Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[Jake Levi]

Denise , Del really looks right at home !

He never got his belly rubbed here ! But I am glad he is happy, his girls are very docile and lay those beautiful jumbo eggs ! At last count I have 11 of their youngsters, and will set the last two eggs Monday along with the Icelandic eggs so there will be more Delawares here growing out.

More rain today, I wish the monsoon would take a break and we'd get some warm weather to set tomatoes. Not a one yet.

Life goes on. Even if I have to buy canning tomatoes !

 

[1muttsfan]

Originally planned on getting 3 pullets but with a new to me term, chicken math I might as well start with 6. So far my coop is turning out so sweet.

I'm learning about DLM, PDZ and poop boards, all new to me, and loving it! Looking forward to learning and sharing and gathering my (probably averaging $67.50 a dozen eggs lol)

Welcome to BYC and the Michigan thread

I have come to the conclusion that my birds will NEVER pay off their coop, fencing, feed, etc - but they are engaging and fun. And lay lovely eggs.

 

[Scifisarah]

Is it possible to go to Townline and buy individual pullet chicks, or see their adult breeder birds? I'd love to go somewhere with my MIL, rather than just have her order online. Not sure where she could purchase pullet chicks locally right now. She'd like to get chicks so she can baby them and get them very tame. Would love to hear other ideas for local pullet chicks in the Grand Rapids or Lake Odessa area. I also tried to talk her out of buying chicks before finishing her coop, but she is bent on buying them now so hopefully the building will go quickly so she doesn't have chickens in her basement!

Anybody feel free to correct me or add opinions.

I'm going to just list some off Townline Hatchery's page, though for a very dark egg layer, you can't beat the Marans (not offered by Townline). Townline's selections tend to handle cold weather just fine. My girls lay through the winter... the newbies always laid better than the year olds or two year olds.

The Brahma hens are about the calmest I have. They're quiet, but like to chat and tell me stories when I come out to the coop. I think it's funny.

My Australorps (though I think 1 is actually a Jersey Giant) lay an almost pinkish colored egg (another shade of brown really), and have been good broody's.

For the blue/green eggs, get your basic Easter Egger (Townline calls them the Ameraucana Strain).

I've had both the Silver laced & Golden Laced Wyandottes... They seem to have a lighter brown, almost peach/tan colored egg that looks nice in a multiple color egg basket.

My Barred Rock hens, during their first year, seem to have a relatively dark brown egg, though they do lighten with age. Our current Barred Rock seems to take "the egg song" to the extreme. She's very proud of the eggs. She serenades each lady on the nest box & must announce when EVERYBODY lays an egg, and for herself... she likes to give a prelude as well. She's an "egg song" instigator and tends to raise the egg excitement with the other chickens. LOL. It's quite funny actually.

For production, it's hard to beat the California Grey Leghorn. They lay often, the white eggs look just as beautiful in a carton next to multiple other colors (especially in contrast to the Marans dark browns), and their feed to egg ratio is the best.
Also good for production are the Rhode Island Reds, New Hampshires, ISA Browns, and Amber Link. They'll all lay consistently with relatively similar brown shades.

I've never had the Orpingtons (I'm not sure why, I've always wanted to), or the black sex links. I think they were on my list to try this year, but the "chicken math" had the coop full before I could. LOL. Maybe next year.

If your MIL wants a colorful egg basket with only 4-5 cold hardy hens, and easy/cheap to get by going to Townline... She should pick the California Grey (White) Leghorn, Easter Egger, Australorp, Wyandotte, Any 1 of the regular brown egg layer (RIR, NH, ISA, AL, BSL), and if you can convince her of 6... find her a Marans. This would make a good starter flock. Although this is just my 2 cents & probably not even worth that much. There are a TON of correct answers here.

 

[ladyrsanti]

Is it possible to go to Townline and buy individual pullet chicks, or see their adult breeder birds? I'd love to go somewhere with my MIL, rather than just have her order online. Not sure where she could purchase pullet chicks locally right now. She'd like to get chicks so she can baby them and get them very tame. Would love to hear other ideas for local pullet chicks in the Grand Rapids or Lake Odessa area. I also tried to talk her out of buying chicks before finishing her coop, but she is bent on buying them now so hopefully the building will go quickly so she doesn't have chickens in her basement!

I picked up my chicks at Townline. As far as I know (assume), you aren't allowed back into the chick room and most likely the breeder birds' pens. BUT, when you go into the "office", you are essentially in the chick sorting room. The echoing multitude of peeps is cacophonous. And I just handed the lady (the first person I saw filling orders) a list of what I was looking for and she ran off to the back to select them. She showed them to me before closing the box, giving me the time to say "ohhh, that one looks a little runtish, can you grab another?" if I wanted to.

