Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[RaZ]

Just in for a quick break. What a beautiful day here. I constructed 2 pallet planters for a bit of vertical gardening. I took photos along the way and will post something later.

I also have a straw bale garden planned that may or may not work. Time will tell on that.

I moved the chicken run fence to let the girls get to the mini compost heap. They leveled the mound and spread that black gold in about 5 hours. Such good garden helpers.

 

[tmkuroda]

My grandson is on espn I line playing in a baseball tournament his name is Kyle number7 and is in jet box here is the link
http://espn.go.com/watchespn/roadbl..._slug_=usssa-canton-super-nit-10-championship

 

[Stacykins]

I just sold my first goat! A little blue eyed buckling. I think he went to a great home! I was both happy and sad to see him go. He was such a snuggly little guy, very content to cuddle!

I made sure to take plenty of pictures last night, since I knew he'd be picked up today!

The last picture has the neighbor's horse farm in view. It made a very pretty backdrop.



I recently tattooed his ears, so they are green from the excess ink.

 

[gladahmae]

Awww! What a cute little goat! The family down the hill from us has a little goat right now too that I'm constantly seeing on the hill *right next to the road* eating grass. So cute! Makes me nervous with it so close to traffic (sparse as it is) though.

We got one of the meaty tractors tarped in this afternoon, and moved the orpington over to it and moved 4 girls in with the Wyandotte roo. I'll plan on keeping eggs starting Thursday or so next week and set in a little over 2 weeks. If the kippenjungle calculator can be trusted *at all* in this case, I can get some really neat looking chicks if I breed one of the resulting cockerels back to a silver laced or gold laced Wyandotte hen.

I have 2 eggs pipped under my broody, and another egg hatched this morning over at my brother-in-laws. So, if the 2 pipped ones hatch, I'll have 6 chicks out of 15 from shipped eggs that took 5 days to be delivered.

She's got another 3 eggs under her that haven't done anything yet, and today is day 23, so I'm not holding my breath on those.

I need some help with making feedbag totes. I volunteered to sew some (which is turning into more than I thought, but it's for a good cause) for the dog rescue we foster for to sell at fund raisers/silent auctions. Sewing the bags is easy enough, but they would really like them to be lined, and that is pretty much tripling my time per bag, and I'm having to pin the dickens out of them (which then leaves little pin holes all over the bag). Does anyone with experience sewing these things have any tips for me? My current method is to cut the bag to size, make the lining the same size as the bag (so it's cut and also sewn into a tube like the cut bag) and then sewing the bottom, and then trying to match up the fabric around the top, get everything even, etc. Getting the top right is what is taking so long. Making sure it's not twisted, or too tight or heaven forbid I end up an 1/8 of an in off in size on the liner....that comes out as almost a 1/4 in when translated into stitching around the top! Help! I'm considering doing it the opposite way, and trying to sew the top first, THEN seam it into a tube and then sew the bottom......

 

[HollyDuckFarmer]

When I sew bags or baskets, what I do is sew the outside first. Then I see the lining sides & bottom. Okay this is where it gets tricky to explain. I take the the outside part and turn it inside out. Then I take the lining , and I will pin it at the top with both wrong sides together. Then I seam at the top. Then I just stuff the lining into the bag and seams are hidden. Hope I explained this right!!!!

 

[NovaAman]

Awww! What a cute little goat! The family down the hill from us has a little goat right now too that I'm constantly seeing on the hill *right next to the road* eating grass. So cute! Makes me nervous with it so close to traffic (sparse as it is) though.

We got one of the meaty tractors tarped in this afternoon, and moved the orpington over to it and moved 4 girls in with the Wyandotte roo. I'll plan on keeping eggs starting Thursday or so next week and set in a little over 2 weeks. If the kippenjungle calculator can be trusted *at all* in this case, I can get some really neat looking chicks if I breed one of the resulting cockerels back to a silver laced or gold laced Wyandotte hen.

I have 2 eggs pipped under my broody, and another egg hatched this morning over at my brother-in-laws. So, if the 2 pipped ones hatch, I'll have 6 chicks out of 15 from shipped eggs that took 5 days to be delivered.

She's got another 3 eggs under her that haven't done anything yet, and today is day 23, so I'm not holding my breath on those.

I need some help with making feedbag totes. I volunteered to sew some (which is turning into more than I thought, but it's for a good cause) for the dog rescue we foster for to sell at fund raisers/silent auctions. Sewing the bags is easy enough, but they would really like them to be lined, and that is pretty much tripling my time per bag, and I'm having to pin the dickens out of them (which then leaves little pin holes all over the bag). Does anyone with experience sewing these things have any tips for me? My current method is to cut the bag to size, make the lining the same size as the bag (so it's cut and also sewn into a tube like the cut bag) and then sewing the bottom, and then trying to match up the fabric around the top, get everything even, etc. Getting the top right is what is taking so long. Making sure it's not twisted, or too tight or heaven forbid I end up an 1/8 of an in off in size on the liner....that comes out as almost a 1/4 in when translated into stitching around the top! Help! I'm considering doing it the opposite way, and trying to sew the top first, THEN seam it into a tube and then sew the bottom......

Fabric glue. Glue the lining to the feed bag before sewing. This way it'll stay in place while sewing, eliminate pins. ALSO, you can run some light glue in multiple places along the centers of the bags to keep the lining in place with out it shifting to much while you sew.

 

[RaZ]

Pre-wash the lining material so that it is shrunk.
I mostly use my serger when I have to use a liner. It keeps the 2 dis-similar materials secured together pretty well. I still get some wrinkling of the liner. Come to think of it, I use my serger for most of my joining as well.

 

[Lisa and girls]

Congratulations Theron and RIRJen.  Great job.

I still can't get my mind wrapped around the idea of the bath before the show. I have a mental image of a 50's beauty salon with chickens sitting under hair dryers. 

Lolllll

 

[Totalcolour]

Any goat people around - I need help

My little boer doeling. Mama was not taking such good care of her at all - wouldn't let her nurse and is now almost dried up. So, I brought her in, bought some goat replacer and am trying to get her to take a bottle. Never done it before (she's adamantly refusing right now). (doeling is now 11 days old and hardly any bigger than when born).

Hubby wants to put her back with the herd and feed her during the day. I told him I thought it would confuse her, and that she'd never accept the bottle. The problem is, we don't have anyplace to keep her except in the garage in a dog crate.

Once she has accepted the bottle for a few days, would it be safe to put her back with the flock? Would she try nursing on Mama again?


I'd appreciate any advice right now!

 

[snowflake]

Hi hope to meet some other Michigan folk.

Welome

Hi folks. Just dropping in to say

Do ya mind if I hang out here for a while??

you know you are always WELCOME

My littlest hatchlings - 3 Basques, a Basque- Speckled Sussex cross, and 2 little bantam cochins

so love the babys, so cute!!!

Hello everyone! I'm new here from just south of Battle Creek in Southern MI. Our very first flock is about 11 weeks old now. We have 12 hens....at least they are all supposed to be hens

Welcome to you too

hope you can all make chicken stock in Lansing June 22

And the best for last...

Theron and RJen, CONGRATULATIONS,,

Fabric glue. Glue the lining to the feed bag before sewing. This way it'll stay in place while sewing, eliminate pins. ALSO, you can run some light glue in multiple places along the centers of the bags to keep the lining in place with out it shifting to much while you sew.

GREAT IDEA

Any goat people around - I need help

Oh dear don't know any thing about goats, hope you can save her


Love the other goat pics, little blue eyes is so cute.