Michigan

[1muttsfan]

We started last year with the opening of our family business and along the way we wound up adopting 12 chickens that had been abandoned when their family moved away :'(. But we have come to love our little group <3

Hi and welcome to BYC and the Michigan thread

I was wondering if anyone here has or is using an LG incubator? I have a hatch going on right now (at home while I'm sitting here at work!!!) and now I'm seriously nervous about the heating element burning them when they hatch. I'd been a little concerned but was just reading another thread and now I'm SERIOUSLY nervous!

There is a thread dedicated to those using LG's, check in the Incubation section

I want to know where this piece of advice originated. It's very common, it gets regurgitated all over BYC, but I've never been able to find any actual support for it. I've had 25 lb Tom turkeys sleeping not just on rough perches, but rough unstable perches, outdoors, during all types of weather for years. Not one case of Bumble Foot, not one one case of frost bitten toes. Is there a study somewhere that I've missed? Or is just something someone decided one day and other people thought it sounded good so they went along with it?

I am willing to take excellent advice anywhere I find it - as in the wider, flatter perches are both easier for them to sit on, and easier to keep their feet warm on. We are not talking about game type birds that are smaller and - well, not more intelligent, but more independant and self-sufficient than the big fat hens of today. Don't need a scientific study to know common sense when I see it.

I think it would be a great idea for you gamers to start your own thread dedicated to gaming. We do talk about a lot of topics on here other than chickens, but sometimes it is nice to have a social forum for others with the same interests.

 

[chicken grandma]

We started last year with the opening of our family business and along the way we wound up adopting 12 chickens that had been abandoned when their family moved away :'(. But we have come to love our little group <3

Welcome JustPluckit!

What type of chickens did you adopt?

 

[Juise]

Quote:

Hey gals, Don't mind me. I'M JUST A GRUMPY OLD F..ELLOW. Don't think it helps to run into the double seven th today too.

I wasn't upset, I was mostly trying to find out what games people were playing in case we could hook up. So.. if anyone takes up LoL plx to tell me know, thx.

I know how you feel though, I feel the same way anyone starts talking about sports.

What does "run into the double seventh" mean?

You don't need to. Your true gamer colors are flying high with the rest of the talk.

I haven't actually LARPed, although I have been know to don period dress for Ren Fest. Did enjoy getting into character when I was able to participate in a D&D group, although that did not extend to dress. Not that it wouldn't be interesting to dress up as an orc, LOL. Mostly my husband and I just horrified the rest of the group with our profoundly unvegan ways in game.

 

[Olive Hill]

Olive we have had chickens for 11 years on every kind of perch and they slept in the trees in
Hawaii also. But I can honestly say that when given a choice my chickens have all enjoyed the 4 inch side of a 2X4. And that is banties and standard size birds. I am just going from my experience. And I have offered them wider boards and 2 inches also and they really seem to like the 4 inch width. It allows the butt to hang off and the toes to spread out and the chest to rest on the perch. I highly recommend giving chickens this option as a perch and I say it from experience - watching what they choose when they have a choice. I do want to say that chicks will sometimes choose something that they can wrap their toes around to hold on.

How did you control for position, height and flock dynamics?

See, I've had birds (as an adult) for about the same time frame and I can profess the exact opposite. Ours have preferred rough perches of various sizes -- but actually tending towards the small end of things. Thing is, I've never controlled for height, position and flock dynamics... so how do I know the perch is actually what they preferred?

 

[Juise]

Oh yeah, also I find the perch talk interesting. Our big girls currently have a 2x4 with the 2" side up, and the little ones have a smooth cherry branch. I was planning on switching to a large cherry branch for the big coop whenever I actually get to finish doing all the things I would like to do in there. I had mostly been going by the fact that a branch is what they would be roosting on outside, but I like the suggestion of having both available and seeing what they choose.

Also the earlier talk about cherries reminded me of the articles I promised to C. Grandma, I'm sorry, I totally forgot! I will try to get them to you soon.

 

[RaZ]

You don't need to. Your true gamer colors are flying high with the rest of the talk.

ETA: I will never forget the first time I heard of LARP'ing. I laughed for days over it. Live Action Role Playing and all I could imagine was the gamer in question running around the park (where this group met to play in person) acting like a... well, whatever it was he was supposed to be "role playing".

I don't play WoW or other computer LARPs, but I am a Scenario Paintball player. A weekend event with one or more teams acting out "missions" or character roles based on a book, movie, video game, historical event or the imagination of the producer.
It's so much more than "capture the flag".

A typical game starts at noon on Saturday and end at 2:00 pm Sunday. You can play the whole time if you want to. It's fun for all ages and growing in popularity across the country. I know at least 8 people who earn a good living producing these games.

Remind me to tell you which Bee Gee asked me for my autograph.

 

[LoveMyChicklets]

Thank you! That's kind of what I'm thinking. I'll have a spray bottle of warm water to mist and do it faster than fast! I don't want any of them hurt. Guess I'll have to figure out how to protect them from the heating element when they hatch :/

 

[vjwilmoth]

I'm on my phone so I can't really respond to everyone but I wanted to add to the perch/roost discussion. I'm of the mindset that wild chickens would roost in trees and would generally be fine. So I'm thinking my girls will love their roosts.

 

[RBahmer]

Well the Air Force personnel center has finally approved my separation from active duty, I should be in Michigan NLT 1 July. I am totally excited right now.

Now I did warn you that I was going to have lots of questions, so hear we go....Can anyone tell me what they know about the school districts around the Kalamazoo and Battle Creek areas? What I have been able to find so far online is that Marshall, Plainwell, Mattawan, Schoolcraft, and Gull Lake seem to be the districts I want to get into for the kids? Any and all help is appreciated.

Time to have a glass of wine to help the nerves.

THANK YOU!!!

ETA: still learning to spell my MI cities.

Marshall has good schools.

 

[RaZ]

Oh yeah, also I find the perch talk interesting. Our big girls currently have a 2x4 with the 2" side up, and the little ones have a smooth cherry branch. I was planning on switching to a large cherry branch for the big coop whenever I actually get to finish doing all the things I would like to do in there. I had mostly been going by the fact that a branch is what they would be roosting on outside, but I like the suggestion of having both available and seeing what they choose.

My coop is a partitioned section of the garage and still has the work bench, a couple of cabinets and several roosting boards of 2x2, 2x4, 1x8 (wide side up) and an old shovel handle, so they can choose just about anything they want. I have seen them perch and roost over night on all of the configurations. Including sleeping in the nest boxes

The flock dynamic changes on a regular basis as far as who sleeps next to who. The only thing I did when I put up the perches was make sure one wasn't directly over another so a lower bird wouldn't get pooped on. That's good now that the 8 week old chicks are starting to roost higher.