Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[preciouskitty]

Stay home. Not worth the stress & danger of trying to drive in. I have a 60 mile one way, too, & refuse to do it...not to mention not wanting to waste 3, tense hours of my life TRYING to get in. Of course, I am very fortunate that we can telework ( tho today I didn't even have to do that since they shut work down!!). Bioy, have the winds really started blowing....

 

[Candy442]

Another snow day!

I may try to drive to work later__or not__ 55 miles one way! Thinking about it, maybe a really bad idea. More ranting__ last night THREE raccoons and a possum under my front window, fighting over the fallen birdseed. Live traps frozen to the ground at the chicken house. No safe line of fire to take the poor little guys out. Won't use poison. UGH!!! Baby chicks not coming until mid-April, so trying to not look at TSC bins. Spring is coming, right? Mary

I went to work this am and it took me an hour to get to Lansing! Roads were bad, especially out our way. They got better closer to Lansing. Still, I am hoping I can get back home after it all

. I am wondering if you should put the bird feeder a far way from your house and chicken coop? I know that would lure them away from the house and give you a better aim...

I think you need to take a relaxing snow day!

 

[RaZ]

The manure that is spread on the fields across the street from us comes from a very large dairy operation. It's pure animal waste. They use primarily sand in their barns rather than straw. This particular dairy has had problems despite their insistence that they're a "green" facility and I've heard that our area has had massive fish die-offs in the past 10 years as a result of such runoff. I'm sure their hearts are in the right place but managing that many animals, cleanly, is difficult at best. It's a serious problem and I'm watching it very carefully for the safety of my family. I may be a supporter of RTF protection but large farms need to comply as well, for the environment and public safety. They're located directly on a stream that is part of my watershed. A spill of animal waste is just as toxic as any chemical spill. It's not my food growing out there either. It's alfalfa for the dairy cows and I try to stay away from commercial dairy. I would sooner go vegan than support such large facilities that are nothing short of ticking environmental time bombs.

That said, I put my animal's composted manure on my garden. But I only have 3 sheep and a handful of chickens. It's much easier to maintain responsibility on a small scale.

I hear you.
If you listen to the MDARD folk, they say that the small farmer has taken over RTF and messed it up. But they forget that the original law (1981) was meant to protect the small family farm. It wasn't until 1999 that the big commercial PACs re-wrote the law to give CAFOs near immunity.
If the new changes are approved, the backyard and small farmer will lose legal protection and the CAFOs will get even more relaxed rules, EPA and DEQ compliance regulations will be self-enforced. The language that governs pesticide usage is to be struck, meaning that pesticides can be used any way the user wants to (including dumping). The vote is scheduled for the Ag meeting next week (March 20).
The city sounded the emergency siren this morning around 6:00 am. Heck, the snow is only 5 inches deep.

 

[chickwhispers]

@ladyrsanti i agree with you, as I don't believe nature intended for CAFO's either. The last large herds on earth were the buffalo which had millions of acres to roam. To put the CAFO's in without proper space to range is very detrimental to the environment, no matter how clean they say they keep them.

I too am apologizing ahead But will finish on a good note. I am not going in to work today either. Unfortunately, someone has to work my shift. But we have a level 3 which is Emergency personnel only on the roads in my county I live 22 miles away all with ditches and curves. When I called off they said You don't have four wheel drive? No. The one is in the garage without brakes and radiator. The other is high profile and I would be blown off the road with the wind. I can't stand to drive it when it's just windy, let alone windy with snow. And it doesn't belong to me. It's DSO's. And he babies it. That leaves my personal vehicle without 4 wheel drive of which I put in the ditch at the end of our drive the last time I tried to get out when it was like this. The last storm at Level 3 no one had to go out in this. They called all who was there already and told them be prepared to stay for the duration. Before it even hit. Well I won't go on but I don't get paid a lot and the stress is starting to out weigh the rewards. And I NEVER call off. But I know I will be the villain.

On a good note: Warm gingerbread cookies and hot Coffee.

 

[jlynnet]

I am so very lucky I had today off from work! My son measured almost 9 inches of snow! Go away winter. The chickens are staying in today. Most of them don't want to play in the snow either.

I have some 2 week old Jubilee Orpington chicks if anyone is interested.

 

[chickflick]

It's just plain nast out there!! Gusting winds, blowing snow (kinda goes with the gusting winds) drifts thigh high. It was a challenge to walk my neighbors long driveway, thru her large yard and to her barn to give her horse a flake of hay. Our road had drifts knee high. Mother Nature is sure mad at us!

 

[aart]

The wind is starting here and blowing some snow off the trees, but the stuff on the ground is way to wet to be blown anywhere...might help it evaporate tho.

 

[zndzant]

Hi everyone! I just wanted to introduce myself and see if I can get some advice on raising chickens. My Mom and I would like to raise a few to have our own eggs. We don't want a rooster as I have read that they are mean. I know that they help protect the flock, but I think with proper planning and safety measures we can do without. We're working on a portable enclosure/run that we can move around the yard(we have 5 acres and used to have horses)for daytime foraging. We haven't worked out the coop yet. Would like suggestions about size, orientation( for light, wind, sun, etc) what features you like in a coop. Planning on getting 8 chicks mid-April, Buff Orpingtons, Barred Rocks, Wyandottes. Any suggestions for others? I would like to handle them a lot when they're young so that they are friendly. Tips about bedding, sand, scratch etc are also welcome. As far as feed goes, I'm glad to hear that Armada Grain has a favorable reputation among some of you as they are my local feed store. Looking forward to your replies.

Wendy

 

[chickwhispers]

We have 9 inches and it is wet but still dry enough to blow across the road. Haven't seen or heard (it's to noisy from the wind) a vehicle on the road for 2 hours or so.

 

[BigHope888]

Just in case this winter wasn't brutal enough...this happens:

I live across the street from a small church. They have a dumpster for their trash. Upon returning from an errand, I came home to this:



Their garbage man got stuck! Oh, no!



Attracting the attention of humans with cameras and kitties alike.




But THEN...after the tow truck freed the garbage truck, he was stuck himself!



His buddies came around the block to help. I could hear them laughing about the irony.



They did their thing...


And then they went about their day. Stay safe, everyone! xoxoC