Michigan

[Mom 2em All]

Leah-yes I know I'm crazy :

Good morning everyone. Our answer to the cold was to start getting out the seed trays for starting some vegetables and herbs. We spent last night putting together the temporary shelving unit that holds them in our big southern window till they are ready to go out. It's kind of like...if we sprout it the sun will come...thinking. We also spent a few hours yesterday making seed tape and mats for when the snow melts. At least we are being proactive. My chickens have decided that spring is around the corner regardless of what the darn groundhog says. Egg production has doubled from Jan 1st to Feb 1st...now what to do with all those eggs?

I have pole beans growing in my kitchen- they are about a foot high. I officially have half of what I did have though- because one of my cats thought it would be wonderful to eat them.​

 

[Steve]

I was so hoping to get the walls up and roof framing done on that coop today, but after going out to do chores.....it's just too cold for now.

Last night I had one hen who went under the coop and would not come out. There is about 8 inches of room under there.....to small for me to get under. I kept going out last night hoping to coax her to get out from underneath, but she wouldn't. Of course Judy was really worried for her well being.

This morning she still will not come out.....I spent 20 minutes on my tummy with some feed trying to coax her out. I hope she will come out on her own. While on my tummy I found a clutch of about 20 eggs (frozen) under there. I guess my egg production was better than I thought.....little stinkers. When she comes out, I am gonna make sure none of them can get under there again.

 

[miss_jayne]

Quote:
a sneaky girl! maybe she's hatching popsicles!

 

[Zookeeper9000]

Morning all it is colder than a mother in laws heart here. Hope you are all staying warm.

For those of you who garden have any of you tried winter sowing your seeds?

http://faq.gardenweb.com/faq/lists/teach/2002111303003772.html

I have been winter sowing for years and it is the best you get the strongest plants for this. You don't think it is going to happen but then before spring up they come. You end up having way too many plants. It is the bomb.

 

[CATRAY44]

It is a good day for bread making! Going to try whole wheat sour dough... also, I found a great looking recipe for pepperoni rolls (roll dough with mozzarella, pepperoni and banana peppers, rolled up and baked!) Pm me and I will send you the site where the recipe and pictures are... my kids were drooling looking at them. I was thinking they would also be great with ham or bacon and chedder.... or chicken and bbq sauce... oh my!

 

[Leah-yes I know I'm crazy]

Quote:
We do that with some things but have had limited success. Right now we are experimenting with germination rates of free/incredibly cheep seed. I'm a seed collector through the fall and winter. We learned that the mustard, dill and celery seed from the dollar store spices WILL germinate. Because we do a lot of pickling we thought we'd give it a shot at growing our own this year. We're also planning on doing a lot of herbs and lettuce on homemade mats this year to hopefully get a better yield. Mostly we are jumping ahead because we have cabin fever in a big, ugly, sick of feeding the woodstove, tired of scraping ice off the car kind of way.

 

[vicki2x2]

Steve,

Go to TSC or Walmart and get one of those grabber things (like my description???) it has a handle grip at one end, you squeeze it and the other end comes together to pick up things. Does that make sense? I use it if I drop stuff behind things that I can't reach, or to pick up eggs (it has suction cups on the ends) when my hens wanted to lay under the one coop. We raised one coop up thinking they would enjoy the shade, since there was no trees near that coop. When they first started laying they were laying under it and I couldn't reach the eggs. Hence, the grabby thing. Works great. You could probably even grab the chicken or scare her out with it. At Walmart the have the at the end of the check outs, just seen them there. Good luck!

 

[Opa]

Hope just got back from grocery shopping and said from now on she wants to shop so she is in the store at 8am. Fewer people to contend and that's when they mark prices down on alot of items that are approaching expiration dates. Saves a few bucks. Pick up a head of cabbage and I took it out to the girls. Thought I would lose some fingers to their pecking while I trying to cut it up some.

 

[Steve]

Well I caught that chicken. Right by the tail feathers as she tried to run back under the coop.....bad girl.

And the beginning of my coop build is here.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=1552968#p1552968

 

[Stoneheartfarm]

Hi everyone, I have not been here in a while, but been pokin' around again. I am also a frozen Michigander. Half way between Cadillac and Big rapids. I am heading out for work with hubby and not looking forward to the c-c-c-cold! uhg! tomorrow is supposed to be a little better at least, and this weekend is going to feel super warm. Yay! Its giving me the itchy's to go ordering chicks for spring.

Anyone know of a good MI place to get chicks? Have a great day and try to stay warm.