Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[Folly's place]

One chicken will be pretty miserable; find her some friends! I live near Perry, and drive to Novi for work, and have some pullets I will move on; two white Chanteclers, one speckled Sussex, thirteen weeks old now. Let me know if you are interested and somewhere close. Mary

 

[Stacykins]

Is it just me, or were things manufactured better 'back 'then'?! I picked up (basically stole at the price I got it for) a non reproduction Dazey butter churn today! This specific "bullseye" churn (because the embossing on the glass is in a circle) was made from 1912 to 1920. With hardly a speck of rust and gears that turn like they just came out of the factory, all I can say is, wow! It is the 30 size, or 3 quart.

I will be putting it to use. I have a cream separator now, so I can actually get cream from the milk my goats produce (unlike cows milk, goat's milk is naturally homogenized, so very little cream rises out if it allowed to sit). I bet chicken eggs cooked with a little goat butter with be absolutely marvelous!

 

[1muttsfan]

Nice find Stacy

One chicken, especially if raised with other birds, will be very lonely. Chickens are flock animals and need the companionship of their own kind. Another pullet or two would be a good idea - it looks to me like you may end up with two roosters, although I would wait a little longer to be sure.

 

[dyorto]

One chicken will be pretty miserable;  find her some friends!  I live near Perry, and drive to Novi for work, and have some pullets I will move on;  two white Chanteclers, one speckled Sussex, thirteen weeks old now.  Let me know if you are interested and somewhere close.  Mary

Thanks. I will wait to make sure. I only have a small coop so I don't have room for anymore than 4 birds total if they don't end up being roos. I live about an hour north of Grand Rapids, so probably not ideal to get them from you, but I do have family that way that I could visit if it came down to that or a lonely bird!

 

[dyorto]

What exactly do I look for to know for sure if it's a rooster. I've never had chickens before

 

[gladahmae]

So I'm pretty sure i know the answer but I'm going to ask anyway!

Can i give my broody hens 2-week-old chicks? I am now up to FIVE broody hens, and egg production is bottoming out. I have 14 chicks in the basement I would be MORE than happy to evict to the main coops. I haven't handled them or socialized with them (and quite frankly they are terrified of me when i fill the feeders and waterers) Only one hen has raised chicks before for me before and she did an excellent job with 12 babies. Snarling mamas in all the coops Oy.

 

[wannahomestead]

so how likely is it to have a hen go broody at 20 weeks? I have one who is just sitting on the fake eggs in one of the next boxes. I'm not sure if she's doing a pre-lay thing, or if she's decided to try and hatch the 2 fake eggs.

 

[wannahomestead]

so how likely is it to have a hen go broody at 20 weeks? I have one who is just sitting on the fake eggs in one of the next boxes. I'm not sure if she's doing a pre-lay thing, or if she's decided to try and hatch the 2 fake eggs.

Nevermind, she was laying. I just went out and found the egg.

 

[wannahomestead]

http://www.npr.org/sections/goatsan...rood-over-cdc-advice-not-to-kiss-cuddle-birds

"Don't kiss your chickens! That's the message from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which is blaming a salmonella outbreak on backyard chicken owners being overly affectionate with their flocks."

 

[wannahomestead]

What exactly do I look for to know for sure if it's a rooster. I've never had chickens before

You'll know for sure when they start crowing. Otherwise, look for faster development of comb and wattles as a clue.

I think mine started to practice crowing around 10 weeks.