INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[Leahs Mom]

Good luck with your hive party! Hope it goes well so you can see a full inspection and get more familiar.

I am torn with the top bar hive, whether to use them over the traditional Langstroth. My DH says he is going to build one and see how it goes. My fear is that since the bees will build their own comb, most of it will end up being drones instead of worker bees. In the past when we've let the bees fill in comb (experimenting with half sheets of foundation instead of full to save money), they built most of the comb for drones. Drones are a total waste of space and make the colony less productive.

Well, we did get the hive set up with some honey left in a frame and some lemon grass oil to see if we can attract a swarm. (Not a top bar - the one that belongs to the other guy.)

On the top bar, it's really very interesting and worth learning about. I just purchased a video from this place: http://www.backyardhive.com/
It should get here either tomorrow or Thursday. I'm looking forward to watching the whole thing. The video preview (posted below) looks like it's very well done so I decided to buy the whole presentation. I think it's going to be helpful. I've watched videos posted by this guy in their on-site classes and they're very informative.

Here's the intro video:

[ http://www.backyardhive.com/general...he_top_bar_hive_and_the_bee_guardian_methods/ ]



We visited some folks a couple years ago and looked at their hives and talked "top bar beekeeping" with them. The "stuff of life" just got in the way and we never pursued it. I want to look at the video (I've also read about using the top bars some) and then decide if we want to go ahead and get or make one. I love the more natural approach and there seems to be many potential positives to the top bars including not having to purchase a lot of expensive equipment.

It would be great if we could attract a local swarm, but does anyone know any INDIANA (northern) sources to get a package?

 

[bearbottom]

My kids boer wethers for 4H next to all our Nubian baby's, some ours some are sold (waiting for pick up). We got a new boer doe yesterday and picking another one up end of the week.

Looking at the pic now I see we are missing two of our nubian kids in the pic lol

My kids boer wethers for 4H next to all our Nubian baby's, some ours some are sold (waiting for pick up). We got a new boer doe yesterday and picking another one up end of the week.

Looking at the pic now I see we are missing two of our nubian kids in the pic lol

thous are the cutest goats i have ever seen

 

[dennislambert79]

As I'm leaving the coop one of my girls decided that she was a parrot.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

I live in Indy and just hatched 7 chicks this week. 5 Rhode Island reds and 2 Silkies. Hope I can find more silkies want at least 2 more. Excited to start this adventure with my husband who is still a farm boy at heart. Happy I found this thread.

Congrats and welcome to our thread!

Quote: Both to be honest, I want to research how long the oil will stay on skin or in the flesh. When I tether my girls or Bo, I look at where it might be so the girls are not consuming it when I am milking them. Usually when the girls are in milk I don't tether them, only Bocephus. Off season I am not as concerned, I let them dry up when they are going to be bred so they have a break.
I still haven't been able to come to terms yet using them as a food animal, but we are still discussing it. If we do, I think I will have to have a shop do it the first round and try to become comfortable with it that way.

LOL so I found the scariest page on FB! ....Good Eggs Bad Eggs.. its a page set up just to report egg sellers. Thank goodness I haven't seen myself on there. Nor have I seen any of us. Still scares me that someones whole reputation could be marred just from one disgruntled buyer. EEEK!

I always try to send extras, and package as good as possible, so so far no complaints, but there's always one in the bunch you will never be able to please, that would make it their life mission to gripe about someone.

Most people are respectful but yep, there are those few!

Quote:
Thank you, what a kind offer! Poults sell so fast, I rarely have any here long aside from the BB's. Have you considered a smaller turkey breed like royal palm or midget white? I have had both, and really enjoy the MW breed. My tom was a bit shy when he came, and now I can rub his ears, pet that knobby head just like Bacon's

my first chic my wife and I have hatched. I think this one will be spoiled.

adorable! Congrats!

Quote: Have to agree with that, there are just a few people that are unhappy in their lives, and spread it to anyone else they meet. I just enjoy meeting the people with a kind heart and ignore the hateful ones. Both of you know your stuff, so I can't imagine anyone having a reason to complain

 

[SallyinIndiana]

Quote: Did you see this? It was posted in one of the FB groups I'm in.
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/flow-hive-honey-on-tap-directly-from-your-beehive

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Can we talk Turkey???

We are wanting to add 2 Turkeys. My main questions are: Can I brood them with my chicks? And What do I feed them?

