Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[bigmrg74]

Does anybody have some spare cockerels they wanna donate to the Detroit Tigers?? They need to do something to get out of their slump. I hear this fella knows how to warm up the bats.

 

[uchytil]

No they'll likely live separate. My duckies are only like 5 or 6 days old and the chickens are 13 weeks and 10 weeks now. I have 2 Pekin and 4 Khaki Campbell. Once they start to show sex I'll probably get rid all but 1 male. My long term goal is to have hatching eggs from my chickens and ducks.

We have Pekins and Khakis together. 3 & 2 years old. They do well together. They free range all day grubbing and sleeping in shaded spots. For the most part they stay together. Every few hours they'll split into groups of P's and K's. I have two drakes. One of each set. Our drakes don't fight like roosters. Not saying other drakes wouldn't. The only issue is the drake Pekin mounts the Khakis quite often. He's a big boy and if I were to choose I'd say keep a KC drake. Yeah, I like the ducks quite a bit. I started with day old's sleeping in a dog bed next to me while I watched TV.

 

[gladahmae]

Does anybody have some spare cockerels they wanna donate to the Detroit Tigers?? They need to do something to get out of their slump. I hear this fella knows how to warm up the bats.

I do! You think Jo-bu will like them?

 

[preciouskitty]

I have a bit of a dilemma.
Spur removal.
One of Bigboy's Spurs is very long & sharp. And, 4 of the year old girls' backs are now completely bare.
I thought about saddles until my Ameraucana jumped in my lap,last night & I noted a LARGE scab on her side (which coincides with the side of Bigboy's long spur).
He is very amorous...and I am literally now worried he is gonna puncture one of the girls' side (theoretically he already did with Kali).
I have searched thru the site for advice; and there is a lot of it.
Now I'm soliciting advice here (cuz I trust y'all).
Other issue; I'm gonna have to do this myself (I.e., no help).
Any thoughts?

 

[taprock]

I have a bit of a dilemma.
Spur removal.

Now I'm soliciting advice here (cuz I trust y'all).
Other issue; I'm gonna have to do this myself (I.e., no help).
Any thoughts?

Some of our boys have huge Spurs. I read, watched YouTube about removal and then wimped out. We ended up just using a dremel tool to get rid of the sharp point and shorten them a bit.

 

[bigmrg74]

I do! You think Jo-bu will like them?

Throw in a bottle or two of rum and he just might be very pleased.

 

[aart]

Quote:
Nah, didn't backfire.....I'm not such a curmudgeoness that bouncing goats can't bring me a big grin...... SHM at the goat onesies part of it, but doesn't deter the grin.

 

[ChickenLady2014]

OK fellow Michiganders, I need some advice. I've hatched quite a few times, but this morning day 20 I got up to a half zipped dead chick. It was after midnight when I checked the eggs last. There weren't any external pips visible or any chirping going on. On the end of day 18 I put the eggs into lockdown and increased the humidity to 50%. I did calibrate the hydrometer before this hatch. Everything was looking good. So my question is ~ why would I wake up to a half zipped egg with a dead sticky chick inside? This is a first for me with this situation? Anyone else have this happen before?

 

[wannahomestead]

We have Pekins and Khakis together. 3 & 2 years old. They do well together. They free range all day grubbing and sleeping in shaded spots. For the most part they stay together. Every few hours they'll split into groups of P's and K's. I have two drakes. One of each set. Our drakes don't fight like roosters. Not saying other drakes wouldn't. The only issue is the drake Pekin mounts the Khakis quite often. He's a big boy and if I were to choose I'd say keep a KC drake. Yeah, I like the ducks quite a bit. I started with day old's sleeping in a dog bed next to me while I watched TV.

Just to clarify, I'm keeping the chickens and ducks separate. Just wanted to make sure I didn't confuse anyone on that, lol.

My duckies are still really skittish about me. They usually run to the corner of the brooder whenever I go out to the garage. I've been trying to spend some time w/ them and talk with them. The 2 KC I posted last night actually fell asleep on the couch with me; I woke up about 4am and took them back to the brooder.

 

[uchytil]

Just to clarify, I'm keeping the chickens and ducks separate. Just wanted to make sure I didn't confuse anyone on that, lol.

My duckies are still really skittish about me. They usually run to the corner of the brooder whenever I go out to the garage. I've been trying to spend some time w/ them and talk with them. The 2 KC I posted last night actually fell asleep on the couch with me; I woke up about 4am and took them back to the brooder.

Oh, I knew that - about the chooks and ducks being separate. Good choice too IMO. Anyway, when two, or more, ducks are raised together they bond and have less interest in human contact. I raised a KC drake alone, in my house, for a year. When I got other ducks he turned his nose up to them for the longest time. He hangs with them now but he still sees me as his 'mate" and comes to me the second he sees me outside. Its a bit annoying really as he runs circles around my feet, lol! All of the ducks are pretty good about coming when they are called and go in their house at night for lock down.