Michigan

[Anny]

Some one please make the snow stop

 

[chikkaboomboom]

We had 4 inches of snow and already at least 1/2 inch of frozen nasty rain, and its still coming down hard

it is NASTY out there.

 

[FunnyBunnies12]

I'm on the west side of the state, 45min from the Lake so it's lovely over here in Cedar Springs! From the looks I should be getting hit with freezing rain pretty soon.

 

[FunnyBunnies12]

I wonder how many schools will be closed tomorrow. I guess kids better put their PJ on inside out, sleep with a spoon under their pillow, and flush 3 ice cubes down the toilet

 

[rzmgtj]

Hello
I'm in Grand Ledge(Lansing area) and planning on trying meat birds this year. Has anyone had them butchered in the area? I have heard there are Amish in Charlotte area that will butcher, wrap and have ready for freezer for $2 a bird. But I don't know how to find them. I really don't want to do it myself, especially if it can be done for this price. If you have used someone in the area I would love to hear about your experience.

 

[cmitcham]

hey se michigan folk. i didn't know we had a local natural feed available to us. if holly is close enough, check out www.scramlinfeeds.com. my 15 girls seem to like it just fine after their whole (10 months) life with tsc dumour.

 

[RIRJen]

power just came on after 4 hours without... I did everything I could to keep the incubator warm and the humidity right.

I have 7 chicks so far... One of them is in the bator drying off now...not a happy chicky!

 

[Uncle_Bubba]

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Glad we were not the only one with possum problems, Friday night my fiancee got home after dark and went to shut the pop door on the coop, and found a possum in the run(high windswith a faulty blew latch it open) She tried to "shoo" it out of the run and away from the coop 3 times with whatever she could find, but It kept coming back. Because I wasn't there yet(still driving home on 96) she did the best she could (having never fired my great grandpa gamblers gun (lil 32 revolver)) All I am going to say is that she did a GREAT JOB with the field points on the arrows and the pic-ax. Saturday at About noon there was another possum, in the front yard, not acting normal by any means. Walked at us, never ran away, never ran up a tree, ect in day light.....well Great Grandpas revolver worked just fine for the varmint removal. Now my Fiancee is comfortable with it for overly obnoxious varmint removal. I am not a fan of shooting things for fun by any means, but if it is threatening my chickens, or any other animals near me, the choice is clear. I have heard that possums can carry rabies and distemper among other nasty bugs.

 

[mcfarmall]

Hi, I'm in Kalamazoo. Plan on getting some ISA Browns maybe the first weekend in March. I'm thinking about taking a day trip to Townline in Zeeland to pick them up. Anybody else do that? My wifes uncle managed a 500k hen commercial egg farm in Michigan and later a 1M hen farm in Iowa for many years. He currently has 25 ISA B's and is a good mentor for us!

 

[keyt1969]

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What color were they as chicks? ISAs are sex linked. If they were a light red/copper and white, they should be female. All ISAs, even females, have big red combs so don't let that fool you. This is an ISA hen, believe it or not. Egg a day gal right on into her third year of life and a total character.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2800/4406608121_a9e3794414.jpg

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Ducks are covered in a heavy coat of down and are born with one of nature's most efficient internal heating systems -- even for their bare feet. As long as they have access to shelter from the elements they don't need to be confined for storms whatsoever. Storms, as a matter of fact, are some of most ducks' favorite weather. If we get the freezing rain they're calling for your ducks would LOVE to be out playing in it. Remember ducks are ducks, not humans. It is futile and even potentially damaging to humanize animals and make decisions on that basis.

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Hmm, doesn't sound like Sam. Doesn't ring a bell as to anyone on this thread, actually.

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Semantics.

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Please don't relocate varmint. If you can't bring yourself to put them down, just double up the security of your coop and don't trap them to begin with.

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It's not uncommon for this to happen at all. Put them on opposite sides of a fence and at night you can put the new roo in the coop, just inside an old rabbit cage or something, for warmth. He'll be fine running around by himself during the day. It should calm down in fairly short order. When you do introduce them face to face again, without a fence between you may want to go ahead and bring your roo out into the yard even. The extra space they have free ranging helps to calm squabbles faster, ime. They can get further apart, see each other from across the yard, fight and then retreat a good distance, etc. Good luck! Just because they fought now doesn't mean they can't get along later.

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My daughter's d'Uccle has existed solely on the bird seed the wild birds drop from the three feeders outside all winter. I haven't seen her eat actual feed since last summer. She spends all day scratching around under the feeders and is no worse for wear. It's not ideal if you're looking for them to actually produce anything. And isn't exactly economical, but if they eat some here and there I wouldn't worry too much. At least yours are getting the whole mix. This d'Uccle is only eating whatever the wild birds drop.

I haven't been out there except to take some pics of the ducks and chickens outside for about 5 minutes. I'm so behind on what everyone is doing or looks like, but Aric says he's noticed most of them trying to "get on" with some of the other breeds. When the weather is better I'll try to get some more pics. Right now there is no possible way I am going outside for several days!!

Speaking of which, I have an appt with the gyn on Thurs. I have a terrible feeling I'll be hospitalized again. Things aren't going so well for me. Hopefully now that I've typed that, I'll heal in the next couple of days! lol