Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[RaZ]

yes, I have my crapsman tractor and both a garage and a huge shed out back. That's something new to consider.

I have a dozen ideas of how to make portable garden beds. And a few deer resistant stationary beds.

 

[NovaAman]

Well, you would have to live on the other side of the state! I am thinking I could do the bale garden on platforms with tractor type wheels so I could move them as needed so as the sun begins to wane, I can move them to follow the sun as long as possible...

I think it'd probably be easier to build a moveable platform garden for things like peas and beans that have a shallow root base so the weight would be less. Things that require a deeper root base I think might be better in a stationary garden. But I am willing to try just about anything if it is something I can do singly, as in on my own following directions.

 

[Juise]

Juise, Can you use the trees and undergrowth for the fencing? You can use rope or zip ties to secure it.

I'll just zip tie chicken wire to the trees, THAT'll teach 'em to complain!

Oh gods. *wipes away tears* I'm almost tempted.

Juise, I work Tuesdays and Thursdays, but otherwise, I am open the other three. As for the trees and undergrowth... I know you have more trees than I, but sheesh, I am not afraid of trees. LOL. My boys aren't either. BUT, I will gladly stand by with a pitcher of dousing liquid. LOL

How about Wednesday! Lol, I know you're not afraid of trees, it's just really dense, prickly, and sucky. It's mostly the prickers, poison ivy, and black widows I am not looking forward too. Pretty sure there isn't much poison ivy through that area, at least, but I'd rather keep black widow bites to one a year, and I've already hit my quota for this year.

I didn't have a terrible reaction to being bitten on the thumb last year, but a couple weeks ago one got me in the neck, like a tiny vampire, and MAN was THAT a horrible trip. It was *crazy*, like all the negatives of drunkeness without the positives, combined with a concussion, combined with being drugged. And also very painful. Not ready to repeat that.

To be fair, though, I was literally crawling through the underbrush, in the woods, in the dark, in the middle of the night, through areas I know to be infested with black widows, looking for a lost chicken. So I was sort of asking for it. I did try to be careful, I wore real, actual shoes, even, and rubber banded my pants, wore long sleeves and a hood pulled tight and everything.

Where was I? Oh yeah, I won't be ready for fencing yet in any case, I need to figure out how the frig to find the property line without paying money for it. For now I am just keeping them in the run, probably not a bad idea if there is a disappointed hawk around right now anyway.

P.S. A portable garden sounds hilariously awesome.

 

[ladyrsanti]

We got DUMPED on. The cloud formed overhead, rained and didn't move for about an hour, thunder and lightning. I don't know how much rain but it was crazy. Then the tall clouds collected the setting sun and filtered it down in the form of orange and brown light. Freaky but awesome! NOT Photoshopped! That's it, carry on.

 

[Hillbilly Hen]

if you don't want to fiddle around, get something digital...brinsea mini eco (or advance) holds something like 7 or 8 eggs. I have a hovabator genesis.....holds close to 40 in the turner. I highly recommend something with a fan, but a LOT of people have good luck with the still air incubators as well. I had lousy luck with my first incubator and it involved a lot of fiddling around, and the humidity was all over the place. I'm much happier with my genesis. BIL built his and it works well also. There is a BIG section on building your own if you are so inclined.....it can be a lot cheaper, if you don't factor in the cost of your time.

Or get a silkie hen.

 

[GrandRapidsGirl]

Those photos are stunning! (coming from a professional photographer....)

 

[Scifisarah]

My three year old and I stood outside for a bit and admired the strangeness of it all. There was lots of mist coming out of the Rogue River valley here that looked creepy with the orange light.

We got DUMPED on. The cloud formed overhead, rained and didn't move for about an hour, thunder and lightning. I don't know how much rain but it was crazy. Then the tall clouds collected the setting sun and filtered it down in the form of orange and brown light. Freaky but awesome! NOT Photoshopped! That's it, carry on.

 

[MI chickens]

I have a little Wheaten Ameraucana chick.....3 or 4 weeks old that is getting pecked on by the other chicks. It's missing all of the feathers off of the back of it's neck. I put blu-kote on it on Friday since there was a spot about the size of a nickel that was red (bruised maybe?) and now they've pulled off feathers surrounding the area I sprayed. I hate to separate just one chick though. Any other suggestions?




Oh, and one of the SLW pullets we picked up on Friday is missing most of her tail feathers, and has a bit of a 'rooster wear' spot right above her tail. That probably won't grow back until they molt.....right?

I have a separate Wheaton Ameraucana flock, gentle birds otherwise but I have trouble introducing young ones in. I always start by putting a cage in their coop with their own waterer and feeder, keep them in there for a couple weeks. Then I open the door on the cage just enough for the little ones to get in and out. I watch to see how they're getting along, if I think they are getting picked on too much, I'll keep them shut in the cage longer.
The cage I'm using is, I think, an old gerble cage without the bottom.

 

[ladyrsanti]

Those photos are stunning! (coming from a professional photographer....)

Thanks. I'm a professional too... sort of... just darkroom trained as opposed to digital and I don't do it for a living except for the occasional wedding when word gets out. They didn't have digital cameras when I was in art school. Nor did they have computers so typography was all done by hand, penciled, outlined and inked in - back when we used our HANDS! -_-

My three year old and I stood outside for a bit and admired the strangeness of it all. There was lots of mist coming out of the Rogue River valley here that looked creepy with the orange light.

We had some mist coming from down the street but that just doesn't sound or look as "romantic".

 

[RIRJen]

Hello all! Been busy at fair but wanted to show off (my daughter) Hannah's wins!
4th place in showmanship with her doeling "Pokey


She won Champion Male Bantam, Champion Female Bantam and then won Reserve in Show!


7th place in poultry showmanship with her cockerel she named "Afro" lol


Hannah and her goat "Silo" won 1st place pack goat for begining pack goats