Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[PDPercherons]

Pipe Dreaming.. good name. Pipe Dream is actually my farm name . I've read mixed opinions on the wood ash. I keep it available to the hens and they use it as they please. I've also used it to dust the coop after cleaning. In "warmer" weather airing the coop out is done afterwards. Helped get rid of mites when I found out I was overrun with them. Day 18 on my incubator of Andalusian crosses and such. 24 eggs in. Thought I'd have sunday off and ended up being scheduled to work, go figure. Told the household if peeps hatch out leave them and I'll get to them when I get home.

 

[tntchix]

What a pretty roo!

Does anyone use wood ashes from the woodstove for their birds to dust in? I thought I read it on here somewhere..

Pipe Dreaming.. good name. Pipe Dream is actually my farm name . I've read mixed opinions on the wood ash. I keep it available to the hens and they use it as they please. I've also used it to dust the coop after cleaning. In "warmer" weather airing the coop out is done afterwards. Helped get rid of mites when I found out I was overrun with them. Day 18 on my incubator of Andalusian crosses and such. 24 eggs in. Thought I'd have sunday off and ended up being scheduled to work, go figure. Told the household if peeps hatch out leave them and I'll get to them when I get home.

I need some wood ash. I have nothing for them to dust in and no stove or fireplace to make any. *sadface

 

[Pipe Dreaming]

I'm a dreamer... what can I say? But I've had many of my dreams come true. It's where it all starts.

I grew up on a farm (horses, beef cows, pigs, chickens..ect). Got away from it when I moved out and now that I'm married and have 2 kids of my own, I can't imagine raising them any other way.

We have 4 Holland lops, our chickens (16 right now) and one Angus/Holstein steer. We're getting there - slowly but surely! Put in a hay field last year and hoping to get a few feeder pigs in the spring.

 

[ChickenLady2014]

pump didn't freeze but the sub pump froze and filled the well up....woke up with no water went out there and had to drain and thaw everything....wow...I don't think I can top that....lets see if the third day tomorrow will be a charm...they say best things come in three...so well see....but on a good note...got another wall wired in and the last door cut out...and also got the fridge cleaned for the new incubator and got the plexi for both the top and bottom pieces so I guess something is going good...right

So sorry to hear that you froze up again, that really stinks. Reminds me of my childhood living in a old farmhouse that had a well pit. It was always freezing grr.. but I didn't have to try to fix it like you have to. Hope mother nature will cut you some slack soon.

 

[preciouskitty]

Roosters. I have been lucky...my only "jerk" was an NHR. Was a total sweetie til, as fuzzy said, hormones kicked at 12 months & he became downright evil..he went to freezer camp. The other 2, both EEs just were mean to each other, but GREAT roos..Blackie was adopted within a few hours of posting his pic on this thread.

My other 2 cockerels are an EE x BCM ..great boys, I just couldn't keep them since I only need 1 for my small flock. They, too, were adopted within an hour of posting.

It was great, I actually got 6 eggs yesterday..first time I have gotten that many since September when the molt started. Only 2 today...

Oh, and... I HATE HATE winter...I know this year is a breeze compared to last year..but I still hate it!

The birds seem to be handling it just fine. Tuesday & Wednesday morning they got warm oatmeal. Since they have no desire to come out, I've been hanging heads of cabbage or kale on a chain in the run to give them something to do,.they LOVE it!

@tntchix
Call me tomorrow...I can help you out if you want some wood ash..

 

[Farmerboy16]

Well you are a busy married man now!  Hey, I heard something about the amount of noise Call ducks make, maybe you should get them? 

Nope, I hear that they are the noisiest duck breeds!

 

[uchytil]

Yep, we got slammed. 12", wind, drifting, cold...and more coming. The chores will take 3 times as long this morning. For everyone out there in the same predicament stay off the roads if you can, bundle up, drink plenty of fluids to stay hydrated, and remember that this is only temporary, lol!

 

[uchytil]

Nope, I hear that they are the noisiest duck breeds!

My Khaki Campbell's make noise but I never notice. I also have Pekins that are fairly quiet. They all lay huge eggs which is what I like. This spring I may try to incubate a few.

Call eggs must be small? Muscovy is what you need if you want quiet. Never seen there eggs though.

Beautiful Tom turkey you have. My calico Tom and Hen are about 10 months old and the Tom is getting "slightly" aggressive. Not sure I like that. My first go with turkey raising. They are a handful when they free range. Can't herd them like chickens and ducks as easy. They fly to well!

 

[snowflake]

What a pretty roo!

Does anyone use wood ashes from the woodstove for their birds to dust in? I thought I read it on here somewhere..

I use wood ash, recipe from The small-Scale Poultry Flock by Harvey Ussery......If I remember correctly, was a mixture of peat,sand and woodash, I use it yr. round, I also put wood ash on the garden . have not tried it in the coop, that is interesting. good on flowers to keep the deer away, have not done this either cause ash collard flowers sounds blah, But if deer or rabbits are a big problem it would most likely work, even deer don't want a mouth full of ash

 

[preciouskitty]

We only got a few inches of snow, tho it's impossible to tell how much due to all the drifting. Some areas of the yard look like a foot; others, the grass is showing. I'm sure my driveway is a nightmare as it runs north/south with a corn field on the west side..so, with westerly winds, well..you get the drift (haha, pun intended

).

Girls (& boy) will be getting oatmeal again this morn...