Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[1muttsfan]

Sawdust is not very good for bedding for several reasons. It is very dusty if dry, and birds are quite sensitive to dust. Most sawdust is from cutting and planing boards from logs that are not dried, so the sawdust has a high moisture content to start, and so increases humidity and does not absorb as well as shavings, which are made from dried wood.

 

[SillyChicken]

Anyone want a rescue dog? He really needs a home. PM me for more information.

ETA:
Here's a link on him. Please consider!
http://www.lastdaydogrescue.org/animals/detail?AnimalID=5364462

He's cute, but too much hair for us. Hope he finds a home.

 

[Peep-Chicken]

He's cute, but too much hair for us.  Hope he finds a home.

Thank you. He was our second foster.

 

[Maah]

Speaking of hatching eggs, does anyone here happen to have any fertile eggs of FBCM or maybe a white or blue egg layer that they'd sell? I don't have an incubator at the moment and when I do buy one, it's not going to be a big one, nor do I want many hatches so I'd only need a few and I'd rather not ship so someone close to Kent Co would be good. My new coop is big and all but I've already got 19 birds out there and don't need too many more - just looking to expand the egg color palette, replace my non-layers and willing to take my chances with a small hatch. No more than 6 eggs tops.

I was just going to go pick up a minimum number of chicks at TSC when they get them but my hubby is talking me into hatching some and I don't really want more of what I have in my coop but would rather get some new blood in here. I might toss a few of my blue EE eggs in a bator since my roo is a wheaten marans. Could be interesting but not too exciting for me. I've already got three shades of green layers out there that give me almost gray to almost olive green eggs. I'd rather have some really dark eggs, some white and another blue since my EE that lays the blue eggs isn't the best layer and tends to go broody frequently.

@ladyrsanti
Lady, I am in the same boat so I understand. I plan on just replacing my EE (since she's older & slower on laying) & my white leghorn from Family Farm & Home this year, but still need to replace my marans. I do have an incubator that does small batches (7 with auto turning, or up to 10 with hand turning). Maybe we can work together for getting us each a pullet to two. I've been keeping my eyes open for hatching eggs, but not seriously looking looking... yet. So if you find someone that has some nice dark FBCM hatching eggs, maybe we can put them in my incubator & split the chicks or something. I'm open to ideas. I've been debating hatching some already I just wasn't sure if I wanted a whole batch of chicks just for 1 pullet. Also, if you would like to borrow my incubator for another batch (blue white whatever) color pallet hatching, I'm fine with that too. Otherwise I was thinking about just trying to get another pullet from Wynette again. What do you think?

 

[SillyChicken]

Well, I feel human again!

I'm not looking forward to more snow...3"-5" today.... but Thursday's weather will be welcome though I know it's going to rain and leave a mess in it's wake. It does feel like, something is changing in the weather.. I notice a few bird noises etc seeing some wildlife that I haven't heard/seen all winter.. I'm taking it as a sign (of denial more than likely).

Star (goat) is getting wide and her udder is starting to fill out. I am hoping that she gives birth when I'm expecting it to happen, other wise I'm not quite prepared yet!. I was hoping to get the shed cleaned out giver her her shots, and fresh bedding down and to spend time getting her used to the milk stand and being touched for milking, ... but the gates are snowed shut, man this weather and my tooth issue sure has made things tough! OK, I'm whining (sorry).. but still, this winter has been down right ridiculous!

All this talk of chicks, hatching and stuff has me jealous!. I'll not be bringing any new birds in this year. I want to make sure the illness that I had to deal with this year is not one that will affect new birds. I thought about culling and starting over, but I think I'll just reduce my numbers for now. If they get sick again this summer, they're all going. It's very frustrating!

 

[gladahmae]

I need to think about spring today. NEED.

soft-neck garlic: worth it, or wait and plant hard-neck garlic in the fall? (I think that's how those work?)

For my veggie garden I'm planning on: green beans (and purple ones), tomatoes, bell peppers, pickling and slicing cucumbers, zucchini, summer squash, and my kids are insisting on watermelon. I'm also going to be planing basil (LOTS of basil), maybe some thyme, sage, and rosemary, although those are't zone-safe. DH wants to do potato towers, and i usually throw down some radishes first thing in the spring. What else do I NEED to plant?

Might swing through town and get some seed starter and do some wintersowing this week. I have a lot of coneflowers, poppies, and lupine I want to plant this year.

 

[ladyrsanti]

@ladyrsanti
Lady, I am in the same boat so I understand. I plan on just replacing my EE (since she's older & slower on laying) & my white leghorn from Family Farm & Home this year, but still need to replace my marans. I do have an incubator that does small batches (7 with auto turning, or up to 10 with hand turning). Maybe we can work together for getting us each a pullet to two. I've been keeping my eyes open for hatching eggs, but not seriously looking looking... yet. So if you find someone that has some nice dark FBCM hatching eggs, maybe we can put them in my incubator & split the chicks or something. I'm open to ideas. I've been debating hatching some already I just wasn't sure if I wanted a whole batch of chicks just for 1 pullet. Also, if you would like to borrow my incubator for another batch (blue white whatever) color pallet hatching, I'm fine with that too. Otherwise I was thinking about just trying to get another pullet from Wynette again. What do you think?

I'm still thinking on it too. Heheh. When I get closer to a definitive answer, I'll let you know. I'm waiting to hear back from a couple of people and part of me still wants to wait to see what TSC brings out and who is close and offering/hatching what...

 

[aart]

Ummm, no. Use a 5 -6 gallon pot, say aluminum. All you need is a grate over the fire with 6 inches of air space from wood to grate. If the fire pit has an open front you can load wood directly under the grate. As the syrup cooks down you add more sap. In fact, in the evening you can move the pot in a garage (cover it), let it cool, and start over the next day. There's only a few exact sciences you need to read up on. Finish temperature and canning procedure. There's tons of info on the web. Product can be as good, or better, without alot of fancy gadgets you don't need. I've used milk jugs hanging of 30 cent plastic taps. This is how backyard sugar is made the easy way. Or, you can buy a 3000 dollar evaporator, miles of tubing, filters, and reverse osmosis machines - a great way to turn the wilderness into a science fiction setting, lol!

Cool. How much wood do you think it takes to reduce 50 gallons of sap?

 

[aart]

......

soft-neck garlic: worth it, or wait and plant hard-neck garlic in the fall? (I think that's how those work?)

...

As far as I know, my brother and I have been growing garlic for years-he in NY and me here in MI, both hard and softneck varieties are planted in ~Oct and harvested in ~July.
I think if you plant in the spring you wont get much of a 'head', it might form multiple cloves in a head but it will be very small...it needs that wintertime under the ground.

I love growing garlic, plant in fall when it's cool, heavily mulch and you don't have to do much with it other than clip the scapes until harvest in July.

 

[tori8780]

Does anyone know where I could get a couple heritage turkeys here in MI? I'm trying to find bourbon reds, but would also take royal palms or midget whites. We only want 2 or three for butcher and cant find anyone to split an order of 15 with. Any ideas would be wonderful!