Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[Lonetengu]

A friend of mine is desperately looking to add a good rooster and some hens to her tiny flock of 4. She lost most to old age, and is looking for some nice friendly and healthy birds. She told me if i find any to get them for her. She lives in Silverwood. Could i give her your info?

please do!

 

[RaZ]

The hens who hatched the eggs are now laying again. The chicks are 8 weeks old this Saturday. The ducks will be 7 weeks. The ducklings are now as big as the adult chickens and they are still growing.
Another hen has gone broody so if anyone near by has any hatching eggs, please let me know.

I want to know who flipped the calendar to November. I am not liking this fall weather. But I have been busy prepping for winter. Lots of firewood cut, split, stacked and staged closer to the house. Need to get the heavy lifting done before the heart surgery.

Speaking of surgery...it has been delayed once again. I have to go every other week for blood letting. Hopefully that will get me to a point that they can operate before winter.

In the meantime things are as they usually are.

 

[PlainJane]

Whoa! Just had a SUPER close call and almost lost some ducks. I went out a little later than normal to close them up. I walked out and they of course ran around like they do. I look off to their left and not 40ft away is a coyote! I don't know if it noticed the ducks before I went out or not because it seemed pretty occupied with a mouse or something in the grass. I yelled and hollered at it and scared it off, all the while the ducks are running around in a group making noise. Not good!

Does anyone know if I can legally shoot a coyote if it poses a threat to my flock? I live an a rural-ish area. I'm zoned agricultural, there's no laws against discharge of firearms in my area. However, I'm close enough that if I fire people around me will hear/see it. I just want to make sure I'm on the up and up if I have to/can take a coyote to protect my birds.

You can shoot coyotes year-round if they are doing damage, so long as you have a hunting license. Just check the hunting & trapping section on the MI DNR site to be sure. edit: you don't need a license to shoot them if they are on your property and about to do damage.

page 6 of the current Hunting & Trapping booklet in the 1st note
(http://www.michigan.gov/documents/dnr/hunting_and_trapping_digest_461177_7.pdf#page=20)

 

[Candy442]

Same here...Maybe this winter we'll all get excited about CS next June since we had such a small turnout this year. Much better in person than cyber chat.

Loved Chicken Stock and hope we can resume the bird ogling next year. I agree, love to talk with people face to face as well.

news...CAUTION...MARY @Folly's place stop reading now! )

well, we just became the proud owners of a cabinet incubator and hatcher combo!! But we are not firing up the cabinet incubator until February next year. If anyone ever wishes to have eggs incubated, this set up is amazing and we got a great deal on it. Of course Brett had to drive to Iowa to get them, but worth the effort. Met with the Iowa Blue club president Curtis Burroughs. Curt provided us Iowa Blue eggs descendants from the original blood lines in Iowa

Our newest coop is housing our young Bielefelder flock. Our new White Chantecler boy is doing great and crowing every morning.
Our EE coop, which houses some of our single breed girls is looking like an early molt ...terrible!

We also have an Iowa broody hen right now. Not sure if Brett is letting her sit on real eggs? We are going to set the almost dozen Iowa eggs in our foam incubator for a small hatch. Maybe add some Maran's eggs @Wynette ?

 

[taprock]

Wannahomestead. As long as you aren't in a village that has its own ordinances you can shoot predators to protect your flock. I shoot at all predators I see during daylight hours, even if I'm going to miss. I want my yard to be a scary place not a buffet table for them. If they show up at night they are safe because it's my responsibility to have everyone locked up tight.

The crazy day at the fair is over. My son sold his pigs for a decent price. He got $100 for his chickens, only to have the buyer give them back to him. I was his sponsor for feed and told him he doesn't owe me expenses since we get to eat them ourself.

I've never done hatching in the fall but I'm going to do some more guineas. The coyotes love guinea! I have to decide if I want to incubate or just toss eggs under a broody or two. There are still about six sitting, the rest have moved on to molting.

Also if anyone is looking for an unusual rooster I have boys galore right now. Polish, EE, Serema, Malay, Welsummer X. They hatched in May.

 

[chickflick]

Moving and don't have room for all my "stuff" Anyone want a 8 ft rabbit hutch? Can become a brooder if you put a wooden floor in. I'm in the Flint area

 

[bigmrg74]

French Toast with the Girlfriend this morning.

 

[Wynette]

Same here...Maybe this winter we'll all get excited about CS next June since we had such a small turnout this year. Much better in person than cyber chat.

Agreed. I SO missed going to CS this year and seeing everyone!

I have thought about using the pellets for bedding but was afraid the pellets would hurt their feet in the winter. This isn't a problem?

Not a problem at all. Honestly? I would not have ducks if'n I couldn't use pelleted bedding. It's SO much more absorbent than shavings or even sawdust.

I look off to their left and not 40ft away is a coyote!

I have had several people mention coyotes this year...one lady just up the road from us. She went out just after dusk to take clothes off the line that she'd forgotten about, and heard a pack of them off in the distance...she wasn't sure if that's what they were so she stood there for a minute & listened. When she heard the distinctive "yipping" they do back & forth, she realized that's what they were, and that they were getting closer...FAST! She dropped everything & ran to the house. Her husband went out to try & find them, but they'd run off, or past their farm. Scary stuff. I have a very old (over 30) horse that I worry about...he stays in the barn at night, but the rest of my equines stay outdoors 24/7. I do have a couple mini donkeys, so hopefully they'd run coyotes off, but being mini...not so sure (?) Scary stuff.

Then, a woman in my dog agility class was telling me there were 2 just at the edge of her property just Tuesday evening. She's in Flint Twp., on the edge, and has only about 3 acres. She said they were eyeballing her and growling...

Maybe add some Maran's eggs @Wynette ?

They're still laying but have slowed down, so call soon if interested!

 

[flufssilkies]

Anyone want silkie chicks?Calhoun county

 

[Amy PT]

Poppy and Triscut are self-blue bantam cochin fellas who hatched on May 19. Self-blue is a tricky color to find, and would be great for any breeding project. I'm in Grand Rapids, and these guys are $15 each or both for $20.

In other news, all is going well in the coop. Our du'ccle is broody for the first time, and is very ambitious. This teeny bird growls when I take 4 full size eggs out from under her.

This summer has been nutso busy, and I missed Chickenstock. Looking forward to next year.