Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[Juise]

Daron -

Love to you and yours.

I had some other things quoted last night, but now I have lost them.

I do have a question, though. One of my young ladies, who just started laying perhaps a month or so ago, decided to get broody while we were gone camping for several days last weekend. When we got back, she was sitting on a pile of 20 some eggs, and had pulled out all of her belly feathers. She is too young to molt this Fall... is she going to have a bare belly all Winter?

A few pictures from the weekend, since I haven't bombarded you guys lately. Our family went with my parents, my brothers, one brother's significant other, and my nephew, and all stayed in one tiny cabin with nothing to its name but a small woodstove. (Which we were tempted to light a couple nights!) It sits on the edge of the drop off to a river, which I have never seen so lacking in water, in the woods on my Aunt's farm in Ohio, which is the farm my Mum grew up on.







We spent a lot of our time (that didn't involve cooking or digging holes,

) up and down the river, catching crawdads and other little creatures, finding fossils, following my Mum through the woods to things like, "My favourite rock," or "My favourite log," and playing with the animals. It was a sweet little vacation.

 

[fuzzybutt love]

. After googling "why are my chickens eating their feathers" we've offered yogurt for protein here. That stopped it.

Hmm. hadn't considered that one!

white Chantecler's. .note the lack of combs and wattles, they are bred for the cold winters of Ontario. Asking $20 for a rooster.

Wow is that a steal of a deal! those are VERY rare in the US from what i understand. If you can't find anyone who has that breed to put him with, you could consider people who want to breed for better cold resistance in their flocks, they may have a better resistance to respiratory diseases being specifically bred for poor conditions?

I really like that loft...... what is it for?

"Cross over children. All are welcome. All are welcome. Go into the Light. "

 

[laura877]

Off-topic question for canning folk: Do you add lemon juice to your tomatoes (boiling pot method, not pressure)? My mom never has, but many of the tutorials I've been reading recommend it...

Thanks!

Never and I have been doing tomatoes for over 40 yrs. But if they are coming out with a low acid variety, I would definately look into it. At least it won't hurt.

 

[RaZ]

Off-topic question for canning folk: Do you add lemon juice to your tomatoes (boiling pot method, not pressure)? My mom never has, but many of the tutorials I've been reading recommend it...

I do not use lemon juice, even with the low acid tomatoes. I will sometimes add a garlic clove or chili pepper to the quart.

I got my first-ever egg!!!

First egg is always exciting. Even if you have others that are already laying.

I do have a question, though. One of my young ladies, who just started laying perhaps a month or so ago, decided to get broody while we were gone camping for several days last weekend. When we got back, she was sitting on a pile of 20 some eggs, and had pulled out all of her belly feathers. She is too young to molt this Fall... is she going to have a bare belly all Winter?

One of my Uggos did that last month. She laid for a month then went broody. It took about 3 weeks to "break" her. She is good now and her belly feathers are back. I think your girl will be fine by the time winter gets here.

 

[1muttsfan]

Although tomatoes are considered a high-acid food (pH below 4.6), certain conditions and varieties can produce tomatoes and tomato products with pH values above 4.6. When this happens, the product must be canned in a pressure canner as a low-acid product or acidified to a pH of 4.6 or lower with lemon juice or citric acid.

Research has found several conditions that can reduce the acidity of tomatoes. These include decay or damage caused by bruises, cracks, blossom end rot or insects, and overripening. Tomatoes grown in the shade, ripened in shorter hours of daylight, or ripened off the vine tend to be lower in acidity than those ripened in direct sunlight on the vine. Also, tomatoes attached to dead vines at harvest are considerably less acidic than tomatoes harvested from healthy vines. Decayed and damaged tomatoes and those harvested from frost-killed or dead vines should not be home canned.

To ensure safe acidity in whole, crushed or juiced tomatoes, add lemon juice or citric acid when processing in a boiling water bath. Add 2 tablespoons of bottled lemon juice or 1/2 teaspoon of citric acid per quart of tomatoes. For pints, use 1 tablespoon bottled lemon juice or 1/4 teaspoon citric acid. Acid can be added directly to the jars before filling with product. Add sugar to offset the taste, if desired. Four tablespoons of a 5 percent acidity vinegar per quart can be used instead of lemon juice or citric acid. However, vinegar may cause undesirable flavor changes.


Why would you take a risk with the health of you or those you are feeding?

 

[ChicwannaB]

Although tomatoes are considered a high-acid food (pH below 4.6), certain conditions and varieties can produce tomatoes and tomato products with pH values above 4.6. When this happens, the product must be canned in a pressure canner as a low-acid product or acidified to a pH of 4.6 or lower with lemon juice or citric acid.

