Michigan

[NovaAman]

CHICKEN WIRE IS NOT A SAFE OPTION! No matter how many times people read that chicken wire is death wire for chickens, people still use it. Tell everyone you know, if they have chicken wire anything... They will have dead chickens sooner or later...

 

[Amy PT]

Our 5 week old Buff Orpington is looking like a cockrel (I think I posted about this a week or 2 ago). We can't keep roosters in the city, but we've decided to hold onto "it" until we can't. If it's a boy, he probably won't show us with a crow before Chickenstock, right?

I want to join y'all to meet these fun characters in my computer, but probably have class that Saturday. I was also hoping to pick up a replacement (or 2 if I found bantams I loved) for our BO (if he's a boy...)

Are there poultry shows like the one in Charlotte frequently? I'm worried that we'll have only 2 going into winter, and brrrrrrrr.

If Penny is a boy, is anyone looking for a young Buff Orpington rooster?

 

[Shamrock4]

Last week I got a call from a state cop about a homing pigeon that has been hanging around his house. Apparently the pigeon was on its way flying from Iowa to its home in Fremont, Ohio, and somehow ended up in White Pigeon, Mi. So the state cop has his son, who is going to Adrian college about an hour from Fremont, take him and release him. The pigeon flies back to White Pigeon. The state cop calls animal control, who I guess calls the 4-H leader, who gives them my mom's number. So I have the pigeon now.

He (or she) is a blue bar racing homer.



I'm hand feeding a squab (baby pigeon) right now, and they are the most demanding little things! They are always begging for more, more, more! Even when they are so full of food that they would bust if they ate any more.


Quote: Originally Posted by chicken grandma

Shamrock...What are you trying to accomplish with your 4-H project? Just interested. Never did 4-H...

I was signed up for a market broiler project that the chickens had to be hatched March 5 to be ready to show at a poultry show on April 28th. I had to have 25 chicks (I got a few extra) and keep records for expenses, chick losses, pretty much everything I did with them. Then I would make a notebook with all my records, take the 3 most uniform chickens to the show (uniform in weight, size, muscle), where I would be judged on my notebook and on my chickens. I would be competing against a few other 4-H-ers. The judge would give me a certain amount of points for each section of the notebook and on my chickens, and whoever got the most points wins the broiler project. But by April 28th my chicks were about 7 weeks old but they looked about 3 weeks old, so I couldn't take them. This is way more detailed than the broilers that I show at the fair, when you are only judged on the pair of chickens you show (at our fair anyway).
It is a lot extra work so there is not a lot of people doing it. Hope I explained it good enough.

 

[teeville5]

Well, we have finally moved all the teens out to the coop. They weren't liking it much, but it was time. I checked on them once and they seem to be doing okay so it's all good for now.

Okay, and speaking of mistakes, I have a whopper of a mistake that I made tonight. After we got all the chickens settled for the night, DH decided to start a fire in the fire pit and being the good mom I am I brought out marshmallows to roast. I'm roasting my marshmallow and it catches on fire so I take it out and instead of blowing on it, I shook it. Well, that marshmallow decided to launch itself off the fork in all its flaming glory and hit my youngest DD in the face. Thank goodness it went out in flight, but she has a nice little welt just above her lip now. I put some burn cream on it, but it still stings a bit. I definitely get the dumb mom award tonight.

 

[Juise]

Quote:

Well, Juise... about the nest boxes... Go to the store, get some of that cloth cupboard/drawer shelf liner... its a bit on the foamy side, so it'll provide a bit of cushion.

Thanks, I am not breaking up the straw already, so I will have to try the liners. You mean the thick cushy stuff? Just making sure, because I would have thought they would try to eat it.

Toss 'em. Put a thick pile of straw along the wall, refresh regularly. They'll be happy as clams.

That's what we were doing for a long time. The nesting boxes were available, but they preferred to lay in the corner in a straw nest, so I always made sure they had plenty. That spot is still available, but they stopped laying there and started laying in the nest boxes some time ago now. They were using the nest boxes again before we added in the new chickens, but I think they need that extra security right now, anyway. They are still not laying nearly as many eggs post introducing the little ones.

Okay, and speaking of mistakes, I have a whopper of a mistake that I made tonight.

Hey, my mom did exactly the same thing to my brother when we were kids! Only hers was still on fire when it landed on him. He survived.

 

[Mom 2em All]

Hehe, yep, the questions were, 1) What kind of light does the area get? Which is the one you answered, and 2) Are you still wanting something you can walk on, or are you thinking about doing a path and just using things that are low ground covers / low perennials? That's the one I still wanted an answer to.

Ahhh thats four questions disguised as one- sure you arent a teacher?
and my answer is "Yes".

Apparently, Castro did Uggos first.

The plants w/ light green leaves and purple flowers to left of bird bath.

I love that stuff! I have one small plant of it- have been unable to find more.

bear sightings here in years though, and I would think there would have been some more damage done to the area they were snatching chickens from if it were a bear. At any rate, I know where Miss. Nine and I will be sitting come dusk.

Well? Whats the outcome? Did you get eaten by a bear?

Channel 9&10 news said that it could get into the high 20's here

I have to cover everything tonight to, take down my hanging baskets etc....Got to love Michigan.

20s is just WRONG- its about June. No twenties allowed in June.

Told my BF that for my birthday I want to goto Chickenstock

I think I may have won that battle, for now.

Well of course you are coming to Chickenstock- how else am I supposed to give you these Uggos?

I would suggest thyme, I would like to know what kind of rosemary people get to have it over winter in MI. never had luck with rosemary??

