Michigan

[Stacykins]

Oh and I should be getting bees and hives later this month.

How fun! I am picking up some bee packages as soon as they are available. My hives did not make it through the winter. They didn't starve, but it got too damp in the hives. I found them dead with plenty of stored honey left. This year I hope to not lose them.

 

[fuzzybutt love]

crossing fingers for you, Daron.... you did everything possible.

I may have gotten the little de'uncles i wanted! I stopped up to TSC and they had gotten a few more feather-feet, and these ones looked much paler then the other ones....... crossing fingers, but even if they are mille's i still think i need some mercy chicks for little rose tonight. It would make me very happy to see her eating well again.... As much as i want my blue eggs hatched, it can wait another year, May give her incentive to hatch again!

 

[sarah92480]

Well I had a fun morning with a friend who brought her friend and three grandchildren to see the chickens. She said they were so excited to come and had been talking about seeing the chickens all week. I got out early and cleaned the coop but left the eggs in the nest boxes so the kids could "find" them. Zoe reached in and picked up an egg and her eyes got as round as saucers. "It's still warm!!" she said. Even Grandma got a kick out of that and had to feel it. They noticed how each egg shell had a different texture; some are smooth, some are porous, some are grainy or wrinkled. I was amazed at the things they noticed and the good questions they asked. They also could not believe that eggs came in other colors besides white. I gave them each a hotdog bun to feed the chickens and they got the biggest kick out of that. I was careful to keep myself between them an Joe since he can get pretty aggressive. He behaved himself like a gentleman though and ate the buns they offered and then herded the hens out to the woods. They asked why my coop was named Egg Song Inn so I explained about the egg song and the little girls just loved the thought of each hen singing as she laid her egg. Nichole wanted to know why some of the hens had bare backs. I said "well, because the boy chickens or roosters jump up on their backs and scratch them with their toenails sometimes." I figured I'd leave it at that and hope they didn't want details. Little Mikey said "Yeah, when my Daddy gives me a piggy-back ride I scratch him with my toes too!" While we were standing in front of the coop one of the girls noticed that there are hundreds of little colored glass beads in the cracks between the cement slabs that I made the coop walkway with. They started picking them up and ended up with lots of little souviners to take home with them, including pretty feathers. The kids took their found eggs back to the house to take home as well as a dozen their Grandma bought and my friend took a dozen. One of the little girls named her blue egg Petunia and very carefully wrote it's name on the shell. When we came in the house I got Merlin, my macaw out to meet them, but they were way more impressed with the chickens. The kids were very well behaved and asked if they could come back every year to visit. Grandma said it was a wonderful adventure for them and took lots of pictures. I'm not around kids much and had forgotten how much fun it is to watch them explore and experience new things. It was a nice visit.

That was such a cute story. Glad they had fun!! Sounds like it!


So I think my interview went really good, I hope I'm not being too optimistic!! They want me to come back next week for a 2 hour working interview. She seems like a really awesome doctor and the practice is small and I think I would really like it there at least for the time being to start out for a while. I really like the place and her philosophies on the way she runs her practice. OMG I'm so excited I hope she hires me! And she offers benefits which is also awesome.

 

[kimmie6067]

Hi everyone, I will be back in Michigan around the 19th of this month. I will be getting my baby chicks (still have not decided on what breed yet) and fixing my chickens a run and fixing up my hunting shack into a chicken coop. Work, and more work I love it.
I just can't make up my mind on breeds of chickens. Can we mix the breeds up, if I get them at the same time?
Kimmie

 

[chicken grandma]

Well, here is a thought I have had.
If you know that you have MG on your farm, and several of us do have it.
Then I would really think twice about hatching a lot of chicks or buying chicks and bringing them onto my property until the MG was gone from my property.
But that is just me. I feel sorry for chicks that come onto a farm by hatching or from the feed store when there is MG on the farm.

 

[M.sue]

Yayyyy....the sun came out but it's still pretty chilly out there. I just came in from giving the girls a warm snack....cooked oatmeal and yogurt! They gobbled it up like it was going out of style.

Good luck on your interview Sarah! I'm sure you'll impress them!


Got my fingers crossed for you Daron! Let us know how it goes.

Zoe reached in and picked up an egg and her eyes got as round as saucers. I'm not around kids much and had forgotten how much fun it is to watch them explore and experience new things. It was a nice visit.

Sounds like you had an enjoyable afternoon! Isn't it great to see their reaction. I love when the kids friends & my nephews come over (city-slickers...no offense to anyone) and see the look of amazement in their eyes and those great How, when & what questions. My DD handed her friend an egg and told her to hold onto it while she collected the other ones. The friend sorta freaked out and said "What if it hatches?" My DD laughed then proceeded to tell her that it first needs to fertilized, then the hen needs to sit on it for 21 days. Thank goodness she didn't ask my DD how it got fertilized. ....that would of been something to hear. lol

So I think my interview went really good, I hope I'm not being too optimistic!! They want me to come back next week for a 2 hour working interview. She seems like a really awesome doctor and the practice is small and I think I would really like it there at least for the time being to start out for a while. I really like the place and her philosophies on the way she runs her practice. OMG I'm so excited I hope she hires me! And she offers benefits which is also awesome.

Sound to me you like might have new job, especially since she asked you back for a 2nd time!!

Can we mix the breeds up, if I get them at the same time?
Kimmie

Hi there Kimmie6067.....with my first group I had 4 different breeds(2, 3, or 4 of each breed) mixed and did/are doing well. I'm adding a few EE's to it.

 

[sarah92480]

Sound to me you like might have new job, especially since she asked you back for a 2nd time!!

Oh I sooooo hope you are right!!

 

[EeyoreD]

How fun! I am picking up some bee packages as soon as they are available. My hives did not make it through the winter. They didn't starve, but it got too damp in the hives. I found them dead with plenty of stored honey left. This year I hope to not lose them.

I'm really excited about them!

Sorry to hear about your hives, I knew moisture was a problem but I had no idea it could be THAT much of a problem

 

[Stacykins]

I'm really excited about them!

Sorry to hear about your hives, I knew moisture was a problem but I had no idea it could be THAT much of a problem

Yep, 'tis a fine line between too drafty, well ventilated, and not enough ventilation. Moisture in the hive means it can drip on the bee cluster and also refreeze.

 

[Olive Hill]

I typed out a whole post and it disappeared when I hit submit. You've all been spared my long-winded ramblings... for now.

Went to TSC to pick up the barn cart they've got on sale this week and some fence posts. They were about out of the posts I needed -- only had about 8 left and they didn't look good -- but they did have a whole bantam bin full of silkies so the kids spent the money that's been burning a hole in their pockets. Since the bantam bin is straight run it's almost sure they'll all be roosters, of course.

How are the night temps where you are? Im not sure where you are located. I was hoping they would do ok at 5 weeks, the only place they dont have feathers anymore at this point is under their wings. Do they snuggle into bedding too, or just cuddle with each other?

I'm about an hour and a half north of you. High 20s to low 40s, depending on the night. Ours roost at night, cuddled up one next to the other.