Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[kimmie6067]

"The favorite poultry related saying of a friend of mine was that chickens may be your pets just never fall down in the chicken run because they will eat you."-OPA

 

[taprock]

Yesterday was beautiful! I cleaned out the whole coop - which was a horrible mess. The worst I can remember since there was no warm up since December that it could be cleaned up. This was the first year I wore a mask as my Dr. told me. It was very nice not to have my nose full of junk and the real plus, my allergies are not bothering me this morning! Now it is all on the trailer to be taken and shoveled onto the garden plots. DH replaced the window in the my small coop/tractor. Today I have to clean it to get ready for the new birds. DH also came home with a load of 2 x 4's

that were in someone's burn pile. So now I have all I need to do up my little coops. I woke up this morning and noticed right off there was no light in the brooder. I had decided they really didn't need it anymore but didn't want to shut it off last night when it was already dark, but it seems the light burned out during the night. Everyone did fine with no piling so I think I will leave it off.

 

[snowflake]

The sad reality of raising chickens is that we often must see the carnage wreaked by this creatures that are not much different than dinosaurs. The favorite poultry related saying of a friend of mine was that chickens may be your pets just never fall down in the chicken run because they will eat you.

Funny just yesterday DH said when our rooster walks around the front yard he reminds him of a Dinosaur,

Feels good to have that cleaning job done doesn't it!!
Congrats on the wood score

 

[swampducks]

Hiya das, I've been pretty darn good, how about you? About the only thing nice about keeping the stove running in april is that it heats the hot tub, too. Once we shut it down no more heated hot tub.

Thing is, there always seems to be too much going on to remember to use it anyway, that is until we can't!

I've been very busy, finally started weeding the oldest veggie garden yesterday, need to get something planted! I've had absolutely zero interest in gardening this year, though I did finally buy some seeds. If I can finish cleaning up that first section I can get my snow peas in. I need to get back to the easy garden site and post there.

DH, aka Hal was nice enough to move my rabbit hutch converted to chicken coop into the yard last week and set it next to my main coop and set up the fencing and netting for it. Now I just have to catch some chickens and stuff them inside in preparation for egg collecting and hatching. Have to decide which breeds to do first. So many possibilities!

Hey swamp how you been? Been awhile since I've seen a post from you. I like the wood stove warmth also. But having it running all the time in the middle of April is getting real old. I did set my bator in the great room where it is at.

 

[swampducks]

That's a lot of sweaters! I don't have half as many and my neighbor loves to joke about how many I buy myself every winter! None of them are wool either. JCPenney doesn't seem to stock much wool. However, I am currently crocheting a shawl with a superfine wool blend. Though it's been driving me insane so I'm liable to give it to my DH's sister. It's her favorite color, too, purple.

I've got the wool to keep warm! I can't stand it being over 65 at night though or else I am waking up hot all night. Must be the flannel sheets since the quilt is very thin.

 

[RIRJen]

Cute chick picture time!!!

 

[HollyDuckFarmer]

[

The old saying "birds of a feather flock together" probably came as a result of someone watching chickens.  If you have a rainbow flock of different birds you will see that they will pair up by breed, color, and size.  This self imposed segregation is just part of flock dynamics.  It can be a very important factor when introducing breeds that take this to exclusionary levels. 

Ducks are this way also... My white Pekins choose to hang out together, and seem to prefer the company of their own kind rather than mixing company. I read somewhere that they can see in color, don't know if that is true or not?

 

[SillyChicken]

Didn't get anywhere near as much done Sat as I hoped, so I ended up planting the pear trees in the rain Sunday. (though it may have been good conditions for the tree, I didn't enjoy it as much). The rest of the week sounds like it will be really nice!
Too often, we humanize how we expect our animals to behave... as humans we sympathize with and coddle the weak, but in nature, the weak are either a detriment to the health of the herd, through spreading disease or attracting predator, or a meal opportunity for their own kind. Eat or be eaten and survival of the fittest! The only good thing about a weaker animal, is that it can protect the rest of the animals that are healthy.

As far as different breeds segregating themselves... If they didn't do that naturally, through appearance and/or mannerisms.... all the animals in the wild would be mutts of some sort. There had to be a way to self regulate who they bred too.
Still haven't found the dogs owners......... wonder if she's a drop off. I've posted everywhere.and will be putting up fliers tonight.
RIR - so cute!! love the one in the bottom pict!

 

[Jake Levi]

Alma MI chicken show this sat, the 4th, who is going?

This will be my first time, going to pick up some more Icelandics and some Delawares.

And spending a lot of time looking at other breeds.

Its a 3hr drive but I expect that its going to be well worth it.

Re introducing young chickens to the flock, I would never even try before they were 3-4 mos old and then only if they had lots of places to hide. Six mos would be even better, in a large space.

 

[swampducks]

Hi mylobell, sorry about your chickens.

welcome to the group. I'm a bit further north than you, about a 90 minute drive up M-65, between Lincoln and Glennie. I'd say Barton City, but no one knows where the heck that is!
Fun bunch here.