 

[jimmywalt]

Can anyone tell me where I might find Wheat Bran to raise mealworms on the west side of Michigan in the lower peninsula? We only have Walmart & Meijer for grocery stores. I've also tried at 2 feed stores and haven't had any luck.

If you have any ideas would you please PM me. This thread moves so fast I might miss it if you post it here.

Thank you very much!

 

[RaZ]

My, how time flies. It seems like only last week that I got the butterfly garden ticket and now today I'm off to my arraignment. I wonder if these new and old charges are criminal in scope. Guess I'll find out shortly.

 

[uchytil]

Naglady, you will be happy with the Delawares, I'm sure. I really liked the ones I had. They are very people friendly.

Two Tone is a handsome fella!

DH and I went to a local blueberry farm this morning and picked 32 lbs of blueberries. Last week I picked 18 lbs by myself. I used up most of the 18 lbs making spiced blueberry peach jam and blueberry syrup.

Oh, and if anyone heard a scream in west Mi at 5pm yesterday, it would have been me. I nearly stepped on a very big snake!

I am so terrified of snakes!

My blueberry plants are getting over mature and don't produce the berries they did 10 years ago. I planted some new ones but they are still pretty small. I think we still have quite a few pints of BB jam. I ate the spiced BB peach you gave me already. I might buy some more bushes that are semi-mature and put out, just not sure where. We have a few huge u-pick, they-pick places right down the road a mile that are very reasonable. 32 lbs is just the right amount to make a big batch of BB wine BTW, lol!

Snakes are awesome Laura. We've got our fair share here. My favorite is the Eastern Hognose. They try and act all tough but are just pushovers.

 

[Lisa and girls]

Anybody feel free to correct me or add opinions.  

I'm going to just list some off Townline Hatchery's page, though for a very dark egg layer, you can't beat the Marans (not offered by Townline).  Townline's selections tend to handle cold weather just fine.  My girls lay through the winter... the newbies always laid better than the year olds or two year olds.

The Brahma hens are about the calmest I have.  They're quiet, but like to chat and tell me stories when I come out to the coop. I think it's funny.  

My Australorps (though I think 1 is actually a Jersey Giant) lay an almost pinkish colored egg (another shade of brown really), and have been good broody's.  

For the blue/green eggs, get your basic Easter Egger (Townline calls them the Ameraucana Strain).  

I've had both the Silver laced & Golden Laced Wyandottes... They seem to have a lighter brown, almost peach/tan colored egg that looks nice in a multiple color egg basket.

My Barred Rock hens, during their first year, seem to have a relatively dark brown egg, though they do lighten with age.  Our current Barred Rock seems to take "the egg song" to the extreme.  She's very proud of the eggs.  She serenades each lady on the nest box & must announce when EVERYBODY lays an egg, and for herself... she likes to give a prelude as well.  She's an "egg song" instigator and tends to raise the egg excitement with the other chickens. LOL.  It's quite funny actually.

For production, it's hard to beat the California Grey Leghorn.  They lay often, the white eggs look just as beautiful in a carton next to multiple other colors (especially in contrast to the Marans dark browns), and their feed to egg ratio is the best.
Also good for production are the Rhode Island Reds, New Hampshires, ISA Browns, and Amber Link.  They'll all lay consistently with relatively similar brown shades.

I've never had the Orpingtons (I'm not sure why, I've always wanted to), or the black sex links.  I think they were on my list to try this year, but the "chicken math" had the coop full before I could.  LOL.  Maybe next year.

If your MIL wants a colorful egg basket with only 4-5 cold hardy hens, and easy/cheap to get by going to Townline... She should pick the California Grey (White) Leghorn, Easter Egger, Australorp, Wyandotte, Any 1 of the regular brown egg layer (RIR, NH, ISA, AL, BSL), and if you can convince her of 6... find her a Marans.  This would make a good starter flock.  Although this is just my 2 cents & probably not even worth that much.  There are a TON of correct answers here.    

My barred rock does the same thing! She announces to the world when she is going in, sings the egg song the entire time and has to keep the announcement going for about 15 min afterwards. Too funny

 

[SillyChicken]

Good luck Randy!

 

[uchytil]

Time to pickle bananna peppers cause their loaded and I'm on a plane Friday! Gotta have pickled bananna peppers to go on my pizzas this winter while I'm sipping my cherry wine! Since the yellow wax beans are overloaded I think I'll make some dilly beans while I'm at it.

Good luck in court Randy.

See ya'll later.