Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[Our Roost]

snowflake,
Yep, I have a cement floor and love it. I have a drain in mine for hosing down the coop in late spring and summer. This is our first winter with floor and it is sooooo much better than the dirt we had. It stays cleaner, has less moisture and with a straw floor bedding, the odor is almost non existent compared to the dirt floor getting packed down with straw, chicken poo droppings and heavy moisture from the ground. I am so glad that in the spring I wont have to dig out from using the deep litter method. Its been a worthwhile investment. We havent lost any chicks yet this winter. They are all healthy and fully feathered.

 

[RaZ]

PLUS I got a 92/100 on my exam this morning

I too missed our Monarchs the past year. I joke that I grow a better crop of butterflies than any vegetable because our biggest 'weed' in the garden is milkweed. I am the oddball that leaves it because I want the butterflies.

Raz do you have any boy canaries or only girls? My own little canary was covered in blood last night. She is our only bantam faverolle and I love her. I checked her over and couldn't find anything. I found two other spots on two other birds but no injuries. It makes me a bit concerned but everyone appeared ok.

Over 80% of the cities in Wayne County (SE Michigan) have ordinances marking milkweed (Asclepias sp.) a noxious weed subject to a fine. That was one of the tickets I got last year.

I have one boy in the aviary. He is a beautiful LF SF canary just starting to develop his song.

 

[chickwhispers]

Will they wait until the Monarch is an endangered species before they do something?!!!!

 

[chickflick]

 

[chickwhispers]

 

[chickwhispers]

OK folks, How about a little "Muskrat Love?"
I posted this on another thread, but I thought those on the Michigan thread might enjoy these pictures:
Saw this little guy make his way across the pond today.

He would go for a ways and then go under the snow, then back on top.

He made his way 100 + feet up to the magnolia and little frozen frog pond near our drive and about 30 feet from the house. I walked out to him and he didn't move a muscle. Until I kicked up a little snow at him! He waddled off 15 feet or so went under the snow. Back up,walked in a circle and then disappeared under the snow!

 

[Peep-Chicken]

I have one boy in the aviary. He is a beautiful LF SF canary just starting to develop his song.   

I'm curious but do you have any pictures of your canaries?

 

[Trefoil]

OK folks, How about a little "Muskrat Love?"
I posted this on another thread, but I thought those on the Michigan thread might enjoy these pictures:
Saw this little guy make his way across the pond today.

He would go for a ways and then go under the snow, then back on top.

He made his way 100 + feet up to the magnolia and little frozen frog pond near our drive and about 30 feet from the house. I walked out to him and he didn't move a muscle. Until I kicked up a little snow at him! He waddled off 15 feet or so went under the snow. Back up,walked in a circle and then disappeared under the snow!

Aww. He's so furry its hard to tell which end eats. So far all I've had is lots of bunnies. Every morning I follow a trail of bunny pellets to the coops, I just hope they don't draw predators.
If no moisture barrier was put down when the cement was poured, humidity may be a problem with a cement floor. Putting straw bedding down on cement quickly causes ammonia if there is any moisture. I lost a polish the first really cold spell we had and since then I have had a guinea and another polish that weren't acting right so I quickly put the guinea in the garage in a cage and now the polish is in the house with my silkie babies. So far all is well, I just don't know where I'll put another if I need to.

 

[chickflick]

Looks like chickens will be allowed in Davison!

 

[mattsinger]

Looks like chickens will be allowed in Davison!

this should be good! I saw that on TV5s facebook page last night.