Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[aart]

......Oh PLEASE let it be true! I NEED my kids to go to school!!!

According to weather.com tomorrow by noon, both here and up by you. Yayyy!!

 

[uchytil]

Hello all,

I've been reading this forum for a week or two and thought I should officially join We are brand new to the chicken world and looking forward to starting. For now, I am taking my time to see what breeds we like best, the most friendly (for our kids sake) and of course winter hardy. For fun, I'd love to raise a few silkies. I fell in love with them! My oldest may take Chickens for 4-H to the fair this summer, so we have that aspect to look at as well. I plan to read through the posts in this thread, but if anyone has some recommendations of Michigan breeders, please point me in the right direction. We want to start with eggs in an incubator and go from there.

Keep warm everyone - sure are some brutal temps out there for us Michiganders lately!
Cheryl

Welcome!

 

[uchytil]

There's a place about 30min from me that processed them for $3/ea last year. Final cost of each bird bought, fed, and butchered was just under $11, and I'm ok with that and not having to mess with feathers and guts. I can process if I have to, but for that many I'd rather let someone else do it.

The Miller's in Fremont charge 1.50 a bird or 1.75 if you want the giblets. They cool and bag them nicely. I've never seen a pin feather yet except on some ducks I had done. They are an Amish operation. I'll never do my own birds again as long as those girls are working!

 

[uchytil]

Anyone planning on meat birds this spring/summer? We're trying to decide on how many to order, where to get them from this year (pricing changed from where we got them last year) and all that. Didn't know if anyone else had already done the research and wanted to share their information.

FFH "usually" has the CX for .99 each at the start of spring sales. Their policy is buy what they have there, or order 25 minimum. I've had excellent luck with the birds. The auctions have them and I've seen those go as little a .15 a bird but I'm not sure if I want unknown origin birds. I believe the birds at FFH all come from Townline? Oh, and the price goes up after initial sales. I'd love to find less expensive chicks. I do a very strict budget on end cost and every penny is accounted for prior to sales of dressed birds.

 

[gladahmae]

The Miller's in Fremont charge 1.50 a bird or 1.75 if you want the giblets. They cool and bag them nicely. I've never seen a pin feather yet except on some ducks I had done. They are an Amish operation. I'll never do my own birds again as long as those girls are working!

What a great deal! Maybe someone could put together a list of processors for us to stash somewhere.......

(I would end up putting the 'savings' in the gas tank to drive that far for processing)

 

[HollyDuckFarmer]

...
I kind of want to get a snowblower for my path out to the coops and keeping the one run clear for next year.  Either that or I'm going to have to spend some money and make a 'winterizable' run for the big coop before next winter.

Seems like ACE Hardware had a Special Price on those electric shovel deals- GQ in Ontario uses one and she says it works well for her.

My ducks are really acting cold today... But bless them, the 8 Ladies gave me 6 eggs today! Never mind that 3 were frozen. LOL

Stay Warm everybody.

FWIW, I take ducks to R+B Processing in Corunna, and I love them-- very nice Family operation and they do a terrific job.

 

[snowflake]

The Miller's in Fremont charge 1.50 a bird or 1.75 if you want the giblets. They cool and bag them nicely. I've never seen a pin feather yet except on some ducks I had done. They are an Amish operation. I'll never do my own birds again as long as those girls are working!

how do you contact them?

looking for a good CHICKEN SOUP recipe, got a lot left over from sunday

 

[uchytil]

how do you contact them?

looking for a good CHICKEN SOUP recipe, got a lot left over from sunday

Miller's 231-821-2409 8888 200th Ave Holton, MI (actually closer to Fremont). Right past Sandy's Harly Davidson shop off M-120. Or, take Skeels off M-120 to 200th. Easy.

When I first went there they charged 1.25. For what they do I feel 1.75 is a great deal. I have them bag all the giblets in one bag, hearts, livers, and gizzards. You could probably ask for the feet if so inclined - I never have.

If you are only looking for birds 1.50 is hard to beat!

When you call you'll have to reach a live person, not sure if they have ever got an answering machine. They set the day you come in, as in call the week before you want to process and they tell you what days they are doing birds. They do any/all types.

I like going there just to talk to old man Miller.

 

[chickwhispers]

@snowflake this is my chicken soup recipe handed down through 6 generations now.
Water
1 chicken cut up
1 large onion chopped
4 or 5 celery stalks diced
1 1/2 lb of carrots sliced
1 1/2 lb of potatoes cut into medium sized chunks.
8 to 12 oz of egg noodles whatever width/size your family prefers.
salt and pepper to taste (about 1 tsp of salt more or less to suit your own preference.)

Lightly sauté 1/2 onion and 1/2 of celery in some butter until onions are only semi transparent. Put cut up chicken with all the onion and all the celery and all the carrots into large pot. Fill with water enough to cover plus 4 cups. Cover with lid, Simmer and Cook for about 1 hour until chicken is tender and you can remove the bones. Add potatoes cook for 15 minutes more then add 8 or 12 oz package of egg noodles. Cook until noodles are done season with salt and pepper.

If the soup gets a foam on it (from the bones) scoop it off the top with a strainer or slotted spoon) .

We use narrow noodles but some people prefer medium or wide it doesn't matter or change the flavor any.

You can add or subtract amount of potatoes and carrots as well to suit your own personal tastes.

You can also use precooked chicken, and frozen vegetables. It won't quite taste the same but it's still good. I've made it like that for some of my clients. (I work with the Developmentally Disabled in their own homes).
If you try this - enjoy! You can alter quite a bit to suit yourself that's what so good about it!

 

[fuzzybutt love]

Quote:Originally Posted by chickwhispers I do believe I am installing "hen cams" in the coop and run and outside this spring!

ha ha ha! so true

Quote:Originally Posted by taprock *Buy mini roses and curse the weather until i can get them outside into the ground (They are really really hard to keep alive in the house) If you are trying to keep them alive buy a few and shake off the dirt, repot in different dirt. You'll lose some, and there will by die back but the ones that live will be ok. They need humidity sometimes too. The dirt they come in has lots of fertilizer and hormones in it to force the blooms, but they don't really like fertilizer and the strongness of it all kills them.
*Pour over seed and flower catalogs, curse the weather some more.
*Cook goodies and gain back whatever i've managed to lose the last couple months...curse the weather because i can't lose it until i can get out and walk
**********A lot of cursing, LOL


Coop news: i've been concerned with the bouts of diarrhea in the coop, i think it might be stress, or gorging on water... but anyway i brought out some raw garlic and introduced it to the girls. Broke it into little bits? Some ate it well and some were put off by the taste. I know before when i did it i would mince it and let it dry overnight in a baggie so it wasn't so strong! I'm not eating the eggs. I know garlic is on the no-no list but it saved one of my girls from sour crop (fungal infection) and i know they won't eat it unless they are needing it. As soon as the temps get in the 30-40 range i'm worming for the spring!

Any survivors this winter in ANY coop are some strong birds!!!