Recent content by CSWolffe

I use an end entrance, just for that reason, and they still got stranded away from the rest of their stores. The trick, I think, is to drill a small hole through the middle of each comb, up at the top, so the cluster can move from comb to comb that way, not just by crawling around the edges.

I run both Warre and HTB hives, they both have their advantages. Yes, Warre aren't easy to extract, but for me the point isn't easy or maximum honey extraction, but happy healthy bees. So far I've never lost my Warre colony, and it's been running for five years now. I get about a gallon of honey...

Good morning Lexie! I'm a local carpenter, 20 years of experience. And I have to say, we don't come cheap. Prefab coops, which at first seem prohibitively expensive, can be a lot more cost effective than a skilled carpenter. Now, I could build you the cutest **** coop you've ever seen, but...

Are your Auto-Sexing OEs laying and fertile? And what can you tell me about the auto-sexing part, I assume you don't mean sex-linked, you're knowledgeable enough to not market sex-linked as auto-sexing. Does the auto-sexing gene come through from what I assume is a Legbar mother?

It's time to set up the old incubator and brooder, and this year I hope to add some Marans and Olive Eggers to my little flock. I've ordered through the mail before, and only had limited success, so I'm hoping there's a breeder within driving distance of Salt Lake City. I'm a huge fan of EE...

Well, only one chick from my second batch of 9 Marans hatched. Sigh. No more mail order eggs for me, I fear. On the plus side I did find a local hatcher(not a breeder, she buys the eggs, hatches them, sexes them, and then sells them) where I was able to get to more guaranteed Marans pullets. One...

I work for UPS, not the postal service but still a major shipping company. And while I personally try to handle every package with care, especially those marked 'fragile', I see some pretty heinous things at work. And sadly, I can sympathize-with my abusive co workers. Just to give some insight...

All I saw when candling was a black mass, no detail. That's what makes this so hard, I can't see anything till I open them up.

Analog and digital thermometer, both calibrated; hygrometer calibrated. As these were thick membranes Marans eggs, I went with dry incubation, then upped humidity after lock down. Weighing shows about a 13% weightloss. After first failed hatch, I opened up all the failed eggs, to find one dead...

Day 23. Only two of 9 Marans eggs hatched, on day 19, one of which has died. Two hatches, two Marans, one of which is 4 weeks old and is pretty obviously a little roo. Sigh. Not having a good time with hatching my own eggs. 4 out of 24, 3 live chicks.

Day 18, lockdown. Hard to candle the dark Marans eggs, but I tried 2 of the 9 aren't very dark, the other 7 are very dark in contrast with the air pocket. After carefully candling and setting on their sides, I could hear faint peeping. Is that normal for day 18? I've had issues with calibrating...

Here's a tip for those of you who have issues with temp fluctuations: When I first set up my incubator, one of the cheap ones known for fluctuation, I set a ceramic tile underneath everything. That little bit of mass absorbs heat, and helps regulate. That's the biggest problem with cheapo...

We are off to a good start with the nectar flow here, apple/cheery/peach trees are blooming, and dandelions, my girls are working hard. All four of my hives made it through the winter, three top bars and one Warre. The Italians-two top bars and my Warre-were struggling in early March, with only...

Somebody mentioned using a cellphone flashlight to candle dark Marans eggs... I'd not thought of that, I just assumed they were too dark. So of course I had to jump right up and try it. Day It's only day 10 for me, what should I be looking for? All I could make out was a shadow towards the fat...

I'm a little late to the party, forum wise, but I'm set with 9 assorted Marans in the 'bator, due the day before Easter. Second batch this year, only 2 of 15 from the last batch hatched, one BCM and one Lavender Americana. Ordered a second shipment, and just by coincidence they arrived perfectly...