Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[preciouskitty]

Several years ago while shopping at Cabela's I found a pair of polar fleece lined denim pants.  As we were leaving the store my best friend started harassing me about buying "old man pants", claiming that they were something old guys would buy to stay warm.  When I ask if they were for old guys why didn't he buy some he replied that he could find any that would fit an old fat guy.

Well tomorrow I will definitely be wearing my old man pants.  The boat is hooked to my truck and David will be here at 6am tomorrow and we are heading for Lyons to fish a stretch of the Grand River we have never been on.  Looking at an aerial map show miles of river with no houses that certainly looks promising.  I'm hoping that we can find some steelhead.  It may be a little early but the trip won't be wasted even if we don't find fish.  At the very least we will know what to except if we decide to fish that stretch later in the year and more importantly any day I get to spent with one of my sons away from a work situation is a day to cherish.

BALONEY on the "old man" thing! Whatever keeps you warm. If I could find a pair I'd be wearing them, I have to settle for my thin long johns now. If it weren't FIRST for most of my family being within one hour of me, then SECOND, my job..I wouldn't even be in Michigan. I swear, every year I tolerate the cold less.

The deer are REALLY showing up in the yard near my blind. If I'd've sat last night, would've easily had a nice 6 pt. May sit this morning, assuming I can tolerate the cold. I will have my long johns, FLANNEL lined sweats, winter hunting gear on AND my fleece blanky! I fully anticipate we will get number 2 for the freezer before the weekend's end.

Opa, good luck on that fishing!

 

[preciouskitty]

Hope the someone called was a cop... it's illegal for anyone else to dispatch a deer along the roadside..   poor deer.   so hard to watch them suffer.

Funny you mention that. When I posted I mentioned calling the Sheriff or MSP, but debated adding the legality of dispatching the deer yourself (or anyone non-LE) it being illegal to discharge your own weapon to do so.
Was pretty sure it was ALSO illegal to do so right now during bow season even if said deer is on your own private property. Even though I pretty much knew the answer, double checked that one over dinner with DH (former Deputy Sheriff) &, yeah, yah really shouldn't use a firearm to "help" the deer on your own property, theoretically & legally
I, too, cannot stand to see an animal suffer

 

[preciouskitty]

I don't want to start a debate or argument on deep litter or how it is supposed to provide extra heat. The science behind composting just doesn't support that idea.  For good composting action, you need a good mix of brown and green material along with moisture. "Optimum moisture content for compost is 40-60%, damp enough so that a handful feels moist to the touch, but dry enough that a hard squeeze produces no more than a drop or two of liquid." [source: Cornell University]  That is too much moisture in a coop, especially in winter.

The other issue is that mix of brown and green material. Coop litter is nearly 100% brown with the only green being the chicken poop. The ratio is too far off.

The benefit of DLM is that the coop requires far less cleaning. A light fluffing once a week is usually enough. And if it is deep enough (10-12"), the chickens have something to scratch in if they are cooped up a lot during the winter.

The drawback of DLM is that when you actually do the deep clean, there is a ton of material to move. I removed all my coop DLM in the spring and composted it after running it through a 10:1 shredder. I still had a pile that was 5 feet by 5 feet and 4 feet tall. Because it is mostly pine shavings (brown) it is slow to compost. I think I could have left it in the coop for another year and been good. 

It's been said here before, we ask and answer questions as best we can. We also have different experience levels and can always learn something new. What works for one may not work for another. Same goes for keeping chickens in the UP versus keeping them down south...different techniques.  Keep your chickens safe and healthy to the best of your ability and comfort level. 

I must admit, my main reason for DLM is the whole cleaning thing.

Agree on that scratching & digging for "fun"! Mine already LOVE doing that! Just got a great little pitch fork like thingy for that "fluffing".

