Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[Trefoil]

If my momma muscovy keeps on her nest, I will have ducklings around the 23rd and in time for chickenstock. Naglady has 1st choice if she's still looking for Muscovies. They are good for pets or meat ducks, she is on about 15 eggs, but I can't candle them, it upsets her to much if I go near her. She is only 9 mos. so a young mom. I'm in the thumb area. You can sign up to go to Mi chickenstock picnic, there sounds like there will be lots there.

Welcome @Meca

Are your muscovies white or colored? If you have any extra after Naglady, I'm looking for a couple. My drake is one of the huge french and my 2 ducks are less than 1/2 his size. I'm not sure if its just because they're female or if they also aren't the meat types (they're colored). I really like the huge size but I also really like the colors. He is almost the size of my toulouse & buff geese, on shorter legs. I'm not sure what happened to my hatch, I had 6 eggs that didn't hatch, I haven't opened them up yet (tomorrow) but they candled like the ones that hatched did. Americaunas don't have the lethal gene do they?

 

[RaZ]

At 11 weeks you should know for sure, if they're really Wellies....I could tell mine at 5 weeks, the roo wattles are unmistakable.

I got these chicks at TSC the same day that they came in. Six pullets and one obvious cockerel. Now at this age, I find it more difficult to determine the boy from the girls. None of these birds are displaying obvious wattles. Combs seem to be the more telling factor.

Welsummers can be sexed at hatch making it easy to cull immediately and not have to feed unwanted birds.

I agree. The nice lady at TSC raises Wellies for 4H and confirmed that I had 6 female and 1 male. Now I am kind of wondering if there was a gender-bender or 2 in the bunch. Based on my observation, I may have an extra roo or 2. Or I have a pullet with male tendencies.
The odd bird is not an unwanted bird, it may be an unexpected entree if it decides to crow.

Hi guys, I just thought I could come here to vent a little. Ugh here it goes... I get on my Facebook today after sharing a post on my wall about the Michigan Right To Farm and my idiot neighbor down the road replies on there ranting about how the MRTF act was never meant for backyard farmers blah blah blah. That he supports farm bureau's hand in encouraging the the changes blah blah blah....Mr know it all vegetable farmer who can't get down from his high horse to smell the roses and concern himself about what is actually going on and what "the people" actually want ( that or he just doesn't give a hoot). Anyway the worst part of it is IS that he is on the Farm Bureau council!

I did my best to contain myself while I got him aquainted with the facts. I just am so angry right now . And embarrassed because of him, I'm a farmer too but I do CARE about this issue even if it doesn't pertain to my flock. Anyway, thanks for the vent, I feel a tiny bit better now.

I get where you are coming from. I understand the anger about this situation.
Your idiot neighbor is partially correct, the 1999 amendment was not intended for backyard farmers. It was a law written by ALEC to protect the big operations. The way it was written as law afforded an equal measure of protection for us little guys. That was supported in legal cases.
Therein lies the rub...

The RTFA was bought and paid for and intended for a select few. But the wording was not specific enough and a few small farm operations used it to their advantage. The appellate courts agreed. Now, that "loop-hole" has been closed by vote of the Ag Commissioners at the behest of the Farm Bureau, MML, MTA and the MDARD

 

[aart]

Quote: Males would have definite wattles and black and red breast feathers.........females have 'salmon' breast feathers.
Here's mine at 7&8 weeks.....can't see the females comb here but it's much smaller than the males, can see the definite black breast feathers on the male, females breast is all reddish:

 

[Opa]

The entire RTFA has been handled with the typical frustrating bureaucratic efficiency that does lo help the little guy. About all that can be done is to continue to make sure our legislators are aware of our frustration and our willing to help elect people who will listen.

I had been a member of the Farm Bureau for at least 25 years but I recently cancelled and made them aware that their stance on RTF was the reason for doing so.

