Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[Folly's place]

Last week we had 1" hail, a fairly rare event, fortunately. My car has some dents, and the neighbor's clear deck roof, maybe 15 years old, shattered into many pieces! The stuff does deteriorate over time and get brittle, but he's not happy, and planning to replace it with a steel roof instead.
Mary

 

[RaZ]

Ah, the pros and cons of coop placement. When I was in the city the coop was within the garage. With the run behind it.

Here in the woods, the coop is in the woods. It's 100 feet from the rear corner of the house. With the firewood racks there is no straight path to the coop. Not a big deal unless it is really muddy or snow covered. It is rocky though and I've had a few falls . Then again, I've had a few falls going down to the mailbox or out to the garage. It would be nice to have a hydrant at the coop but it isn't possible to trench through the woods and rocks to get one out there. So for me, everything will be just as it is.

I generally let the chickens free range and they always come up to the house and hang out under the porch or under the big pine in the island by the driveway. So far this year I have had no predation issues. Knock on wood.

 

[aart]

TOFTS. (Too old for that ****)

I hear ya!!


Need to rant.
Went to get feed today.
There's a whole frickin pallet of FR(Flock Raiser by Purina), all dated Apr13.
Usually only a stack of 6-12 in stock, which allows for some fresher stuff.
That stack is not going to sell quickly, IME after watching stock movement for 7 years.
"But it's good for 6mo" says the cashier...... BS!!!
Wonder what will happen once it's infested with grain mites around July or so.
GRRRR!!

 

[troyer]

I hear ya!!


Need to rant.
Went to get feed today.
There's a whole frickin pallet of FR, all dated Apr13.
Usually only a stack of 6-12 in stock, which allows for some fresher stuff.
That stack is not going to sell quickly, IME after watching stock movement for 7 years.
"But it's good for 6mo" says the cashier...... BS!!!
Wonder what will happen once it's infested with grain mites around July or so.
GRRRR!!


What is FR?

 

[chickflick]

Would a clear roof give them enough shade? Would the sun still shine thru and make it hot? We put an opaque roof on and clear panels on the front and one side. The roof is slanted. So lets enough light thru. Use those privacy panels for decks as shade cloth around the run.

 

[RaZ]

Woke up to a downed tree across the power line to the house. I still have electricity but the tree is also contacting my propane tank. It is windy tree so I'm concerned.

I called DTE to report it. After a hold period, Covid screening/questionnaire, and 28 minutes of dealing with the phone person the report was accepted. DTE response??? They will have an "inspector" out within 7 business days to assess the issue.

I called the county central dispatch, reported it, and the fire chief is on his way. It's a volunteer fire department here so a non-emergency has a slower response time. I'm fine with that but the potential for an immediate need is rather high. This drought-stricken area is bone dry and if that wire sparks it could be really bad.

 

[aart]

@troyer "What is FR?"
Flock Raiser.

 

[Frankiegirl]

I was thinking about using those clear poly panels as wind breaks for the run this winter in place of stringing up my sliver tarp and stapling thick gauge plastic. I’m just not sure where i would store it in the summer.

 

[RaZ]

DTE linemen took care of the fallen tree and restored the wires that were pulled free. The neutral wire was completely pulled free allowing for an unbalanced supply of power to the house which was causing the lights to flicker and fade. No damage to any of the electrical devices in the house as far as I know.

Now I have to go out and bring the downed tree pieces out and cut for firewood. I'm glad that it wasn't any worse than that what it was. As dry as it is I was worried that an arc or surge could have ignited the dry leaves. Especially as windy as it is. But all is good now.

 

[Dreamzchaser]

Good day!

Benadryl for poultry, could be possible. However, if you can call someone and they can give you any advise will be better. Had been around the same here with my dog Pixie. She was fine this morning and then became lethargic. There were no place to see her unless ER in Grand Rapids. However, someone that I called told me that seems like she got bit by an animal. or a bee or a fly. So told me to give her half of a Benadryl which is normally 25mg and she is finally able to eat. 2 Days ago, I also got bitten by one of those suckers. I am not sure if it is the poop on the ground that is bringing all this pests. The coop gets cleaned every day but hard to do the yard because it is so much. I hose it down every evening but I am not sure if after this, I will get any more chickens. Anything else that might be bringing so many of flies?

The cherry on top is the X quit his job of 5 years today and came over for me to do the resignation over email.

On the good note, as I was locking up to go to the store to get Benadryl for Pixie, I looked to the yard and saw an egg. One of the girls laid the first tiny egg right on the open yard next to the food. The nest boxes are open and the coop is open. One got in and felt around but guess decided to leave it outside. Is this going to be the new normal to lay eggs? well, not the size but the location is my concern.