Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[gladahmae]

just thought I'd mention, since we have a lot of newer faces, that we need to tread lightly on the whole ACA topic. Whatever our feelings on it, we don't want to have our thread shut down for "modding." This is my favorite day-time internet hangout!

 

[RTFchickens]

I want to do this but was worried about the leaves getting moldy...any issues with that?

We do the same thing.
So far, no mold problems ;-)

 

[RaZ]

That was me looking for the coop cam, Raz. I will have to check that out. Thanks!

The game camera that I bought is on sale at Menards for 30% off, starting Friday. I might just have to get another.

 

[lbrykowski2011]

I have been putting my eggs in a Styrofoam container from back in the spring when I last bought store bought eggs. I have 3, 1 for duck eggs, 1 for chicken eggs and 1 for hard boiled eggs all labaled. Is it safe to keep using over and over? My boys eat the eggs before I ever get many, so this is nice and easy for me.

 

[RTFchickens]

I am still a new B (pun intended) with chickens. The reason chicks are not ideal this time of year is because of good old Michigan weather, right? We have a broody, but won't let her sit since we are not wanting chicks, YET. We will in spring.
Also, I got a book from library about chickens. Based on its info, its looking like RIR are probably the best dual purpose? Anyone agree/disagree?

 

[chickwhispers]

The game camera that I bought is on sale at Menards for 30% off, starting Friday.  I might just have to get another.

Thanks for the info RaZ, & Cool, have been wanting a couple for the yard.one for the coop and one for the back part. Where the deer cross through!

 

[chickwhispers]

Tuesday morning I was letting the chickens out when Perry my little Polish x Silkie came running from the house where she must have been out all night. So later in the day I happened to be picking up around the house and discovered Perry under our front step that is just a wooden platform. In the evening I had to use a rake to dig her out so I could pen her up for the night. She was broody and had hoarded 10 eggs. So yesterday part way through the day I can't find Perry and she is again under the porch. So we fished her out and rolled all the eggs out. I set them on the porch to be looked and dealt with later. Last night as I go to pen everyone up for the night, Perry is sitting on her eggs on the porch. Very persistent little girl.

She a girl who knows what she wants!!

 

[preciouskitty]

just thought I'd mention, since we have a lot of newer faces, that we need to tread lightly on the whole ACA topic.  Whatever our feelings on it, we don't want to have our thread shut down for "modding."  This is my favorite day-time internet hangout!

Agree. I was actually thinking the same thing....
And, I'm with you...this is my fav internet hangout, too...and my first & only forum that I have actually posted on!

So...have 7 pints & 12 half pints sweet corn in the pressure cooker processing. So sweet I was eating it raw while cutting off cob...& chickens ate totally digging their corn cob treats!

 

[gladahmae]

I am still a new B (pun intended) with chickens. The reason chicks are not ideal this time of year is because of good old Michigan weather, right? We have a broody, but won't let her sit since we are not wanting chicks, YET. We will in spring.
Also, I got a book from library about chickens. Based on its info, its looking like RIR are probably the best dual purpose? Anyone agree/disagree?

If you have a good broody, and a space for her, there's no reason (from what I've read) to NOT let her hatch out chicks. I'm pretty sure someone either from the UP or close to it hatched out legbars over the winter with a broody and they were just fine. If *I* had a broody right now, she'd probably be sitting on eggs, but I don't have a spot to keep a broody right now, let alone more chickens! It might not be "ideal" timing, but it's not out of the question either.

I can't comment on RIR being the "best" dual purpose. It's a bigger bird, but I can't see how it would be cheaper to raise a DP cockerel to a good carcass weight vs a white broiler, especially when you factor in care. If you don't WANT to raise white broilers for meat though, that's a different story. Heritage stock would probably be bigger than hatchery.....seems like there's someone in the middle part of the state that breeds them.....

My opinion on DP is that I'd rather hatch out sex-links and not mess around with raising extra cockerels to a big enough size for my family of 3 ravenous boys and my husband. I have a black sex-link cockerel right now that is 16 or 17 weeks old right now, and if I butchered him today I'd be lucky to get a 3# carcass dressed out. Plus I'd have to build a separate pen for just cockerels.....

 

[gladahmae]

Ds's hat. Just need to block it and weave the loose ends in. Although I goofed on the crown shaping I'm happy with how it turned out since it was my first time with fair isle.