Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[mara1]

Quote: Thank You! Maybe the eggs will help with our not so nice neighbors but we only have 3 pullets, who of which arnt a good laying breed.

I love this place! Everyone is so nice!

You have those too??? Wish people would stay on their side of the fence and worry about their own back yard.
Everybody is nice on here. News alert their are nice people in Michigan.

 

[ladyrsanti]

I've been thinking about sheep. Bluefaced Leister's specifically since their wool is pretty amazing to knit with. Can anyone share the approximate cost of feed costs for sheep? If it's a lot, I won't be able to convince DH, but I like the idea of having my own sheep to get fiber from.....

I have three sheep and it's about $140 per year (the cost of hay for the winter + minerals). Other than that, they're on pasture. I did buy a bag of sheep feed as treats for taming them. They just hear the can and they come running, let me pet them, handle them, etc.

 

[gladahmae]

Are we talking 140 per animal or 140 total? I priced out spinning wheels today and holy expensive!!

 

[Candy442]

hi Mara1. I sneak in here every so often

 

[Candy442]

Are we talking 140 per animal or 140 total? I priced out spinning wheels today and holy expensive!!

I would love to learn to spin wool. There is a local knitting shop that has people demonstrate spinning and never have looked at the cost...

 

[Stacykins]

I know there is other forums but I still don't get it? If a EE is a mutt then how is Ameraucana being a cross if bred together not a mutt? (Not trying to offend anybody)
So what is the difference between a Easter Egger and a Ameraucana? I understand that a Araucana is its own breed? Also does anybody in SE Michigan have any true Araucana chicks for sale?

I am in the UP, but I keep purebred Araucana. The real deal, tufted and rumpless. There are a few folks in lower Michigan that have 'em too. Actually, Michigan is a bit of an Araucana hotspot, since I know of at least three people in the LP with purebred Araucanas!

Yes, the Araucana is a unique breed. As is the Ameraucana. An Easter Egger is often a mutt bird that might lay blue or green eggs, and can have ANY trait when it comes to color, comb, leg color, etc. Hatcheries only offer EEs, no hatcheries breed true Ameraucanas or Araucanas.

One of my roosters, I love this boy!


Tufted blue chick


Tufted rumpless black hen


Ear tufts on a blue gal

correct,(Ijust read that) needs to breed true, what all that includes,I am not sure, The Araucana is rumpless, some one on the Mi. sight has some, I have Amaraucana's lots of spare roosters if you want one, but no Araucana, I like tails

not to fond of Araucana's, they are I understand very hard to breed and have a low hatchability,
Just for fun, did you know blue and white egg sells are the only trud colored shell same colar all the way through, browns are all shades added to by the birds reproductive paint box

Correct! Blue shells are dominant to white, too! A green egg is a blue shelled egg with some brown pigment, while a brown egg is a white shelled egg with some brown pigment.

 

[NovaAman]

tsetse... have you considered checking for worms also?

 

[dwalters]

So I recently had some chicks hatch. They are EE roo over BR, NH, BSL, BA. So are the chicks EE because an EE is a mix anyway or are they EE crosses? Or does it just depend on egg color?

 

[Stacykins]

So I recently had some chicks hatch. They are EE roo over BR, NH, BSL, BA. So are the chicks EE because an EE is a mix anyway or are they EE crosses? Or does it just depend on egg color?

Honestly, an EE can lay any color egg. Blue, green, white, pink, brown. Hatcheries don't guarantee that they will lay blue shelled eggs. That is because they're kind of a mutt to begin with, the hatcheries don't care what they lay.

Because of this, I'd considered the chicks from the EE rooster over the other hens to be EEs as well.

 

[dwalters]

Thank you stacykins! I have two EE hens, one lays blue, other white. I was just curious as to what to properly call them. Can they be any color? Kinda like a calico cat can produce any color. Does that make sense lol? I'm curious because some are turning white. I have also considered the whites may be part BSL and therefore roos? It is a guessing game!