Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[RaZ]

Welcome to the new folks. I'm happy to see more people from my neck of the suburbs.

 

[Brethren49619]

That's a very nice blue egg. Congrats!

 

[Wrightsx4]

I love all the new chick pictures! Got my incubator heating up now - setting eggs Sunday morning.

 

[RaZ]

Kind of a grey and gloomy day and I think it was bothering the hens. They seemed to be overly aggressive today. Every one of them got in to some snit with another while I was out doing chores. I'm guessing that a new pecking order is being established.

Meanwhile back in the brooder, there is one chick who is definitely the boss chick. He sits throne on top of the water jar and practices the stink eye.

The ducklings have doubled in size since I brought them home. That was only 4 days ago!

 

[Lisa and girls]

Looks like hatching is completed in the first round of incubation. Eight total, all within 24 hours from first to last. One silkie mix, others are first generation olive egger and easter egger.

So cute!!! Especially that last picture!

 

[bluebirdnanny]

Love that last photo... little blondie looking up

 

[tdhenson86]

Hi! Relatively new to BYC. Thought i would stop by MI thread and say hi! Will check it out more later. I am in SE Mi
I have 7 chickens - first time chicken mom. They are almost 6 weeks. We get our coop this weekend finally!

Hello and welcome to the Michigan thread!

 

[Trefoil]

I do bring things on Thursdays... but usually nothing major. Sometimes I bring a pie, or our home canned pickles, or some potato salad, etc... whatever bit to participate. Actually, my 2 best recipes (Lemon Meringue Pie, & homemade pickles are my grandma's recipes that she taught me many years ago. They taste like home.).

My aunt LOVES cooking for Thursday dinners though & I can't take that away from her. She's always lived alone, never been married, and never had any kids of her own. So she really does look forward to trying out new recipes on us each week, and enjoys filling that void now that she's retired. Trust me, I've tried. I even try to help with the clean-up and dishes, but I'm usually shipped off back to the dining room with a cup of coffee instead.

I don't know how much longer we'll have for "Thursday dinners with grandma". I am dreading the days when I'll have to look back on this time with longing. It breaks my heart to see such a wonderful person have to age. We are truly blessed and thankful to still have this time with her, and that we're able to make the most of it.

That is great, our family dinners died out with my folks, years ago and I really miss seeing everybody and the sense of family it gives us. I wish I had realized that family ties had to be nurtured.

So cute!!! Especially that last picture!

Love all the chickie pictures, make that baby pictures, the baby goats are really cute.
She does look like a mini donkey. Welcome to all the newbies.

 

[cuppycake]

Stacykins, I want to steal your widdle tiny kids. they are so adorable.

I actually picked up my Alpine doeling today. She's so cute but a little skittish, they weren't handling the kids much. Oh well, she'll figure out soon enough that I am the bringer of food and warm up to me like everyone else, lol. I'll get pictures later on.

I put some eggs in the incubator last week, just for the heck of it. I wasn't sure they were fertile or if they'd be ok after being out in the barn during freezing temps. One (or more likely two, judging by the sizes and colors of the eggs) of the neighbors' chickens keeps laying eggs in my barn. Well, their favorite "empty" stall now has a goat kid living in it so I guess that will end in short order. Anyway, I have no idea what breed chickens are laying in there, but I took their eggs and put them in the incubator. Well I just candled them and ALL 10 are developing! I really did not expect to see that. I'm still trying to be cautious and not get my hopes up too high. Don't want to count my chickens before they hatch, you know.

 

[gladahmae]

Hi, we live SE Mi to, newbies also. My husband is building our coop, we have 12 of the little buggers , Isa Reds mostly. Have you decided on how to keep your coop warm next winter?

coops don't need to be kept warm in the winter. draft-free and good ventilation are the keys. do some looking and come planning before you finish building your coop. we had do to some early-winter modifications on one of our coops to address a draft issue.

the only heat most here offer is for the waterers so they don't freeze up. There are several options for that too.