Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[kimmie6067]

Wow, after 8 months without my laptop my son comes over and fixes it in an hour! 7 years of engineering college enabled him and it only took him 8 months to get here, lol! Anyway, I used to be on here daily and with my iphone it turned into every month, or so. Maybe I'll get back on my old schedule? Super excited to hear from Kim! Good stuff! OK, who's gonna feed the goats - guess that would be me. I'll be bringing bunnies to CS...

Hey where have you been? I have a hen that has 7 babies they are so cute! I want to get a goat oh and a puppy. Not sure what breed of either.

 

[gladahmae]

Hmmmm. One of my pullets just started laying and is laying a gray-ish color egg. Very odd shade of not-really-green that I'm guessing is coming from one of my EEs I got from CL. Had to block off another 'hiding spot' in the coop. Darn chickens are laying everywhere EXCEPT for the nest boxes!! Maybe I need to make some curtains so they have a more 'private' place to do their business.....

 

[MrsLahman]

Hello Michiganders! I just got my first chickens (3 RIR hens) and 3 JERSEY GIANTS (1 hen and 2 roosters) this Spring. they are 3 weeks old, should be fully feathered in a week or two, I lowered their heat faster than I was instructed to get them out faster. But they are loud and stink and constantly fly out of the brooder box, so I need to get them outside ASAP.

Im in N.E. MI near Alpena, 30-20 degrees daily average, I have an old shed with electricity Im putting them in, relatively draft-free. Not sure if they need a small heater or maybe their brooder lamp set up just incase they need it?...... Im just wondering from other MICHIGAN chicken owners what they recommend for transferring them outside (do they need to be 'hardened off' slowly ?). I've gone this far without loosing any, I wanna keep it that way.

 

[RaZ]

I see you lurking, Juise.

 

[SillyChicken]

hi mrslahman! You could put a screen on the top of the bin they're in to keep them inside. If you put them in the shed, I'd hook up the heat lamp VERY securely so they can get heat, but not be able to knock it down and burn your shed down. Once they are fully feathered out, they can handle the cold much better.

 

[MrsLahman]

I can use my window screens!! why didnt i think of that? lol

 

[RaZ]

What Sillychicken said...
Plus deeper litter will help contain the poo better. At 3 weeks, they should not be all that stinky unless they are overcrowded and are running in their own waste.

I think it is too cold yet for that young of chicks to be outside. Unless your shed is able to maintain about 65 degrees.

HTH

 

[naglady]

nice to see someone join this group that lives closer to me.. i am from oscoda 45 minutes south of alpena..


where did you get your chicks from.. if from alpena tractor supply did they have a nice selection.

 

[MrsLahman]

oh HIIIIII!! ya, i got them from tractor supply. everytime i go in there they have more and more and I have to control myself. lol. how about u?

 

[kimmie6067]

adorable chicks


Heres a question, should i have pine shavings in with my chicks, i have paper down, and change in 2-3 x a day.. just wondering, i like to keep the smell down.

I heard that sand was good to use you can rake it to get the poop out. I am going to put it in all my coops that way I can clean them everyday. I seen it on The Chicken Chick blog I think thats were I read it, she made a big litter box scoop out of a pitchfork she attached hardwarecloth to it.