Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[BigHope888]

Late Welcomes, Jerabu and to any other newbies I missed! I lurk on this thread, getting my chicken info in advance, so I love to read Qs and As.

Probably a good thing I don't have peeps yet. We just had a sewer drain pipe break, and a dig job to replace it. (ewwwwwww). Glad that's over.

Opa, I also understand the siren call of the Peanut Butter cups. I once put 1/3 of a package away as dinner.

Sorry, Farmerboy, for your incubator mishap.

Crossing my fingers for spring!

 

[uchytil]

@jimmywalt Very innovative approaches to being frugal. Heated water'rs usually run about 30 dollars. My only gripe with them is turning them over to fill, and then flipping them up which usually spills a little. They are 100 watt in most cases - no more than the draw of a light bulb. The advantage is 10 birds can drink at one time.

Not a fan of auto doors or I'd try one of yours, lol.

@tori8780 If those chicks are day old (or there about) you need to get that brooder warmer. 95degF the first week and I like about a 5degF drop per week thereafter. Remember, chicks will move away from heat if too warm and bunch up under heat if too cold. Be careful of fire hazards. Take the time to ensure your heat lamp is well secure.

Who else just can't get enough of the new snowfall we are getting? Sap stopped running but I think I finished about 2 gallons last night. Actually a nice break before the next flow and boil.

 

[tori8780]

@tori8780 If those chicks are day old (or there about) you need to get that brooder warmer. 95degF the first week and I like about a 5degF drop per week thereafter. Remember, chicks will move away from heat if too warm and bunch up under heat if too cold. Be careful of fire hazards. Take the time to ensure your heat lamp is well secure.

Oh, I will definitely get it warmer or bring it into the basement if need be. Just prefer to leave it in the garage if possible.

 

[Maah]

Dear husband,

Your little four week old “it’s not a rooster” buff orpington you picked out, is now sporting a nice set of red wattles under her beak today to go with that big red comb.

“She’s” only 4 weeks old. In another 12 weeks, either we’re going to have the world’s ugliest hen ever, or you might want to haul out the traffic cone. Just saying.

~Your loving, "I told you so", wife

LOL!

 

[Brennigan]

I know how fast this thread moves, so is it okay if I repost a question in case someone didn't see it the first time? I'm just a little worried about my gal...I posted on emergencies/disease/etc. thread, but only received one reply.

My silver-laced wyandotte has a curling side-toe. She walks just fine and will fly and roost okay too. She is almost a month old, but I didn't know if I should be fixing it or not. I don't plan on showing any of my birds -- just have them for pets and egg-laying. The picture below isn't a picture of her, but it is most like her side-toe curling.




Once the brooder reaches my house temperature (we usually keep the house between 68 and 70), do I just turn the heating lamp off and replace it with a regular lamp to control lighting throughout the day? I know the chicks can go outside all night once its 50 degrees, but that's not predicted until late May. I don't want to waste electricity, but I want them to get used to the temperatures before going outside!

--

It's supposed to be 60 here on Monday -- 60! Then we're back to settling around the 40s. Oy vey. I was really hoping to get the chicks into the coop at night by mid-May. I think they're out-growing they're brooder. We have "playtime" three times a day where I let them walk all over the (hardwood floor) living room, but if I leave the top off, the three brave ones fly out no problem!

 

[Brennigan]

Dear husband,

Your little four week old “it’s not a rooster” buff orpington you picked out, is now sporting a nice set of red wattles under her beak today to go with that big red comb.

“She’s” only 4 weeks old. In another 12 weeks, either we’re going to have the world’s ugliest hen ever, or you might want to haul out the traffic cone. Just saying.

~Your loving, "I told you so", wife

LOL!

DH here is hoping his sweet silkie is not a roo either -- oh, we'll see!

 

[tori8780]

Dear husband,

Your little four week old “it’s not a rooster” buff orpington you picked out, is now sporting a nice set of red wattles under her beak today to go with that big red comb.

“She’s” only 4 weeks old. In another 12 weeks, either we’re going to have the world’s ugliest hen ever, or you might want to haul out the traffic cone. Just saying.

~Your loving, "I told you so", wife

LOL!

