Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[ladyrsanti]

Hi everyone! Hi lady! Do you still have your wheatens, curious how they turned out. I ended up with two, a male and a female. I made rhubarb sauce today for icecream...yummmm. I can't grow it no matter what I do, but my 11 year old grows it like a jungle 25 feet away.

Hey! Yes I do. Well, I've sold two of them and have three left, one is a roo which I will keep. They are not too bad so far but I have a feeling they would not be allowed in the wheaten marans thread for some reason or another. They would probably beat me down with "I can't believe people don't know when something is a breed and when it isn't", like I got in the brahma thread. Not sure I'd buy from that breeder again. But still, hoping they lay nice dark eggs and then I won't care if they're up to breed standard or not.

 

[Wrightsx4]

Good to know. Yeah, I'm sure mine are the same - I wouldn't dare compare mine to any standards. Not that I'd know where to begin. Sorry you got such responses on the Brahma thread. Not nice. Our wheatens did come from nice dark eggs and that's what I really want - just adding some variation. And I think they're pretty...even if they aren't perfect! Lol.
I have a broody australorp due to hatch salmon faverolle eggs from another BYCer this weekend...so excited!

 

[snowflake]

I have a question on Chickenstock... I don't have a ton of people signed up on the attendance thread, but I believe many people posted in SillyChicken's "planning ahead" thread that they would likely come. Andthere are people who signed up in Raz's and Theron's threads that they are bringing things, but are not on my list Do you all think it is ok if I add them to the attendance thread based on those posts?

Thanks!

I think it would be fine and I will check and see if I have signed all threads

I got my garden planted!!

Not an easy job since I had to wait until our new puppy finally took a nap! Having lots of fun with Otis.

Have a mystery.. found a huge puddle of blood in my garage. Some under the camper and a few drops here and there, front and back yard. No bodies of any kind. Ran around looking for all my chickens and found no one injured, or dead. Had to be dead with all that blood. Waited until everyone was roosted and saw no one missing or injured. Everyone alive this morning. So.... where did all that blood come from?? Looked around for an injured animal or dead one, but can't find one. It's just creepy. Garage door was open, so anything could have come in. Just creepy. Both my cats are safe, too. Bunnies are ok. Hmmmm...just creepy.

I catch rabbits(wild) in my garage all the time, if the cat finds them there could be blood, so far they have been lucky,

Rhubarb envy, you know you has it.

I froze two gallon freezer bags full yesterday AND made some rhubarb crisp. There's still more out there too. Good year for rhubarb.

The ladies helping me with some asparagus beetle larvae. It was a really bad infestation this year. Good work ladies! There are almost none left (with a little help - they couldn't reach the upper branches so I had to shake them down).

love the hens in the asparagus1,
I have a rhubarb question, mine always gets a seed stalk, comes up almost before the leafs, they are usually small yet, do I have a male plant or something, next yr I play to cut it out as soon as I see it, my Dad grew rhubarb forever and I don't ever remember it getting a seed stalk

 

[ladyrsanti]

I have a rhubarb question, mine always gets a seed stalk, comes up almost before the leafs, they are usually small yet, do I have a male plant or something, next yr I play to cut it out as soon as I see it, my Dad grew rhubarb forever and I don't ever remember it getting a seed stalk

All rhubarb sends up flower stalks. Just break them off whenever they come up and the plant will put its energy into making edible stalks instead.

 

[ladyrsanti]

Good to know. Yeah, I'm sure mine are the same - I wouldn't dare compare mine to any standards. Not that I'd know where to begin. Sorry you got such responses on the Brahma thread. Not nice. Our wheatens did come from nice dark eggs and that's what I really want - just adding some variation. And I think they're pretty...even if they aren't perfect! Lol.
I have a broody australorp due to hatch salmon faverolle eggs from another BYCer this weekend...so excited!

