Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[scratch'n'peck]

Thanks for the article Scratch and Peck. While I sit here eating tater salad the wife made with our eggs! I read some of the comments and can't believe one guy questioned whether he paid taxes and/or reported income. People have way too much time on their hands. My hands were covered with duck poo before lunch, lol! Anyway, as far as therapy animals - no doubt in the world! My wife has worked in the long term care world as Activity Director for decades now. She has me bring in chickens, ducks, cats, dogs, rabbits, whatever...the residents, guests, and staff always enjoy it. The older folks that are in the system now were the ones that grew up on farms (most all of them). They usually tell a story, or two. The young people toatally get a kick out of anything animal - period! I've never met a person that did not appreciate it. However, bring them home and someone (the same people that love them being shown to their parents let's say) has a problem. I just don't see this issue ever being solved. People have become to accustomed to their neat little world filled with gadgets, postage stamp lawns that are chemically altered, and pretty little doggies that never poop on driveway. All you can do is fight for what you believe in. If you lose either you have to move on, or start the fight anew.

So true.

But even that pretty little dog can be more disruptive to the neighborhood than a few hens in a backyard coop (I love dogs, but I hate the double standards). The misconceptions seem to persist. I want to help this family in their fight even if I don't know them.



petition for Katelyn and Lucas to get a variance from the city of Perry Michigan

 

[aaronlaura04]

Thank you so much to everyone supporting our efforts to keep our therapy chickens. Please sign and share our petition.



http://www.change.org/petitions/city-of-perry-allow-lucas-and-katelyn-to-keep-their-therapy-animals

 

[gaitngirl]

Thank you so much to everyone supporting our efforts to keep our therapy chickens. Please sign and share our petition.



http://www.change.org/petitions/city-of-perry-allow-lucas-and-katelyn-to-keep-their-therapy-animals

Signed. Good luck!!!

 

[gaitngirl]

I have just started growing barley fodder for my goat and cow to feed during milking. Right now I am only feeding to my goat as she is in milk, but my cow will give birth any time now, so will give her fodder when I am milking her. But last week I lost my favorite sow, orphaning 6 of the 5 week old piglets, so I have been giving them fodder too. I got seed grade from the local feed mill, but they can order the kind and amount I need. Maybe you can ask your local mill if they can order one for you.

My girlfriend milking the goat for the first time, she got excited when she squirted some milk out. I am milking the goat outside until I get my milking shed built.




The floor of the shed. Its 8x12.


The back wall.


My Isa brown hen hatched 10 Buff Orpington chicks!!! Wow! I never had a Isa brown go broody before!!!



Yesterday picture of Bella. She is due in a few days to a few weeks. Her due date is August 10, but she is really getting ready to have her baby.


November the steer, he will be two in November. Boy, he is huge! He is bigger than Bella!

Great looking cows! And goat, and pigs, and chickens, OH MY! Lol.

 

[DawnB]

Anyone in the Northern MI area looking for a roo? I have a beautiful 5mo old Black Australorp. He is very well behaved, I just have more roo's than I need...(I've got 4).

Here are some pics... I'm in Alden (between Kalkaska & Traverse City). Message me if you're interested!

 

[Stacykins]

Either I've lost a hen to a predator, or she is off being broody somewhere. I haven't seen her for a few days.

I have FOUR Araucana hens who insist on being broody right now, so the choice nest boxes are occupied. Though today I just tossed two in my broody buster cage (large wire dog kennel mounted on a few cinder blocks

Batch of eggs going in the incubator. I will give any who are still broody at hatch time the chicks. There is just too much nest box competition. Broodies often get shuffled around and change places. So this ensures they don't get abandoned.

The ones with an E on the end are eBay eggs. The ones with H are from my girls. All are Araucana except for the obviously brown ones sent as extras, plus two silkie eggs hidden among the blues!

 

[scratch'n'peck]

I am a Newbie I am joing this because of my best friend Nova....we are so close so this is how we stay together I love animals however I am afraid of chickens so this is to help me get over my fear of them.....thank you all!

