Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[mrshaggie810]

MOMMA K! That is wonderful news! Your hubby is such a character, and I had so much fun laughing with you guys when you came for the ducks last year. I hope you are planning on Chickenstock this year.

Also, speaking of that. Since it seems hard to commit to someone making shirts, and people buying so no one is out money or time on making them, how bout if we take BYFM's design, buy our own shirts, iron on transfer paper, and make our own? Just need a printer... Just a thought unless we can all agree who's going to make them and guarantee who is going to buy them.

Couldn't we do something through Cafepress?

So, does anyone have any relatively easy pallet coop plans to offer or can anyone please provide me with links? I found Judy's on here, hers I really like the look, but one might need a little more construction know-how/ability than I personally have. Any help or suggestions are appreciated! Everyone enjoy today. Thanks, Holly

A frame coops are really easy to build, and if you use pallets, you just need 3 and some plywood or extra slats...make a triangle, cut a triangle for the back and front, and cut a door out of the front...cover with a tarp, or more plywood, and shingles (mine has shingles and siding.) I think I am just going to make a hoop coop for the turkey to grow out in though...Idk, but ideally I'd like to get a mini-coop/run made for the meaties, and then one for the turkey(s) ...I'd like the ducks to have their own space too, but I don't have the space, but they seem to get along with the chickens just fine.

too funny...Calvin and Hobbes has been a favorite of mine for years.

I make my own saddles out of whatever scrap fabric I have. I try to find a matching color to the chicken so that it's less likely to be seen as threatening or interesting to peck at, as much as I'd love to have my girls in the latest fashions.

Patterns are very quick, easy and can be found all over the internet. The one I use is here: http://backtobasicliving.com/blog/make-a-chicken-saddle/ It works just fine so long as you have strong snaps. Those tiny sew-on snaps are no good. Make sure they're the kind you hammer on.

What, pray tell, is the saddle for? Protection from the rooster, or something crazy, like ambitious, rodeo squirrels?

I'm a newbie here from the UP. Trying to get a feel for how to get started- we eat eggs like crazy!! (Bought 5 doz eggs last tues and here one wk later there's one left) for a fam of 4 egg eaters we better get our own!! So I'll just be stalking the forums trying to figure things out. Getting my FILs coop and haven't decided whether to get chicks or layers. Meat birds would be nice too

So- Hi!!

Welcome! We eat lots here too! Got our first meaties this year, and are getting 4-5 eggs a day from our 3 hens and 2 ducks that are laying age...can't shake a stick at that!

Barnyard mix (BO over SLW, BR, EE and BO) and if I have extra buff brahmas and wheaten marans, I'll have those too.

OOh! I hope you have extra buff brahma's! I've wanted some of them! I wanted those to be my first chickens, but couldn't find any local, and well, I'm impatient and thrifty! ha!

I feel like I've been gone forever! I was over 100 pages behind! That's reading I just don't think I'm going to get caught up on!

Things have been hectic around here. Some good some bad. We thought I was pregnant, and I was super tired, but it turned out to be a chemical pregnancy (body thought I was pregnant, but no baby.) so that was a bit of a downer obviously...in good news though, hubby got an interview with the electrical union for the apprenticeship program, so pray he get's hired/accepted, we bought hubby a new car, we are going to be house hunting, and we have fertile duck eggs, and I'm trying to get the kinks worked out of my homemade bator so I can get it set up (yeah....it's not looking so good right now...I only need the humidity to be oh, 50% more, and the temp to be 15 degree's lower

. I got the chicks and poult in the grow out coop (it has a heat lamp)...I tell ya I just love that Turkey! He (she?) is so sweet and funny to watch, but he just has the sweetest face and demeanor, and I just love that he protects all the younger/smaller chicks from the meaties if need be. He's a little younger than them, but he's got just about an inch in height on them, and he's just a smidge thinner, but they all know he's the boss. My little BO chick is my favorite (I wish I would have got a pic when she was a tiny little puff ball!) The meaties are getting fat, and the older chicks are pretty much completely feathered...and the babies are getting theirs too. So, since I've had most of them for at least 6 months now I figure it's high time I start naming the one's that are going to be sticking around...the meaties will always have similar names (which aren't real names at all, and aren't used exclusively for any one of them, rather just interchanged and mention when asked their names) and they are things such as dinner, dumpling and fricasee, etc....the Poult we call Tom, and TD (thanksgiving dinner lol) I'm hoping to get a few heritage poults to keep at breeders...I really like them, and well, we love turkey, so why not! Anyways...I don't have many names yet, but I'm naming my BO and SLW that I got together Sandy and Rizzo...I think it fits them well. Our only named bird in the big coop is Darkwing...I'll update you as I think of more! lol! I'm headed to bed soon...hopefully this bator will start co-operating!