I picked up an expensive flat of woolly thyme. I need about four flats more to cover where I want to cover. *sigh* but that is my most favorite of the thyme.

Well, we have finally moved all the teens out to the coop. They weren't liking it much, but it was time. I checked on them once and they seem to be doing okay so it's all good for now.

Okay, and speaking of mistakes, I have a whopper of a mistake that I made tonight. After we got all the chickens settled for the night, DH decided to start a fire in the fire pit and being the good mom I am I brought out marshmallows to roast. I'm roasting my marshmallow and it catches on fire so I take it out and instead of blowing on it, I shook it. Well, that marshmallow decided to launch itself off the fork in all its flaming glory and hit my youngest DD in the face. Thank goodness it went out in flight, but she has a nice little welt just above her lip now. I put some burn cream on it, but it still stings a bit. I definitely get the dumb mom award tonight.

 

[Mom 2em All]

Pimento-

Umm...
I just heard the scariest GHOST sound coming through my bathroom window...big deep OOOOOOHHHHHHH OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO,,,followed by the sound of someone having their airway closed off mid scream...

looked out there-

yep, my notmeaty roo...giving it all he's got.


(no worries about my neighbors thinking I have a rooster, they are going to think we have been invaded by ghosts and zombies..)

 

[taprock]

Thanks, I am exited to see if they taste any different!
I was signed up for a market broiler project that the chickens had to be hatched March 5 to be ready to show at a poultry show on April 28th. I had to have 25 chicks (I got a few extra) and keep records for expenses, chick losses, pretty much everything I did with them. Then I would make a notebook with all my records, take the 3 most uniform chickens to the show (uniform in weight, size, muscle), where I would be judged on my notebook and on my chickens. I would be competing against a few other 4-H-ers. The judge would give me a certain amount of points for each section of the notebook and on my chickens, and whoever got the most points wins the broiler project. But by April 28th my chicks were about 7 weeks old but they looked about 3 weeks old, so I couldn't take them. This is way more detailed than the broilers that I show at the fair, when you are only judged on the pair of chickens you show (at our fair anyway).
It is a lot extra work so there is not a lot of people doing it. Hope I explained it good enough.

Hope your project goes well. My son is preparing for this summers projects in 4 -H. I know they take lots of work.

(no worries about my neighbors thinking I have a rooster, they are going to think we have been invaded by ghosts and zombies..)

Not Zombie chicken! Uggos are bad enough!

Off to coffee and a book! Only 37 out now so I'll wait till it warms up a bit to go out.

 

[snowflake]

Look who came to dinner last night

We have also been trapping a lot of coons, never had a problem when we had a dog. Think we need to start looking, It does not look like you have the top of your run covered?I also put the food in the trash cans with the feed at night. You may need to run electric were as Opa has suggested

Quote:

Thanks, I am not breaking up the straw already, so I will have to try the liners. You mean the thick cushy stuff? Just making sure, because I would have thought they would try to eat it.

That's what we were doing for a long time. The nesting boxes were available, but they preferred to lay in the corner in a straw nest, so I always made sure they had plenty. That spot is still available, but they stopped laying there and started laying in the nest boxes some time ago now. They were using the nest boxes again before we added in the new chickens, but I think they need that extra security right now, anyway. They are still not laying nearly as many eggs post introducing the little ones.
My box's look like yours, I have put them up on cinder blocks, I can measure the front board if you like, I brake my hey up and make a little nest in the middle, they don't seem to scratch around to much


Hey, my mom did exactly the same thing to my brother when we were kids! Only hers was still on fire when it landed on him. He survived.

Marshmellows and sparklers, dropped a burning mellow on my leg and started my sister on fire with a sparkler (accidentally) never forgot either lesson, My poor kids thought I was nuts. "be careful with that mellow, don't wave that sparkler,don't stand so close and NO you can not through it in the air like the neighbors"

Pimento-

Umm...
I just heard the scariest GHOST sound coming through my bathroom window...big deep OOOOOOHHHHHHH OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO,,,followed by the sound of someone having their airway closed off mid scream...

Hey, I heard that same sound over here, woke up in the AM "what is that strange sound, I never heard a bird like that before?" Grand son was up ,Laughed at me, it's the FR rooster Gram!

So the other day my DH said he had to rescue the cross beak from the pool, darn thing is a good flyer and flew right up and in, lucky for her he saw her and I had the cover on so he had time to get down there and save her silly but

better go for my walk and get my stretches done have to take DH and DS to Dr. apts this AM

 

[gladahmae]

Went down to check on the chicks this morning (due to hearing unusually loud peeping) and found that 2 of my black sex-links had somehow managed to get stuck between the kiddie pool and the chickenwire. It's likely that they spent the evening on the beach towel I have under the kiddie pool huddle together. After inspecting things, I determined that the couldn't get around the side of the pool to the back, and that I could just grab them when they got stuck at the stopping point and put them back in with the rest. Nope. Got one, but the other managed to squeeze through and get to the back. So THEN I had to try to get that one out from behind the kiddie pool. And while I was doing that (had to pull it out a little) 3 more jumped and and got stuck with it!!!

Silly chicks! Looks like I need to work on scrounging materials together to make a more proper box today.


They're all still REALLY terrified of me though. They're about 11 days old (the 8 chicklets) and about 1mo old (the 2 wyandottes). I'm sure that me having to catch all of them this morning to rescue the dumb ones didn't help.

Gonna plant my lettuces today! I thinned my radishes last night while I was covering everything up with straw. They're looking great! I think I might plant my tomatos today too. I want them to actually grow a little before they start flowering.