Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[bluebirdnanny]

Does anyone use light for egg production through the winter? I have "daytime" LED lights that come on at 3:00 AM until 7:00 AM when the door opens up to the run and it is naturally daylight. This is the first winter for the girls and it doesn't look like they are going to molt. Should I keep the lights going or just leave it up to Mother Nature? I'm new at this but selling the eggs to help pay for the feed really helps. Any feedback would be appreciated.

I don't use lights. I want my poultry to have a rest if they need it for their total health. Hens that are pushed for all year laying without a break wear themselves out and are more prone to illness and IMO do not have as long a life of laying.

That is just MY way. You have to evaluate what YOU want and how much you want to spend on keeping a flock healthy.

 

[bluebirdnanny]

Exactly OPA. I have the same arrangement with my neighbors. But during OFF season I do have permission to walk, bird, explore both properties beside me. I know when they are out and they know if I am.

In this situation explained though with the blind FACING their property is suggestive of intent and the best way is to photo. Then IF there is a problem talk to them with your concerns as peaceable as you can without threatening.

 

[preciouskitty]

I don't use lights. I want my poultry to have a rest if they need it for their total health. Hens that are pushed for all year laying without a break wear themselves out and are more prone to illness and IMO do not have as long a life of laying.

That is just MY way. You have to evaluate what YOU want and how much you want to spend on keeping a flock healthy.

Ditto, same here for the same reasons...

 

[Opa]

Since I consider chickens to be a source of food and not a long term relationship, I am in favor of harvesting the hen's eggs as rapidly as possible. A hen will lay a genetically predetermined number of eggs. You must decided how long you want to feed that hen while waiting for those eggs.

 

[Brennigan]

Does anyone use light for egg production through the winter? I have "daytime" LED lights that come on at 3:00 AM until 7:00 AM when the door opens up to the run and it is naturally daylight. This is the first winter for the girls and it doesn't look like they are going to molt. Should I keep the lights going or just leave it up to Mother Nature? I'm new at this but selling the eggs to help pay for the feed really helps. Any feedback would be appreciated.

DH and I hung rope lights along the rafters in the coop. I don't know if it's enough light to help in egg production, but I like to think they're not bumping into everything. It's on a timer for 30 minutes before dawn and two hours after sunset.

 

[Opa]

We need to make ourselves heard

 

[Peep-Chicken]

Does anyone use light for egg production through the winter? I have "daytime" LED lights that come on at 3:00 AM until 7:00 AM when the door opens up to the run and it is naturally daylight. This is the first winter for the girls and it doesn't look like they are going to molt. Should I keep the lights going or just leave it up to Mother Nature? I'm new at this but selling the eggs to help pay for the feed really helps. Any feedback would be appreciated.

I never have. I am worried if it ever became a fire hazard. Loosing a whole flock for sons more eggs doesn't settle with me. Although that's just my opinion . Last winter I used to light and still got four eggs out of 5 hens. It will be interesting this year since I have so many more lol.

It also gives the girls a break, and even with the light, if it's like last winter your eggs might freeze and crack before you collect them. So you might have to go out more often to get them before they freeze.

Hope that helped

 

[Maah]

Hokey peets, busy weekend.

We (along with 2 other couples) threw a big Halloween party for all the kids. I spend the day preparing, shopping, & cooking... We put out a bunch of food for everyone for dinner & snacks. I made a ghost piñata for the kids & we filled it with candy & toys. We also did a tug-of-war, an egg toss game, bobbing for apples, had a big hay ride, & handed out prizes. It was a ton of fun! After all the kids activities were done, we left them to their own devices for the rest of the night (movies, air hockey, pool table, games, etc), and then us 6 adults sat, had a drink & played some cards. Don't mind me if I gloat that I won - Hearts champion over here. Ha! While I LOVE doing that kind of thing for the kids, I feel like I'm getting too old for it. I know I'm not, but my body thought it needed a day to recover.

