Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[Sally PB]

I'm new to this whole chickenstock thing. What is that?

I'm new too. I think it's a potluck get together and people bring stuff to sell/trade. And since there's food, we would eat. And talk and laugh. I'm sure bringing pictures is mandatory. But since phones are now cameras, that's easy to do.

 

[Sally PB]

I'm sure hubby will want to go to NC sooner rather than later, because of the heat. I know he wants to go to Pittsburgh too, but no timeline.

If a Chickenstock date is picked, I will work to plan around that. So far, other than some glorious day in June (TBD) when I go to Gladwin to get chicks, there is nothing written on my calendar. Any weekend works for me. So far.

 

[riss]

Sounds fun! I'm good for any of those weekends except for Sept 11 because I'll be in Minnesota for a family reunion

 

[riss]

Also decided that I'm going to get chicks. I'm wondering if it'd be cheaper to build a coop or just buy one somewhere

 

[Sally PB]

Unless you find a good used coop, it is almost surely cheaper to build one. Or, repurpose a shed (new or used). Prefab coops are too small, poorly built, and lack adequate ventilation. If someone is building them for sale and KNOWS HOW TO BUILD THEM, then they won't be cheap.

Read some of the threads and articles on building coops. If you have questions, ask. Or run ideas by us for feedback.

Warning!!! Chicken math is real! Build bigger than you think! (Only half jesting on this.)

 

[Folly's place]

I started with five or six bantams from a neighbor, long ago. Now I get down to maybe forty for the winter. Just sayin'.
Mary

 

[RaZ]

I was looking for some photos of my current coop but could only find a couple of early framing.

My coop is 10 x 12 with the floor set up on blocks. It was framed with leftover lumber and roofing from the garage I built. It has 3 windows that I scrounged from nearby home remodeling projects. The entry door is a storm door that I replaced from the house.
I'm most pleased with the exterior. It is all slab wood from a local Amish mill. I paid the middleman $100 for a hay wagon full of the cast off pieces that weren't cut in to useable dimensional lumber. Except for buying screws that was the only expense for the coop.

If you are at all handy, have or can borrow tools, you can knock together a pretty decent coop for very little money. Check your area for a recycling centre that has building materials. Also check if there is a Habitat for Humanity Re-store place. They always have stuff coming in that you can use.

If you can do these things you can save a tonne of money and have the satisfaction of doing it yourself. Use the money you save to purchase good fencing for a secure chicken run.

I'll take a few pictures of what I built (once I get off of Hold with the damn insurance company).

 

[Candy442]

Poor Buckeyes!

Buckeyes... I hear they are a hairless nut? Sorry, Go Green, Go White and sometimes Go Blue But How I hate Ohio State LOL (learned all of that from MSU, sorry )

 

[Candy442]

Bless your heart Mary!
I have no clue as to when and where to get any. VA is being non-responsive and I have filled out in Rite Aid, Walgreens, CVS and HD of Muskegon and Hart. Nothing yet. But I hope everyone gets vaccinated. I am ok with being the last one.

You should register with your local health department, they can get you in.

 

[Candy442]

YES!!!
Hoping for September...
Mary

There were reasons initially for choosing June and I am sure @chickflick or @RaZ could explain why. My township supervisor was actually excited to hear about the event because the township is exploring right now how to include more people in having backyard chickens at their home! I wrote them about the pavilion and they wrote back with information and questions about chicken keeping So maybe we can still host a backyard chicken event/pot luck for anyone wanting to meet and call it a "chickenstock" of some sort Doesn't matter to me when it is held