Maine

[superchemicalgirl]

The season's winding down. I harvested honey today. The apple orchard is doing pick your own and the air was super crisp this morning.

 

[Feather duster]

I'm waiting for fresh apple cider to start showing up for sale. I want to make some apple cider vinegar. I've never done it , but it doesn't sound to hard to do. I also raised bees about 25 years ago. I had 8 or 9 hives. I had an extractor and the whole works. I was right into it for a few years,but burned out with it and sold everything. I use to make my own hives, frames and everything. My very best year I got 600 lbs. of honey ,but most years were not that good. Its a fun hobby,but there's a lot that can go wrong. Especially with all the new diseases and mites that are around today.

 

[buckabucka]

How much honey did you harvest, SCG?

I had at least one, maybe two of my first pullet eggs today. The AustraWhite laid one, and the other was a small mossy green egg. I do have OE pullets, but I also have another hen that lays that color. The size and shape make me think it is the pullet. Wish I had seen who was in that box!

 

[superchemicalgirl]

About 1.4 gallons from the one hive. Nothing from the other.

 

[lazy gardener]

We went away for some much needed family time today. Right now, leaving my flock is a risky endeavor, b/c of the recent hawk attacks and fox siting. But... I can't ignore my family's and my need for R and R, so off we went. We didn't get back until after dark at 8:00 PM. Biggest concern is that some of the girls keep flying out of the electronet fencing. The ones that are out are the ones most vulnerable to hawk attack. Well, I came in the front door, checked on the cat, grabbed my head lamp and headed out the back door. All was pretty quiet. But, when I turned on the deck light, I spied these little faces peering up over the edge of the steps. Then I started counting... there were 7 of them. The naughty girls had not been able to fly back over the fence, so they came to what they figured was the next safest place: The top of the deck steps (6' high) closest to where the treat dispensing human was last seen! I had hubby come out and help me, and we were able to use the head lamp and gentle encouragement to get them down the steps, across the back lawn, through their electronet gate, and into the coop. After tucking them, and Mama broody and her 6 babies back into the coop, all were accounted for. Can't wait till I get my new fence made.

 

[Feather duster]

Glad you had a good day and suffered no casualties or losses.

 

[lazy gardener]

Thanks.

 

[buckabucka]

Glad you got your birds in safely, LG.
I did the same thing yesterday. We didn't leave until 2 p.m., and I managed to get one of the three flocks in with treats, but had to leave the two flocks with pullets out. Came back at 10:30 and did the same headlamp routine. A little less stressful for me, because we haven't been having a recent predator issue, but still a risk. I had just fixed a spot where the pullets were flying over yesterday.

I don't remember such a spectacular Labor Day weekend weather-wise in many years. Of course, my memory is somewhat shot, but still... I don't really like the heat and humidity, but it seems like an appropriate last-hoorah for summer.

 

[superchemicalgirl]

It has definitely been a weird year weather-wise. I still have a lot of green tomatoes. Some of my heirloom varieties have only green tomatoes, they still haven't matured.

 

[Feather duster]

I work nights just got up to tend the birds , topped off feed dishes , cleaned up a bit , and collected eggs. The girls blessed us with 7 eggs today. One of my Partridge Rocks layed this years first pullet egg. (20 1/2 weeks) Its center stage in the picture with todays eggs from the Barred Rocks. I'm a softy so gave them all a treat of fresh meal worm
s.