Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[Stacykins]

Hiya... it's been a bit, I know.

So I have a legal question. I know we have legal rights to protect our livestock, but does that only apply to raccoon & coyote, or what?

We had a critter kill 8 of our birds in the last week (all 3 of our ducks & 5 chickens) The ducks were killed last Monday/Tuesday. They were running freely in with the goats. The varmint went right in the barn stall & attacked the ducks in the night. Got the drake the first night, & the 2 lady ducks the next night. We set out a live trap but caught nothing... though there were no more ducks to be got, we only had 3.

Our chickens are housed in a fully enclosed coop/run. Apparently the ice storm we had added too much weight to the top of the run & broke the fencing at the top corner. It had been nearly a week since the ducks, but I reckon it was only a matter of time, the critter knows we have yummy poultry here. My 12 year old daughter went out to give the chickens some kitchen scraps yesterday & found the massacre. 5 of our chickens were killed --- 3 of this springs hens (including my daughter's prized leghorn she took to the fair in September), 1 older hen, & 1 silkie... ugh.

We found the hole in the very top of the run. Whatever critter getting to our livestock can climb wood polls. We put the live trap right inside the coop with the opening in the chicken doorway, expecting a raccoon, but caught a mink.

So my question... who's familiar with the Michigan varmint law? Can we show this mink the wrong end of a shotgun, or are we supposed to let it go? We're in Allegan county.

Sounds like it doesn't apply here, but if you kill any bird of prey, it will land you some jail time and a hefty fine. But any other critter is fair game, even if it is neighbor's dog or cat doing the killing. In fact, if it is a domestic animal and you can identify the animal's owner, you can bill them for your losses.

 

[fuzzybutt love]

off in the left field, here but i've been thinking about these cold snaps, frostbite, sickness, etc........ What about dressing their feed with cayenne pepper? Anyone here doing that? Does it work? Supposed to help prevent (but not cure) worms, and it is what I use in my soup to help myself when i get a cold; and it does make the circulation pump a bit.... seems like it might keep the ol combs functioning.........???

 

[fuzzybutt love]

Lady, that is puzzling. I don't doubt you one bit; i have heard quite a few puzzling stories from hatchery buyers but i am more than a little curious about this. Have to google around to see what's up with wasting at molt.? And that some are doing it, and some aren't......??? Only thing i can think of at present is that their digestive systems might not be functioning as good, and they might not be processing the nutrition so well. Being born in a sterile environment with mothers born in a sterile environment too.....Buttermilk for the culture??? Long shot, but perhaps. The conditioning formula has cultures in it, too. Only other thing i got is that when i just don't know and all else fails i feed the raw yolk from my healthiest hen to the suffering one. Gets the antibodies that way.

 

[chickflick]

I, me has reserver the pavillion every year.

 

[Maah]

Sounds like it doesn't apply here, but if you kill any bird of prey, it will land you some jail time and a hefty fine. But any other critter is fair game, even if it is neighbor's dog or cat doing the killing. In fact, if it is a domestic animal and you can identify the animal's owner, you can bill them for your losses.

Ok, good to know. I guess I already knew all this & just wanted reassurance. Hmm... maybe I can track down the guy that owned a mink farm the next road over about 10 years ago & bill him. He had a breakout of multiple mink back in the day & it's contributed to our wild population around here, from what I hear. Nah, probably not. LOL...

The fencing across the top of the run is getting fixed today.

Happy New Years all.

 

[fuzzybutt love]

Over here getting spring fever...... had to share this chicken coop link, many pretty coops to dream about. I want to build a "real" coop for my camper birds this spring. Small coop, big covered run so i won't have to be scared when i'm at work! Camper is fabulous in the winter because i can sit in there with them, notsomuch in the summer heat. At all. stays hot well after the sun sets!

http://reneefinberg.blogspot.de/2012/09/fabulous-chicken-coops.html

 

[RaZ]

I, me has reserver the pavillion every year.

Well thank you. I simply could not remember who did what.

 

[chickflick]

yeah, right

 

[NovaAman]

Nova - finally got around to snapping a photo of the roo. Hopefully his tail will just keep growing... sure is taking it's sweet time!

Wow, he is a pretty thing. His coloring make me think a RSY is daddy. Why? Cuz he came out of a phoenix labeled egg. I need to get up a pic of Red Devil, you'll see what I mean. His pea comb is not as big as your guys, but his tail is fanastic. Mr. Ed hasn't ripped it out, and Mr. Ed's is starting to come back after Gainsborough ripped them out. Gainsborough is as lovely as ever.

 

[Trefoil]

Over here getting spring fever...... had to share this chicken coop link, many pretty coops to dream about. I want to build a "real" coop for my camper birds this spring. Small coop, big covered run so i won't have to be scared when i'm at work! Camper is fabulous in the winter because i can sit in there with them, notsomuch in the summer heat. At all. stays hot well after the sun sets!

http://reneefinberg.blogspot.de/2012/09/fabulous-chicken-coops.html

Thanks for the link, I enjoyed the coops,even though there was only one that looked to be actually functionable as a real coop. I laughed at the comment about the coop being nothing without the climbing roses. I figure about the 3rd or 4th time you snagged yourself getting into the coop, they would be history.