Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[Opa]

Thanks, I am pretty proud of Morgan and am glad she has a very good head on her shoulders. It's hard to belief that this is what 15 year old girls look like today. I sure don't remember them looking like this in my day.


If those acorns happen to be falling from white oak trees you have a major attraction for deer. White oak acorns are probably the favored fall food for whitetails. I have seen them ignore bait piles of corn, apples, sugar beets, and more to go and vacuum up every acorn they can find.

 

[taprock]

Ideally waters should be such as to not allow a birds wattle or comb to get wet. A shallow waterer is much better to prevent this than a deep one. This is why commercial waterers have such a narrow opening.

Heating a coop is totally unnecessary and actually causes more problems. A chickens droppings contain both feces and urine. In cold weather it will freeze quickly on a droppings board until you can remove it. If the coop is heated it will give off moisture that creates problems for the birds. While I understand that it is easier to provide water is a heated coop I strongly advise against it. If fact if you can I would suggest never watering you birds in the coop. I keep my heated waterers out in the run to avoid the problems associated with water spillage.

I use a heated dog dish which I have made a frame box for it to go in since I use deep shavings for bedding. It is inside which like you said Opa isn't great but for us it would be buried in snow frequently and some chickens don't leave the coop after the snow starts. It works but is not ideal, too deep. I have a metal feeder and have had chickens in the past with bloody combs from the wonderful sticking power of a wet comb to frozen feeder. If you have plastic feeders put them out for winter.

For me my coop is frozen the whole winter and there is no real moisture problem until it gets above freezing and everything thaws. If my birds are going to get frostbite it likely to happen during a thaw.

The whole fall/winter's ahead deal has got me depressed as I am not ready. The continual rain/clouds for the past two weeks has made it worse. At this point I think I need to dig out my SAD light even though it is a month early. I think I have spent more time inside in the past two weeks than I have the whole last year!

 

[LisaLouHoo]

Hi, Michigan People. I'd like to join. I live in Delton. I'm hoping to get acquainted with anybody within driving distance who in the future would sell fertile eggs for spring 2014 hatching. I successfully hatched eggs from a broody in August and definitely want to do this again. So much fun. Her five babies are barnyard mixes, so I'd like to try some new cool breeds. Speckled Sussex, Faverolles, Marans, are a few I've had my eye on.

 

[bluebirdnanny]

We are starting the morning out at the temperature that coffee changes from an enjoyable addition to a morning to a necessity. 32 degrees is cold. In fact it's freezing. I'm glad that I remembered to disconnect the garden hose because that could create a problem I sure wouldn't want to deal with. In most homes the outside water is a freeze proof hose bib. The actual shut off for the water is back inside the hose and when closed the water in the barrel drains out. If a hose is left attached that water cannot escape and will freeze. One of my neighbors left a hose connected and while they were on a January vacation the expanding ice ruptured the freeze proof fixture allowing water to run unabated in their basement for over a week. Imagine their shock to come home to 4' of water and ruined possessions.

32F out here this morning too. With a high of 40 expected. But so far things in the coop including the waterer is still doing good. Just detached my hose the other day. Now I will have to rely on the gallon of water kept on dryer by the back door for filling and cleaning chicken related items! Seems no mater how high I set the waterer they can still kick up the wood shavings into the rim! Show off rooster really throws it up!

Hi, Michigan People. I'd like to join. I live in Delton. I'm hoping to get acquainted with anybody within driving distance who in the future would sell fertile eggs for spring 2014 hatching. I successfully hatched eggs from a broody in August and definitely want to do this again. So much fun. Her five babies are barnyard mixes, so I'd like to try some new cool breeds. Speckled Sussex, Faverolles, Marans, are a few I've had my eye on.

Hope you already know this but, the new cool breeds youngsters will become barnyard mixes if there is a rooster allowed access! Too many roosters CAN cause an issue too. Unless they are in different runs and coops there is always an oooopps possibility. I have some utility (mixes) for eggs. But eventually will be going pure breeds. Since I free range only one rooster will fit the bill here for now. Consider housing etc if you want the cool breeds to stay cool breeds. Of course if there is no rooster, then no problem with mixed hen flocks other than temperament type.

 

[chickflick]

Lisa! Of course you can join us!

Sam, you have a beautiful grand daughter! Kids today are so more grown up than in our era!

Yesterday we went to a birthday/halloween party for my grand daughter's degus. Yes, a rodent party. It was fun. My three GD put the whole thing together. Called to invite everyone and made the brownies and decorated. Had the party planned to cake time, opening of presents and the dance party. Amazing what a 10, 8 and 7 year old could do. We all had a good laugh. And, it brought the families together for a good time.

 

[RTFchickens]

Lisa, we have a wonderful mix of new to chickens, and experienced chicken owners, and some that don't own chickens, but enjoy this thread.
I live about an hour and a half from you, and only have barn yard mix eggs since my Roos don't keep to their own breed...
Welcome to BYC!!!

 

[naglady]

Hi Lisalou, everone is welcome here..

 

[gaitngirl]

Welcome Lisa!

I have some purebreds and some mixes myself. I just picked up a small coop on CL (for $40!) that I plan on using as a 'honeymoon' suite in the spring. I have certain roos that I want to use over certain hens and figured that will be the only way to be sure. Hopefully the roos will cooperate - my oldest roo has his original harem that he sticks to and pretty much ignores the rest of the girls unless he has to break up a squabble. My faverolle roo will jump any girl who walks too close . . .

 

[Chicken Frenzie]

Hi everyone! I'm from northern Michigan, LP

 

[RaZ]

I harvested the few squash that actually grew in the garden. A small acorn squash was hard as a rock but it was full of seeds that the littles just devoured. Happy, happy kids here.