Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[Trefoil]

Hey Randy! Your ducks are getting so big. They are a hoot and a half. I can't wait to start getting eggs from the Rouen hens . . . I doubt if they will be laying by Chickenstock but if they are I will definitely bring you eggs. Here's a few pics .


Grazing in the side yard . . .

Getting lectured by a bossy Pekin, lol.

Coming in from the pond for dinner.

Great pictures, they look happy.

Oh, and it looks like I'll be taking all those scovy chicks when they hatch next month (if they hatch). And hopefully mama, too. I went to look at her and she's gorgeous! And the gent can use the money right now. He tried to sell me a fat little pony of unknown age, lol. Hard to catch, bad feet (couple of trims will fix), and headstrong. But cute . . .

Does he have any muscovy hens he want to sell. My drake was trying to breed my tiny bantam hen today.

Tap- I'm so sorry about your dog. If worse comes to worse you can always get a fancy collar and have a house chicken.
My lack of planning is coming back to haunt me. My ganders want the goslings I got at Imlay city, but they aren't imprinted and just walk off, The ganders were having a nervous breakdown trying to keep everything away. The goose is laying right now and just ignored them. My year old peas tried to take the hen's newly hatched chicks away and everybody got into that.

 

[Opa]

4AM is a terrible time to wake up. It's several hours before the sun comes up. The house is quiet and you try to move about a stealthy and possible so as to not wake anyone else. Even the coffee pot seems extremely loud but there is a limit to just how quiet you can be verses your need for caffeine. An infomercial is on the television touting the reasons you need to buy a complete collection of hits from rock and roll's early years. Hearing songs that were hits 50 years ago just reminds me of how fast life has gone by.

Last night was the 2nd night of corralling the pullets that I was letting free range. All but two had gone back into the cage on their own. As I attempted to herd the truants four more exit. Back and forth this continued until I decided that I was not accomplishing a thing. I walked away and stood off to one side for 5 minutes and everyone went inside. If I had waited a little closer to dark they would have put themselves up without my interference.

 

[gaitngirl]

Yes Opa, 5 is a pretty lousy time to be up, too. But the roo saw my light and decided to rouse the flock. And my foster dogs heard me and thought it was a fine time to be up as well . . . So I think I will join you for coffee, lol.

 

[gaitngirl]

Trefoil - this is a hen that wandered or flew in from a neighbors place. They got in trouble for taking in unwanted poultry and barnyard animals (hundreds!). I can see if the other hen that was laying in the same nest is still around. This gent doesn't want the ducks but wasn't going to boot a mama from her nest. I don't know if the neighbor that got in trouble is willing to rehome any or not. He said they ended up getting rid of most to comply with their township.

 

[gaitngirl]

We have a guesstimate hatching date. He is supposed to call me as soon as there is duckling activity. He doesn't know how his goats will do with them. The mama keeps them (the goats) out of the goat hut for now . . .

 

[ijon]

Thank-you.

 

[minniefarm]

I was up at 6:30. This was my day to sleep in until 9! I always get up to let the chickens out and then if opportunity arises on the weekend, I sneak back to bed. It was not in the cards today. The dogs got up with me, the laundry called from that dark ugly corner of the room and the coffee sang it's alluring song. Too bad the song did not mention that there is no milk or cream in the house! So now the dogs are sleeping, the laundry is purring and I am choking down black coffee. On the bright side, I won't be late for church!

We are STILL working on the coop. We (mostly DH) are building without plans and using as much scrap wood as possible. The pop door went in last night. We have one more pop door to put in, rearrange the run and perches to make before the chickens can have full use. In the mean time, they have been sleeping in a huge dog crate inside the coop and lifted out each day to the run. They don't seem to mind and will walk right into the dog crate when it is time to go to bed. Our lives will be so much simpler once we can just work the pop door!
Here are the leading questions:

1. water and feed indoors or out? We can do both, which is my preference.
2. DH wants to leg band our young ones so we can tell how old they are getting once our flock starts getting larger. Do you all band for age?

Happy Memorial Day to all!

 

[gladahmae]

Here are the leading questions:

1. water and feed indoors or out? We can do both, which is my preference.
2. DH wants to leg band our young ones so we can tell how old they are getting once our flock starts getting larger. Do you all band for age?

Happy Memorial Day to all!

I keep feed inside so that it doesn't get rained on, and the local wildlife is more apt to stay out of it. In one of our coops I could hang it under the coop, but then I'd have to climb under it every other day to refill it and that's no fun.

Right now we're keeping water outside, but I also have water inside (and in the winter water is inside because of freezing issues). I have our water bowl set up right now so that when it rains, the runoff from the metal roof falls into the water bowl. no gutters yet, it's just under the drip-line. I should also add that the only reason it's outside right now is because we took our bucket with the screw in nipples down to take the heater out and clean it up and then Iost a piece and we've been waiting for new ones to get here. Otherwise, water is also inside.

Legbands: I know several with larger flocks on here use them for year of hatch or whatever (some have a multi-band system for age and laying color or other secondary identifiers). It's useful if you're going to cull older hens when they get to a certain age, or have a lot of the same breed of different ages. We're at the point where we have 1 or 2 of a lot of different breeds, so we use the leg bands to tell the same-breed ones apart (well, we used to until our former dog wiped our flock out. we had 3 barred rocks, with green, blue, and red bands so we could tell them apart and so on with the others). Banding when they're young can be useful if you're looking to ID ones that maybe be better specimens of the breed or have a health condition, but remember that thee grow quickly and you may have to change their bands out a few times, and that's kinds of a pain in the butt.

 

[ladyrsanti]

Life does go on and remember this to shall pass. I hate anxiety, I used to get panic attacks for no reason that I know of I am glad I don't get them anymore. Seems to me that the neighbors chickens had two legged help out of there. No signs of blood or feathers leads me to believe this.

Ugg. I have had panic attacks too. Nothing worse. And no one can understand them unless they've had them. Quite a struggle that one.

Good to know I'm not alone and yes, most people don't have a clue and some can be rather insensitive about it. Right now, it's running my life. I have attacks twice a day.

And I've been dealing with this for about five years. off and on. Doctors, therapist and medications have done very little. You'd think knowing what it is would be half the battle or most of it but amazingly it does nothing to stop the symptoms.

Raz, I highlighted the text in photoshop because it was easier for me to spread around without having to explain it. Feel free to use it. I think I might print it out and send it to the mayor. Maybe several times. I see Mr. Folker was from Ottawa Lake. My grandparents lived in Ottawa Lake (about a mile from where I grew up). Small place, small world.

 

[Lisa and girls]

Good to know I'm not alone and yes, most people don't have a clue and some can be rather insensitive about it. Right now, it's running my life. I have attacks twice a day. And I've been dealing with this for about five years. off and on. Doctors, therapist and medications have done very little. You'd think knowing what it is would be half the battle or most of it but amazingly it does nothing to stop the symptoms. Raz, I highlighted the text in photoshop because it was easier for me to spread around without having to explain it. Feel free to use it. I think I might print it out and send it to the mayor. Maybe several times. I see Mr. Folker was from Ottawa Lake. My grandparents lived in Ottawa Lake (about a mile from where I grew up). Small place, small world.

No people really don't get it. I've had them for two years. It got so bad I had to quit my job. I found I tend to get them if I drank alcohol the previous day. So I've drastically changed my eating habits and limited alcohol to special occasions. Also I have to work out every day. That helps. Odd and personal question, and you dont have to answer, are you ADHD? I am and they're kinda linked in my case. We're all a bunch of hot messes, aren't we? Lol