Research has found several conditions that can reduce the acidity of tomatoes. These include decay or damage caused by bruises, cracks, blossom end rot or insects, and overripening. Tomatoes grown in the shade, ripened in shorter hours of daylight, or ripened off the vine tend to be lower in acidity than those ripened in direct sunlight on the vine. Also, tomatoes attached to dead vines at harvest are considerably less acidic than tomatoes harvested from healthy vines. Decayed and damaged tomatoes and those harvested from frost-killed or dead vines should not be home canned.

To ensure safe acidity in whole, crushed or juiced tomatoes, add lemon juice or citric acid when processing in a boiling water bath. Add 2 tablespoons of bottled lemon juice or 1/2 teaspoon of citric acid per quart of tomatoes. For pints, use 1 tablespoon bottled lemon juice or 1/4 teaspoon citric acid. Acid can be added directly to the jars before filling with product. Add sugar to offset the taste, if desired. Four tablespoons of a 5 percent acidity vinegar per quart can be used instead of lemon juice or citric acid. However, vinegar may cause undesirable flavor changes.


Why would you take a risk with the health of you or those you are feeding?

is lemon juice also recomended if you use a pressure cooker? Thats the only way I can anything.

 

[1muttsfan]

You do not need to worry about acidity with pressure cooking. That is why you can safely can things like salsa and other tomato products that are not high acid.

Adding things like garlic, peppers and onion decreases acidity, and can increase the risk of botulism contamination.

Another way to ensure safety would be to check the pH of the product before you processed it.

 

[Nigellas]

Thanks for the tips on canning ! One follow up question... Is fresh lemon juice fine, or does it have to be the bottled junk?

 

[SillyChicken]

Before the feather eating started, they were getting a treat maybe twice a week. Definitely not anywhere near 15%. Their food, at 21%, should have been sufficient, But they were/are eating feathers. The amount of protein was increased only after the problem was noticed. I do think that there might be some improvement in the amount of feathers being eaten, and they have not progressed to pulling feathers off from each other or themselves. I'm wondering if the large feather loss (probably due to growth?) might just have caused a greater need for more protein. Kind of a growth spurt thing?

Have you tried adding crickets or meal worms to their diet?

 

[Wynette]

I got my first-ever egg!!! I just watched it fall out of Custard's vent!!!! HAAHAHA! Seriously though, I went into the barn to check on everybody and I couldn't find my favorite BO pullet, Custard. It turned out she was in one of the hay feeders (which is full) and she was standing frozen to the spot and at that instant, out plopped an egg! I could have caught it in my hand if I'd wanted to. A beautiful good-sized brown egg. I am so happy not only to get it but to see it happen.

C O N G R A T S ! ! !

Four days to hatching. I'm surprised that the excitement bug is biting me now. Speaking of bugs..... Both brooding hens have little, tiny black mite looking creatures crawling on them. hard to tell how many cause we don't want to put the birds off the nest. Marty, at the local feed store, says D.E. will do the trick. not to use toxins as they are apt to injure the anticipated chicks. What do you knowledgeable BYChickeners do/ and how when confronted with this dilemma? I have,as a matter of course, applied the D.E. I use in the garden to the inside of the hen house. He said use the food grade, so I will.

Also it occurs to me that the chicks will most likely want to eat after hatching, if they hatch. What do they get fed and how does one do that? I plan to keep them in the hen house 4 x 8 ft., one clutch; and brooder cage 3 x 6 ft. the other clutch. Both are in the 6 x 30 ft secure run. Should be safe to de louse/mite the cages shortly after hatching, right?

I have been reading about this stuff but do not seem to find the answers to these questions in my own mind, and I would feel better if i could.

Bob, DE, contrary to popular belief, will not treat an infestation of any parasite. It can be considered a preventative, but once they have mites, using it as a treatment will not work. If I were in your shoes, I would treat with Ivermectin Eprinex - why? It is applied topically and will be absorbed through the skin. The Eprinex version of Ivermectin is a specific formula (not all Ivermectins are forumulated the same). Eprinex will kill internal (worms) as well as external (mites, fleas) parasites. The problem will be that the chicks MAY get them as well. Since you have 4 days, I would get the Eprinex ASAP and treat ASAP. Mites/lice/fleas - whatever it is that they have, need to be able to bite their host to survive. They can live 2-3 days without doing so....thus, if you treat right away, those that are not on the bird will die within a few days, and the hatchlings will not be exposed to them.

The chicks will need chick starter, and it's fine for momma to eat that as well.