Michigan

[horsewishr]

ohhh, I grew up going to the Armada Fair. I used to camp there with my friend, who was showing her horse. (I never had one back then

) That was way back in the late 70s. Her horse was Grand Champion Quarter horse in about 1979. I imagine Armada has grown up quite a bit since then.

oh, and thanks for the compliments Mexis and greenacre. The hen house is adorable, but I can't really take any credit for it. The playhouse was on the property when we bought it. All we did was give it a fresh coat of paint, and put some chicken accommodations in. Wait. . . I will take some credit. I designed the barn/nest box

 

[greenacre]

The girls and I just got back from the Oakland County Fair. WOW! We had such a blast. We saw a calf born right in front of us. Of course, we loved going through the poultry barn. It was amazing to see the rows and rows of beautiful chickens (it was love at first sight for me). Thank you again to everybody who posted something about the fair because I am sooooo happy we decided to go (and mother nature even shined upon us today with her glorious weather).

 

[Alphagamchick]

Glad you liked the fair. It's disappointing but it seems like each year there are fewer animals. There are usually lots of bunnies but there weren't many this year.
I had fancy chickens as a kid and I could hardly wait to get some this spring now that we moved onto property. We have 40ish and too many breeds to list but I was pretty happy with my boys at the fair this year. They were able to ID many of the chickens there because we have some of the same here at home. They enjoyed seeing how big ours would eventually get. They were pretty impressed by the standard black cochin roosters. They were huge. We have a barred frizzle rooster who I hope will get that big. He was just hatched in May so he is only about the size of a melon right now, but he is hilarious looking with those frizzled feathers.
At the price of $8 per carload to get in you can afford to go twice. They have so many things going on during the day.
If you haven't been to the Michigan State Fair that's a blast too. Loads of chickens there. We go every year. Lots to do and see and good eats, too.

 

[mastergardener]

Hello Michiganders--

Is there anyone in Southeast Michigan who might be interested in speaking to the Lapeer County Master Gardeners about raising chickens? We meet the first Wednesday evening of every other month, with our next meeting on August 1. If interested, would you charge a speaker's fee, and how much?

You may email me directly at [email protected]

Thanks,
Julie C.
Co-President
Lapeer County Master Gardener Association

 

[Fancy Feather Poultry]

chickensrock? do you have any day old chick you are willing to sell i would love to buy my 12 eggs didnt go over so well and am down to 4 the lady gave me 5 extras but it didnt help any. If you have some chicks for sale i will be willing to buy. Same thing anyone around this area or a little farther I am will to buy.

 

[psimek]

Hi! I am so happy to see so many Michiganders. I must be the first from the Motor City, though! My chickens are being raised at the school I work at, which is actually in Southfield. We have a project called the Chicken/Soup Kitchen Project. We have planted a vegetable garden, orchard and are raising 6 chickens. All the food will be donated to Forgotten Harvest. The chicks were hatched in my Science room & over 400 students got to witness parts of the hatching! The chickens are used to eat pests (the garden is organic), to fertilize (it was totally clay this spring!) and for their eggs. The garden and chickens are in a huge courtyard which makes it safe for them, because it is surrounded by the building. Although I am the science teacher, this is my first year raising chickens. I am loving it, and this website! Please, send me your advice!!

 

[greenacre]

Hi Psimek! I am also from "The Motor City" and can't believe how many Michiganders are registered here. I love that you have a science class watching over the chickens...what a great learning experience for those kids. There is no way they would see something like that unless you showed it to them (I know there are no farms in Southfield ;-)). This site is soooooo informative and everybody is very knowledgeable. Hope you enjoy your chickies!

 

[psimek]

Hi GreenAcre! It has been a lot of fun with the chickens. I love it when they come running to me. The students (75% from Detroit) are not going to believe they are the chicks that hatched! The children have learned & did so much in April, May & June, they totally love the garden. They are the ones who put up the chicken run (the chickens are free-range, now) and put together a large doghouse for them. I hope that I can get a grant to build a coop, because so far everything's come out of my pocket:/. So, I really don't mind calling them "mine". Where do you have your chickens?

 

[greenacre]

We just keep the chickens in our backyard. We live in a sub, but my neighbors have been really good about the girls. My DH build a beautiful coop and run that matches our house, all the way down to the shingles, gutters, and paint color. It is sort of tucked in and shaded by landscaping. Of course, we do not have any roosters...I think the understanding of our neighbors would stop there ;-). You might want to keep a lookout on Craig's list for a coop. I saw a post there a while back for one (it was in Flint), but with a little TLC, I am sure the kids could make it look like new again. The kids and I have a ton of fun seeing what kinds of food the chickens like and dislike, how they interact, what makes them happy (or mad), etc. It is quite a learning experience and I think something they will remember for many years to come. How old is your flock? How many do you have? Do you know the breeds? Isn't it fun!!!???

 

[psimek]

It is a lot of fun! I can't even imagine what it will be like when the students come back. I check Craigslist 3-4 times a day!

I have gotten some hay for the garden from there.
At school we hatched 4 RIR at two different times. It is true they all mature at a different rate. We also added two more chickens that are about 3-4 months old two. Can't figure out if they are Cornish X or White Rock. One is a roo. I got them off Craigs list!

Someone rescued them when they were crossing the road!!

We were afraid they would have a hard time fitting in, but Bradford (the roo) took right over.
Your coop sounds darling! How old are your children? mine are 13 & 15 & I am glad they get to enjoy a bit of country life in the middle of the city. I am so happy your neighbors are tolerant. We always wanted to have chickens but don't think our neighbors would like it. Knowing how quite the hens are, maybe we'll sneak some in

some day! How many do you have?