 

[ladyrsanti]

Last year I had trouble selling my crazy influx of spring eggs. It is no help that I don't have a network of people that I know in the area. Everyone I know either has their own chickens or lives in my hometown 3hrs. away so it's pointless. And I refuse to go to a church just to build a customer base (as it has been suggested to me by locals with clear ulterior motives). This year I put a cooler out by the street with a sign and have had no trouble at all. In fact, I went out this morning to find that I had been cleaned out completely. I offer .50 discount for a returned carton so the customer had simply taken all the eggs out of the 3 cartons and paid the discounted price. That's ingenuity

and I wish I would have been present to witness the act. Anyway, simply having a sign by the street and forcing folks to come to my door wasn't working and I can't say that I blame them. I would never go to some strangers door to buy eggs either, with my social anxiety and to be honest, I'm not always comfortable with strangers coming to my door at random times, forcing social intercourse when I'm perhaps not prepared to be social. At first I worried about leaving the eggs out in the cooler, by the street all night long but it turns out that I have some sneaky customers, who only come under the cover of darkness. I like the way they work so I leave it out there and just keep it cool around the clock with frozen ice packs.

It's working for now, so long as a teenager doesn't come along and steal the eggs to chuck at their buddy's house or my own house. Actually, I shouldn't have generalized. It wouldn't have to be a rogue teenager. I've had the urge to pelt neighbors' houses in the not so distant past.

 

[RTFchickens]

Lady, I work in northers kent county. I currently cannot keep up with customer demand for eggs. We are hatching and eating much of what is being laid...
I'd be happy to send some customers your way. I hate when they look at me in disappointment and say "I guess I'll have to stop at the store to buy a dozen"
PM me if you ever need to sell

 

[fuzzybutt love]

 
The new farmers market in Davison was hopping today.  Just opented the 1st.  Couldn't even get into the parking lot, and the lot is big.  Will try another time to check it out.

Muskegon just built a new Farmer's Market downtown.  What I find ironic is that the town is harsh on urban farmers, and even the ones on the outskirts, but they must have laid out a huge amount of cash to build the new area.  It was even on the news.  I usually went to the old market to gauge prices but hardly ever bought anything (only because I raise most everything myself). 

There has been much to-do the last several years about making fresh produce more readily available to inner cities. That was before the forced health care with forced "wellness"checks. Bottom line on a federal level they want us to eat well, and at least *seem* to be supportive of urban farming. Locals notsomuch but they don't want to tell the big guys they squished the fresh food movement!!!
I don't see hardly any of the working farms around here at the 1500 setback for livestock facilities... but who knows maybe the township will turn a blind eye...unless finance gets tight.

 

[SillyChicken]

Muskegon just built a new Farmer's Market downtown. What I find ironic is that the town is harsh on urban farmers, and even the ones on the outskirts, but they must have laid out a huge amount of cash to build the new area. It was even on the news. I usually went to the old market to gauge prices but hardly ever bought anything (only because I raise most everything myself).

How's that rabbit doing? Did it have kits? My two does birthed a week apart and I'm loaded with little jumping beans.

We finally got a litter out of our FG buck.... 8 little beans.... so cute!

 

[ladyrsanti]

Lady, I work in northers kent county. I currently cannot keep up with customer demand for eggs. We are hatching and eating much of what is being laid...
I'd be happy to send some customers your way. I hate when they look at me in disappointment and say "I guess I'll have to stop at the store to buy a dozen"
PM me if you ever need to sell

I've been having around 4 dozen available at any given time. So if it's just one or two folks who get eggs on occasion, I could probably accommodate them at the moment. Come summer though, I'm not sure. Mine tend to slow down when it gets hot so I might find myself stretched for eggs as well.

 

[jerabu]

Anyone heard about Michigan's new agriculture laws?

What does it all mean?

I though localities already had the right to regulate livestock.... which is why some allow chickens, and some don't, and some give limits (here for example, 3 hens, no roos)

http://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2014/04/holda_change_in_rules_for_mich.html