So then hubby harvested a deer on Sunday afternoon. **sigh** I was hoping to rest after I finished cleaning the house from the party. All well.

I decided to work in the barn a bit while he hangs & dressed the deer. The chicken coop has been thoroughly cleaned & prepped with extra thick bedding for the winter, same with the goat stall, the bunnies & their hutch has been moved into the barn. Lucky them... all toasty warm now.

Last night we processed the deer & got that all in the freezer. We separated out a large bag of meat ready to drop off at the market to turn into meat sticks & sausage. Yum.

What I didn't get done... raking up leaves for the goats. I think they're going to do without. I'm pooped.

Oh! Almost forgot... My friend/cousin from Georgia arrived yesterday. Apparently the first thing I'm cooking for him is one of our home raised meat chickens & all the trimmings. I pulled out a big rooster from the freezer (weighed in about 12 lbs dressed weight) & have that thawing out. I told him I'd need at least 3-4 days to prepare for doing a roasted chicken, he gave me 2. Sheesh. Hopefully it fully thaws today so I can put it in the brine for overnight. Dinner tomorrow!

 

[Living the Simple Life]

There are no laws that govern which way a tree stand can face nor the distance from a property line. Game laws do dictate the mandatory distance from a dwelling or road within which a firearm cannot be discharged

I have stands that because of the location of a suitable tree are located near my property lines. While they might be perceived by some as an intent to hunt another's land, I can assure you that I have never taken a deer from property on which I don't have legal access. I have however, shot deer after they came onto my land. Unless you own several hundred acres that provide all a deer needs such as cover, feed, water, etc it is going to travel many miles across the property of many landowners. Unless a deer is in a fenced enclosure, secured not only by wire but the requisite state permits, it is a wild deer that is owned by everyone in the state. A deer on one's property does not belong to them. However, access to that animal does belong to you while it is on your land.

To assume that someone intends to hunt another's land is rash. The location of a stand near your property does not cause you any harm but taking actions . disrupt the hunt of another is wrong. It could in fact place you in violation of state law that prohibits harassment of hunters. Unless that hunter comes onto your land, or shoots an animal on your land they are perfectly legal.

On properties next to mine others have located stands close to my property, those hunters know I will not allow them to hunt on my property but that I will allow them to retrieve an animal that came on my property and died. They like wise allow me access if the situation were reversed. I would advise not escalating the situation without truly knowing a problem exists.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed below are only my own and in no way are intended to cause disagreement or discord on this page.

I understand that he is currently not violating any law with the placement of his tree stand. However, given the placement of the stand (affixed to the tree facing our property), the amount of heavy growth adjacent to the tree with the stand which would make it unfeasible to shoot in any other direction, and the proximity to the deer herd's bedding area, the scale of intent seems to tip in favor of him planning to shoot toward our pasture.

As I stated before, I have no issue with hunting. I do not believe for one moment that I own the deer on my property - if they move off my land, he is welcome to them. What I do have issue with is the idea of someone who may choose to hunt land on which they do not have permission, in particular when that land is actively being used by the homeowner. This person has no clue as to whether my husband, son or someone else is currently hunting this land. Perhaps other may disagree with me, but I don't personally feel that being on my land, conducting my farming activities as I do on a regular basis, could be or should be construed as disrupting a hunt. We are going to look into a wildlife cam, not an expense that I was planning to make right now :-( I think the key to bear in mind is that this is not just some unused wooded area, this is our open pasture which contains our chicken coop, rabbitry, mowed cross country trails that my kids and dog actively run (yes, even at dusk). It is only by random chance that we do not currently have goats and a horse in the pasture. I am not looking to keep anyone from getting their deer, we are just not interested in strangers with weapons being on land that we are actively using for other purposes. I guess I would just like him to respect the fact that he asked and was told "no".

 

[chickflick]

@Brannigan , Would not suggest that you leave the lights on after dark. When the they turn off, that plunges the chickens into total darkness and therefore can not get up on their roosts.