Mine were all over the place. The main criticism is that most of mine had black spots on their heads at hatch and wheaten marans apparently should not, ever. Whatever that means for an adult's plumage and egg laying capabilities, I don't know. I just want those chocolate eggs!

I hear a lot about Salmon Faverolles on here. What is the draw to them? Should I want some too?

 

[uchytil]

Hi everyone! Hi lady! Do you still have your wheatens, curious how they turned out. I ended up with two, a male and a female. I made rhubarb sauce today for icecream...yummmm. I can't grow it no matter what I do, but my 11 year old grows it like a jungle 25 feet away.

That's strange. Ours grows wherever. When we want more just take a shovel and drive thru the clump to separate, and replant. Our original 4x4 is now 4x8 next to the strawberry bed. I also have some in the woods in a few places, kinda sorta. It comes up wild and free. The only thing I do at all is when I cover the strawberries with straw in late fall I put some over the barb for no reason whatsoever. I do break off the bolts a few times a week to give the stalks more energy. If at first you don't succeed...

 

[uchytil]

Hi everyone! Hi lady! Do you still have your wheatens, curious how they turned out. I ended up with two, a male and a female. I made rhubarb sauce today for icecream...yummmm. I can't grow it no matter what I do, but my 11 year old grows it like a jungle 25 feet away.

That's strange. Ours grows wherever. When we want more just take a shovel and drive thru the clump to separate, and replant. Our original 4x4 is now 4x8 next to the strawberry bed. I also have some in the woods in a few places, kinda sorta. It comes up wild and free. The only thing I do at all is when I cover the strawberries with straw in late fall I put some over the barb for no reason whatsoever. I do break off the bolts a few times a week to give the stalks more energy. If at first you don't succeed...

 

[Wrightsx4]

Mine were all over the place.  The main criticism is that most of mine had black spots on their heads at hatch and wheaten marans apparently should not, ever.  Whatever that means for an adult's plumage and egg laying capabilities, I don't know.  I just want those chocolate eggs! 

I hear a lot about Salmon Faverolles on here.  What is the draw to them?  Should I want some too? 

Hahaha...yes you definitely should want some! Lol. I've only had one but she was killed by a raccoon a couple months ago. She had the most amazing personality - very quirky and funny. I've read that it's common with that breed. I hatched her last egg. Got a male, but he's mixed with EE. I'm hoping to get a few more from the 7 SF eggs my hen is hatching for me.

 

[nluoma]

The only stupid question, is the one that's not asked......

[COLOR=800080]Michigan Chickenstock 2013[/COLOR]​

[COLOR=800080]June 22[SUP]nd[/SUP], 10am-3pm
[/COLOR]​

[COLOR=800080]Delta Mills Park
[/COLOR]​

[COLOR=800080]6841 Old River Trail
 * Lansing, MI  48917[/COLOR]​

[COLOR=800080]It's when all us crazy chicken people on here........ gather in one spot.......... and have a good time!   Kinda like a family reunion....... and I believe it gets bigger every year.    It's free to attend, though we do ask for a donation to help pay for the pavilion rental and some of the food cost for meat.   And a dish to pass if you plan on eating some great food with the rest of us.   There are links that I will add shortly.[/COLOR]​

How do I sign up? This sounds great!

 

[Wrightsx4]

That's strange.  Ours grows wherever.  When we want more just take a shovel and drive thru the clump to separate, and replant.  Our original 4x4 is now 4x8 next to the strawberry bed.  I also have some in the woods in a few places, kinda sorta.  It comes up wild and free.  The only thing I do at all is when I cover the strawberries with straw in late fall I put some over the barb for no reason whatsoever.  I do break off the bolts a few times a week to give the stalks more energy.  If at first you don't succeed...

Oh I'll keep trying! I love rhubarb. I think I'll try composted manure around it. I've always used bagged fertilizer around them. My daughter's plant gets nothing yet thrives...unless she's doing something I don't know about. It is close to the vegetable garden that gets coop compost, where my plants are in the sandy strawberry patch.