Maine

[ashandvine]

Congrats! Are these hatching, or shipped?

These were shipped. I had an awful time with the ones shipped last year so the breeder was really good about replacing them. I am so grateful she did. One does have duck foot but if its a female it can just be an egger later. Boys are food if they don't make the breed-forward-bill and HOLY MOLY snow! Wow its suddenly coming down like a blizzard. I went out of my way to get these chicks from one of the sorting stations. They called me early instead of sending them to me tomorrow at my local PO. It wasn't this bad out there at all. I am so glad I didn't wait and that I also wasn't caught in it. Its not really accumulating. The basement is dripping loudly and the Maples are dripping pretty steady into our sap buckets so... I am going to keep thinking of this as a white deluge instead of snow. I will admit I am worried that my growing season is going to be even shorter this year!

 

[suzMEchicks]

I let my 6 girls out a couple hours ago. It's pouring here and I figured they would hop out and back in again. Oh no. I think they think they are ducks. They are soaked. It's 48 degrees so they probably think its summer! Anyway, they gave me 6 eggs today. 6 out of 6. First time in a long time. I think the curtains are working, the longer days and the fact that they have been able to go out almost every day lately.
Too bad its gonna snow tomorrow. Well thats Maine for you. Interesting about the bees.

 

[suzMEchicks]

I meant to say 38 degrees!

 

[IZZYBELLA]

I let my 6 girls out a couple hours ago. It's pouring here and I figured they would hop out and back in again. Oh no. I think they think they are ducks. They are soaked. It's 48 degrees so they probably think its summer! Anyway, they gave me 6 eggs today. 6 out of 6. First time in a long time. I think the curtains are working, the longer days and the fact that they have been able to go out almost every day lately.
Too bad its gonna snow tomorrow. Well thats Maine for you. Interesting about the bees.

I figured mine would head inside when it started downpouring, too... nope! I went out to check on them and they were soaked mucking around in mud puddles. It's supposed to get so cold tonight that I hope they dry off. Silly girls.

Very interesting comments re: bees, striperon! We have 2 nucs coming this spring from a local guy. I haven't spoken with him in awhile... hope they made it through the winter.

 

[suzMEchicks]

I know. I just closed them back up. I hope they dry before the temp plummets tonight .

 

[striperon]

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.

 

[yankeehill]

I personally don't use pesticides (except for flea treatments for the dogs, and only when all other measures have failed). My husband was raised in the South by a pesticide/herbicide loving family....it's a hard thought process to break him off, but he does talk it over with me before using anything. He's finally opted for mulch around trees instead of round up.

 

[PBGGG]

Ugh, went to go put the ducks away and feed the horses. It is all slushy outside, so my shoes are soaking and my coat is wet too. Ducks seem to like it though, which is good. Horses are soaking wet though, cant tell which one is Dom and which one is Arizona, they are so dark now! Whenever we try to dry them off with towels, they freak out.

 

[lazy gardener]

You raise a very good point Striperon, regarding use of insecticides/herbicides. If I use anything in my garden, it is fenced off to keep the girls out of it. So, do any readers have suggestions for safely eradicating poison ivy? That one plant is the most troublesome issue in my yard. I have used a round up type of product in the past, but really don't like the idea of using it, especially after reading the reports of hormone disruption caused by it. So, reader ideas? Bring it on!

 

[mlowen]

You raise a very good point Striperon, regarding use of insecticides/herbicides.  If I use anything in my garden, it is fenced off to keep the girls out of it.  So, do any readers have suggestions for safely eradicating poison ivy?  That one plant is the most troublesome issue in my yard.  I have used a round up type of product in the past, but really don't like the idea of using it, especially after reading the reports of hormone disruption caused by it.  So, reader ideas?  Bring it on!

Rent a goat?