Michigan

[chicken grandma]

Ladyfeather- if your chicks are under 6 weeks old, they should only be getting medicated chick starter feed and water.
There is no antibiotic in the medicated feed. It is simply feed with amprolium in it and the amprolium stops coccidia from growing in your chicks gut. Also the medicated chick feed has the right nutrients for your chicks. Good luck with that!

 

[Olive Hill]

Lamb steaks are great on the grill and don't take long. Lamb cooks quick.

Watery droppings in chicks is not necessarily a sign of illness. If you do not have other symptoms you probably needn't worry. Watery poos happen. I'll also just note that medicated chick starter does not generally differ in nutritional content from non-medicated chick starter of the same brand.

 

[Juise]

Now all I have to do is wait for Raz to come and stomp all over me again.

I need to Google chicken poop because while we were changing their bedding and cleaning the waterer they pooped in the box. Some really watery stuff too.

Poop: http://www.chat.allotment.org.uk/index.php?topic=17568.0

 

[Olive Hill]

The feral hogs problem in Michigan hasn't reached the proportions that it has in some states like Florida, Tennessee, Oklahoma, and Texas, but it could. Hunting can help with, but not solve the problem. So regulation is needed, but the DNR policy as written is flawed. While the only one that the DNR has taken action against to date were game farm operators the law will impact small farm operations. If I had the land necessary I would be raising Mangalista, Ossabow, and Mulefoot hogs. They are considered heritage breeds yet can not be brought to Michigan. The law should address how the hogs are raised not how long their hair is or what color they are.

Did you know Yorks are considered a heritage breed, too. And Durocs? "Heritage" doesn't mean much of anything in swine.

The rule is not intended to affect Sus scrofa Domestica (and that is in writing) under which two of your preferred breeds fall, both the Mangalitsa and Mulefoot. Though the rule is not aimed directly at Ossabaw Islands as it is at Russians and Eurasians, you're correct that it is a wild hog, and thus it would stand to reckon that it would be outlawed with the rest of the Sus scrofa Linneaus. I agree with you that the way the rule is currently written leaves it open to potentially damaging interpretation, but do you really want to get into laws about "how the hogs are raised"? That's one very, VERY slippery slope there. We're standing on mud as it is, I don't particularly want to throw a sheet of ice on top of it.

IMO, it's a very easy fix. Just define "domestic hog production".

 

[kimmie6067]

What do you serve it on or with? Sounds so good!
Kimmie

Hi Sarah, I usually fill two large cookie sheets with tomatoes quartered or Roma tomatoes cut in half and then add just one bell pepper and one onion on one of the cookie sheets. I sprinkle the tomatoes with garlic powder. Trouble is, that pepper cooks fast! Gotta watch it.
Onion gets dry if I don't cover it with olive oil and watch it. For that reason, I often saute the onion and pepper in a pot and then throw them in a blender.
I have my blender sitting on the counter and when the pepper is soft baked, I toss it in the blender. Let it sit there. Then the onion gets done, I toss it in the blender also. Then the smaller tomatoes look done - I taste one and if it is bursting with flavor - I put the smaller tomatoes in the blender. Then the larger tomatoes are done and I add them and some fresh basil to the blender and WHIRR....... roasted tomato sauce. I think that would make 2 quarts.
Then I serve it or freeze it.

 

[EeyoreD]

Yep, lamb doesn't take long at all on the grill (unless you have to do the whole charcoal heat up thing).

If you really don't want to do the grill you can broil them or pan sear them and finish them off in the oven.

For the latter, preheat the oven to 350. Once it's hot, heat an oven safe skillet on the stove.
Season the lamb steaks with a little salt and pepper on both sides.
Sear both sides of the steak in the pan then put a dollop of butter on the top of each steak and sprinkle on some rosemary and pop the skillet in the oven.

I like my lamb rare so I would probably only have it in the oven for 5-6 minutes, depending on thickness.

 

[ChicwannaB]

as promised, I am going to attempt to show the chicken tractors I recently made. Just tried this a minute ago and the website wanted to jumble them all up and put them in an order I didn't want, so I dumped the whole thing. Here is my 2nd attempt.
1st tractor: 2x2x8 good for about 4 hens. Has perch inside and hinged latched door on the enclosed end. It's barn wood covered.

 

[uchytil]

Me too! I think a few flew into the chickens mouth, whoops!

RaZ, I have hundreds of these in my yard of dandelions and violets... what are they? I have never seen so many at one time.

 

[uchytil]

Yep, lamb doesn't take long at all on the grill (unless you have to do the whole charcoal heat up thing).

If you really don't want to do the grill you can broil them or pan sear them and finish them off in the oven.

For the latter, preheat the oven to 350. Once it's hot, heat an oven safe skillet on the stove.
Season the lamb steaks with a little salt and pepper on both sides.
Sear both sides of the steak in the pan then put a dollop of butter on the top of each steak and sprinkle on some rosemary and pop the skillet in the oven.

I like my lamb rare so I would probably only have it in the oven for 5-6 minutes, depending on thickness.

Yessss, ROSEMARY! Perfect with pork or lamb! Man, I'm sooo hungry now with all this talk of lamb, and the earlier pork invasion, lol!

 

[uchytil]

as promised, I am going to attempt to show the chicken tractors I recently made. Just tried this a minute ago and the website wanted to jumble them all up and put them in an order I didn't want, so I dumped the whole thing. Here is my 2nd attempt.
1st tractor: 2x2x8 good for about 4 hens. Has perch inside and hinged latched door on the enclosed end. It's barn wood covered.

Are these for your use? Do the chickens stay in these at night? Just curoius...I was going to make a huge one towed by my tractor for up to 50 meaties this year but between jobs never happened. I ended up keeping the meaties in a pen inside again. Next year...