Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[snowflake]

RIP Willie.
b6-17 d1-22
He'd been subpar since spring, back and forth all summer,
found him dead on the board this morning.
View attachment 2955864

Hitting me way harder than any of the others over the years.
Might be the beginning of the end.
I've been a bit ambivalent of keeping/growing a flock this last year or so.
Who knows what the future might hold.
Meanwhile it will be interesting to have an all female flock for the time being,
never had that before.
Sigh.

sorry about your boy, he was a handsome lad. My last rooster passed 2 yrs ago, I didn't replace him cause it is time to let them die out and I don't care to have to cull any more.
Down to 11, not sure I can stick to it but, chickens can live a long time and I don't want my kids to have to figure out what to do with them. But maybe I can adopt some old hens, I do like seeing them in the yard. There was a handsome rooster on TV the other day looking for a home from the animal shelter. Have to say I considered it, he may be to old to make baby chicks

 

[snowflake]

Out of curiosity, is it ok for my dog to eat chicken feed? The knucklehead has eaten from the left over of the wet feed. I just wait for it to thaw but noticed that if I leave it on the entrance floor, she will eat at it. She is one crazy dog and dumb, she has her own food not too far from the entrance too. Hope is ok. It is for the chickens,lol

The chicken food will not hurt your dog, but as 1 Mutt said it is best to cover it so your dog can't get at it, for reasons she has stated. Also, straw will get wet and freeze, be slippery, so sand is the best bet, maybe some grit could work, chickens will get at it when the ice melts

 

[snowflake]

1 mutt, love the idea of phrases for passwords I have started using a whole phrase, but I like your way better. I'm going to do that the next time I change my passwords. Thank You!

 

[aart]

When I bought some granite grit at the mill for the chooks, the guy told me he sells bags of it for people to carry in vehicles for weight and in case they get stuck.

I use sand for ice, put some in a shaker bottle for easier application.

 

[1muttsfan]

Every spring I argue with myself over hatching any new birds. If it wasn't that there's almost no other flocks of the Arkansas blues, I would probably not do any hatching at all. Too hard to deal with excess boys.

 

[RaZ]

I always like birdseed, scratch, or kitty litter for added traction. There are a few times that I need salt to melt ice or snow where I have to walk. I have fallen a few times on slippery patches. But I don't like to use if I don't have too.
Current air temp is 3 and expected to fall to minus 5 to minus 15 tonight. I threw another bale of straw down in the coop Birds all seem fine when I went out to close it up for the night. Temp in the coop reads 12, which isn't bad considering the ambient outside temperature.

I would really like to have a fire tonight. I'm skipping it so the crew coming tomorrow can install the new wood stove. I have it cleaned out and prepped so the old stove can be taken out easily. More wood ash laid down in the run for dust baths or better footing.

Now is time for some Netflix and something for supper. I've been getting a lot of good things to watch.

 

[Sally PB]

I'm wondering how I'll deal with the first death in my flock. I'm sure it will feel different than the two cockerels I culled when they were 4 months old. Depends on who it is, I'm sure.

@aart RIP, Willie.

 

[aart]

I'm wondering how I'll deal with the first death in my flock. I'm sure it will feel different than the two cockerels I culled when they were 4 months old.

Yep, they are all different.

 

[RaZ]

I need a book of Michigan birds so I can identify some of the birds that visit my home. I had one but loaned it to a friend and never got it back. I know several of the most common but not all that visit.
I just had a red-headed woodpecker grab a peanut from my window sill. That made me think of my missing book. There is also a steady stream of blue jays picking out peanuts. I could watch them all day.

Sure is cold today. It was 11 at 7:00 am but now at 4 degrees. It's a nice bright day. No blue sky but the clouds are very thin.

 

[Sally PB]

Cold here in the wind. 13, but probably 4 with the windchill. The chickens are out, but all huddled up in one corner, out of the breeze.

I think the hen who was laying stopped again. She hasn't laid in 4-5 days. She looks fine, acts fine. She was the first one to stop laying to molt, then laid maybe 6-8 eggs and stopped, then laid for about 3-4 weeks and has stopped again.