me on a trip they took. It saved shipping them and it was about 200+ miles one way.