Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[dportfamfarm]

In the run, its just grass and dirt, the inside of my coop has wood chips. The flies are outside in the grass.

 

[aart]

In the run, its just grass and dirt, the inside of my coop has wood chips. The flies are outside in the grass.

Are they like regular 'house flies' or those tiny ones (black flies, buffalo gnats) that bite the heck out of you?

 

[bigmrg74]

In the run, its just grass and dirt, the inside of my coop has wood chips. The flies are outside in the grass.

Get faster and hungrier chickens.

 

[dportfamfarm]

aart- just house flies, or at least i think, didnt get bit at all.

Bigmrg74- i just have 2 pekin ducks, getting chicks next week.

 

[birdman55]

Michigan is not the only state that has cancelled all poultry stuff...Ohio just did it yesterday (as has Indiana, W. Virginia & Pennsylvania).
As I never watch the news (literally) & only scan headlines online, after finally reading all the posts here over the last week or so; I decided to google "avian flu outbreak" during my lunch today...
I had not seen any headlines on mainstream media on this. Now, over the last 48 hours, there seems to be alot more articles (The Freep, CNN, etc.) primarily due to the preventative measures (at least I consider them preventative) being taken by some of the states that have yet to see any cases (save the one in Indiana) & for the CDC to pipe in that the risk of humans contracting it is slim to none (unless you work extensively with poultry/been in contact with infected/dead birds).

just got off the phone with the x vp of mbgba....he said all bird shows in michigan are now canceled....so anyone thinking about going to the lowell this coming saturday or any other shows....they are not going to have them...thought i would let people know...

 

[wannahomestead]

And in other news, we passed our site visit!!! Letter will be in the mail in a week or so, we are offically protected by the RTFA!!!!!

Can you explain a little bit what that means? I'm still not all up on what the RTFA does.

 

[dportfamfarm]

The RTFA in my understanding would basically void out your local code in regarda to livestock. If you are zoned as residential and your local government doesnt permit livestock and you meet the criteria, the department of agriculture can put a letter together and send to your local government that you are protected. The criteria is: your chicken coop or animal structure (barn or coop) has to be set back at least a distance of 250 feet from the nearest residential home (not including yours), also from your coop there can be no more than 11 residential homes in an 1/8 mile radius (660 feet). If your coop or barn is within those guidelines the department of agriculture will come do a site visit once you have your coop built and have your animals (we got ducks) just to visually verify where the coop is, they will then draft a letter to the city.

Sorry one big run on sentence but tried to explain process in my terms. You can always call the right to farm office in lansing, they answered a million questions for me!!!

Hope this helps!

 

[wannahomestead]

The RTFA in my understanding would basically void out your local code in regarda to livestock. If you are zoned as residential and your local government doesnt permit livestock and you meet the criteria, the department of agriculture can put a letter together and send to your local government that you are protected. The criteria is: your chicken coop or animal structure (barn or coop) has to be set back at least a distance of 250 feet from the nearest residential home (not including yours), also from your coop there can be no more than 11 residential homes in an 1/8 mile radius (660 feet). If your coop or barn is within those guidelines the department of agriculture will come do a site visit once you have your coop built and have your animals (we got ducks) just to visually verify where the coop is, they will then draft a letter to the city.

Sorry one big run on sentence but tried to explain process in my terms. You can always call the right to farm office in lansing, they answered a million questions for me!!!

Hope this helps!

Thx that was interesting. I'm zoned agricultural here so I guess i"m pretty much good to go on all that. When I lived in the city though that may have come into play.

Congrats on the ducks. I just got my first about 3 days ago. Pro tip: they realllllly like water I refill my water 2-3 times a day because they splash it all over.

 

[dportfamfarm]

Congrats on the ducks. I just got my first about 3 days ago. Pro tip: they realllllly like water I refill my water 2-3 times a day because they splash it all over. 

My husband make a waterer and its mess free!!!

Also made a feeder in a 'L' shape out of pvc pipe. I walk out several times a day to check on them since they are about 300' back from our house. But now im not lugging water and food every day!

 

[wannahomestead]

My husband make a waterer and its mess free!!!

Also made a feeder in a 'L' shape out of pvc pipe. I walk out several times a day to check on them since they are about 300' back from our house. But now im not lugging water and food every day!

5 gal better bottles in a 5 gal bucket? Nice. I just have the standard chick waterers