LOL!!

 

[snowflake]

It is a giant mix of large fowl and bantams. I know there are a few lavenders in there but not sure on the rest. I pick them up Saturday and I will ask him what each chick is

very fun!!

Sent you a message - I am looking for a lavender Ameraucana roo, so would take two lavender chicks if available. Thanks!

I happen to have an extra lavender Ameraucana from John B. his lavenders(at least the ones I got) tend to be small, mine are standard but really bantam sized, I have 2 roos and 2 hens, just didn't have the heart to freeze one of the roos they are sooooo sweet.

Check out the link in my signature about how to make a 5 gallon HEATED bucket waterer for only $20 bucks.
5 gallon waterer (heated for winter too): http://goo.gl/j50hYW


Another picture. Electical is running up the WHITE pic pipe on the right side to the ceiling.


Heater and bubbler in bucket


Aquarium heater from Walmart for $14.97. The bubbler was from Harbor Freight for $5


See electrical coming up the white pvc pipe and the outlet hooked to the ceiling rafter.


Pic during coop construction. White pvc along left front of coop.


End stayed under coop in bucket all summer until I hooked up the 100' extension cord. Then put both in watertight bucket again. And is plugged in GFI outlet at house.

like your heater, can it be used with nipples? is the bubbler to keep the water fresher?

thank you for reminding people about the lights, a lot of people lost a lot of birds because of that

 

[ladyrsanti]

I know how fast this thread moves, so is it okay if I repost a question in case someone didn't see it the first time? I'm just a little worried about my gal...I posted on emergencies/disease/etc. thread, but only received one reply.

My silver-laced wyandotte has a curling side-toe. She walks just fine and will fly and roost okay too. She is almost a month old, but I didn't know if I should be fixing it or not. I don't plan on showing any of my birds -- just have them for pets and egg-laying. The picture below isn't a picture of her, but it is most like her side-toe curling.




Once the brooder reaches my house temperature (we usually keep the house between 68 and 70), do I just turn the heating lamp off and replace it with a regular lamp to control lighting throughout the day? I know the chicks can go outside all night once its 50 degrees, but that's not predicted until late May. I don't want to waste electricity, but I want them to get used to the temperatures before going outside!

--

It's supposed to be 60 here on Monday -- 60! Then we're back to settling around the 40s. Oy vey. I was really hoping to get the chicks into the coop at night by mid-May. I think they're out-growing they're brooder. We have "playtime" three times a day where I let them walk all over the (hardwood floor) living room, but if I leave the top off, the three brave ones fly out no problem!

I don't have a lot of experience with it but one of the BRs I got two years ago from the hatchery had curled toes. But she was only a couple of days old and I attempted to make the shoe for her. In the end though, her toes were always misshape like that. I may not have left the shoes on long enough? But she got around fine, kept up with the others and all but eventually died during her molt (all of my BRs had trouble during their molt) at about 2 years of age. Not sure if a corrective shoe would be useful at her age. They usually recommend it on new chicks. Maybe someone else will chime in.

 

[jerabu]

For 3 hens, a 3 gallon bucket with nipples on the bottom, hung from above, and an aquarium heater in the bucket should suffice. Buckets have tight fitting lid, and could be mounted in such a fashion they could not roost upon it. I could make multiple of those, so they can be easily switched out. Just pull out the heater, transfer it to the new bucket of clean water as needed. Take the old one in for washing, and it will be ready to use the next day, or whenever it is needed.

I get the buckets free from work - and they are the same style as a 5 gallon, but smaller, and with a good tight fitting lid. In their first life, they were used to hold cake frosting.

Am thinking of improvising outdoor-access dispensers for the food and oyster.

Take the very same buckets, cut a narrow vertical strip out of each side, and attach plexiglass, that way I can visually asses how full each bucket is without having to open it. Attach a PVC pipe to the bottom of them that enters the coop, and is a simple PVC feeder as seen in many of the DIY threads. Feeding would be simple, without me having to open the coop on the cold, windy subzero days and blasting my hens with frigid air. Water would be a little trickier. With a heater, I could probably go a few days between changes, if the weather was atrocious.