Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[ToniTalley]

Hey, I'm new to byc and about to get my own chickens. Wood is awaiting assembling into a tractor. City ordinance limits us to 4 hens and they must be contained. Since I live next to one of our judges I plan to mind my manners and I'm hoping the little feathered girls will too! Looking for any advice for a newbie. I'm up north and a tractor really is my only option in our small yard. How will I winterize it? Are two nesting boxes enough for 4 hens? Oh, the possibilities!

are you sure you have no room for a small coop attached to the tractor? In winter they need a good shelter from wind and a way to keep water from freezing, as well as keeping the eggs from freezing. We have a heated waterer inside the coop and it seems to act like a little radiator as well as keeping the water liquid.

 

[bigmrg74]

Hey, I'm new to byc and about to get my own chickens. Wood is awaiting assembling into a tractor. City ordinance limits us to 4 hens and they must be contained. Since I live next to one of our judges I plan to mind my manners and I'm hoping the little feathered girls will too! Looking for any advice for a newbie. I'm up north and a tractor really is my only option in our small yard. How will I winterize it? Are two nesting boxes enough for 4 hens? Oh, the possibilities!I

I kept my 6 girls here in a tractor all winter. I just parked it next to the garage so it would at least block the west wind, got some cheap shower curtains to cover up the hardware cloth and block the wind, and stacked straw bales all around the base of it. I opted to wrap 2 of the bales in plastic so they would stay dry and not get heavy, so I could move them easily on nicer days for a little extra air flow for them. And then I just ran an extension cord under it all so that I could have a heated water as well. Worked out well for my pullets, they laid eggs all winter, decreased production of course, but with 10 below temps, I couldn't really fault them for that.




The only thing with it is that I wish I had it a little further away from the TV antenna, so that the wild birds don't poop all over the coop so much. Really looking forward to getting to move it around soon. Need a little more spring here for that.

 

[aart]

Quote:

......and think about snow pile up so you can keep access open to take care of birds all winter.

 

[aart]

Hi Lisa

Well our own Taprock is famous, at least here in Northern Michigan

SwwwwEET!! Very nicely written!
I just love that live animal learning is being done at a library......our local library just had a stuffed animal sleep over

 

[mrcush]

Does anyone else have dogs or puppies that LOVE to eat the chicken poop? I have 2 puppies 8 months and 4 months that will graze the yard all day and eat the chicken poop. I definitely don't want to stop letting my chickens out. So I was wondering if anyone else had this problem and if anyone had any suggestions. Thanks

 

[myfarm4579]

Yes my two dogs also love the "poo". Not sure what can be done to correct it though I look on the bright side of it. If it not making them sick or something,although gross it's less that I have to clean up and step in.lol

 

[aart]

Yes my two dogs also love the "poo". Not sure what can be done to correct it though I look on the bright side of it. If it not making them sick or something,although gross it's less that I have to clean up and step in.lol

Yep...and this might finally cure folks of letting their dogs lick their humans faces....
......because those buttlickingturdeaters have been eating poop all along, you just maybe haven't seen them doing it

 

[mrcush]

Yes my two dogs also love the "poo". Not sure what can be done to correct it though I look on the bright side of it. If it not making them sick or something,although gross it's less that I have to clean up and step in.lol

I read on mypetchicken.com that sprinkling cayenne pepper on the poop might help. Now I definitely don't have the time or energy to do that throughout the yard but I'm wondering if I could try it in the run to attempt to keep the dogs at least out of the run. I like to leave the run door open because it's the chickens only in and out to get to food and water at the moment.

 

[ToniTalley]

Does anyone else have dogs or puppies that LOVE to eat the chicken poop?  I have 2 puppies 8 months and 4 months that will graze the yard all day and eat the chicken poop.  I definitely don't want to stop letting my chickens out.  So I was wondering if anyone else had this problem and if anyone had any suggestions.  Thanks

Lol, I have taught my dogs to stay out of the coop run but they still sneak into the compost dumping area. If I catch them and yell at them to leave it they reluctantly move away, but they sneak as much as they can. Icky dogs, lol

 

[Opa]

After 70 years there are still things in life that leave me wondering. Like how a chicken can still walk after laying an egg like this one. The other egg is a jumbo.