Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[lovechicks1293]

Was out in the garden looking around this evening and was pleasantly surprised to find these out there.

Pollinators...Cool!

 

[taprock]

The past week I have Had lots of bad surprises. I've lost 11 birds to hawk, drowning, age and I'm not sure what. My Russian orloff rooster just tucked his head under his wing, went to sleep and wouldn't wake up. No sign of anything wrong but a day later he died. Anyway not a great week so yesterday we did an east coast day trip Alpena way. I came home to yet another surprise but finally a good one. There was a Guinea keet wandering around. It got out of a nest box and couldn't get back in. I thought they were hatching next weekend but they must have been further along than I thought.

 

[1muttsfan]

Oh that's cute tap! Love the turkey photo bomb in the back

 

[snowflake]

Raz , so sorry about your ongoing problems with GC. you must be there only income source. they sure want you gone for some reason. hope your health is improving. take care!

Tap, sorry about your lost birds, very sad, glad you got home in time to save the keet,

Welcome to all the new followers, there are a lot of new people her since last I was on.

any one hear from Opa ? hope he is well.


Fallasburg festival today and tomorrow, hope the rain stops

 

[SunshineMary]

Welcome to all the new followers, there are a lot of new people her since last I was on. 

any one hear from Opa ?  hope he is well.

I saw him several weeks ago when we picked up a chicken tractor he was giving away. He seemed well but told us he has had some health problems and has had to give up keeping chickens. He was a very nice guy though! And we sure did appreciate that free chicken tractor!

 

[ladyrsanti]

Went to the Fallasburg festival yesterday. It was nice. My son had a Fusion gig there in the afternoon. They're a rock orchestra group with the high school. He and his viola have just been accepted into the Grand Rapids Youth Symphony and his brothers play cello and violin so we're all living and breathing stringed instruments these days. Anyway, we snagged some free roast corn on our way out, which was great since I can't handle most of the food they sell there. Then we went home and handed off one of our BCM cockerels to my sister who recently lost her rooster to aggressiveness. We enjoyed him on Labor Day, tasty bugger. Hopefully our cockerel doesn't turn on her. He is a pretty boy, one of several I hatched this spring.

I've switched to eating almost entirely homegrown/raised foods. Had my gallbladder out this spring and after the surgery, just can't eat much of anything. Lost some weight, still in pain. Dr. is investigating but just not eating helps. So I make what I do eat count by eating homegrown veggies, eggs, local raw milk (from Daron still!), our own poultry and maple syrup from our trees for sweets. As much as possible. I can't imagine not being able to garden and raise my own food and am disappointed to see that certain Michigan towns are still being d***s about it. Very disappointing.

Enjoy the great late summer weather. I have some feed sacks to wash and sew. Good day for it.

 

[1muttsfan]

Nice to hear from you Lady, and sorry to hear about your health issues. Hopefully you just need healing time.

 

[A2Kzoo2]

I hear peeping! I gave one of my 2 silkie hens 10 silkie eggs and they are due to hatch tomorrow! I haven't had luck with my silkie hatches so far. Have hatched 6, but only 3 survived and all were roos... I'm hoping I'll get a few hens out of this one. I love having my silkie hens raise my chicks, they are such good mommas. They raise most of my egg and meat birds for me.

 

[Candy442]

I hear peeping! I gave one of my 2 silkie hens 10 silkie eggs and they are due to hatch tomorrow! I haven't had luck with my silkie hatches so far. Have hatched 6, but only 3 survived and all were roos... I'm hoping I'll get a few hens out of this one. I love having my silkie hens raise my chicks, they are such good mommas. They raise most of my egg and meat birds for me.

Love the sounds of peeping! But for us not until spring. We have three broody girls right now, much too late to allow them to sit in my opinion. No chicks during the wintertime for us Keep us posted and hope the boys are doing good?

 

[A2Kzoo2]

I hear peeping! I gave one of my 2 silkie hens 10 silkie eggs and they are due to hatch tomorrow! I haven't had luck with my silkie hatches so far. Have hatched 6, but only 3 survived and all were roos... I'm hoping I'll get a few hens out of this one. I love having my silkie hens raise my chicks, they are such good mommas. They raise most of my egg and meat birds for me.

Love the sounds of peeping!  But for us not until spring. We have three broody girls right now, much too late to allow them to sit in my opinion.  No chicks during the wintertime for us  Keep us posted and hope the boys are doing good?

Yes the boys have joined the main flock and are enjoying themselves. They get along really well, also. They have 16 girls between the 2 of them, which seems to be enough to keep them from being too competitive, though the white one is in charge. They sleep next to each other at night.

These chicks should be 12-16 weeks before it gets super cold, so I think we're ok. I get worried about eggs/chicks in February because I like to have my new layers start laying in August and February can be so cold for new chicks.

I also have a set of 8 chicks that are 8 weeks old right now that are slated for freezer camp at about 16 weeks, so we won't have to worry about feeding them over the winter. We are trying to produce about 50% of our food from our property. We're not there yet, but we are getting close.