Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[Folly's place]

Just back from the Midwest Ox Drover's gathering, at Tiller's, and had a good time, in spite of the storms. Missed some yesterday, wimped out because of the tornado warnings. good otherwise. We don't have a team any more, but enjoyed watching some of the others, including the adorable calves just starting out. Fun!

Baby Herefordx calves

Milking shorthorns

Holsteinx (Milking Shorthornx?)

Brown Swiss, only eight or nine months old.
At least it didn't rain all the time!
Mary
Breed types added in edit!

 

[Sally PB]

Hope you start a build thread for your tiny house....link it here for us?

Yes please! DH would love to build a tiny house on our property.

It will be fine. Allows for a few more treats.
Many feed only an all flock type, with the OS on the side, to all their birds.

I feed all flock precisely for this reason, and because I have a roo. I have to say, the #1 treat I give them is their feed, wetted into a mash. They act like it's candy, but it's their usual stuff. Silly chickens.

 

[1muttsfan]

Love the Jersey team! Those oxen are fabulous, I would love to go to something like that.

 

[aart]

Just back from the Midwest Ox Drover's gathering, at Tiller's, and had a good time, in spite of the storms.

Tillers is a very cool place, been there a couple times.
I'm surprised they didn't cancel what with the weather here yesterday.

I feed all flock precisely for this reason, and because I have a roo. I have to say, the #1 treat I give them is their feed, wetted into a mash.

About the only 'treat' I give is a bit of scratch daily to get them out of the coop in the morning so I can do chores.

 

[Sally PB]

About the only 'treat' I give is a bit of scratch daily to get them out of the coop in the morning so I can do chores.

I have the "Chickie Snack" song I sing to them when I bring treats, usually early afternoon. The chickens know that song. It made DH laugh when he heard their reaction.

Sometimes it's a "quickie" snack, just to occupy them so I can go clean. That's mealworms and BOSS. Sometimes it's "green snack," which is weeds from the garden.

I feel guilty if I don't do snack time. Yup, they have me trained!

 

[Dreamzchaser]

Just back from the Midwest Ox Drover's gathering, at Tiller's, and had a good time, in spite of the storms. Missed some yesterday, wimped out because of the tornado warnings. good otherwise. We don't have a team any more, but enjoyed watching some of the others, including the adorable calves just starting out. Fun!
View attachment 2737433
Baby Herefordx calves
View attachment 2737434
Milking shorthorns
View attachment 2737446
Holsteinx (Milking Shorthornx?)
View attachment 2737447
Brown Swiss, only eight or nine months old.
At least it didn't rain all the time!
Mary
Breed types added in edit!

Beautiful pictures. WOW, I feel like I am with people at Heartland Canadian series!!! I wish I had been a cowgirl, farmer I love animals and that way of life. I know is not easy but sure beats the freaking city life that is so unpredictable and harsh.

 

[Dreamzchaser]

I have the "Chickie Snack" song I sing to them when I bring treats, usually early afternoon. The chickens know that song. It made DH laugh when he heard their reaction.

Sometimes it's a "quickie" snack, just to occupy them so I can go clean. That's mealworms and BOSS. Sometimes it's "green snack," which is weeds from the garden.

I feel guilty if I don't do snack time. Yup, they have me trained!

I feel the struggle. I go through that too,

 

[SillyChicken]

@aart These are the pictures I took earlier this morning. The closest to the hardware cloth is from the roof end before the aluminum on top. Then the line between the little green is from the end of aluminum. On the third pic, the is about a quarter in separation from coop roof end to the gutter.
View attachment 2734981
View attachment 2734983View attachment 2734984
However, I did noticed like something was trying to go under kind of digging. Have no idea of what could have been. Funny, the hardware cloth is only around 2 sides under the coop and the other 2 sides are wide open.
View attachment 2734985View attachment 2734986

Rachel is laying double time? Right under she roosts, there was another broken small egg that apparently slipped out during the night. Today as I was out, noticed that around 1140 am through 1213pm she was laying in the nest box. Once the rain stopped (428pm), I went to let them finally out for the day and checked and the egg was broken too. Is it possible that she is laying twice?
View attachment 2734987
They were so wanting to get out of the coop. As soon as I opened the door they just laid under the sun like it was their god,
View attachment 2734988View attachment 2734989
Even the Seabrights laid as they went out right on the stairs. Which is their new hang out area. They keep me cleaning it constantly so I do not step on their poop,
View attachment 2734990

I am having a melt down. Sleeping through the day with the rain and then awake at night. I do not like it one bit.
I have read all of the comments and advices. It has been just raining constantly and I have not been able to do much out there.. I have no clue how to make a drainage away from both buildings. If I can, one side it is towards the garage side of the house and the run. The other side is towards the kitchen side of the house and where I would like to do a small outdoor living area one day. I am more convinced that I was not thinking clearly and ahead of placing the coop. There is no way that it can be moved by me nor the Hub. I just wanted it to be very close because of the winter is so brutal and I can throw some electricity unto it with a good outdoor extension.

the digging looks like your hens were either scratching in the dirt for bugs or taking a dust bath.

You asked earlier about using rocks for drainage. All rocks alone would do is keep mud under control, and keep your house/coop walls cleaner. it will not help with water that will go around the rocks and soak into the ground.

Your options are:
To install a gutter on the roof of the coop (which will be hard to do unless you cut the metal roofing back.

If you use rocks - you can put down heavy plastic under the rocks, that will stop the water from soaking in, but you have to have somewhere for that water to go which means you'll need to grade the earth underneath the plastic.

Also, look up "French Drain" you can dig a trench, line with plastic, fill with stones and lay a perferated black drain pipe (with a cloth cover) and cover with more stones. You will still need to have a grade and slope to direct that water somewhere or into a french drain.

 

[SillyChicken]

Hello everyone! Decided I'm going to be building my own mini house so I'll be super awesome. Looking forward to it and have been pricing it out. It'll be about $340 to fill in with dirt for a foundation and then to build the frame for 16x14x12 it'll be roughly a little over a grand

I love the concept and thought about it myself... but I like too much stuff!
(make sure your township allows it - many don't these days - anything to make sure they get their money too). Ours actually uses aerial photography to make sure you're not sneaking anything past them.

 

[SillyChicken]

There is an injured squirrel coming to the seeds on the ground under my bird feeder (front left leg seems broken and probably the back left leg, and possibly more injuries). What should I do? Leave it to nature, or trap it and bring it somewhere, or call someone? It looks to be in a lot of pain.

there has to be a license rehabilitator in the area that can help (try the DNR for that info or google).