Michigan

[Kmf]

Hi Everyone!
I just found out from another BYC member that there was a Michigan Forum! I live in Milford and am new to raising chickens. We are doing it just for eggs and we thought it would be a great life long learning experience for our children (4 year old daughter and one on the way in July). We started with 6 and that turned into 10 within the next 2 days lol! Our girls are 5 weeks old and went out in their run today for the first time! What a great day we had here!!

Can't wait to see what is happening in Michigan!!

Love to hear from you!
Kim

 

[Hillbilly Hen]

and welcome to the Michigan thread Kmf and Jared! There are a lot of friendly anf funny folks here. Please check out the link in my or Opa's siggy about the upcoming chickenstock. We would love to have you there.

 

[A2SciTeach]

Welcome KMF and Jared!

Hey Ooopsy, my ducklings are White Crested - it's a whole different breed than pekins, they are smaller than pekins, classified as a medium breed, should max out at about 6 pounds or so. I know you can get crested anything really, in fact I have the buff ducks to try to start a line of crested buffs.

Here's a link to metzer's info on the white crested. http://www.metzerfarms.com/BirdInfo...e Crested&BirdType=Duck&ID=CREST&CustID=17544 (That's where I got my ducks)

And since you like them, here's the latest - first time for them outside on real grass.

 

[SillyChicken]

Quote:
Very cute... so is there a sex diff between them.. some have crests and some don't?

 

[sevenchickens]

Welcome Kim, We're neighbors!!

I've missed you all! I've been so busy trying to catch up on everything that I let go over the winter, painting the kitchen, planting, well you get the idea!! Anyway, I was given 4 dozen bantam eggs from a reliable breeder they are mostly Faverolles (not Salmon, not sure what they are) and a few blue Wyandottes and maybe a blue Hamburgs. If anyone is interested let me know. I'm happy to pass them along to anyone that would like them. The man that breeds these shows them. These guys are definitely not hatchery stock. I would hatch them myself, but what on Earth would I do with 4 dozen bantam chicks?

Bluemoon- Wanted to give you an update on your eggs... 11 are going strong! We had one with a blood ring (I think it was one of the Wellsummer eggs). But everyone else is bouncing around!

 

[SillyChicken]

Quote:
I'd love some good quality Faverolles... but no way to hatch them

 

[Ooopsy_daisy]

A2Sci those ducks are so darn cute. LOL But Im going to stick with the larger Pekins. As my soul purpose was to produce meat. YakLady sent me some Cayuga/Pekin cross eggs and they are hatching out and are all the same. Look just like Cayuga's but a white tux bib...If they grow out nice Im going to keep them back for breeding for meat.

SillyChicken: Go to TSC and get a bator. Only $40 or check craigslist and get one even cheaper. Come on, get the addiction like the rest of us. Hatch some eggs LOL

I took Matuse Da Galoose down to the pond with her Pekin companion. She wanted nothing to do with it. They just wanted to play in the mud holes the horses have left at the edge from drinking. We also have a darn male mallard that has set up homested here. He doesnt even fly away when I go down. He just swims out to the middle and stays there.

Well great news. And I dont know whats going on, but my drake showed back up just before dark. Now he's been gone for 2 days. He was swimming around the pond and his 2 girls wanted nothing to do with him. So he got out and walked way up the hill and tried to get through the cattle fencing. Like he wanted to go across the road. So I dont know if he was across at their house for those 2 days or not? Odd behavior for a drake with ladies. Dont know if the male mallard is fighting with him or not? I know my gander doesnt want him anywhere near his girls. Hopefully he's still here tomorrow.

 

[Bluemoon420]

Quote:
Glad to hear! I think mine are done hatching. All the silkie eggs hatched, so there's 8 of my daughter's silkies. I have no idea what color is what, but I'll be moving them to the temp brooder tomorrow morning. I'll snap some pictures then. Only one of the 4 EE eggs hatched. The other three may be just slow, so I'll be leaving those in to see what happens. The one EE is interesting colors. I'll have a picture of that one also.

Same thing as last time I tried our EE hens eggs. They develop right up to hatch date, then something happens. It's not the humidity, or temps, so not sure what's going on there.

Bluemoon

 

[Mom 2em All]

Good morning Michigan!
The weather is interfering with my Saturday plans. I was out there at six this morning and the sky was yellow- really wicked and wild, watching the storm blow in over the sun rise. I took my two quackers out and enjoyed my coffee with them- and when the storm started gaining mileage, we had to bail and take our party back into the house and into the bathroom. I watched the baby bantams panic, and Mama Turken try to round them up when the giant raindrops started falling- and she did a real good job getting them back into the hen house.

Halfway through the storm, I realized that my van window was all the way down

so I had to run out there and put it up and came back in SOAKED. My back yard is flooded from the amount of rain that fell so quickly. I will take the quacks back out if the rain stops soon. Now it is just annoying rain, nothing exciting. The lightening with the storm was CRAZY! BIG thunder booms- even my Golden, who loves to hunt with my husband, jumped in bed with him....

So much for trying to get the quacks used to being outside during the day. Today was my day to do that. So far, I cant be out of their sight or they panic.. and they are mostly feathered in now. Time to leave the kitchen...they mess up their brooder too fast, they are too big to be in it..but they didnt get that memo, and dont believe me.

Guess what? The nasty barking neighbor dog ran off early this morning. My husband just left with the neighbor to try and find him. I got to enjoy a quiet peaceful hour this morning out with the ducks before the storm came in.

 

[briana1975]

Poor dog got scared by the storm.

I had to decide to run outside in all the lightning and pouring rain to close the window in the coop, or just change the damp bedding this weekend. I decided to wait till the lightning and rain let up and will now have to clean up the only damp stuff. My big mutt was scared to death of the storm too. Glued to my side this morning.

Hoop house is finally getting built this weekend. Those darn turkeys are huge in the big brooder.