Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[taprock]

yeah Snowflake!
[rule][COLOR=800080]Soooooooooo......... whats the benefit of fermented food?  Will it save me money on wasted feed?  Cause I have a lot of that, wasted feed.... not money![/COLOR]

I feed it in the morning and layer in the evening. I started so they had something warm and to cut down on feed costs. Fermenting is supposed to boost the protein, be easier to digest, make poo less smelly, and they eat less. I have 60+ birds and two coffee cans of dry grain is enough for everyone to eat and have cleaned up in about an hour. My birds do have definite preferences to which grains they like. They leave the oats until its all that is left and then they eat them, like kids and veggies.

 

[naglady]

Congratulations Snowflake

dd and i went to tsc in alpena and guess what i came home with, 3 barred rock, 2 new hampshire red and 1 thinking its araucana or in that family.. dd found a chick with tuft. and said thats her mystery chick.. dang tsc i just wanted 3 more chicks and they make you take home 6.. I am done for buying chicks..
want to set some eggs this weekend.


I saw a sign in the tsc. Alpena. april 27 is a swap meet in the parking lot .. for poultry and other farm stuff..just thought someone might be interested..


Have a great day everyone..

 

[tdhenson86]

Congratulations, Snowflake!!!

I signed up for Chickenstock. I hope I'm able to make it this year!!!

 

[gladahmae]

Someone was asking about removing meat from birds without gutting them - here is a link to an easy way to eviscerate birds and prepare then for cooking at the same time (spatchcock or butterfly)

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/400344/heritage-large-fowl-thread/2850#post_5485975

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
Oh my GOODNESS! That sounds REALLY really easy to do. And I checked youtube for skinning-without-plucking videos too. (And then I looked for videos for spatchcocking to make sure I had the right idea)

Hmmmm. Has anyone tried one of those drill-driven pluckers? I have no problem with skinning all the birds, but I can also see how in some instances skin would be nice (like for grilling).

 

[Living the Simple Life]

yeah Snowflake!
Soooooooooo......... whats the benefit of fermented food? Will it save me money on wasted feed? Cause I have a lot of that, wasted feed.... not money!
There is a new bee keeping club forming for Lenawee and Jackson county if anyone is interested I'll post the info. (it starts tomorrow in Napoleon MI). We finished assembling our hive last night, so this weekend we'll get the area outside prepared and set up. I want to put up a couple sections of privacy fence to help block the wind in winter time. I don't want to be installing a fence next to an active hive! Bees arrive on May 4th!!
I started seeing robins in February down here......I feel bad for them coming up so early with no food available for them. We're suppose to be in the mid to upper 50's this weekend......... storms expected Monday. Hopefully that won't mean more snow for the northern folks!
Fellow artists and students of my friend that passed away are talking about a collaboration art piece to be installed on campus, to honor him.. I'll be participating in some fashion.. I don't have a studio, but I can share ideas and dig holes! LOL!
TGIF!

Yes, please post the info about the bee keeping club. Thanks!

 

[RaZ]

There is a new bee keeping club forming for Lenawee and Jackson county if anyone is interested I'll post the info. (it starts tomorrow in Napoleon MI). We finished assembling our hive last night, so this weekend we'll get the area outside prepared and set up. I want to put up a couple sections of privacy fence to help block the wind in winter time. I don't want to be installing a fence next to an active hive! Bees arrive on May 4th!!
I started seeing robins in February down here......I feel bad for them coming up so early with no food available for them. We're suppose to be in the mid to upper 50's this weekend......... storms expected Monday. Hopefully that won't mean more snow for the northern folks!

I usually move my hives to a more sheltered area for winter. Right now the hives are on my back porch, 8 feet from the door. I think I'll set a hive near the front door to keep away the door-to-door people.
As you get used to the bees, you will find that you can work around them with little fear. And a beehive with a flat roof is a great place to set your beer while doing chores.

Watched the robins pull up worms yesterday so maybe I'll plant some cool weather crops today.

 

[KWAK]

If any one has young hens/started pullets (maybe a rooster.) for sale near Hastings MI pm me!
Or text me at 269-355-9312

 

[taprock]

The chicks

 

[gladahmae]

wow tap! looks like you maybe got blue, black AND splash there? Sooooo cute!

Does anyone have any suggestion as to when I can plant forage stuff for my meat birds? The snow is receding quickly with all the sun, but our last frost isn't for another 2 months, and I can't imagine that farmers really aren't going to plant ANYTHING for another 2+ months? I've got spinach, kale, and oregano seeds, and I'm thinking of picking up a small bag of fescue/clover/legume mix (basically a deer/wildlife mix) to throw in the area where we're planning on putting the broilers. Can I do it as soon as the snow is gone?

 

[tdhenson86]

wow tap! looks like you maybe got blue, black AND splash there? Sooooo cute!

Does anyone have any suggestion as to when I can plant forage stuff for my meat birds? The snow is receding quickly with all the sun, but our last frost isn't for another 2 months, and I can't imagine that farmers really aren't going to plant ANYTHING for another 2+ months? I've got spinach, kale, and oregano seeds, and I'm thinking of picking up a small bag of fescue/clover/legume mix (basically a deer/wildlife mix) to throw in the area where we're planning on putting the broilers. Can I do it as soon as the snow is gone?

The leafy greens like kale and lettuce can be planted a few weeks before last frost. I would wait another month if you're certain that last frost is still 2 months away. They can withstand some frost, but 2 months of frost is a bit much. Just my opinion.