Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[Opa]

Good morning. The coffee is hot and I'm enjoying the solitude of sitting here looking out the window. A white tail buck just strolled through and was soon replaced by several turkeys. I don't think I shall ever tire of seeing them.

Hopefully everyone has a safe and sane day planned. Mine may turn out to be real exciting. Depending upon how many Roma tomatoes have ripened I will probably be canning. Doesn't that sound exciting? There was a time that I might have enjoyed a weekend long party, but the old body doesn't do those very well, maybe that's nature's way of telling us to smarten up.

one week left and something or someone stole 2 eggs out of Honeys nest!!. I have a feeling it was Chopper, the hog. Oh my, hope he doesn't find the others before hatching. Maybe I need to block her off somehow.

It is not uncommon for a nesting hen to reject some of the eggs that she is sitting on. Usually this will be eggs that have failed to thrive and it is also not uncommon for her to eat those eggs. I rather doubt that it was Chopper. If a hog decided to eat eggs it would be all of them and maybe the hen too.

One word of warning when purchasing a broody hen. While it common to successfully hatch chicks with an acquired broody, sometime the move may be all that is necessary to break the broody cycle.

 

[Mom 2em All]

A weasel or weasels took out my brother-in-laws entire flock. It took three nights, but it slaughtered over twelve birds a night.

He is looking for ideas to trap the weasel- I know I have read here what works, what doesn't, but I do not recall and he is pouring a concrete floor, double checking any cracks in his security.

It was a flock that I built- all the surplus I hatched plus the large fowl eggs I hatched from Theron.

 

[Mom 2em All]

RAZ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am currently at the wedding reception in Ann Arbor- but I couldnt wait to log in and tell you!
The wedding ceremony was next to a chicken yard- and a rooster and hen came out to join the bridal party- I was talking to SOMEONE, unfortunately I do not have any names. However, he said "I used to have chickens when I lived in Georgia- I like chickens.I want to get some more " I said, "I have illegal chickens" and he said, "They are working on changing that everywhere now. Heck, there is a guy fighting now in Garden City to have the law changed. My wife is on the council and she said she already knows there are backyardchickens because of your bumper sticker." I said "OH thats my friend Randy- yeah its stupid, threatening jail time to someone for chickens while the bad guys are out there not doing time". He said, " I KNOW they act like he is a criminal".

So apparently, this gentleman and his wife know ME but I have no idea who they are- brides side, grooms side, I dunno.



Im just glad we are done with this wedding.

 

[ladyrsanti]

Good luck Raz!!! I'll be thinking about you tomorrow. I didn't know what was going on and didn't want to ask but I think I've picked up the gist of it by reading others' posts over the past months.

QUESTION: How late in the year can you start meaties here in Michigan or "should" you start, or can you get away with starting? However it should be worded. How late have you gotten started and managed them to weight before the weather turned?

 

[RaZ]

RAZ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am currently at the wedding reception in Ann Arbor- but I couldnt wait to log in and tell you!
The wedding ceremony was next to a chicken yard- and a rooster and hen came out to join the bridal party- I was talking to SOMEONE, unfortunately I do not have any names. However, he said "I used to have chickens when I lived in Georgia- I like chickens.I want to get some more " I said, "I have illegal chickens" and he said, "They are working on changing that everywhere now. Heck, there is a guy fighting now in Garden City to have the law changed. My wife is on the council and she said she already knows there are backyardchickens because of your bumper sticker." I said "OH thats my friend Randy- yeah its stupid, threatening jail time to someone for chickens while the bad guys are out there not doing time". He said, " I KNOW they act like he is a criminal".

So apparently, this gentleman and his wife know ME but I have no idea who they are- brides side, grooms side, I dunno.

So I'm becoming infamous, eh?

I wonder if they will come to the trial?
Tomorrow is another "pre-trial conference" which took the place of the "final pre-trial" of August 31. It might be Christmas before anything happens.

 

[jrsckn]

Canned 24 quarts of tomatoes last weekend and already started another bushel this morning. Gonna be a long hot day in the kitchen; after the first batch of stewed tomatoes we're doing a batch of pasta sauce.

Anyone ever grow the mountain fresh variety of tomatoes? They're the only ones that ripened and grew well this year, they look fantastic compared to my early girls.

 

[fuzzybutt love]

A weasel or weasels took out my brother-in-laws entire flock. It took three nights, but it slaughtered over twelve birds a night.
It was a flock that I built- all the surplus I hatched plus the large fowl eggs I hatched from Theron.

What kind of floor did he have? Did he have an apron dug in around the perimeter?

 

[Mom 2em All]

dirt floor. No apron. Been like that for forty years.

He just upgraded with brand new nest boxes and a brand new tight fitting door and pop-door. Locks them up tight every night. He has had bouts with raccoon/possum/owl/hawk...and all of those that got the birds, got them in the pen, not the coop. AND, this critter bit the chickens necks, and left them all there, dead. Didnt take one out.

Now he is in the process of pouring a concrete floor.

 

[Opa]

Weasels are both curious and blood thirsty. You can use this to you advantage with trapping them. First constructing a box 6x6x18" with 2" holes drilled in each end. Place two rat traps end to end and bait with a piece of blood meat near your coop. Cover with box then check daily and refresh bait if necessary.

 

[Mom 2em All]

Thank you Sam! I shared with my husband- he will help/share with his brother. I hope they get it/them soon. The next step will be replenishing his flock.