Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[kimmie6067]

Having a hen do all the work of incubating and turning, hatching and brooding chicks is much easier. Studies have shown that a hen will turn her clutch of eggs as much as 26 times each day. If you are using an egg turner most turn the eggs once each hour. If you are hand turning you would want to turn them at least 4 times each day. Keeping in mind that you shouldn't open the incubator, one easy turning method is to place the eggs in a paper egg carton and then place in the incubator. Then all you need to do is raise one side of the incubator with something like a empty egg carton then to turn the eggs you just move it to the other side.

I constantly am reading about having to kick a hen off the nest to get them to eat. I strongly suggest you not do this. It could break her broodiness. As long as food and water are available a hen will not starve herself to death. People have a tendency to worry unnecessarily when the reality is that chickens have been been hatching for years without our intervention.

If you are keeping your hen with your other chickens I would suggest that as the chicks hatch they be moved to a different location. It is common for birds to kill another hen's chicks.

Oh wise and wonderful Opa I have a broody hen a Jersey Giant she was sitting on 13 eggs! I found out. She decided that she needed to move them, have you heard of that before? Well when she moved them one broke because to move them she had to drop them out of the nest box onto the floor of the coop which is about 12 inches, I picked them up and put them in a nestbox across from the nest she didn't like anymore that was yesterday so this morning another one is broke. I am going to move her and her eggs to a rabbit hutch so she can brood them in peace. My sick chicken was in there so how and what do I use to desinfect the hutch?

Kimmie

 

[NovaAman]

oxine, Kimmie...

 

[tjbeckman]

So, hoping that I am not making a mistake, I found an ad for a local farmer selling 17 laying hens. They are 2 years old, they are offered as stew birds because they are not laying. I would think it is due to the weather, lighting, etc. So, I am going to go and get them. They are only $2 ea. I am hoping that this is the right thing to do, I will check them for bugs while I am there to be sure and keep them separated for a bit. I figure that if they don't lay come spring, then we eat them, if they do lay, we eat the eggs. Win-Win right?

 

[taprock]

Well don't want to even kiss my DH for Valentines.... he's sick but refuses to stay home or in bed. He also got a call that work man's comp wants him to have a neurosurgery consult..... in Grand Rapids. Oh they do pay mileage, just nothing to compensate for the time involved.

Someone, can't remember who, saw a skunk as a sign of spring. Our sign of spring has always been the Bald Eagles showing up. Today two Eagles are out back along with about 2 dozen crow/ravens and two birds that I think are young eagles. Not the greatest pictures, taken with ipad through the spotting scope. Does anyone know if they are juvenile eagles?

 

[tjbeckman]

Wow Tap, thanks for sharing those pictures!!! Hopefully everything works out with hubby!

 

[Herducks]

Hard to tell for sure, but they sure look like juvie bald eagles. I lived in homer alaska for a couple years and always had trouble telling juvie bald eagles from golden eagles. Not sure how many goldens you get around here though.

 

[Farmerboy16]

Its a Golden lace Sebright. Very pretty birds.

OK... Then I'm confused. I thought this one was a Sebright: And while their faces are the same, this one is solid black on the back, not spotted like the other one. See? This is the spotty one from before, for comparison... THANKS!

Its hatchery stock, so it will some may have more lacing than others. Its the same breed.

 

[ladyrsanti]

Awesome! I saw a bald eagle on Tuesday in downtown Lowell. It was a welcome sight.

Today I am making eclairs from scratch. Usually I make them for my husband's birthday but this year didn't work out so I figured today was a good day, even though we don't normally celebrate such holidays. First time making them with my own eggs though, NINE eggs to be exact - 4 in the puff pastry and 5 yolks in the vanilla cream filling. Not a light treat but it's once a year, right?

 

[Nigellas]

Its hatchery stock, so it will some may have more lacing than others. Its the same breed.

thanks!

 

[Opa]

Kimmie, Oxine is an excellent disinfectant or you can use a mild bleach/water solution and spray all surfaces. Either way be sure it is dry and well ventilated before placing your hen in it.


Taprock, eagles do make a much more majestic harbinger of spring than vultures. The dark feathered birds in your pictures are immature bald eagles. They don't get there distinctive white head until they are four to five years of age.