Michigan

[Hillbilly Hen]

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Forgot to mention that I might be able to part with a trio of Delawares.

 

[keyt1969]

I am SO excited!!! dianaross is coming to my rescue and taking my hen that's going naked thanks to the roos!! The only thing I don't like about it (other than it's one of the sweetest hens I have) is I feel like the roos are winning! lol. But, today the ducks were a LOT quieter and mellower with the drakes gone and the hen going to little Matilda is what's best for her too. She's gonna get all sorts of love there and I feel so much better!!!

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!!

 

[DaughterOfEve]

Has any one ever seen a chicken with a fleshy mole like growth on their underwing before. It is about the size of 1/2 a pea. It looks like a mole or calcium deposit. It is a banty roo and this nubbin growth is in his "armpit".

I gathered my supplies and tried to drain it with a needle but it did not drain per say as it is a fleshy growth. I poked it into a mushed mess and then put some ointment on it and cornstarch (it really didn't bleed). I cant really take a picture of it as I mangled it.

Does this sound familiar to anyone?

 

[bethanyrae]

Looky what we caught!

How many is that for the price of one? We had seen evidence of chewing on the henhouse, so borrowed this trap.

Look at the pouch on her tummy with babies half way in it.

UGLIEST MOM I ever saw!!!

I wish I could say they were dead now, but when my son went out to shoot it he found the babes all lined up nursing, and said he couldn't do it. So he took them far away and let them go in a woodsy area. I hope they don't become someone else's problem now......

 

[fifelakelooper]

Nasty look on that possums face! I have a girlfriend in Eaton County that has live trapped 12 raccoons in the past month or so. I told her at the start they would likely find their way back. I talked to her yesterday and she said she KNEW none had come back.....she spray painted a white spot on the first 3, red spots on the next 5 and blue spots on the last 4! There are patriotic coons lose in Eaton County!

 

[Opa]

Possums certainly are a nasty looking animal. One snowy evening several years ago my two JRTs were barking and growling as they did when fighting with something. It sounded quite horrible and Hope was very worried for them. I had just gotten out of the shower so I quickly donned a pair of pajama bottoms and boots. Shirtless I grabbed a flashlight and headed outdoors. I found the dogs biting at a large "dead" possum. Grabbing it by the tailing and holding it as high as possible to keep the jumping dogs from it I headed for the trash dumpster. Just as I opened the can and attempted to drop the animal inside, it decided it had played possum long enough and latched onto my arm. Trying to sling a possum off ones arm is much more difficult than you would imagine. The next thing I know I have slipped and fallen. Dogs have 28 teeth. Possums have 50. Lying in the snow with 106 teeth snapping in the vicinity of one face isn't a pleasant experience. Once the dogs had pulled the critter off me I was able to stand and grab a dog that had the possum my the nose. A solid whack with my Maglite dispatched the opossum and I was now free to assess how much damage I had sustained. Surprizingly all I had was numerous scratches on my arm and chest. I definitely learned that you never believe a possum.

 

[fifelakelooper]

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Yikes!! What an experience Opa! You were lucky all you received were scratches!

 

[babigyrl22]

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YIKES!!!

 

[michickenwrangler]

My daughter and I made out pretty good at the Ogemaw County Fair

My stuff in open
Hot peppers- 1st place
Buttermilk Biscuits- 2nd Place
Eggs- 2nd Place

Daughter in youth
Hot peppers- Blue ribbon
Coneflower- Blue ribbon
Sweet peppers- White ribbon
Eggs- Red ribbon
Youth Showmanship Ponies- Blue ribbon

Bethanyrae,

That possum DOES look evil!

 

[Opa]

I can't think of a single animal that we have in Michigan that I haven't eaten with the exception of an opossum. Deer, duck, goose, bobcat, bear, beaver, muskrat, woodchuck, turtle, squirrel, rabbit, porcupine have all graced my table. Some were to be savored while others didn't entice me to have it again. My father used to tell about catching possums and taking them home. They would place them in a cage and fed them corn for several days before butchering them. Opossums are opportunistic eaters and their diet sometimes includes carrion. The commonly held belief that a corn diet would "cleanse" them. He told of how many times possum would be the only meat for extended periods of time and how tasty they were.

I offered several times to catch and cook one for him and he would decline. This lead me to believe that any animal that looks like a greasy rat on steriods has no place on my table.