Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[taprock]

What is this hen? My oldest wants one..

I believe it's just a d'Uccle but a really nice Mille Fleur.

Welcome newbies, both chicks and members.
Silly sorry for your loss, it seems like it's always the best ones.

All the Faverolle pictures make me miss my girl. The best, most friendly girl we had. More fun snow today. I finally get to stay home and in the house. I've been making gifts all week and have finished one each day. Hopefully if I keep it up they will be done in time for Christmas.

Need an opinion on feeding my chickens. When we ground up our venison my DH put all the scraps through the grinder at the end and then froze them so I can feed them to the chickens. I always cook meat but would you just feed straight meat or mix it with other feed or bread, grain?

 

[uchytil]

Been a few months I guess...used to be on here daily but as the farm grows and hunting/fishing all fall and winter no time. Hope all are well. The Maran I got form HH is producing the darkest chocolate colored egg I've ever seen. It makes the brown eggs look white! No eggs from the olive eggers that I got from her (I believe she got them from Wynette at CS). My GNHs I got from here are looking great. All the other birds are doing what they do-making eggs. Momma K - you still have that winery? I tried to look for a website with no joy. Ummm, probably been missing out on alot of good stuff. Maybe this winter I can get back to every few days on here.

Hoping someone wants/needs/knows somebody that wants a rabbit, or two. I have 4 Flemish that would make excellent pets, sand colored. I also have 7 mixed New Zealand/Californian/Flemish, for meat or pets, grey and brown. Smaller than the Flemish. I'm near Muskegon but could meet somewhere within 25 miles of here. All of these bunnies are about 7 weeks old now. If you know me from CS and really want one maybe we could work out a trip to visit and catch up too! I doubt mom2 want Clover2 but who knows? Maybe Silly wants some offspring? Randy has had about every animal but I don't recall a bunny? OPA likes rabbit in the fryer, eh? OK, well enough of that.

Take care all, John

 

[uchytil]

OH, call me at 231-828-5609 or email at [email protected] I just don't have time to log on here too often and the thread always moves so fast I'll miss you!

P.S. How's the ACD Kimmie?

 

[SillyChicken]

Welcome to the new folks........ the thread is fast so if we missed a question, don't be hurt, just remind us!

John, I'll send you an email.

I've never fed my birds "meat" so I can't help you there. Generally the dogs get second dibs!

 

[1muttsfan]

Tap, mixing it with a carb source such as rice, beans, veggies, pasta etc. would make it more balanced and help extend it some too, if you had a cheap source of one of those.

Hi AFveteran88, welcome to the Michigan thread - I can't help you with eggs but good luck with your new incubator

 

[SillyChicken]

Getting an early Christmas gift! Star is a 6 mo old doe. I've been wanting to have a small milk goat..... anyone make cheese or soap?

 

[Stacykins]

Getting an early Christmas gift! Star is a 6 mo old doe. I've been wanting to have a small milk goat..... anyone make cheese or soap?

Adorable! She looks Nigerian, is she? I love the white patch on her throat, kind of looks like a deer!

I do make goats milk soap. My goats aren't milking yet. But I get fresh goats milk from a local gal who has milking goats. I have a milk share with her, so what I don't drink each week goes for soaping. Also, sometimes if a goat sticks a hoof in the bucket or something that contaminates a milking, she'll give it to me for soaping. I just divide it up into 500 gram portions and freeze it, with labels that it is for soaping only.

If you have not made soap before, I do recommend not starting out with goats milk. It can be tricky, the milk can easily scald (mixing lye with a liquid for your lye solution creates a very exothermic reaction. It can get hot enough to burn milk, if you don't take steps to keep it cool and controlled). Plus, if you practice on a few non milk soap batches, you can learn how soap behaves while you are soaping. A lot of soaping isn't something you can read about, like cooking, the look and feel of a batch is very important in determining if it is ready to add additives, pour, etc.

But don't let that dissuade you from soap making! It is fun! And homemade soap is the best. You can personalize it for you and your skin.

 

[SillyChicken]

yes shes a registered Nigerian. LOL, that may be why I liked her best (deer).

Thanks for the soap advice! Do you have a non milk soap recipes you could recommend?

 

[Stacykins]

yes shes a registered Nigerian. LOL, that may be why I liked her best (deer).

Thanks for the soap advice! Do you have a non milk soap recipes you could recommend?

If you don't mind me asking, who bred her? She is really lovely! The show clip certainly helps show her conformation! She has a very defined and well structured brisket, for example.

I don't have a specific recipe, but castille (100% olive oil) or bastille (70% olive oil, 30% coconut oil) are very easy for beginners. At least the first batch, the only additive I'd really recommend is fragrance, put in at trace. There are awesome things you can add, like tussah silk, honey, clays, dried herbs, etc. but keeping it simple is best for starting!

A few tips I have is to mix soaping ingredients in either steel pots or plasticware. Don't use glass, the heat of the reaction can cause it to shatter (I've heard of people mixing their lye solution in a mason jar, only to have it shatter, splashing and spilling caustic lye water all over themselves and their counters and floor, not good!). Even modern pyrex glassware isn't safe, unless you have laboratory grade. Also, don't use aluminum, as NaOH and aluminum react with each other. Even inexpensive plastic jugs won't melt from the heat produced, which is great! And a digital kitchen scale (inexpensive nowadays) with a tare function is a lifesaver. I always measure out my recipes in grams, rather than ounces, personally. I like metric, and I find grams much more exact, since they are such a small measurement.

Another tip, stay safe! Keep a jug of white vinegar close at hand for ANY splashes or spills. It can happen. Lye is just as happy to saponify your skin as it is the oils in your pot. Treat it with care, just like you would fire or a hot pan.

Pure olive oil soaps are about as gentle and conditioning as you can get on the skin. But they don't lather well. Coconut oil adds fluffy lather, but if too much is used in a soap, it can be drying. That said, it is possible to make a 100% coconut oil soap that won't parch your skin, if you use a very very high superfat content.

 

[BobBry]

Taprock,

I don't have any personal experience with feeding venison to chocks, but have read of people who leave road kill carcasses for their birds to eat with no ill effect. Don't remember who where or when.