Welcome!!! You should check out What is this chicken thinking? thread. Hopefully you will be too busy laughing at chickens to be afraid. Nova has posted some photos and captions that are a HOOT!

 

[Candy442]

So true.

But even that pretty little dog can be more disruptive to the neighborhood than a few hens in a backyard coop (I love dogs, but I hate the double standards). The misconceptions seem to persist. I want to help this family in their fight even if I don't know them.



petition for Katelyn and Lucas to get a variance from the city of Perry Michigan

Thank you for posting this petition, I have signed from someone posting on my dog's webpage on Facebook. Teddy Bear the Pomeranian

He LOVES his chicken sisters and brudder. well, he stays out of their way since they are much bigger than him!

Hope all will sign this petition!

 

[Candy442]

A very sure yes. The narrow pointy feathers at the base of the tail "saddle" are a dead givaway. I've had hens have the shimmery tail, but hen's saddle feathers are short wide and blunt.

Very pretty, hope he's good for you. I love roosters, a couple have loved me back and some have plain out gotten mean. Those nice ones make up for the meanies though, i love watching how gentle those boys are with their girls. My old rooster used to not only feed his, but make their nests for them! Some are terrors. You'll know when he gets his spurs, not for a long time yet. They aren't very popular with the ladies until they are mature, when their longer tail feathers get in. (but they still will woo)

Thanks fuzzybutt love

. if he stays as docile and nice as he is now, we are going to love him. He seems to be more interested in protecting the EE hens though, doesn't like the Red girls at all...but when he matures, that all may change? who knows

. First Roo, so we will keep you all informed as to him not being the "her" we expected. We almost adopted someone's lavender orp roo from here, probably good we didn't now!

My favorite hen, that looks similar to the bullied one. This one is bullied too, she's just too laid back for the rest of them. But she is happy to perch up on my lap and be held.

She is pretty! Much like Hawkie. I love hawkie and picked her out of the EE bin myself. I figured I better not try to be the "lead" hen too much, but after I saw how badly Diggie was badgering Hawkie, I chased Diggie around the yard with a broom to let her know what it feels like. That must have been a hoot for the neighbors to see LOL. But I only did it for about a minute and to give Hawkie a break from being run around in 90 degree weather. Poor girl was panting so hard.

What a gorgeous roo! I saw another pretty EE roo today at the local Elevator. So I had to stop and chat (of course, lol). The people had just bought them from a person in Flint advertising on CL ($5 each - buy five hens get a free rooster). She said that they had muffs and beards and a funny sounding name, lol. I asked if the lady told her they were Ameraucanas. She lit up and said yes. She said the place they came from was in a very bad area and that it was a pit but the birds all looked okay. The picture I saw posted on CL showed a lot of chickens in a stall/pen type area so I hope she quarantines them if she has other chickens . . .

Hmmmm. I will have to read up on the growing your own fodder thing.

Thanks gaitngirl!

TwoTone is GORGEOUS!

Thank you EverMystique1

TwoTone IS gorgeous!!!

Based on those green tail feathers, comb & red on shoulders, I am gonna vote roo for sure !

No crowing?? My two EE Roos have major crowing contests!

LOL, thanks for the heads up preciouskitty. I am not sure I would want more than one Roo and you deal with two! LOL. we hope he never gets the urge to crow, but would look forward to the singing and cooing to spoil the girls ...

So true.

But even that pretty little dog can be more disruptive to the neighborhood than a few hens in a backyard coop (I love dogs, but I hate the double standards). The misconceptions seem to persist. I want to help this family in their fight even if I don't know them.



petition for Katelyn and Lucas to get a variance from the city of Perry Michigan

PLEASE go and sign the petition and share with any social site like Facebook if you can. Perry is only 3 miles from my house in a different county, but I would like to see anyone with at least a 100 square foot yard be able to have hens in any city or town.

 

[Candy442]

Nice to see you here! I am so glad you are using this technique to understand chickens and hopefully reduce your fear. I never thought I would enjoy chickens so much before I got the chicks. I think you would love to start with this project with a nice fluffy chick and grow with it. The chicks are so much more afraid of you and they do have personalities as they grow up.

Welcome!