 

[snowflake]

I think i am pretty fed up with my flogging rooster.. he sure is getting worse.. he is 9 or 10 months old.. is he to old to put on the grill.. i was thinking brine all day and over night.. and maybe put on grill for a few hrs.. and if he is still tough.. maybe put in roaster and cook on low till tender.. but would like it if i could just cook on grill.. anyone know if there is a better way to do this with good results..

Welcome to the group.. glad you joined us..

sounds like you did fine.

by the time I caught up on posts, you had eaten him.
Never keep a bad roo, there are a lot of good ones out there, and roosters a usually cheep

No need to roto-till the scorched area. Just throw the wildflower seeds on top of the scorched area. That is how nature does it.

I too have to remove ceramic tile. The bathroom had a leak behind the wall and rotted out part of the wall and floor. Is going to be a big tear out. I was hoping to get the kitchen re-done this spring. That is the last room of the house that needs new hardwood floors.

Today I'll get ready for the MAEAP tech who is coming tomorrow morning.

Glad to hear this. The less work the better,, plan to have grand kids help with the seed toss next week end. may roll them in dirt balls, I read some were that that works well and may keep the birds from eating all the seed

Hi everyone! Can I join in? I am from up north were the snow has decided that it will stay awhile longer

Welcome

the more the merrier!! Lots of good info here, not all chicken.. Make sure you check out the Mi. Chicken Stock thread, Last year there was also one in upper lower Pen.

I heard my first cluck today! So far it has been the chickie peeps, but when I spent some time talking with them today, I heard a cluck! I call to them every time I come down to the basement to check on them. I am hoping this will encourage them to come to me when they are outdoors. I've been noticing that when I call to them, they will come over to side of the brooder that I am standing on! It's fun to get a reaction from them.

chickens are very food oriented. If someone walked into my yard and didn't know the chickens they would think they were being attacked

eyes are starting to open today!

LOVE the bunnies soo sweet!!

Couldn't we do something through Cafepress?
A frame coops are really easy to build, and if you use

So very sorry about the pregnancy,

 

[Candy442]

Hi everyone! Can I join in? I am from up north were the snow has decided that it will stay awhile longer

Hello poultrylubber! welcome!

 

[Candy442]

Hello everyone! Welcome Candy and poultrylubber; I'm near Perry, east of Lansing a bit. Chickenstock is fun, went for the first time last year. I too have an obnoxious rooster, soon to be in the crock pot. Life is too short to deal with someone like him every day. Mary

Hello Mary! We are not far from Perry either

I will look for the Michigan Chickenstock thread. Pic's of my fuzzie bottoms are here:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/764636/my-chickies

 

[ladyrsanti]

What, pray tell, is the saddle for? Protection from the rooster, or something crazy, like ambitious, rodeo squirrels?

According to Spongebob, squirrel rodeos use toads?

I've met a lot of people who don't like to call them saddles because it sounds ...icky. My sister calls hers jackets and others call them aprons. I dunno. It doesn't bother me and I don't have little girls whom I'm trying to protect from the facts of life (as my sister does). My boys know exactly what's going on when that rooster climbs up.
When the hens start showing red and raw, bare backs from over-mating I don't care what you call them. They just need to be covered.

...or you eat the rooster.

 

[RaZ]

Can chickens eat mushrooms?

Typically they do not. I just read an article about growing edible mushrooms on the edges of a chicken run. I will look for the article for proper citation...

 

[1muttsfan]

plan to have grand kids help with the seed toss next week end. may roll them in dirt balls, I read some were that that works well and may keep the birds from eating all the seed

Thought for a minute you meant you were rolling the grandkids in dirt balls - sounded fun

 

[tjbeckman]

Typically they do not. I just read an article about growing edible mushrooms on the edges of a chicken run. I will look for the article for proper citation...

I would be interested in the article if you find it! I would LOVE to be able to grow my own mushrooms

 

[naglady]

snowflake i agree, there is to many nice roos that i could make room for then to put up with a crazy one.. the meaner the roo, the tastier the stew or should i say slow roasted grilled chicken..

I am setting eggs in the bator anyday.. so i am hoping for a nice roo.. or atleast leaves the door open to get one that i really want.

the bunnies are so adorable

Is there alot of mushroom hunters on this forum..i love mushroom hunting.. i hunt several kinds.
I cant wait for it to warm up a little more to go morel hunting.

 

[snowflake]

Thought for a minute you meant you were rolling the grandkids in dirt balls - sounded fun

knowing my grand daughters they will look like they were rolling in the mud. They don't mind a bit getting dirty

My grandsons on the other hand do not like to get dirty at all,

just got back from our walk in time, got in the house and wet cloths off ( was raining a little on us for the last 1/2) and it is really down pouring now!!


like to share this, sent to me for my "early" birthday present from my brother ,http://videos2view.net/2believe-JE.htm this little girl has an amazing voice!!