Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[chickflick]

4x4 isn't that big so the flat panel would probably work great!

 

[bigmrg74]

4x4 foot coop. Insulated. It isn't done yet so birds are in the basement in a guinea pig cage right now. I'm not liking the s- word that is showing up on the radar tonight.

We do not talk about the S word here. Especially after last winter.

Been out putting shower currents on my chicken tractor so that its not so breezy in there for the girls today. After the Lions game here kinda thinking of going back out there and seeing if I can get some assistance from my younger brother in putting in a new thicker roost for the girls, so they can sit on their feet up there.

 

[RaZ]

Imagine this scenario. All of the old deep litter is removed from the coop. A thorough sanitizing is done. Nest boxes are cleaned and sanitized as well. New straw and shavings are added. The coop smells like springtime and practically sparkles with the essence of a marriage between Mr. Clean and Martha Stewart.

Why, oh why would the hens decide to lay their eggs outside in the cold mud?

 

[taprock]

I know the s word is forbidden, but after the past two weeks with a total of 12" of rain I'm starting to be a bit concerned. Do you realize how much snow that would be if it we get that much precipitation again in a month or so! So I worked outside today even though it wad cold, rainy and yucky. I briefly mentioned to D H that I had some things he might be able to help me with moving with the tractor. I started removing temporary fencing that needs to come down before winter. 30 minutes later, yes really just 30 minutes later DH is out to help me! Never has that happened before! Thank you tractor! He moved two of my small coops closer to the main coop. I do not use them in winter but it gives the birds a place to get out to and have shelter. Also I am getting a new Guinea coop and it will go where the one was moved from. Then DH brought up a load of sand to fill in the ponds we acquired this week. And he moved black dirt to do the same thing for the side yard. So nice to see some things crossed off the to do list.

 

[Trefoil]

Its nice to have help when you need it. Glad you got a lot done, yesterday was my "work in the rain" day and I didn't get nearly as much done as I wanted. I have got to incorporate some of my flocks, having 12 different enclosures to keep fed & watered, spread out all over, just doesn't cut it in the winter.
I really like how the blue wheaten Americaunas look and I have just one blue egg layer so this spring/early summer i bought ebay eggs, got a good hatch and ended up with 3 hens and a rooster. Only 2 of the hens and the rooster look like they might be blue wheaten, but I'm getting lt brown eggs from them, so I still only have one blue/green egg layer. The pullets I got earlier this year from coyzstze
turned out all pullets so I still don't have an astrolop rooster, but my cochin roosters don't mind at all and the pullets I get from the cross lay huge brown eggs and go broody pretty regularly.

 

[birdbraineddan]

I have been out smarted by the fox again! Twice this year I have been robbed of my hens. Both times have been during the day while I was at work, but this time the bugger dug under a spot where a mole has loosened the ground by the pen door. Luckily they haven't gotten into my "Looker/Breeder" pen and coop where I house all my favorite birds. I had just picked up two new beautiful mixed breed roosters last week and had moved my older juvenile hens to the pen with the rest of the layers. Then as an added bonus my other white silkie has now started to crow too! Now I have a pen with only one true hen and two bantam hens and 4 roos! My chances of finding a few hens for eggs over winter is looking pretty bleak. I am still shaking my head over the brazen antics of this fox . I have since put rail road ties around the bigger pen but not sure I will use it again until spring. I guess you win some, you lose some. At this point I am not looking to lose again. I have taken the precautions to get rid of the fox. Although beautiful creatures , they are no longer welcome on my property
Anyone else having the kind of luck I have had this year? What did you do to take care of the problem?

 

[bigmrg74]

I have been out smarted by the fox again! Twice this year I have been robbed of my hens. Both times have been during the day while I was at work, but this time the bugger dug under a spot where a mole has loosened the ground by the pen door. Luckily they haven't gotten into my "Looker/Breeder" pen and coop where I house all my favorite birds. I had just picked up two new beautiful mixed breed roosters last week and had moved my older juvenile hens to the pen with the rest of the layers. Then as an added bonus my other white silkie has now started to crow too! Now I have a pen with only one true hen and two bantam hens and 4 roos! My chances of finding a few hens for eggs over winter is looking pretty bleak. I am still shaking my head over the brazen antics of this fox . I have since put rail road ties around the bigger pen but not sure I will use it again until spring. I guess you win some, you lose some. At this point I am not looking to lose again. I have taken the precautions to get rid of the fox. Although beautiful creatures , they are no longer welcome on my property
Anyone else having the kind of luck I have had this year? What did you do to take care of the problem?

