Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[Whatshisface]

As always the traps were checked shortly after sunrise and again mid morning when I went out to feed and water. I then when to TSC to pick up some feed. When I returned I noticed that one of the pail traps had gotten a daylight prowling coon. While raccoons are primarily nocturnal, day time strolls are quite normal during the mating season.

I got a giant male raccoon 2 nights ago. According to my dog (who barks all night trying to tell us there is something out there) we have another one. Hopefully we catch it tonight so I can get some sleep.

 

[Stacykins]

Watch out for Trolls. Adding new blood to your herd. I'll bet this new guy has a great lineage! I'm a wreck, been up every few hours checking the twins and Momma. Two days old and I think I added 2 years to myself...

Haha, I will! And he does have some pretty awesome genetics. His dam is a first freshener, but even just milking out some colostrum it was super easy (and it can be a little hard milking that stuff out)! He is going to be dam raised, so it'll be a couple of months before I can go south.

I just have to think of an appropriate name. The breeder either names them herself or makes sure the name isn't a bad one (fantasy literature names like from Tolkien are out, darn!). I already am trying to think names. Maybe something from Britannic Legend or Shakespeare. Honestly, I'm thinking of calling him Excalibur, and Cal for short. Or the latin form of Excalibur, which fewer people know about but is also nifty, Caliburnus.

 

[tdhenson86]

It's been said that if you do the same thing over and over you might be in a rut. For more than 18,000 mornings I've have done the same thing; drunk coffee while working a crossword puzzle. Years ago another NCO and I would see who could finish the puzzle in the Army Times soonest

It's a habit I continued thru the years and when newspapers went on line, about the same time as when I retired for the second time, I started working 3 puzzles each morning.

Working crossword puzzles is one of the exercises that is supposed to be a great for older folk to retain memory function. Since I can't remember what the other things were maybe I should start working 4.

Yesterday I freshened the cotton scent balls on the traps I keep set around the chicken coop with some pork grease. I always check the traps at sunrise so no animal is in them any longer than necessary, and this morning's check was nil as the last few mornings have been. However, keeping vigilance is still the best method to lessen predator risk. The next few weeks it probably the time of greatest threat. It's breeding season so the four footed creatures are roaming more than usual. Also the airborne risk is higher as migratory raptors are once again heading north.

What are cotton scent balls?

 

[tdhenson86]

morning everyone...starting to hatch...and also got some new birds

Love the golden pheasants! Very pretty!

 

[swampducks]

What are cotton scent balls?

He scented cotton balls with pork grease to entice and trap predators.

 

[Monstro]

Brag time. First day ALL four ladies laid!!! Woo hoo!

 

[RaZ]

Brag time. First day ALL four ladies laid!!! Woo hoo!

By all means, brag!

We all brag about our first chicken; our first egg or our first hatch.

 

[taprock]

Finally this week the ladies have stepped it up and there were 32 eggs today! Although the Serema eggs may only count as 1/3.

Anyone know ducks? We have two call ducks not quite a year old. We believed two girls however last week one was mounting the other, but today I found two duck eggs. Will females mount each other if we have no male? The one egg had a white dot in it, does that mean it's fertile like with chickens? Can they lay more than one a day? Help!

Tomorrow is hatch day at the library. We had pips today so I expect chicks in the morning. The response we have been getting with people calling and coming in to ask about the chicks has been pretty amazing.

 

[troyer]

It's been said that if you do the same thing over and over you might be in a rut. For more than 18,000 mornings I've have done the same thing; drunk coffee while working a crossword puzzle. Years ago another NCO and I would see who could finish the puzzle in the Army Times soonest

It's a habit I continued thru the years and when newspapers went on line, about the same time as when I retired for the second time, I started working 3 puzzles each morning.

Working crossword puzzles is one of the exercises that is supposed to be a great for older folk to retain memory function. Since I can't remember what the other things were maybe I should start working 4.

You must have a LOT of wisdom that you gleaned while going through life. 18,000 is equal to 500 years. So what was it like back in the 1500's?

 

[TreeTree411]

Hello, I am up here in Sault ste. Marie Michigan. I am in the process of building a chicken coup and run, and expecting our first chickens in the mail by May. Been snooping around this site for information and expertise in raising Chickens, and wanted to stop in and say hello.