Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[Stacykins]

Cream, growing up breakfast was alphabits cereal with straight cream on it. Nothing like it!

Guineas will do ok alone but they love to chase each other so yours may take to chasing other birds, especially if it's male. Last winter I had two, thanks to the coyote. They needed more. This year I have 3 males and 9 females and they are doing great. Not picking on chickens and getting along.

I have been amazed by the ducks. First winter with them and they'll go out in anything. They wade snow and I find tracks all over where no chicken had dared to go. Are ducks smart enough to go in when needed? They have a "duck box" in the bottom of the coop where they sleep.

Well I have to shovel this morning, very wet snow that I'm not looking forward to.

My ducks hardly ever go inside, even during the worst weather. They know how to use the coop, since they lay eggs in a corner in there. But even during snow and wind, they often sleep outside. There is still some open water where the sump pump discharges water, so as soon as I open the run in the morning, they take off like little penguins to splash around (since they're Magpies, they actually look a bit like penguins, too). If snow gets deep, they belly slide.

I think ducks are better with the cold weather than chickens. The ducks did this last year, too.

 

[snowflake]

hi. Live in houghton lake mi. I acquired my first guinea hen. I have been told he/she needs a companion. Any advice?

welcome to MI BYC

Just had a close call with a hawk this morning. I had the girls out free ranging and Belle and myself was out in the barn helping Mom finish up some chores out there with the horses. We're walking back to the house and all of a sudden hear some chickens squawking. Two of the white ones were out front and had to duck in under a pine tree to avoid the hawk. The rest must have been closer to the coop because they were all there. I gathered up Belle as she's little enough that we wouldn't want the hawk to get any ideas about her while he's around. Mom put her inside the house. Found the BSL's hiding in the coop and then proceeded to look for the rest of them, all hiding in under a blue spruce tree. had to crawl in under them to get them out.

last time we had one come in at the chickens I had to pull them out of a tangle of briers so low I don't know how they got in there, A mamma and 1 of her chicks

Good mamma

 

[aart]

My ducks hardly ever go inside, even during the worst weather. They know how to use the coop, since they lay eggs in a corner in there. But even during snow and wind, they often sleep outside. There is still some open water where the sump pump discharges water, so as soon as I open the run in the morning, they take off like little penguins to splash around (since they're Magpies, they actually look a bit like penguins, too). If snow gets deep, they belly slide.

I think ducks are better with the cold weather than chickens. The ducks did this last year, too.

Yep, much more water repellent than chickens......and they have little snowshoes on the ends of their little legs!!

 

[SillyChicken]

I have a reg Nigerian doe... the buck is reg as mini lamancha.. so I don't know how the doeling born this year will turn out for milk in next years breeding (hopefully she was not bred by her daddy.. jerk got back in with the does yesterday

). The kids all turned out smaller than I expected (I need a new buck next yr.... so I have one for sale if anyone is interested. I'll be honest and tell you he is a real smelly, blue eyed a hole now that he is fully mature)! I'll still keep a doeling from this years breeding but I can't really use him again next year for just one doe with others to be bred. I want to go back to pure ND (like the buck was suppose to be... till I got the papers and discovered he wasn't).

The milk my doe produced last year was great, I'm hoping that it will be better and we'll have more of it this year (hopefully with a few less babie to feed, 5 for a first freshener was ridiculous!

),


(yes I need a cow)

I can attest to behavior of a loan guinea... even two loan guineas... they picked out one of my smaller tom turkeys and aggressively tormented the poor thing so much, that I immediately disposed of the guineas. The turkey held more value than the guineas and it needed time to recover and put some weight back on for processing. I liked that they helped keep the ticks down, but the noise and commotions they caused don't fit well on my little farm.

 

[SillyChicken]

Awesome find!

You know, I don't know why my girls are suddenly putting out even richer milk than before, but it is almost undrinkable it is so rich! Like pouring a cup of heavy whipping cream and taking a sip. To give you an idea, a 1/2 gallon of milk used to make about 8 ounces of cheese. My father made cheese from a 1/2 gallon the other day, and got 20 ounces of cheese?!!?! I didn't believe him at first!

They're eating the same thing as before

what are they eating if you don't mind my asking?

I can't drink processed milk, and DH is so used to fat free water milk, that he couldn't drink the goat milk straight... so I thought if I could skim off some of the yummy goodness and use it right away for butter... we did use the milk straight with cream in our coffee - that was fantastic!!

 

[birdman55]

ah the first door hung....hope everyone loves snow...im going to make a snow chicken....hahahaha lol

 

[misfitmorgan]

what are they eating if you don't mind my asking?