Shoot, Shovel, and Shut up about it. He's found a food source, so he's always going to want to hang around to get a chicken dinner whenever he can.

 

[Trefoil]

I have been out smarted by the fox again! Twice this year I have been robbed of my hens. Both times have been during the day while I was at work, but this time the bugger dug under a spot where a mole has loosened the ground by the pen door. Luckily they haven't gotten into my "Looker/Breeder" pen and coop where I house all my favorite birds. I had just picked up two new beautiful mixed breed roosters last week and had moved my older juvenile hens to the pen with the rest of the layers. Then as an added bonus my other white silkie has now started to crow too! Now I have a pen with only one true hen and two bantam hens and 4 roos! My chances of finding a few hens for eggs over winter is looking pretty bleak. I am still shaking my head over the brazen antics of this fox . I have since put rail road ties around the bigger pen but not sure I will use it again until spring. I guess you win some, you lose some. At this point I am not looking to lose again. I have taken the precautions to get rid of the fox. Although beautiful creatures , they are no longer welcome on my property
Anyone else having the kind of luck I have had this year? What did you do to take care of the problem?

You can get 2' hardware cloth or better, heavy gauge 1/2" x 1/2" x 24" in rolls, lay it horizontally on the ground around the perimeter of your fence and then go around and attach it to your vertical fence ( at the bottom), you can cover it with dirt or just stake it so it lays flat. This will keep animals from digging under your fence. Its a lot easier than trying to kill all the predators and works.
My stupid polish rooster is trying to breed my guineas. He's got 8 hens of his own and still goes after the guineas every time I let them out to free range. Last year he "got" one of my australorp hens and now I've got a couple of black "australorps" with top knots running around. They are kind of cute, anyway.

 

[ladyrsanti]

Fox. I had one last fall take two silver laced wyandotte hens (this was after the same fox took out the neighbor's entire flock - including a couple of pullets that I sold them). SLWs are like little targets to a fox with their black and white markings. Then it came back one rainy spring day (broad daylight) this year, looking very mangy and hungry after the rough winter. I wouldn't have known but the neighbors called and said there was a fox in my yard. My chickens were free ranging so I ran outside, not even putting the phone down or putting on shoes, just ran out into the rain. The fox was already in pursuit of my remaining SLW hen, singling her out of the flock of 20 other breeds. I chased the fox in my socks, in the cold rain, much to the amusement of my neighbors who already had the popcorn out (they regale me with the story every time I've talked to them since). It left the yard when it realized it was being hunted. The hen was found cowering by the milk house, unscathed - thanks to my neighbor's nosy nature and quick call. I don't know if it ever came back because I installed a electronet fence the next day. If it did, it got a shock. My hens now free range in two lengths of moveable the poultry electronet fence (more than enough room) and I haven't lost one to a predator since. We also have a lot of loose dogs in the area so this works for me. The only predator I worry about is hawks but there's not much to be done about them and we've been lucky. They have bushes and tractors to hide in/under and that will have to do.

 

[preciouskitty]

@birdbraineddan
Ditto what Trefoil said. I have hardware cloth buried 12" down, 12" out & 12" up again around the perimeter of my coop/pen. Took the advice of fellow BYCers & That is the only way I think we can keep diggers out. Can't always be around to "dispatch" them & we'd never get rid of all of them anyway.

So hunting score: DH 1, PK 0. First time in 3 years I haven't gotten the first. We both sat for the first time last night. He got a nice small rack, nice bodied buck. Let the freezer filling begin

Advice on treating the chicken mite issue please.
I am not gonna be able to do the full coop/pen cleaning & sanitizing until Wednesday.
My plan is to use Ivermectin for the birds.
1. Can I treat the birds prior to coop cleaning?
2. I have heard 5 drops/bird...but how much is a drop? Any ideas on how best to administer?
3. Should I use less on the 22 week pullets?
4. Do I have to throw away eggs & for how long?

Thanks for any help

@ladyrsanti
I am cracking up with the visual I have of you out chasing the fox.
Yep, I am a nervous wreck every time I free range after my first hawk attack 2 weeks ago...even though I know I've been lucky over the past 2 seasons...still paranoid as heck...Roos are good at warning girls (no matter what kind of large bird flies over, like blue jays..), but it only works when my girls STAY with the boys...& they don't always listen to me...