Brooding: my understanding is they need higher temps - for how long? If I had them separate for 2 weeks or so, then can I put them with my chicks? Or is it okay to just have them all together from the start? The light is at one end, and I know it has gotten to 100 under the light, but I'll bet it is at least 5 degrees cooler on the other end.

Feed: I was talking to the grain mill where I get my feed. Right now they don't have a feed specific to turkeys but are having enough people ask that they are trying to figure it out. However according to their Fetrel Poultry Nutritionist, the optimal thing is to make their feed with wheat not oats. I am finding all over the internet that you can feed oats to turkeys, so I am not sure what the issue is. I am going to e-mail the guy and ask. I will not be keeping my turkeys separate, apart from perhaps the first part of their life. We cannot do wheat, wheat in feed transfers to the eggs and I have 1 Celiac and 1 gluten intolerant and wheat in the feed does bother them.

Good grief, look at the time - I better go I work tonight!

The first thing to look into, call the county and ask if blackhead disease is a problem where you live. If so, keep them away from chickens. Likely not a problem, we have several Indy members. Blackhead will kill turkeys, chickens can carry it unaffected.
Temps, not higher but consistent temps and draft free for sure. Poults are fragile the first week. They also will drown themselves! I use rocks in the waterer to prevent it.The important point in feed is higher protein. I use 24% game bird type starter for my poults, guinea and ducklings. Having a chick tutor in with them really helps them learn eating and drinking, most catch on pretty quick tho. I brood chicks, poults and keets together, no issues unless its BB poults. Then they are just too big.

I went on a trip in February and saw this lovely rooster just wandering the streets of St Maarten:

Looks like an old english game. They are gorgeous lil roosters.

 

[PeacefulWalls]

I wonder if the free tree chips from the tree trimmers would work. I know they compost quite well as we use them in our runs and adult bird coops. When working with the deep liter, the tree trimmed chips have composted much better than the prepackaged bundled pine chips.

I read that for the purpose of the hugelkultur the branches and logs work best. However, I think I remember reading a response that someone did use the chips -- not sure of the result. I am going to use the chips in my garden beds this year -- deep mulching with layers of chips, compost & then deep (8 - 10") hay. The deep mulch method was devised by Ruth Stout in the 1950s/60s. She wrote the book, The Ruth Stout No-Work Garden Book in the early 70s. I had forgotten about her until I watched one of the presentations during the food summit on deep mulching in which the presenter demonstrated the success she had following Stout's method -- especially in combating her tremendous weed problems.

Well, we did get the hive set up with some honey left in a frame and some lemon grass oil to see if we can attract a swarm. (Not a top bar - the one that belongs to the other guy.)

On the top bar, it's really very interesting and worth learning about. I just purchased a video from this place: http://www.backyardhive.com/
It should get here either tomorrow or Thursday. I'm looking forward to watching the whole thing. The video preview (posted below) looks like it's very well done so I decided to buy the whole presentation. I think it's going to be helpful. I've watched videos posted by this guy in their on-site classes and they're very informative.

Here's the intro video:

[ http://www.backyardhive.com/general...he_top_bar_hive_and_the_bee_guardian_methods/ ]



We visited some folks a couple years ago and looked at their hives and talked "top bar beekeeping" with them. The "stuff of life" just got in the way and we never pursued it. I want to look at the video (I've also read about using the top bars some) and then decide if we want to go ahead and get or make one. I love the more natural approach and there seems to be many potential positives to the top bars including not having to purchase a lot of expensive equipment.

It would be great if we could attract a local swarm, but does anyone know any INDIANA (northern) sources to get a package?

I can give you the name/phone of a beekeeper we got our nucs from a couple of years ago. He lives close to Nappanee. I think your friend who bought our hives had gotten bees or equipment from him before too.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Quote: Liked the video, check with @racinchickins I think they still keep bees also. We really thought about it, DH loves honey. I remember as a kid gramma would get me honeycomb to chew like gum. Its been a "maybe" project for us also.

As I'm leaving the coop one of my girls decided that she was a parrot.

Too cute! We have a RIR hen that does this to DH. She just adores him!

 

[kabhyper1]

My favorite little girl

 

[birdman55]

i have jumbo texas white a n m and jumbo brown cortinuix...they should be laying eggs within the next month...also got a hundred quail eggs....will be in incubation on friday if all goes well