Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[NovaAman]

So... I was thinking that either the serema laid her first egg today, or, I got my very first fart egg. Well, I went to my uncles funeral and came home to find that in everyone's marvel over how small this egg was and had to keep passing it around, "Oh lookie lookie!" The egg gets dropped and cracked all up on one end. SO, may as well find out if its one of the other. Well, I can say it wasn't a fart egg. There was a perfect little yolk in there AND that perfect little yolk had a bullseye! Dagnabit. Well, At least I know Fritz is doing his roosterly duty, and if it wasn't The Jerk, then I am not going it even want to imagine what BIGGGGGER jerk managed it. LOL, She lives with the 2 faverolle boys, who are so amazingly beautiful, and my polish Fibber... I'd hope that they'd find her to small.

Anyway, have a good night all.

 

[theron]

So... I was thinking that either the serema laid her first egg today, or, I got my very first fart egg. Well, I went to my uncles funeral and came home to find that in everyone's marvel over how small this egg was and had to keep passing it around, "Oh lookie lookie!" The egg gets dropped and cracked all up on one end. SO, may as well find out if its one of the other. Well, I can say it wasn't a fart egg. There was a perfect little yolk in there AND that perfect little yolk had a bullseye! Dagnabit. Well, At least I know Fritz is doing his roosterly duty, and if it wasn't The Jerk, then I am not going it even want to imagine what BIGGGGGER jerk managed it. LOL, She lives with the 2 faverolle boys, who are so amazingly beautiful, and my polish Fibber... I'd hope that they'd find her to small.

Anyway, have a good night all.

Congrats on your first serama egg!!

 

[Brethren49619]

Yesterday...
1- All I wanted to do on my first day off in too many days was rest and get projects done at home. DH just had to get off the couch though, so into town to get new phones. Then one of the sales ladies come up to us... "Brethren 49619?
"Yes" I replied, thinking yeah, that's our zip code as we are talking about phone service coverage.
"Wrightsx4"

Small world - but really cool meeting you and putting a face to the name.

2- Three eggs from the Araucana hens from Stacykins. Stella and CiCi are now joined withe Kelly laying as well.

 

[fuzzybutt love]

My dear sweet Amelia had many of the same eccentricities as your hen.....this picture does no justice for her lovely blue beard. I wish so much that I had a roo and could've hatched out some EE. I miss her SOOOOO much and all her chicken cuddles.

I never knew chickens could be so cat-like, i am on a mission now to breed exclusively for this personality type. I can't sell anything at this point though, i am pretty sure i have MG in my flock. For my hen at least, it was definitely something in her blood that made her so unique, both her daughters are this way too, though the first one was raised by a broody that didn't like me even! So i never played with the other one until she was grown.

At some point i will be trying the egg dipping to see if i can get "clean" babies, if i can assure buyers that the babies are "clean" i will be happy to come off some eggs! I would GIVE you one if not for the MG I know how much cuddlers can be missed.

 

[fuzzybutt love]

I decided to post my only from-a-can holiday recipe to date, but it's so darn tasty........... For those on the fence about cranberries, this one's perfect! Tart, with a bit of tang. Gotta be sure to let the stuff gel pretty good in the first step, otherwise it won't set up in the mold though!

In large bowl dissolve 1 6oz pkg of strawberry jello with 1 cup boiling water. Drain 1 20 oz can crushed pineapple into a cup, add juice to jello. Stir in 1 16oz can whole berry cranberry sauce, 3 Tb lemon juice, and 1/2 ts nutmeg into the jello. Chill until mixture thickens (Looks like gel) Takes a couple to a few hours.........

Fold in 2 cups sour cream and pineapple, spoon into jello mold (grease if you are unsure) and voila! One dish down and don't have to be worried about

It comes out very pretty too, but it don't make a big mold of it so if you need quantity double the recipe! I won't eat cranberry any other way since trying this one; i have another jello recipe too but can't bring myself to deviate, i like it so much!

I got this one from a magazine about 8 years ago

 

[Opa]

Good morning Michigan. Time to start the day. We are going to busy cooking today. Going to bake the ham today and slice it. The turkey is smoked and needs to be deboned. Got to make two pumpkin pies, one apple and one coconut. Then a Chocolate Decadence cake will complete the desserts.

I'll peel and quarter the sweet potatoes tonight and bake them tomorrow for candied yams along with the corn casserole, the green bean casserole, and the dressing. Potatoes for mashing can go on the stovetop. Cranberries with fresh pineapple and oranges will make a fine relish. Yep, it's going to be one busy kitchen.

With twenty coming tomorrow hopefully we won't be stuck with lots of left overs.

Poop boards are a must in my opinion. They catch above 10 gallons of droppings each week. Without the boards the coop floor would be much dirtier. I have three 2x4x8' roosts placed about 4' from the floor. My dropping boards were constructed by using 1x2, 1x3, and a sheet of RFP (reinforced fiberglass panel). The panel costs about $26 but it well worth the cost since in has a slick surface and doesn't absorb water. For ease of handling the RFP was cut into two 4x4' pieces. 1x3 was laid flat for all four sides and the panels were attached. Next 1x2 was used on 3 sides to form a lip. The assembled platforms were suspended 6" below the roosts with lightweight chain and s-hooks. The absence of a lip on one side allows me to scrap the droppings into a pail.

 

[SillyChicken]

I Hope everyone has a wonderful thanksgiving holiday!

 

[Elyssia001]

It's just me and my husband for thanksgiving, but that doesn't stop me from cooking enough food to last us all weekend.

While our turkey breast is roasting, I'll be dreaming of the time in the future when I can raise a turkey from a poult and can enjoy the stronger flavor and satisfaction of knowing that we had full control over it's diet and medication and that we were able to offer it several months of plesant living.

This year's menu is pretty standard fare, all made from scratch. Greenbean cassarole with portabella mushrooms, harvest stuffing, garlic mashed potatoes, pan gravy, and the sole canned item allowed on my thanksgiving table, jellied cranberry sauce.

Normally we fry a whole turkey, but this year we don't have any company visiting, thus just the breast this year.

Happy Thanksgiving to you all.

 

[Scifisarah]

Native beauty, Opa has some poop board pics on BYC somewhere, I bet if you ask he will post them.
Sarah, your coop is darling. You might find, though, if you leave it open underneath and especially if you add bedding they may start laying under there - hard to get eggs out - and it will be very hard to clean.

I haven't had trouble with it so far. Generally everyone here quits laying all winter long, and then I take the boards off and remove all the straw in the Spring. We started doing this a few years ago when we had three call ducks that would not go inside at night, and the chickens seemed to enjoy it for the daytime. The call ducks were awfully cute and I enjoyed them, but it was too stressfull worrying about them being unprotected at night and a major pain keeping up with cleaning their kiddie pool every few day. Especially in the winter when I had to heat it and chip the ice off the side to be able to tip it out then refill with many, many buckets...

 

[taprock]

As much as I am thankful for my dh I want to strangle him just now. I am very nearsighted and so this morning a startling flash of light made me a bit nervous. I couldn't find a reflection or light. After experiencing two more I called the eye doctor and they said to come in. I make arrangements for my son to go to my aunt's and my mom to drive me. Then as we are getting ready to go my son wanders into the kitchen and says " that light is bothering me, why did papa put the trail cam in the kitchen". So the whole time I think my eyes are going crazy it is the camera randomly taking pictures. I had to call everyone back and explain I'm an idiot!