Michigan

[vjwilmoth]

Lesson learned............Procrastination some times has dire or at least smelly consequences.

Well, now that just stinks...doesn't it?

Seriously, that's no fun at all.

I put in a Gladware sandwich size container with a few stones in the bottom and some sandy dirt from the yard. They love it!

What a good idea! Wish I'd have thought of that back when they were inside.

Look who came to dinner last night

So how did it go? My mom caught a mama and her 2 babies 2 nights ago.

I am finally nearing the end of the bloody woodchips, uuuuuggghhhh. Asked my FIL how much he brought over for me, and he said it was about 20 yards. All I know is, it is more woodchips than I want to have to shovel again anytime soon. I am figuring at this point that it has taken approximately one can of beer / one cubic yard of woodchips.

Can't... wait... for about the same amount of dirt to arrive.

And while the woodchips were at least dumped in the center, the dirt will need to be dumped outside of the entire thing and brought in one careful wheelbarrow load at a time.

Not sure I am going to live through it.


By the way, did anyone have any ideas about those nest boxes I posted?

You've been shoveling woodchips for so long now that I almost forgot why!

Well, we have finally moved all the teens out to the coop. They weren't liking it much, but it was time. I checked on them once and they seem to be doing okay so it's all good for now.

Okay, and speaking of mistakes, I have a whopper of a mistake that I made tonight. After we got all the chickens settled for the night, DH decided to start a fire in the fire pit and being the good mom I am I brought out marshmallows to roast. I'm roasting my marshmallow and it catches on fire so I take it out and instead of blowing on it, I shook it. Well, that marshmallow decided to launch itself off the fork in all its flaming glory and hit my youngest DD in the face. Thank goodness it went out in flight, but she has a nice little welt just above her lip now. I put some burn cream on it, but it still stings a bit. I definitely get the dumb mom award tonight.

We all do stuff like that. I think that's what makes good stories when they are older.

Good Morning!

It was brisk when I let the chickens out this morning! :: shivers ::

Last night as I was doing my chores I witnessed one of the Easter Roo's mounting my Silkie and going to town.

Do they really start doing that this early?? He's only 7 weeks old! No crowing yet. Just...his little teenage hormones raging.

x2!

Good Morning

One of the bantam roos is starting to crow.... talk about funny!! Sounds like someone's choking him, lol!

It sounds like this would be a good thing for your dh!!

I can't wait until my roos start trying to crow. My two EE roos are almost 11 weeks and haven't yet but I caught the head roo grabbing the back of my BA's neck feathers and tried mounting her! She gave him the slip though.

I read some guy collected all the poop, from the neighbors dog crapping in his yard, in a bucket.. when it was full, dumped it on the guys front porch and left a note saying this is your dogs crap from my yard, next time he craps in my yard it's getting dumped on your car. Guess the guy started walking the dog with a baggie after that.... maybe that would work for you too!


Raz, do you have the link for the article?

Ummm, not me

Not till Sept. But thanks anyway.
Good luck to your DH with the job.

Does anyone near me want a Black Austrolorp roo and two of his girls? They are only a year old. I have been doing some serious downsizing.

Black Jack

I don't need anymore roos but he sure is pretty! We have two BA hens.

 

[vjwilmoth]

Oh! My white silkie seems to be doing well on garlic mash and grit. Her crop wasn't full of fluid this morning. Those two silkies are so oily though from tromping around in the dish with garlic/oil. They're going to need bathes! I think I'll leave them in the house a couple more days to make sure things are moving along like they are suppose to.

 

[ChicwannaB]

Hi Michiganders...I've been busy so haven't seen y'all in quite a long while...
Got a new family member and he's kept me QUITE busy, meet Chopper.




Isn't he beautiful??

 

[NovaAman]

Hello EVERYBODY!

Ok. Now that I have that out of the way... GUESS WHAT!? I went to the neighbors house, caught her at home. Gave her condolences as her husband had passed away last week and it was just in the paper. Turns out her mother, who is, well was 91, passed 2 days after her hubby who was 83. Her dad, he is 93 is staying with her. Well anyway, she is very upbeat and has taken it very very well. Her attitude is very, "You get what you get, and you don't cry about it... Just keep going." Smart lady. Well anyway, I told her I was sorry, about the passings, and I know its probably crap timing, but asked her about the chicken run in the back yard, she asked what I was talking about, and told me to show her. So I did, and turns out it is a dog run that her DH had made 20 years ago for a dog that they had. Well anyway, I asked if I could buy it, as it would be perfect for a chicken run. She said if I wanted it, I could just take it, and if I needed help getting it out, she'd ask her SIL's to help me. I think I can manage, or I will ask Andrew (neighbors kid home from college) to help. She said she needed her shed re-roofed. SO, I said I could do that for her in exchange for the run. The wood is in good shape. Will give it a scrub down and a coat of paint over the whole thing, including the cage wire that was just to make it. AND ITS THE GOOD KIND! Yes! SO, I think, labor roofing in exchange for a good sized chicken run that I will not have to build. Oh yeah. Life is good.

One more week on the cockerels. Fia just has to hold out one more week. Hope the people that wanted to get one and the hens some soon, of they will be GONE.

How old for processing on the ducks? I thought I read somewhere that it was 40 days... I am still trying to decided...

 

[NovaAman]

Hi Michiganders...I've been busy so haven't seen y'all in quite a long while...
Got a new family member and he's kept me QUITE busy, meet Chopper.




Isn't he beautiful??

He has his own bed! Lucky pig! Is it a pot belly? He is adorable!


