Michigan

[RaZ]

Quote:
It was around $200. I found it at K-mart. The other one I have came from Harbour Freight. Same price but a smaller size.

 

[chicken grandma]

RaZ is your tent predator proof? What do you do at night with your chickens?

 

[Chickmate]

Cold blustery (love that word, it reminds me of Winnie the Pooh) fall days are great for baking. I just took three loaves of banana bread out of the oven. Can't beat that with a cup of coffee for breakfast.

I have been letting the chickens out to free range at least an hour or more each day unless it's raining. They were out all day yesterday and seven hours today. They are so much happier and seem to lay better and more when they get to free range. I just can't stand to keep them confined to the run even though I know the fox is out there waiting for its chance to get at them again. They gave me 13 eggs today but only eight yesterday. Gotta say I love my two ISA hens, they consistantly give me two huge eggs every day.

The guy who owns the gravel pit across the road from me has just gotten chickens and also has some ducks. He's not the type to take good care of his animals and I saw four white chickens pecking along the road with cars whizzing by them. They were too far away to see what kind they were, but they walked like silkies. I shooed four of his muskovies out of the road the other day. I hope he has a coop for them, but I wouldn't be surprised if they are on their own for shelter. The poor things probably won't last long with all the predators we have around here.

Today I worked on hanging two heat lamps in the run. I'm thinking if I put tarps up all around with the heat lamps on during the day the snow won't collect too much or drift. I'm so glad I put fiberglass panels over the welded wire roof. I am not able to stay out and shovel snow for very long due to a condition called reynaud's syndrome. My hands and feet become numb within only a few minutes of being out in the cold and when they start to thaw out the nerve endings spasm and the pain is excruciating. So, I'm trying to make doing chicken chores this winter as easy as possible. I'll put a heated base under the 5 gallon waterer and plenty of pine shavings in the coop. I'm thinking I might also get some bales of straw to help block the wind in the run. I'm not looking forward to hauling water out from the house, for sure.

Welcome to all the newbies and congrats to Stacykins on the goats!

 

[RaZ]

Quote:
The tent is for daytime use and it is not predator proof. However the chickens are semi-protected with fencing that I can move around the yard. I'm in the burbs, so I don't have much of a predator problem per se. But I do have some hidey-holes in case the Cooper's hawk shows up again. My biggest pest problem is the sparrows eating the chicken food. I've watched the hens feeding along side the sparrows. The sparrows are the only birds that will fly into the tent for the "grumble".
At night the chicks go into a structure. It is currently a 6x3 foot shed attached to the garage, but I'm building a nice 8x11 section within the garage for the winter coop.

Since I was good and got a lot of homework done today, I'll work on it tomorrow and take pictures of the progress. Thank goodness I have cable in the garage so I can watch the Lion's and work at the same time.

 

[snowflake]

Raz you sound as spoiled as your chickens,,,,,cable in the garage? My guys would love having that in the barn!!! I have a car tent like yours that we took down a couple of yrs. ago, I am planing on putting it up with short poles near the coop and get a tarp for the top. the enclosure (tent) part got ripped up pretty bad after several yrs so all we have now are the poles. That is my project for this weeks day off. That and get some wood stacked. Chickmate. your set up sounds nice but you really don't need heat lamps in the run do you? Chickens get a long nicely with the cold......I went on an all girls outing last week end and when I got home My young Maran rooster had pulled a muscle some how, (getting away from the king roo.) DH saw the king pecking the H out of Rusty cause he couldn't get away. he put him in the chick tractor to keep him safe/. (good job honey) any- how, I am wondering if any one has a guess on how long it may take Rusty to heal? He is improving can walk pretty good now but last night he wanted in the big coop. He had a hard time jumping up on a roost last night, so I got up early and moved him and his fav. hen back in the tractor....Hope today is nicer then yesterday. ....Yeah State!!! didn't get to see the game cause I had to work but the guy's were VERY HAPPY!

 

[snowflake]

love your pup's how are they with the chickens? We had to put our old dogs down this summer, Very Hard thing to do. don't think we are ready for another yet but would like one later to keep the yard safe. we never had a critter problem when we had dogs. Our Ranger, (Husky mix, I picked up as a stray) paroled the yard every night before dark,
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[snowflake]

would like to share some pics of our week end...https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/39598_img_1321.jpg rule is adult ladies only but one of the girls had to bring her little girl, she thinks next year she will come alone. having a little one along is not as relaxing

 

[babigyrl22]

Good Morning! It's a wet one over here in West Mich.


Looks like it will be another wonderful baking day.

Looks like intergrating the birds this weekend is going smoothly. Yes! :: fist pump :: The boys seem at home with the big girls. The bantam girls are the ones that are the most disturbed by them but their angst is mild.

 

[M.sue]

Good Morning All......Today looks like it's as windy as yesterday and tomorrow even looks better. I really need to get a few things done outside. Yesterday my DH and I made salsa all day......38 pints. I'm glad that was the last of the tomatoes to can. We still have some in the garden but I'm not canning those.

Opa...my b-in-law is an avid fisherman this time of the year. He fishes all over the place, his favorite spots seem to be to the west of the state though.

Snowflake....looks like your girls weekend was fun from your pic.

As for the cable in the garage......Isn't a man's garage his palace? My guys would also love to it....it doesn't run out this far in our area and I refuse to get satellite or dish. With having kids I feel there is enough crap on regular T.V. and Lords knows they don't need to see or hear any more than they already do.....plus I can spend that money better elsewhere...ON MY CHICKENS...lol.We are big PBS fans.

 

[AngelaB]

Quote:
Araucanas are indeed rumpless and tufted with no muffs or beards (at least in the U.S., UK standards call for the Araucana being quite like our Ameraucana)

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/77322_bees_n_araucanas_031.jpg

Here is an example of a young male of mine named Abe (he looks a lot different now, only a couple months later). You can see his tufts and lack of tail (a rumpless bird literally is missing the coccyx or tailbone, along with the oil gland normally present).

She has a beard....hmmmm....it really doesn't matter though. I have to take a pic and post it.