Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[1muttsfan]

There is a significant advantage to using an oil treatment on scaly leg mites instead of chemical pesticides - decreased chemical exposure for you and your birds, and decreased risk of parasite resistance. Ivermectin its already loosing its effectiveness against internal parasites due to inappropriate use for external parasites.

 

[tdhenson86]

no marks.  they were tucked in for the night.  i double checked to make sure nothing got in and there is no traces of anything.  she just keeled over.   just so sad about it.  she wasn't even a year old yet.

I see. It's still sad but I'm glad that they're all safe and it wasn't a predator.

 

[Opa]

I think it is time to admit that this night is over for me. This is the 3rd time that coughing has awaken me. Hope's grandkids came over with colds and now I have it.

Coffee is done and tasting pretty good so I think there's a change I'm not going to die inspite of sounding like a lung has just fallen out.

I haven't looked outside to see if the snow has quit but I want to get it offf the drive before anyone drives on it. Plus our laborer must park there since his car can't negotiate the drive going down to our shop.

For many years I would clear the driveway with a snowshovel. I had a single stage snow blower but using it was almost more trouble than it was worth. If the snow was very wet I was constantly having to stop and clear the chute. Plus the wind would blow the snow back and I'd wind up covered and looking like a snowman.

A couple of years ago I decided that shoveling was becoming too much work and bought a large two stage snowblower. It has a 30" clearing width, has electric start, is self propelled, has a power steering system, four way joystick chute control, and even has heated handgrips. I added a cab to it and now I stay dry while using it.

Last year's snowfall only required the snowblower 5 or 6 times for the season. Let's hope that this year is no different. Although I suppose we really do need more snow to help get the lake levels back up.

Stay warm and dry and don't over extend yourself removing this storm's accumation.

 

[taprock]

This is going to sound amaturish, but I lost my first girl tonight. I heard everyone making a racket and went out to find one of my beloved hens gone. She was a barred rock and her name was Rotunda (she was the fattest & fluffiest bird) I have no idea what happened I just know I will miss her fluffy butt so much!

Not a bit. My hen didn't make it and died last night. I had a few tears over her... she was my last golden girl... a golden laced Polish named Bea. My only broody Polish. I spoke to the vet again about doing swabs but he said her symptoms were too vague to be called respiratory and that it would have to be narrowed down to actually test for something. I noticed that she was very thin. My birds just haven't seemed to regain their weight after this molt. So I guess wait and see if anyone acts "off".

I am very thankful we didn't get any snow this time. Although we haven't seen the sun in about 3 weeks now. I had high hopes to see some this morning since the sky is mostly clear, however there is a cloud bank to the east where the sun should be. There is also a cloud bank to the west so even if the sun does appear it won't be for long.

Those puppy pictures were adorable. Our dog is headed to the vet today. Leo is an 8 year old Boxer and he has not been acting normal. I spoke to the vet on the phone and told him what I thought was going on. He told us to bring in a urine sample first. The test actually confirmed what I had said so he is headed in today. Hopefully he will behave himself.

 

[Elyssia001]

I love how the snow looks, but I hate driving in it! Ended up leaving work 90 min early so I could try to get home before things got too bad. What is normally a 40 min drive doubled for me, with idiots getting into accidents and the general traffic flow at 1/2 its normal speed.

We have probably about 4 inches out there, and we're supposed to get more off and on for the next few days. I know the neighbor kids will be overjoyed and my husband seems to be satisfied that he's going to get use out of the snow blower this year.

Everything looks peaceful and clean right now, so I am enjoying the view while it lasts. It will only be a day or two before all the traffic and mess of the city ruins the natural beauty outside.

 

[fuzzybutt love]

Sorry to you guys who lost hens last night. It was nasty cold here, blowing hard. We finally got snow too, at least 4 inches from the looks.

Tap, Double check that you don't have a food hoarder, i had one last winter and didn't know it until winter was almost over; i kept boosting, and worrying. Turned out she wasn't letting the others eat most of the time. Even the poor roo was victim to her. Lack of water especially will bring out resperitory sounding distress. I got rid of her (i had dishes all over in there, she was seriously guarding the whole floor) and everyone was back to normal.

 

[Chicken Rustler]

OK I saw somebody asking about lights. I just have to share this. This is based on a true experience that I have dealt personally.


Coop lights. For anybody thinking about or with questions about using heat lamps PLEASE READ THIS. First let me say that for those of us in western WA & OR. We do not get enough cold weather to worry about heat for fully feathered birds. You only need to be concerned with heat if you have young chicks.
For ANY lights you use please make sure that the fixture is rated for the size of bulb/lamp you are using (or more). If you are going to use one of the common “heat lamps” they are most commonly 250 watt. DO NOT use a fixture with a rating of less than 250 watt. The cheap clamp on lights are not sufficient for this. You want a fixture with a ceramic base where the lamp screws in.
And here is my point. I have a friend who is also my FORMER feed supplier. She called me one day told me her barn had burned. She asked if I would haul the scrap metal and help clean up part of the mess. I was so shocked when I got there. This had been a barn about 60’ x 100’. The entire barn was gone. She also lost all of her breeding hogs including several pigs that had been paid for. She also lost the entire feed mill. When we started cleaning up and trying to find the cause. Everything pointed toward a heatlamp that was being used to keep pigs warm. While we were not able to determine if the fixture caught fire first and began dripping into the bedding or if the fixture fell into the bedding and then caught fire. Either way IF this had been a proper fixture and secured with jack chain or bare steel wire (tie wire or baling wire) there is a VERY good chance my friend would still have her barn, breeding hog business and grain/feed business.
SO again I ask that EVERYBODY using heat lights PLEASE make sure what you are using is safe!!! The best choice is the “brooder fixtures” with the ceramic base.
I post this in hopes of never having to see another person lose their buildings, animals and who knows what else due to using the wrong lighting equipment!!!
Rob

 

[drumstick diva]

Thanks CR people need to keep hearing/reading your message so maybe it will sink in.

 

[drumstick diva]

Lisa and girls - is it possible Rotunda was seriously obese for a chicken? Maybe her heart couldn't take it. I'm thinking of cornish x, etc. But I suppose it could affect any "rotund" chicken.

 

[Chicken Rustler]

Thanks CR people need to keep hearing/reading your message so maybe it will sink in.

I hope people understand that I do this so much because there are so many new peeps coming in that don't know and even some who have been around a while may have missed it in the past.