I was going to say something a little off color about pigs in beds... but thought better of it. Not a lot better obviously... There is a Greek sorceress, Zerses (SP?) who would turn the men that came to her island into the animal they most resembled inside... Sadly, it was mostly pigs and asses... HA!

 

[gladahmae]

OMG. Chickies outside = bad bad bad idea. Ugh. Won't be doing THAT again for awhile!!!!

Here's the short of it. Put the chickies in a plastic kennel once belonging to a black lab pup. Took them outside and put them in a wire dog kennel (the collapsible kind) with plastic kennel up to the door. Within 3 minutes one of the BLS chicks squeezes out. So I try to shoo them back into the plastic kennel (after herding said BSL chick back in) and 2 MORE get out! Holy crap. Ran and got my 6yo to help (the kennel was trying to fall down at this point) me get the remaining 8 into plastic kennel. Got them in and then had to chase/catch one from under our 8x32 covered porch....including scaring a few mice. THEN had to find the other and chase it out from under a nearby pine tree. Poor little chicks! Good gracious!!!!! I feel horrible.

The worst part is that when the wire kennel was trying to fall down the end fell on 2 of them. I think they're OK, but I'm going to be keeping an eye on them tonight. I'm going to feel really really horrible if they're hurt and don't live.

 

[BackyardFarmMom]

Cute Oinker!!!!

My son inherited my love of rocks...I would come home with them in every pocket I had... sometimes in my socks. Who asked about fossiles?

I think we need some more chick pics... I miss them. Well, the teacher FB me last night... Still just one chick.

Coon city on here!!! We need to get a trap too. There are to many brave coons around here.

 

[Juise]

Shamrock - Pretty bird, lucky you! Sorry about the 4-H competition, but your chicken does look healthy.

Mom - No! It was only two questions! And you still didn't answer me! When your choices are (a) or (b), "yes" doesn't tell me anything!! You're doing this on purpose, aren't you? -.-

Snowflake - You don't need to measure yours, thank you for offering, though.

My setup obviously isn't working, so I need to change it anyway. The front is just as tall on the new boxes as it was on the old - about 4 inches. I am going to try putting something in the bottom first, and if that doesn't work I will put a taller lip on the front. That height worked for a year, though! Silly chickens. Oh, you know what height I would like to know, if it isn't too much trouble? About how tall is the fence around your pool? None of ours have flown into our pool yet, but I worry about it. Glad your chicken is okay.

Silly Chicken -

for the job.

Jem - Sorry about your birds.

Teeville - Glad your daughter is doing better already, I didn't want to say, but my brother had a scar for years afterward.

The marshmellow was still on fire when it landed on him, though.
VJ - I haven't actually been shoveling woodchips the whole time,

I took a good break with all the rain. Getting it spread isn't that urgent, they are enough work to move without them being soaking wet. I was waiting for them to dry as much as possible, but then had to work fast before more rain came! I finished them early this afternoon, just as it started to sprinkle - whew!

ChicwannaB - Cute pig!

Glad - Oh, man! Glad you caught everyone, hope the 2 are okay.

 

[Mom 2em All]

Hey, I heard that same sound over here, woke up in the AM "what is that strange sound, I never heard a bird like that before?" Grand son was up ,Laughed at me, it's the FR rooster Gram!

See, the zombie apocalypse is beginning..

Lastnight as I was doing my chores I witnessed one of the Easter Roo's mounting my Silkie and going to town.

Do they really start doing that this early?? He's only 7 weeks old! No crowing yet. Just...his little teenage hormones raging.

Toes started doing that at seven weeks old too..teenage boys!

Just had a nice cup of lemon blossom tea because you know, even in my sexy flannel-lined pjs a winter hat and a coat, it was darned chilly out there opening up the coops.

Ive been frozen since this morning. Slept with the fan on- no covers..woke up an ice cube.

Speaking of old dogs.... one of our Corsos is having problems, her back legs are giving out on her. We are so lucky she's lived as long as she has. She had epilepsy for several years..almost died from it. The normal range for the breed is 8-10 yrs... and she is close to 12 yrs old!!

That is amazing that you have a Corso almost twelve! Congratulations! That is really unheard of. What a special girl.

AND- tell your husband that you are getting Uggos from someone who is really bad at counting, and he shouldnt say anything because I am very embarrassed by it when I make a mistake...enhanced six can be eight cant it?

Saw a couple too far off to shoot early on, then a couple cats and a doe with a fawn before wimping out of the cold around midnight. I'm thinking they wimped out of the cold, too, since nothing seems to have been tampered with overnight.


I'll be down that way tomorrow. Are we having Chimichangas?

He is a rare Zombie bowling ball...cant eat bowling balls..or Zombies. He is HEAVYYYYYY- I picked him up and carried him around this evening. He was not pleased but that is irrelevant.

Hi Michiganders...I've been busy so haven't seen y'all in quite a long while...
Got a new family member and he's kept me QUITE busy, meet Chopper.




Isn't he beautiful??

He is indeed beautiful! How old is he? He looks huge in the picture!

Mom - No! It was only two questions! And you still didn't answer me! When your choices are (a) or (b), "yes" doesn't tell me anything!! You're doing this on purpose, aren't you? -.-YES
I am quoting you. "1) What kind of light does the area get? Which is the one you answered, and 2) Are you still wanting something you can walk on,YES #3 or are you thinking about doing a path YESand just using things that are #4 low ground coversYES /#5 low perennials?YES

And you never answered my original question...YOU are doing this on purpose arent you?

 

[Hillbilly Hen]

Hi Michiganders...I've been busy so haven't seen y'all in quite a long while...
Got a new family member and he's kept me QUITE busy, meet Chopper.
Isn't he beautiful??

SWEET!

DH had to start up the woodstove again