Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[Sally PB]

I got my first harvest from my garden today, and it wasn't a weed! Usually, my first "picking" is lamb's quarter.

We're nearly out of onions, so I thought if the ground was amenable, I'd dig up some Egyptian Walking Onions and make a frittata. I've never dug any this early. They hadn't started sizing up much, so I ended up digging 3 clumps.

 

[MIchickenlady]

Question for my fellow Michiganders-
I live just south of Battle Creek, MI. I got 2 Amberlink, 3 Australorp & 2 Jersey Giant chicks recently, keeping them in a brooder in my house with a mama heating pad. The chicks are 5 weeks old now. I forgot how fast they grow. I wish I had waited until April to get chicks but they are selling so fast this year I went ahead.
Here's the question- When can these chickies go outside to their coop?
We got a used Dutch built barn 10x16 to use as a coop. I plan to move my current 8 hens into it and move the pullets to the smaller 4x8 coop after a good cleaning.
I have power run to the old coop, could I put them out there with the Mama heating pad? Or I could look at a hanging Sweeter heater?
My house smells like a coop The brooder is a refrigerator box lined with contact paper right inside the door to the house. It has been great for bonding& spending time sitting with the chicks, but they are feathered pullets now...does it need to be 50 degrees at night before they go out??

 

[aart]

I have power run to the old coop, could I put them out there with the Mama heating pad?

Yes.

 

[Folly's place]

It's past time! With their heating pad they will be fine. mine go out at about three weeks, although I'm not doing very early chicks here! In fact, mine spend their first three weeks in their brooder in the garage, so their Marek's vaccinations can take effect.
ONCE we brooded some chicks in the house. ONCE. A miserable dusty mess.
Mary

 

[RaZ]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/michigan-chickenstock-returns-for-2023.1570343/

 

[BakersBluffFarm]

Hello everyone, I'm reaching out to any and all folks in Michigan that have gone through the process of MDARD licensure in order to legally process and sell poultry and rabbit from my farm. Currently I am keeping things small, only providing to family, but would like to branch out in the future depending on how the market plays out.

To anyone that has gone through MDARD for a limited wholesale food processor licence, what was the process like? What kind of facilities am I expected to have in order to process and sell? I haven't seen it explicitly stated in the small amount of laws I've read so far, but I've read elsewhere that Michigan doesn't allow open air processing, is this true? I'm assuming that a small shed (12x20) with power, washable walls, ceilings, floors, and tables, with running water, waste water drainage and storage, and chest freezers for proper storage of meat would meet MDARD standards?

It's been difficult for me to go through all the legalese so far, and on top of that it is difficult to locate exemptions, if any even apply to me at all. Since I am starting out in this business I normally wouldn't bother trying to become a michigan processor and just take the birds to a processor, but we don't have one anywhere close to me that processes large numbers of chicken, and the ones that do are out of state or so far away I'd lose money on gas. For reference I live in ironwood in the U.P. and this isn't a next year plan, but something I want realized in 5 years.

Can i limp along with a donation/live selling model, or is this riding too fine a line?

Any advice?

 

[MIchickenlady]

Yes.

Even though its still 30s at night? If you say its ok then I trust that!

 

[MIchickenlady]

It's past time! With their heating pad they will be fine. mine go out at about three weeks, although I'm not doing very early chicks here! In fact, mine spend their first three weeks in their brooder in the garage, so their Marek's vaccinations can take effect.
ONCE we brooded some chicks in the house. ONCE. A miserable dusty mess.
Mary

So at 5+ weeks old, if their mama heat pad stays at 75 they will be good out in the coop?

 

[RaZ]

Hello everyone, I'm reaching out to any and all folks in Michigan that have gone through the process of MDARD licensure in order to legally process and sell poultry and rabbit from my farm. Currently I am keeping things small, only providing to family, but would like to branch out in the future depending on how the market plays out.

To anyone that has gone through MDARD for a limited wholesale food processor licence, what was the process like? What kind of facilities am I expected to have in order to process and sell? I haven't seen it explicitly stated in the small amount of laws I've read so far, but I've read elsewhere that Michigan doesn't allow open air processing, is this true? I'm assuming that a small shed (12x20) with power, washable walls, ceilings, floors, and tables, with running water, waste water drainage and storage, and chest freezers for proper storage of meat would meet MDARD standards?

It's been difficult for me to go through all the legalese so far, and on top of that it is difficult to locate exemptions, if any even apply to me at all. Since I am starting out in this business I normally wouldn't bother trying to become a michigan processor and just take the birds to a processor, but we don't have one anywhere close to me that processes large numbers of chicken, and the ones that do are out of state or so far away I'd lose money on gas. For reference I live in ironwood in the U.P. and this isn't a next year plan, but something I want realized in 5 years.

Can i limp along with a donation/live selling model, or is this riding too fine a line?

Any advice?

How far are you from Marquette? https://www.facebook.com/ShadyGroveFarmUP is run by Randy Buchler. Randy is a co-founder of Michigan Small Farm Council. I think he is pretty well versed on the MDARD procedures. Go to the MSFC website and contact Wendy Banka. Wendy is another co-founder who is currently setting up a processing operation near Ann Arbor. Sadly, neither Randy nor Wendy post here.

 

[RaZ]

Even though its still 30s at night? If you say its ok then I trust that!

You can trust @aart A wealth of good knowledge there.