Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[1muttsfan]

Snowflake, if her heart was enlarged she likely had congestive heart failure. That could also cause some lung congestion. Internal fat in an older bird that if no longer laying But stool eating good would be normal.

 

[NovaAman]

Is she the one that went broody last winter too? Wish one of mine would go broody!


My little cockerels no longer sound like party favors when they try to crow. Well. Most of them sound decent now. Still very adolescent, but decent.

There's an orchard that's selling off a BUNCH of their apple crates, and DH and I both agree that they look like they'd be great brooder boxes, breeding coops, or grow-out coops with a little modification (like a door, an a slight roof pitch to shed snow and rain. They've had them since fall, so I'm sure they'll still have them in a few months when we can actually use them.

Florus sounds like a hot mess when he crows... Raspy, deep, cracking like a teen boys voice. LOL He's 8 months old!

Anyway, yes, Skatter is one of the ones who went broody last winter too. Leila, Skeeter and Skatter... LOL.

 

[MIchickens]

So, I am leaving for Wisconsin on Monday for a week of training. I was wondering if anybody knew of any good books on chickens I can buy because I will not be going anywhere after the duty day(most days). I already have Storey's guide to raising chickens(which I about have memorized).

Also, I will be in between Tomah and New Lisbon (about 40 miles North West of the Dells) . I may get a day to go see the sights, so can anybody suggest any good spots to go see while I'm there? It will be my first trip to Wisconsin and I have no idea what is around there?

 

[Stacykins]

So, I am leaving for Wisconsin on Monday for a week of training. I was wondering if anybody knew of any good books on chickens I can buy because I will not be going anywhere after the duty day(most days). I already have Storey's guide to raising chickens(which I about have memorized).

Also, I will be in between Tomah and New Lisbon (about 40 miles North West of the Dells) . I may get a day to go see the sights, so can anybody suggest any good spots to go see while I'm there? It will be my first trip to Wisconsin and I have no idea what is around there?

I hope you have a safe trip! I wish I could help, but I am more familiar with things to do down in the Milwaukee area, heh.

I do know Fort McCoy is very, very close. And a lot of good rock climbing locations are in the area, too. Can't think of anything else, hah.

 

[Wrightsx4]

I'm a chicken book bookworm some good ones besides Storey's:
The Small Scale Poultry Flock by Harvey Ussery (GREAT book!!!)
Choosing and Keeping Chickens by Chris Graham (nice photos & details of breeds, light reading)
Raising Poultry Successfully by Will Graves (similar to Storey's format)
Hen and the Art of Chicken Maintenance by Martin Gurdon (...okay this one is is just for fun.)
Hobby Farms Chickens by Sue Weaver (good info, covers mostly basics)
I haven't been to Wisconsin in about 35 years so I doubt I could give much help there! All I remember was eating icecream out if a plastic baseball cap in a restaurant

 

[Totalcolour]

Hey RaZ, I could bring my goats, oh wait, this is not the WA thread it's the MI thread. Never mind

 

[fuzzybutt love]

Ok looking for a little help on this one. This is our first year with the chickens. I have one of my hens that it looks like the feathers are starting to break off on her back exposing the fluffy feathers. We did just get a new roo, wondering if thats what its from? Thanks

Watch the interaction between these two, if he's too brutal or is doing it too much he can kill her. Probably his favorite hen, not a bad thing as long as he's not going overboard; a hen CAN die from overmating. Or go without eating and drinking in and effort to stay away from him, they sometimes linger on the perch to stay safe; feel her crop at night to know she's eating good and get one of those aprons / saddles; there are patterns online here if you need a link just ask, they are a lifesaver when a roo gets too attached!



I purchased this hen from a kind couple who didn't realize she was being over mated; A side effect of the rooster's attention was her flock mate's scorn; they express this by plucking at them as well; roos will bald backs and back of heads, other hens pull beards and butts. this is after much attention and care:



A hen saddle in action on my pet hen who had similar coloring, who was my rooster's
favorite and also bonded with him, so the saddle allowed her not to get tore up and
they both were happy.

Today I found the 3rd Coopers-Hawk-kill in 6 weeks on my flock,

So, I am leaving for Wisconsin on Monday for a week of training. I was wondering if anybody knew of any good books on chickens I can buy because I will not be going anywhere after the duty day(most days).

I highly recommend gail damerow's book "chicken health handbook" It talks about chickens from the shell to laying, and is written in plain language by a chicken vet. Covers sooo many topics, including a breakdown of how different vitamins affect different health conditions, gives charts for diagnosing hatching failures, charts for diagnosing health issues, charts for dosing.......... you get the idea! Invaluable when an emergency strikes when no one is available to ask, even covers autopsies in the event you have to do one; i had to skip that one :/

 

[snowflake]

Nova like your new avatar!!

Well my computer modem is down (when I called ATT tech support the (very) young man asked if I thought the ethernet light was just burned ou

computers, can't live with them,can't live with out them. kind of sneaks up on you too

Hi all, faithful reader/10-thumbs poster here. Today I found the 3rd Coopers-Hawk-kill in 6 weeks on my flock, this one u Very sobering.

yup, hawks are protected,,, good luck with your run top, the streamers should help

Snowflake, if her heart was enlarged she likely had congestive heart failure. That could also cause some lung congestion. Internal fat in an older bird that if no longer laying But stool eating good would be normal.

Thank you, heart failure is what DH thought also, didn't know about so much fat, but she had stopped laying, Was still a good weight and looked healthy, But I hadn't thought about the congested noise being related to heart failure. over 1/2 our flock is almost 6 so we expect some loss' this yr.

So, I am leaving for Wisconsin on Monday for a week of training. I was wondering if anybody knew of any good books on chickens I can buy because I will not be going anywhere after the duty day(most days). I already have Storey's guide to raising chickens(which I about have memorized).

Also, I will be in between Tomah and New Lisbon (about 40 miles North West of the Dells) . I may get a day to go see the sights, so can anybody suggest any good spots to go see while I'm there? It will be my first trip to Wisconsin and I have no idea what is around there?

BOOKS, Harvey Ussery The small-scale Poultry Flock.... Gail Damerow, Chicken Health Handbook, She has others that are reportedly very good,

 

[fuzzybutt love]

Hey RaZ, I could bring my goats, oh wait, this is not the WA thread it's the MI thread. Never mind

Missed you!

 

[MIchickens]

Thanks all!!!...I'm going to have fun at the bookstore tomorrow. I hope the wife doesn't get to mad at my spending.