I can't drink processed milk, and DH is so used to fat free water milk, that he couldn't drink the goat milk straight... so I thought if I could skim off some of the yummy goodness and use it right away for butter... we did use the milk straight with cream in our coffee - that was fantastic!!

You can literally add water to the milk for your DH, it will make it taste more like store milk. Nice thing about goat milk is its lactose free for all intents and purpose's where those affected with Lactose Intolerance are concerned, also good for people with sensitivity to cows milk or cows milk allergy. i know for myself ifi i eat a bowl of cereal with cows milk it gives me a slight belly ache, same thing with milk and cookies. My niece has Cystic Fibrosis and we try to only give her goat's milk because its a lot easier for her body to digest and healthier all around then cows milk.

Here is a Link on Goats Milk Vs. Cows Milk if anyone cares to read it(Backed up by research)
http://www.nps.gov/carl/forteachers/classrooms/upload/ES35-post-why-goats-milk-healthier-info.pdf

I have a reg Nigerian doe... the buck is reg as mini lamancha.. so I don't know how the doeling born this year will turn out for milk in next years breeding (hopefully she was not bred by her daddy.. jerk got back in with the does yesterday

). The kids all turned out smaller than I expected (I need a new buck next yr.... so I have one for sale if anyone is interested. I'll be honest and tell you he is a real smelly, blue eyed a hole now that he is fully mature)! I'll still keep a doeling from this years breeding but I can't really use him again next year for just one doe with others to be bred. I want to go back to pure ND (like the buck was suppose to be... till I got the papers and discovered he wasn't).

The milk my doe produced last year was great, I'm hoping that it will be better and we'll have more of it this year (hopefully with a few less babie to feed, 5 for a first freshener was ridiculous!

),


(yes I need a cow)

I can attest to behavior of a loan guinea... even two loan guineas... they picked out one of my smaller tom turkeys and aggressively tormented the poor thing so much, that I immediately disposed of the guineas. The turkey held more value than the guineas and it needed time to recover and put some weight back on for processing. I liked that they helped keep the ticks down, but the noise and commotions they caused don't fit well on my little farm.

Silly if you live close enough your welcome to stud my bucks. None are registered but i have a blue eyed nigerian(2yrs Proven), a saanen (10 months), a alpine(2.5yrs Proven), and a nubian(8 months). I have regular LaMancha/Nigerian cross does in my herd and they bag up really nice so milk should be fine for your mini Lamancha/Niger babies.

 

[misfitmorgan]

ah the first door hung....hope everyone loves snow...im going to make a snow chicken....hahahaha lol

We have no snow here and i hope it stays that way

 

[SillyChicken]

So far, this Winter has not shown it'self to be worse than last year.... for us anyway... and for that I am glad!

Last night we whipped up a casserole that turned out really good! We had to substitute some of the ingredients but it tasted awesome!!
We used our canned food, which were potatoes and smoked turkey... then added peppers, onion, sour cream, cream of mushroom soup and cheddar cheese (a little smoked gouda and thyme on top) baked for 1/2 hr at 350. yum!

 

[RTFchickens]

I have a reg Nigerian doe... the buck is reg as mini lamancha.. so I don't know how the doeling born this year will turn out for milk in next years breeding (hopefully she was not bred by her daddy.. jerk got back in with the does yesterday ).  The kids all turned out smaller than I expected (I need a new buck next yr.... so I have one for sale if anyone is interested.    I'll be honest and tell you he is a real smelly, blue eyed a hole now that he is fully mature)!   I'll still keep a doeling from this years breeding but I can't really use him again next year for just one doe with others to be bred.   I want to go back to pure ND (like the buck was suppose to be... till I got the papers and discovered he wasn't).

The milk my doe produced last year was great, I'm hoping that it will be better and we'll have more of it this year (hopefully with a few less babie to feed, 5 for a first freshener was ridiculous! ),


(yes I need a cow)   
[rule]I can attest to behavior of a loan guinea... even two loan guineas... they picked out one of my smaller tom turkeys and aggressively tormented the poor thing so much, that I immediately disposed of the guineas.    The turkey held more value than the guineas and it needed time to recover and put some weight back on for processing.   I liked that they helped keep the ticks down, but the noise and commotions they caused don't fit well on my little farm.

I have registered ND goats. 5 doe and 2 buck. The buck are from good milking lines. You are welcome to use him as a stud.
I'm not sure yet why people charge money for stud service. I'm not out anything if you bring her to my buck... As long as they are disease free. PM me if you are interested next year...