Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[Scifisarah]

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/20...the-rise-of-cage-free-eggs-means-for-chickens

Or you could just buy eggs from your local backyard chicken keeper.

The pictures turned out good but I couldn't find any of my family (or myself). Then again, my crappy satellite internet wouldn't load a few so I could have missed something. I really was there though, I swear! Didn't make the group picture because I was securing the run-away pullet - got finished, stood up, turned around and everyone was dispersing. Ah well, me and Charlie Brown go WAY back.

I found it interesting that twice as many chickens died in the cage free farms. I wonder what they are dying from? Maybe scratching around in their own filth does have its drawbacks.

 

[ladyrsanti]

Yes, I would be most interested to see the results of the MSU study.

 

[Opa]

Went out to collect eggs and check the birds and looked in at the garden. The pounding rain certainly didn't do my tomato plants any good. Since I wasn't wearing muck boots I didn't go into the garden to find out if the cherry tomato plants are just beaten down or if they are broken. That was one of the hardest rains I seen in years. The street flooding in Howell was the worst it's been in the 35 years I've lived here. While I wasn't on the road David was and he said I probably could have operated my jet boat on Grand River Ave from the Big Boy restaurant westward almost to the court house.

 

[Stacykins]

We're getting rain here in the UP now too. But it was very much needed. It has been a month since we've gotten a good, soaking rain. A little bit south of my area, in Menominee County, there is some flooding. They got the more intense part of the rain storms.

I have some pic spam of the Nigora (Nigerian Dwarf x Angora) kids born here. I was going to keep the doeling, but a friend who was going to take just the little boy home (he will be wethered) fell in love with her, too. So she'll be adding the pair to her herd! Her (human) kids have named the pair Ron and Luna. Ron after a neighbor who shares a birthday with the kids, and Luna for the fact the supermoon was still in the sky when they were born in the wee hours of the morning! Her children had NO idea they were going to meet their new goat babies when they came over to snuggle on them! Needless to say, they were ecstatic when they learned the kids were theirs! So once the little ones are weaned from their mama, they will be going to their new home!

Yes, they are as soft and silky as they look! Both have pretty blue eyes, too!

Ron's ears are floppier. Little Luna has airplaine ears that mostly stick out to the side!



Ron


Luna getting kisses from her mother, Bailey!


Mama so proud!


Luuuuna!


Luna in my lap


Luna's gorgeous blue eyes. Her brother's are the same.


She then decided to take a nap.


Ron and his adorable ears!


Perky little guy!


"There is a chicken in my grain!"


BTW, this is their father, George.

The only thing the kids inherited from his are his eyes!

 

[NovaAman]

Pretty little things!

Today while working and wishing it was over, I was treated to the awesome sight of at least 30 Canuck Geese and goslings... This was in a condo association that has several ponds that are stocked, and waterways that connect several of them, that leads out to a greater pond by a park called TimberTown in Zeeland. Anyway, ducks, geese and white swans abound here. This is the largest group that I have seen at one time though, it was great.

 

[gaitngirl]

Pretty little things!

Today while working and wishing it was over, I was treated to the awesome sight of at least 30 Canuck Geese and goslings... This was in a condo association that has several ponds that are stocked, and waterways that connect several of them, that leads out to a greater pond by a park called TimberTown in Zeeland. Anyway, ducks, geese and white swans abound here. This is the largest group that I have seen at one time though, it was great.

How very cool!

 

[BTinks]

I haven't had a lot of time to post very often but I wanted to ask some opinions on my rooster situation. I had two roosters with my hens: Jacques and Carson. Jacques was the clear number one rooster and Carson didnt really challenge him at all, since they had grown up together (Jacques is 18 weeks old, Carson is 17 weeks old).

A few weeks ago we got a one year-ish old Cochin rooster and three hens to add to our flock. Their quarantine ended on Sunday and I made them a little enclosure within my chicken run. Everyone was getting along fine through the wire and the new hens had escaped into the run a few times with no issues, so when a thunderstorm was coming in Monday night I decided to put the Cochins in the coop once all the other birds were roosting to keep them out of the weather. I tried the cologne suggestion that someone here had given me and Tuesday morning when I checked on them at 6 am they all seemed content. But when I went back to check later that morning I found Jacques hiding in a nesting box with his comb bloody and the Cochin rooster was strutting around the yard. I tended to the comb with blue kote and checked back later, but they seem to have worked it out that the Cochin is number one in the run and haven't bickered since.

I'm starting to worry about Jacques though. Since the incident he spends all of his time sleeping in a nesting box if they are all in the coop/run area and if I let them out to free range, he hides under my deck and sleeps there. His comb is already starting to heal, but he does have a limp and has been walking very slowly. I don't think that there is anything broken though. He looks fine but is just acting really depressed. The strange thing is that Carson has been protective of Jacques since this happened, but there were a few times today where Carson chased Jacques back into the coop, and he has even tried to mount him. I can't figure out what is going in with them. Tonight Carson refused to go back into the coop without Jacques, but when I finally got Jacques out from under my deck, Carson attacked him and chased him under a bush.

Sooo I am wondering, is there anything health wise that I need to check Jacques for? Should I be concerned that he is hiding and sleeping so much? Or is he just depressed that he is no longer number one? Aside from Jacques' behavior, everyone else has settled in really well and it was a really easy flock addition. I'm just really worried about my favorite roo! Any thoughts or insights will be helpful!

 

[NovaAman]

Yes, second coop and run.

 

[Hillbilly Hen]

I would like to join this thread! I'm from Northern Michigan (Lower Peninsula) and just getting back into the chicken and duck thing.

& Welcome!

I signed up last year to take some pix as part of the 2013 CS planning ahead. No way I can post hundreds of shots. Anyone wants to see more I'll have to put them online at a photo sharing site. Anyone wants to see that PM me and I'll give you the link.

I

I see me, Snowflake, Granny and someone's cute kid. Oh, and Granny is holding Tucker.

Here's the link to the CS13 pix: http://www.flickr.com/photos/uchytil59/

My crummy wireless is sooo slow that it's allowing my laptop to doublepost. Sorry.

I thought you just wanted to make sure you were heard

Thanks for the link. I will have to check it out.

Guess who found a Aracauna who is double tufted and rumpless

I'm one happy camper

he will be shipped when the weather gets cool enough

Wonderful!!

I loved seeing all the pics of chickens, goats, sunrise.....

Just finished making 8 pints of strawberry syrup. I bought some of the best tasting strawberries from a local Amish lady.

 

[preciouskitty]

Opa,
I have only been in Howell 5 years, but this is by far the worst flooding I have seen in my yard (I would post of pic, but my desktop computer at work sometimes lets me, other times doesn't..same with the fun little characters and paragraph spacing..very weird....sorry, I digress)

I must admit, after the roof leak, yard swamp, I simply did not have it in me to go out & look at the garden "damage"...will do that after work today (which I am already at since I have been up since 0100). Only went as far to get the birds fresh water/food & allow the skeeters to have dinner at my expense. Birds are VERY unhappy with me since they got no free-range time yesterday.

FORTUNATELY, I was able to get my guy to come out to look at the roof this afternoon; UNFORTUNATELY, I found ANOTHER area where there is an issue..

Now, the HAPPY stuff... Stacykins & Nova....THANK YOU for posting such uplifting pix..certainly brought a smile to my face when I first got up this morning.

Hope everyone has a great day (and please pray that I don't need a whole new roof; not with DoD furloughs and a 20% pay cut starting 8 Jul...)