Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[tjbeckman]

Ok looking for a little help on this one. This is our first year with the chickens. I have one of my hens that it looks like the feathers are starting to break off on her back exposing the fluffy feathers. We did just get a new roo, wondering if thats what its from? Thanks

 

[NovaAman]

Trim his nails, spurs, and get aprons for the girls.

 

[1muttsfan]

Well my computer modem is down (when I called ATT tech support the (very) young man asked if I thought the ethernet light was just burned out - ?!? Like I would know!) Such things are few and far between here in the Great White North, so I may be in for a trip to Cheboygan tomorrow to find a replacement. In the meantime I am restricted to my phone, which has been very quirky in the browser department lately. It is certainly interesting how much you can take for granted something that was only an idea in the tech geeks minds 15 years ago. If I could do more than basic smilies I would be using the thundercloud one this morning!

 

[Elyssia001]

It looks like we have a chicken win in Garden City. The guy whose case was moved to Wayne prevailed. The judge's opinion will be available shortly.

Does this then set the precedence for your case? It would be stupid and irresponsible for them to continue to try citizens practicing their Right to Farm once they've already been put to their rumps in the dirt once. Tax dollars are better spent on improving the city's resources rather than restricting them by attempting to make criminals out of productive small scale farmers.


On another topic, I've started reading "Homesteading Adventures: A Guide for Doers and Dreamers" by Sue Robishaw. It is written about her and her partner Steve's first several years as modern homesteaders in the UP of Michigan. I'll share a review of it with you all when I finish.

 

[Wrightsx4]

I am very grateful right now that a large doghouse connects my run and coop. I worked late last night so my DH locked up the chickens at dark. Well, most of them. I should have gone out and checked on them, but I really thought he could count to 17!!!

 

[chickflick]

I'm glad you had a place for the chicken to get out of the cold! I strongly recommend every one to have something for the birds to go into in the event of an oversight. Even a straw house would do.
Looks so pretty outside, but man the wind is wicked! Want to take the dogs for a walk, but I'm afraid I'd blow away. Well, that's wishful thinking. Think I have enough weight on me to keep me grounded. The dogs might blow away, but a chance in hell that I will.
Going to try and clean the coops today. Just new shavings.
Take care and have a good day

 

[snowflake]

what Nova said , on the broken feathers. you can use a dermal ,works very well

just got back from our walk, not to windy here and the sun feels nice and warm on your back


Question!!!!

I culled an old hen today she had a congested noise in her chest, other then that seemed fine but was close to 6 and didn't want to take the chance of something contagious.
I did a necropsy (VERY amateur ) her heart seemed very large, and there was a lot of fat around her gizzard, and other intestines
has any on here necropsy a bird that old? the fat around the breast,vent outer side of the hen was minimal, and looked like I thought it should, wondering if that amount of fat is normal for such and old hen?/

had tried vetRX and penicillin with no improvement

 

[boris159]

Hi all, faithful reader/10-thumbs poster here. Today I found the 3rd Coopers-Hawk-kill in 6 weeks on my flock, this one underneath the cedar tree next to the barn (old 1-stall garage renovated). AARGGH!!! I had strung wire in various patterns around the run to discourage it, and somehow it navigated the barrage wires to take an 18-mo. hen. She was a good layer too, lots of eggs in the pipeline on examination. Her meat is simmering for chick feed tomorrow, the rest buried in the garden.
Next step is to string more wire, with pieces of aluminum-flashing attached at intervals, between every fence-post in the run.
There, that gives me a direction, and thank you for letting me vent.
After the 2nd kill, I hid underneath another cedar, close to the kill, rifle in hand, for hours, watching the hawk circle me, until DW interrupted my hunt with an explanation of the legal ramifications of being caught killing a hawk, and what that would mean to our lifestyle. Very sobering.

 

[NovaAman]

Boris... man I know how you feel. I have had to keep my birds locked up in the run. Until this fall, they had NEVER been confined. An ocassional loss was here and there, but then this fall they started coming in force. Lost my beautiful Roger, Carmel, another cockerel chick, and several attempt while I was there! My birds do not like it at all being used to total freedom. Anyway, fire crackers... try scaring it off with fire crackers.

Well anyway!

Skatter has gone broody again. I have to keep taking her out of the nest boxes at night. She goes from box to box trying to find eggs to sit on. SO, I know I have lots of eggs, but since I just treated recently, I can not hatch any of those eggs. DO, does anyone near me have some eggs? Can be totally mutt derived eggs. Only need 4-6...

 

[gladahmae]

Skatter has gone broody again. I have to keep taking her out of the nest boxes at night. She goes from box to box trying to find eggs to sit on. SO, I know I have lots of eggs, but since I just treated recently, I can not hatch any of those eggs. DO, does anyone near me have some eggs? Can be totally mutt derived eggs. Only need 4-6...

Is she the one that went broody last winter too? Wish one of mine would go broody!


My little cockerels no longer sound like party favors when they try to crow. Well. Most of them sound decent now. Still very adolescent, but decent.

There's an orchard that's selling off a BUNCH of their apple crates, and DH and I both agree that they look like they'd be great brooder boxes, breeding coops, or grow-out coops with a little modification (like a door, an a slight roof pitch to shed snow and rain. They've had them since fall, so I'm sure they'll still have them in a few months when we can actually use them.