Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[vjwilmoth]

Max playing mom...

 

[taprock]

cute kitty - and that's a lot from me because I really don't care for them.

I invested in an expensive heated waterer that only lasted one year - and no replacement parts available. Last year I just used a heated dog dish and liked it. Easy to clean and care for and the birds did fine with it.

Off to do some chicken watching and see how the flock dynamics has changed with 3 less roosters.

 

[mrshaggie810]

WOW!!!! So much has happened in the day and a half I've been gone (is that how long it was???) Things are crazy here...my ex-step-mom left to move to Missipppi with my brother on Sat. and my dad has been kind of lost. We went to visit and pick through the garage sale leftovers, and we got to visit with the chickens, and I even got to help him chase down one of his little bantams who is an escape artist! lol! He has two BEAUTIFUL roo's...one is a BA and one is an Ameracauna/EE...he has an array of birds so I commented that he probably has a lot of "mutts" by now but he informed me that he only had a couple crosses that he intentionally cross bred...who knew...my dad the chicken geneticist! lol! I love it though, and he has some pretty birds. And he said one of the banty's (itsy and bitsy) lets him carry her around in his coat in the winter and she's never pooped on him! That made me

PS I can't wait for Halloween! DS wants to be Ironman! I am going to make his costume

I hope it turns out how I want it to... If not, he is young and won't know the difference! LOL

It's tradition to make the kids halloween costumes in my family! So far they have been dr.evil/mini me and a bumble bee, and then Cinderella, Prince Charming, and Gus Gus...this year they will be the gang from Avatar, the last airbender!

Trying walking around your coop wearing a white suit and mumbling things like "extra crispy" and "finger lickin'". You probably will need a goatee as well if you want to be totally effective in your attempt to stimulate them.

This literally made me

I'm in Davison, not too far from you!
Good Morning! Off to an early start today to head to Lansing. Taking grand kids to John Ball Zoo today. I'm gonna have five girls 8 to 6. Wish me luck!

You are the closest person I have heard of on here yet! Yay! I'm in Dryden...used to be in Lapeer!

The coffee is on so grab yourself a cup and let's sit a spell. Might as well just ease into the day.

Today's temperatures are definitely an improvement of what we've been experiencing. Now maybe I can get something done without melting.

Mmmmmm Yes...I need a second cup, and Yay! Maybe I'll actually get some work done on the duck coop today!

I have LOTS to get done in the garden and on the duck coop so if you see me on here posting tell me to go back outside and work! lol!

 

[BackyardFarmMom]

Ummm... Mrshaggie... get out there and work!

 

[Wynette]

Heated dog water dishes - those work great, but beware - if you have cock birds with long wattles, they'll drag in the water & can get frostbitten due to that. The heated waterers, I haven't had that problem with, as the channel that carries the water sort of holds their wattles out of the water. But definitely, those work well & are safe, too!

 

[Opa]

Hey, Opa - regarding that hen that got pecked on the head so hard by the cock bird, and that you weaned back to good health - did she survive long term?

She had laid her first egg the day before the injury. She is a Welsummer so after about a month I put her with the flock and she now lays regularly.

 

[Wynette]

Awesome, Sam - good to hear. Great job on rehabing her!

 

[chicken grandma]

She had laid her first egg the day before the injury. She is a Welsummer so after about a month I put her with the flock and she now lays regularly.

I am always delighted when a chicken recovers!


Here is a case for you all to ponder! I volunteer at a retirement home that has Zebra Finches. Last Summer about this time one of the finches got a respiratory infection and I called my vet. He had me bring a tiny poop sample in to the vet clinic. (I put tin foil on the bottom of the cage and when she pooped onto it, I folded the foil up and took it to the vet.) I know you all were wondering how in the world I got a poop sample from a finch!

Our vet did a gram stain on the poop and saw bacteria. I did not ask him what kind of bacteria but he gave me a Cephalesporin antibiotic to give to the finch and she recovered. The residents just loved watching me net the finch each day and then give a drop of liquid!

So this year, ANOTHER FINCH is breathing heavy! Well, first I asked the maintenance men to turn down the air conditioning in the lobby and THEY DID! They raised the room temperature from 70 degrees to about 73 degrees! Then I put a small ceramic radiant heater for birds on the cage and she seemed to like sitting by that.

But here is my question, the new vet at the clinic did not see any bacteria in the stool. So we are not giving her any antibiotic. If she gets worse I guess I will get another stool sample to him but if we cannot identify a bacteria in her stool can anyone recommend a course of antibiotic for a finch?

Thank you!

 

[chicken grandma]

Max playing mom...

This is so cute! I am so allergic to cats which is probably a very good thing, otherwise I would have a house full of them and be busted by the humane society for being a cat hoarder!

 

[swampducks]

Lovely day today. Walked the pups (after feeding all the birds, of course) then walked to the PO to get my new camera! But they make you charge the battery inside the camera now (cheaper for them) and it takes 4.5 hours for the first charge so I can't use it till about 4:30 pm to see if I even like it!

Fertilized and watered the big veggie garden, pulled a few weeds, picked all the ripe fruit yesterday but need to pick more green beans in the small veggie garden next. DH is out on his tractor moving buckets of sand onto his fully corduroyed driveway loop extension. Soon we'll be able to get huge trucks delivering massive quantities of firewood without risking getting stuck and having to back up our 1/4 mile driveway. It's taken DH a couple years on and off, he's very happy it's almost over except for maintenance.

Still no eggs from my 18 week old hens. I keep holding off buying store bought but I'm running out!!! Dinner tonight will be oven fried 18 wee old roo. He's been brining in the fridge for 48 hours. I'll be rinsing him shortly. Looking for a good recipe if anyone has got one. He will be accompanied by rice and green beans and sauteed zucchini. Yum.

Left Ziggy at my neighbor's house, her granddog Princess the puppy is over so they're working on tiring each other out wrestling in the back yard. Luna is sleeping on the sofa and seems quite content.

WOOHOO My camera is ready, I guess they didn't really mean it needed 260 minutes to charge after all!