Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[Opa]

After a quick check of the Weather Channel website I see that some of you are currently receiving rainfall and that it may hit here later in the day. I gue that means that I had better pick tomatoes this morning. Summer is winding down and while it isn't officially fall yet, for all intents and purposes ummer is over. It sure went by in a hurry.

 

[Brethren49619]

Happy Birthday Teeville!

It's been a crazy few days. Got the new chicks and started a new job. Offered to me as 3 days a week for 4 hour shifts. First day ended up being 7 hours, second day 6. Not complaining for the hours, but the timing being the first & second day with the chicks wasn't so good. Some of the chicks were a little puny/shaky when they arrived in the mail. I have lost two so far. One of the Araucanas and one of the Coronation Sussex. Hoping the others make it. Just hate losing these little babies.

 

[taprock]

Morning. No rain here, just lots of fog. Our garage/house roof was almost finished yesterday. The important part where the house roof had been torn off was finished. Then about 8 last night a nice storm rolled through. In the middle of the thunder and lightening my hubby remembers he didn't put on the cap. So in the middle of the storm, with a metal roof he climbs up and puts on the cap with my sons help handing things up.

I just don't watch sometimes, it's better that way. I went and counted chickens.

Raz

Love that Polish Nova. Nice chicken pictures.

I have two more cases of bumblefoot to treat today. While reading about it, it said that gravel, rocky soil can be the cause. If so that explains it. Our place is more like a gravel pit than a field. I also have a beak to trim, which I have never done and am a bit nervous about. All the chicken care will come after school. Today is our first day. Hopefully my son will like the new curriculum we are using this year. School with him is usually a fight. He wants to earn more 4 wheeler time by doing his work so hopefully it is incentive enough to get him through the day.

 

[babigyrl22]

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?

I guess it depends on how you are going to house them. If you are trying to do the minimal amt of work/engergy I would start them soon, so they can feather out before it starts getting really cold at night. If you start them this week they will be ready by the end of October and you can be done them. I doubt you will be wanting to fuss around with them while it's really cold out side. Mine were about 9-10 weeks when I got around to having them processed and I was having them shove them over to their food becuase they were getting really heavy for their legs.

 

[babigyrl22]

Good luck today Raz!

 

[BobBry]

Robin,

I sat in the run last evening and watched the eight chicks mill about on the four by eight floor. You had asked about feathers on legs of the Marans. We have five marans, three are predominantly black with some white; two are more of a slate blue with no sharp color division lines. The bluish ones have black legs/feet and, I think one of those has feathers on legs. Bryan says both of them do. Hey... I'll try to send pictures of them.

And to think that I sometimes fear that technology has passED me by.


Hi there,..how are u this mornin?

 

[BobBry]

Think I'll join Sam, andd pick some tomatoes now.

 

[Bianca67]

Happy Birthday Teeville

Thinking good thoughts for you today Raz.

Lost one hen last week , she had a leg injury and I think she just was not not able to get enough to drink. She was my youngests. He cried a little then asked if we could dig her a grave. He buried her himself and then found a large rock to put over the spot and asked me to write her name on it.

On a brighter note , all of the hens I got in March are laying now. One of the Welsummers refuses to use the nest boxes and instead lays her egg right under the pop door so all the chickens can walk all over it till I come to collect it. Ugh!

 

[snowflake]

That's Fiametta, the hen I got to replace Buffy. I have thatched any of her eggs though... They are too round...

How do you thatch and egg??? LOVE the pics!!!

sorry you lost the 2little ones, hope that is all.....they are so sweet

handing things up.

I just don't watch sometimes, it's better that way. I went and counted chickens.

Raz

Glad no one got hurt!!

Raz,,, GOOD LUCK...!!!!!

rain here started early AM we are getting a nice soft sprinkle now, chickens are out hunting bugs, ...I should bring them inside, We have been invaded by fruit ( not sure what they are really, no fruit left out every thing cleaned up.)... had some windows open day before though and they come through the screens. more to the light I think.....

 

[SillyChicken]

Hope you had a happy birthday Teeville!

Raz, I'll be thinking about you today!


Was a nice but somber weekend for us. I picked up DH at the airport Friday, got home, and work called with a problem, so I had to go right back in to work...

Saturday, DH actually, and for the first time in almost 20 yrs........ served me breakfast in bed!! It was very sweet and thoughtful.

We also put up a bunch of food, beans, tomatoes and culled 10 rabbits (the somber part, not the fun part about having food critters) we de-boned and canned them as well (btw, canned rabbit is very yummy). That was a lot of work! Will be much easier to manage fewer rabbits, I think we have 9 left and will be thinning down to 6 total for the winter. Monday we took it easy, went for a bike ride in the evening, came home and had a small fire and a few beer. Not a bad weekend.

This week we're going to be cleaning and fixing the empty rabbit cages.

Out of the blue yesterday I get some one asking me if I want two 6 mo old wether Pygmy goats........ more on that later today!