Maine

[MEMama3]

Is it risky for the rest of the eggs? Wasn't sure if it failed that it would produce some kind of bacteria that may kill off the rest or something like that?

Yeah, risky to the other eggs. Eggs that have bacteria risk exploding. Then that bacterial splatter can enter through the other porous eggs, getting bacteria into them. If you have enough to spare the two, I'd toss them.

 

[mckenney]

Yeah, risky to the other eggs. Eggs that have bacteria risk exploding. Then that bacterial splatter can enter through the other porous eggs, getting bacteria into them. If you have enough to spare the two, I'd toss them.

Thanks, yes, I have 18 more so I should probably just throw them.

 

[IZZYBELLA]

Let me add the importance of having a mentor or mentors to ask questions of if you are a new beekeeper. The Maine State Beekeepers Association and your local/count/regional Beekeepers Association are wonderful resources. You will find helpful people in those clubs. Take a few classes so the mystery is removed from it all.

Maine is blessed with a top State Apiarist, Tony Jadzak. He is tremendously helpful in defining best practices and is a helpful official instead of being a drill sergeant. We all appreciate him as a leader and resource.

The use of pesticides is a concern for beekeepers. I seldom see discussions here about the effect of pesticides on chickens. If your birds are foraging around your yard and garden, are you concerned about the dust you used for the potato beetles? Does the fertilizer with the grub control find its way into your birds or eggs? I have no idea if these are legitimate concerns, but my time as beekeeper has lifted my consciousness about the issue. I am now and will be finding the safest solution both for my bees and my birds. There are some things that carry over from bees to birds.

I took the beginner class at my county extension and Tony Jadzak did one of the classes... omg he had SO much info! It was $4 to join my county beekeepers association and you get hooked up with an experienced beekeeper as a mentor... I'm thinking that will be money well spent!

The pesticide/herbicide debate is constant in my house. My husband says to just spray weeds, but I refuse given that the dog and chickens are out and about. (Not to mention the bees, birds, frogs, turtles, etc.) Several people in my neighborhood spray for mosquitoes and use roundup... unfortunately.

____

LG - we had a lot of poison ivy in our yard last year. I've been told both goats and pigs will eat it, although it's not their preferred weed. I ended up "suiting up" and pulling it myself to get the roots. I wore old clothes, put on goggles, a mask and gloves. Then, over the gloves I pulled it out with a used plastic shopping bag. Every few plants I'd tie the bag and put it in yet another trash bag. When I was done, the clothes went in the wash and I used Technu on myself. (Highly recommend Technu.) Quite the process, but I think I made a dent... we'll see come spring! I was told not to burn it, too.

Widget - maybe renting your goats out would cover the cost of bees!

 

[lazy gardener]

The poison ivy I need to eradicate is tangled in with woody shrubbery, like raspberries, asters, goldenrod, With an over growth of mixed hard/soft wood, and also growing in and around piles of brush... that really need to be burned, but can't b/c the ivy has grown into them. The ground is also quite rocky, so I think pulling the stuff would be futile. Perhaps I need to convince hubby to get a couple of goats and pigs. Now, that's an argument that I'm not foolish enough to even try to win!

Set my eggs tomorrow! How long should I let the ones I pick up tomorrow set before setting them in the incubator? They only have a 5 mile ride... in a truck... with the typical spring bumps and divots in the road, but my 7 y.o. will be with me, so she can hold them in her lap.

 

[striperon]

The poison ivy I need to eradicate is tangled in with woody shrubbery, like raspberries, asters, goldenrod, With an over growth of mixed hard/soft wood, and also growing in and around piles of brush... that really need to be burned, but can't b/c the ivy has grown into them. The ground is also quite rocky, so I think pulling the stuff would be futile. Perhaps I need to convince hubby to get a couple of goats and pigs. Now, that's an argument that I'm not foolish enough to even try to win!

 

[ashandvine]

Set my eggs tomorrow! How long should I let the ones I pick up tomorrow set before setting them in the incubator? They only have a 5 mile ride... in a truck... with the typical spring bumps and divots in the road, but my 7 y.o. will be with me, so she can hold them in her lap

If they have been shipped let them sit 8 hours-12 then set. Do you know how old they are?

Moving eggs to the hatcher tonight with babies due on Monday

Its nice to already have a hatcher and even nicer to already have buyers!

 

[yankeehill]

I was washing up at the kitchen sink and could see Blondie, our Buff Orpington sitting in the snow, and I thought I could see some red on her. I watched for a while, and she eventually went into the coop, but when she did, one of those darn geese grabbed a hold of her and chased her out. I went out to check on her, and sure enough, she had no feathers from her wings to under her butt. She also had one inch pieces of skin missing. Poor Girl. I had to put her down. I can't see how she could have recovered from that, or survived without getting frostbit. She went down quietly.


So now I'm going to finish brainstorming on a duck/goose house. As soon as the ground thaws, they will be separated, and we'll build the waterfowl a separate shed. I can't decide if I should make one over the old trailer bed we have, so it will have sturdy wheels and we can move it around with the tractor, or make it stationary, allowing them fresh grass often.
What are your thoughts? These are the ones I've found which I like so far:

 

[yankeehill]

 

[Widget]

I had only 2 inches of that horrible white stuff here. Give or take and inch.

Had another issue with Lowes the other day over wood pellets. The Scarborough store cancelled my online order due to high demand of pellets. They had received about 1200 bags. When I ordered Tuesday at 1 pm they were down to 550 or so. The message on my phone said that if I came in within a couple hours they would probably still have some. Huh? They would not accept an online order and wanted me to leave work early and hope they still had some? I do not think so. I ended up sending an email to customer service. They responded today and I have so far received two calls from the Scarborough store apologizing for the issue. The last call said that I was right and it should not matter if I order online or just show up. The message went on to say that they had a few bags set aside if I still want them. Great. I tried calling and was not able to reach the person who left the message. I will try again tomorrow. Why? Well the person who answered the phone has zero customer service skills.

After navigating the menu I pressed zero for the operator.
Employee- Hello? (bored voice)
Me- May I speak with Shane please?
Employee- Yeah. Hold on. (very bored)
On hold for a bit. Employee back in phone.
Employee- How may I direct your call?
Me- May I speak with Shane please?
Employee- Yeah, Please hold.
I held on for a couple minutes and then gave up. Not blaming Shane for not picking up the call but the person who answered the phone really needs some training, Yeah is not acceptable.

 

[lazy gardener]

Ash, the eggs I am picking up are fresh from the "farm", not being shipped at all. So, the only transport stress they will have is during the 5 mile ride from the home of the donor flock to my house. They have been laid this week. I have an other dozen from the same flock, with the oldest egg to be set being 11 days old tomorrow. I know the recommendation is 7 days or less, but I've heard others have had success up to 2 weeks or so, and I have nothing to loose. They are all EE roo over EE, RIR, PBR, so should be a fun mix to work with.