Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[fuzzybutt love]

On better news from my front the wetted down feed has been a huge hit. I have been playing around with fermented feed; grains would definitely need severel days to soften. Between the new feed, omega booster, and the cold 2 of my bumblefoot girls have healed. I lost the redcote in there so haven't done that in almost 2 months! Lends some credit to it being a deficiency causing the weekness? Hope still had it but her sis is healed. One girl is all i have left of that pen with it. Faces are redder too; even with having worms. I plan on worming if the snow ever quits! Too much weather stress right now for it?

I don't know whether to go foreward with breeding plans or no. Hope wasn't just a companion, she was my prototype. Her sis has the same blood, but i am unsure since she is so different sometimes...i guess spring will tell. This particular strain humsn bonds, had i not mixed her with the flock she'd have been ok inside. She didn't interact and bond with the flock until around 3 mo.s; her remaining sis was broody raised so idk on her.

 

[JackieandChicks]

Mmm, love fresh syrup -- and I admire all of you who make it! I love nothing better than our local farmer's market, and I appreciate their hard work too!

Its in the 20s these next few days, but here's our West Michigan forecast...leading right into April!

50s!

p

Then right into April showers bring May flowers...

Will this long winter hurt our farmers? I'm never sure what crops are in season first in Michigan...

Don't know what you are on, but WZZM 13 show M-31/20, T-29/14, W 31/26, Th 41/40, F 45/30, Sat 37/28

Guess they don't know. And I am concerned about hay - all I got was first last year and it was almost double pre-drought prices.

 

[Amy PT]

Does anyone know of a bantam buff orpington breeder in MI?
I'm beating myself up over options. Too many! We need to move to where we can have about 30 birds.

 

[uchytil]

Don't know what you are on, but WZZM 13 show M-31/20, T-29/14, W 31/26, Th 41/40, F 45/30, Sat 37/28

Guess they don't know. And I am concerned about hay - all I got was first last year and it was almost double pre-drought prices.

I'm hoping hay will be good this year. With the nice snow cover the ground will be healthy. Once the first cutting's in we'll know. I want to lay in more first, second, and third. I'd like to be 3 times over what I'll need next winter. I see a few people trying to get rid of horses for free due to running out of hay - sad! My neighbor had to supplement his beef with corn due to the hard winter. He went through more hay than expected. My only concern is if we have a cool spring/summer. Ah heck, hope for the best I guess.

 

[ladyrsanti]

More dead stuff makes it darker. Usually later taps when the "live" things are in the sap - seriously. Darker is usually a lower grade. Grading is problematic because there is no national standard. A big debate actually - states differ. One thing is pretty consistent - the lighter the better.

Just read an article about the new grading system. Darker is not considered lower grade apparently and the industry is looking to give it a better rap since it is increasingly the more popular grade. I admit that Grade B does sound flawed but it's my favorite by far. I prefer it because of its stronger maple flavor. So they're changing it to all Grade A and differentiating it by color and flavor.

link to article: http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/20...-the-maple-syrup-aisle-now-everything-is-an-a

 

[aart]

Quote: I like the darker better too...mmmmmmm!

uchytil.... what kind of live/dead stuff?

 

[uchytil]

I like the darker better too...mmmmmmm!

uchytil.... what kind of live/dead stuff?

As spring warms up so do the creepy crawly organisms that live in the sap hence...

 

[aart]

Quote: Do they live in the sap inside the tree or get into the buckets? Protein?! 219 degrees should render them nontoxic.

 

[RoostersCrow HensDeliver!]

 

Then right into April showers bring May flowers...

Will this long winter hurt our farmers? I'm never sure what crops are in season first in Michigan...

In our area, some of us are going to loose some of the winter wheat crop. There's so much standing water and the river is past the banks into the fields now. Which is why IMO there should be mandatory 20+ ft filter strips on every field. We try to conserve as much topsoil as possible and use no-till for every crop except corn. Anyway, if the wheat is underwater for too long it will drown it. My hubby says we will have a later soybean and corn crop this year , the fields just aren't drying up. I can't speak for guys farther from the river, but its not looking very good down here.

 

[ladyrsanti]

Do they live in the sap inside the tree or get into the buckets? Protein?! 219 degrees should render them nontoxic.

Yeah, no bacteria can survive those kinds of temps. Any bacteria in there would be dead within ten minutes of the last sap added to the vat at 212°. Even botulism dies at 185°.