Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[taprock]

I am SO happy we are not getting all the snow, sorry guys, but I've been shoveling several times a day since the beginning of December. We have no wind yet and really they arent predicting what I would call high winds for us compared to the past few weeks, it's just the cold along with it.

Discovered a hen (lady, a bantam salmon faverolle) last night with a bad case of bumble foot. It was small on the bottom with a bump about Lima bean size on the top of her foot. I brought her in and soaked it and started squeezing. I then grossed myself out and had to wait for DH to come and finish for me. The whole bump was full of corns and goo. I wrapped her up and put her back out on the roost. Hopefully everything is out. I feel bad I didn't see it before now. With her feathery toes it was hard to see and with the temps and snow I haven't been hanging out in the coop any longer than I have to.

I was given a gift certificate to a book store for Christmas. It's a hard choice when I can read and purchase any book I want for work. So while I was looking I came across two chicken books.

I have been wanting one with paintings rather than photos so I can use then as a guide for needle felting some chickens. There are even some breeds in there I haven't heard of before.

 

[chickwhispers]

Thanks chickflick!

Preciouskitty: Your pictures are cool! I love your barn. I need a barn painting party this spring! I know north of here will end up with a lot more! It's not as much the amout when falls nice and slow and steady like earlier, that bugs me, I don't like the wind, at any time of year, but especially in the winter. I'm a real wind whimp!

 

[1muttsfan]

Tap, I have that book on the right, it is very interesting and has lots of pics, the only downside is it is from Europe so some of the info is a little different. No snow here either. It was only 15 out today, but the birds looked much more chipper and spent some time outside.

 

[mindylee]

Well getting ready for sub zero temps here! added more hay/straw to coop, blanketed minis, and added more straw for bunnies!

 

[RaZ]

I had the Opa Syndrome today...I was up at 4:00 AM for some reason. It started to snow around 4:45 and was pretty light.
By the half time of the first football game we had about 4 inches when I went out to clear it. At 32 degrees, the snow was pretty wet and proved to be too much for the little single stage snow thrower. So I got the big 2-stage monster out and made easy work of it. While doing so, a neighbor (Roy) asked me if I would do his driveway later. He has a heart-condition and the heavy snow is a problem. Since he was going to work he said that it could wait until later.

Now as the day goes by, the snow picks up and starts to get deep. The porch people shovel/blow their walk, drive and half the street. They dumped a lot in Roy's driveway. I go out just before dark to clear my snow and also did Roy's. Since I saw what they did, I blew that pile back over the street towards the park. They come out of the house just screaming about that, saying they are calling the cops.

Meanwhile the snow is still coming down and you can't even tell that I ran the snow thrower.

 

[Trefoil]

Its beautiful out. But I am not looking forwards to a high of 4ºF, much less the lows. I don't know if it really makes a difference but as long as it warms up decently during the day I don't worry quite as much about the cold

(couldn't find a shivering chicken) nights. It seems like the unrelenting cold gets them down more. I had to laugh today at my goose snow sledding to the water pan, the snow is so deep she would have been buried, so she "sat" on her breast and pushed herself along.
My Grandmother lived to be 97. She used to say one should never outlive their children, she survived her husband and both her children. Its lonely when no one of your generation is around. At the time I was young and didn't really comprehend that, now I do. If the young had the experience of the elderly, the world would be a much better place.
Raz- have you found a brooder cage? If not, are you in a hurry? Can you give me an idea of the dimensions you need? The pics that have been posted are great.

 

[aart]

Sick of the snow, actually I'm just sick of the back pain and dreading the frigid temps.
That path is shoveled by hand, luckily I have little tractor mounted snow thrower for the driveway, but the tractor clutch is part of what put my back out.



OK, enough whining.
High point of the day.....first 7 egg day ever. All 3 pullets are now officially hens, paying for their feed finally!

 

[snowflake]

Hey there...Haven't been on in a long time....I am going to add a couple of ducks this spring. Is there a breeder or someone in the Davison area (or nearby the Genesee County) that is able to get them in the next couple of months? I am hoping to get some soon to keep inside with the heat lamp, until it's warm enough to keep outside. Thank you!!!!

/welcome back,

drizzled over serving.

That sounds so good

Hang on here comes the cold

 

[RaZ]

Raz- have you found a brooder cage? If not, are you in a hurry? Can you give me an idea of the dimensions you need? The pics that have been posted are great.

In the past I used stock tanks as a brooder. Works pretty well for young hatchlings. I was thinking that a play pen (baby cage) would be nice for a hospital/isolation pen for a critter that might need to be isolated.

/welcome back,

That sounds so good

Hang on here comes the cold

I don't really have anything to say here except that there was a newspaper report this weekend about a woman in Belding who has been using FOIA to disclose the suspected corruption of Belding and other areas nearby. For some reason, Belding has been in the metro Detroit news quite a bit in the past few weeks.

 

[snowflake]

Interesting have not seen a lot about this in our local paper, will have to check it a little closer, Belding is such a small city I can't imagine they would be in the Detroit paper