I am also gonna admit this first winter thing has me WAY over thinking what to do to keep the kids warm, happy & healthy. I have read 10,000 ideas, 9,999 sound great...just not sure how to implement them all

 

[SillyChicken]

Funny you mention that. When I posted I mentioned calling the Sheriff or MSP, but debated adding the legality of dispatching the deer yourself (or anyone non-LE) it being illegal to discharge your own weapon to do so.
Was pretty sure it was ALSO illegal to do so right now during bow season even if said deer is on your own private property. Even though I pretty much knew the answer, double checked that one over dinner with DH (former Deputy Sheriff) &, yeah, yah really shouldn't use a firearm to "help" the deer on your own property, theoretically & legally

I, too, cannot stand to see an animal suffer

Firearm, bow, tire iron, knife, bare hands......yep, they belong to the state and we can only take them with a permit and rules to follow.... that is the official word on that.

This creates great moral/ethical and humane conflict when we see an animal suffering, some times we have to weigh what is right, against what is legal.

Hey guys, don't sweat the small stuff. Keep your coops and feeders/waterers clean. Provide good food and clean water.... shelter and protection and your chickens will be fine!

Don't use heat lamps in your coop over winter.... They are the number one cause for coop fires. Every year someone loses a coop and their poor chickens to a fire. It is not worth the risk to your birds or coops... or the heartache.

 

[snowflake]

I got a pair of those at TSC small mens, , a little big for me but I wear them over others, working in the yard and going on walks, I guess old ladys can wear them too

those of you new-be's, do you have poop boards, can cover with old feed bag if not a good scrapable matereal, aid in clean up A LOT Opa uses the shower wall type stuff, scrapes off real well floor stays cleaner

 

[lbrykowski2011]

I have a rabbit poop tray under my roosts, I have sweet PDZ in there and use a kitty litter scoop to scoop the poop out ea morning. Love that stuff, I have never had any bad smell in the coop. Question on ventilation now: I asked DH to cover two vents that were = to the roosts and have no cover on them. Then there's a window above that and another long and narrow opening(2inx3ftlong) above that. He ended up putting plastic on outside of coop from ground to roof on both sides and said the poop door doesn't shut completely, there's a small crack that's always open around it, wood warped a lil and that will be enough. This is my 1st winter w/chickens and from what I've read on here, I disagree. Plus the windows are covered now to where I can't open them, so they won't have any light. So, looking for advice on if I need more ventilation and/or light, or if he is right. My coop is 4x8 with 6 hens and 1 roo. Thanks for your help, don't want to argue and ask him to change it if he's right. Just scared of losing my girls.

 

[ladyrsanti]

Oh stop Opa! I'm starting to think my 91 year old grandfather-in-law is younger than you.

He doesn't care how old he is, he drives, uses a computer, wears sandals (though it took him a while to figure out you weren't supposed to wear socks under them, lol), laughs every day and rarely mentions his age or being old. He was raised in a tent during the great depression with five siblings and contracting malaria while stranded at Guadalcanal as a marine in WWII and lost his wife a couple of years ago. He still suffers malarial attacks and is on oxygen but never a word. He found a new love/friend even. It's all about perspective. Stay young!

 

[1muttsfan]

Hmm, spending the winter in a dark, cold, damp coop - sounds less than ideal, doesn't it? Can he cover the windows with the plastic instead of the wall? There should be ventilation near the top of the coop, away from the roost, to allow warmer moist air to vent out - that will not happen at floor level.

 

[shelby chick]

Yes you want air flow going up away from your birds

 

[preciouskitty]

Hmm, spending the winter in a dark, cold, damp coop - sounds less than ideal, doesn't it?  Can he cover the windows with the plastic instead of the wall?  There should be ventilation near the top of the coop, away from the roost, to allow warmer moist air to vent out - that will not happen at floor level.

I'm thinking the same.

My plan is to use plexiglass w/Velcro for my 2 small windows that are roost level. The eave spaces are open & I am gonna leave them that way. Have plexiglass for front top window just for those evil cold days, but it faces south, so prob won't have to use it often. Then plan to wrap pen & uncovered pen in clear 8mil plastic. I think this should provide enough ventilation & light, yet keep them protected from drafts & keep the mega snow out of run.

Would love any other ideas, constructive criticism, etc!

My house blocks the west side of coop...(Spaz just LOVES getting on peak of roof

)