NY chicken lover!!!!

[why do birds]

It's illegal to shoot or harrass any bird of prey. Federally illegal. But 1. They have to catch you doing it. Hense SSS. 2.IF they are eating your livestock (and chickens are considered livestock) you can get a permit to shoot them. 3. It is NOT illegal to harrass them in non-lethal ways if they are causing harm to you, your pets or livestock.

I can tell you (but not how I know) that shot gun blasts keep them away for a while. Also banging on a metal bucket and chasing them across the yard moves them on to the back feild to hunt instead of your back yard. (and didn't I look like a lunatic doing THAT a couple of times this fall when they were migrating and congragating on the cell tower to scope the place out)

That's awesome! Love the bucket move! We had a bird that decided to make a nest just outside my bedroom window, 2nd level. It woke me up every morning at about 4:30 am.

So I thought, hmmm, if it wakes me up then I'll wake it up.

So I'd set the alarm clock for 1 am and go open the window and shake bells and clank pot covers together.

Eventually it moved away and never came back!

HAHA! two can play at these bird games! We must outsmart the bird!

 

[AQHAchick22]

Just as an FYI I'm thinking of down sizing in the near future. When I do I'll probably be getting rid of 3 partridge rocks, 3 black australorps, maybe 3 speckled sussex (all hens). I might also be willing to part with a few EE's and my Welsummer rooster. All of them will be a year old this April.

 

[Cass]

Just as an FYI I'm thinking of down sizing in the near future. When I do I'll probably be getting rid of 3 partridge rocks, 3 black australorps, maybe 3 speckled sussex (all hens). I might also be willing to part with a few EE's and my Welsummer rooster. All of them will be a year old this April.

oH, oh, pick me, pick me. I would love to have the australorps, but if it's a packaged deal I'll take them all and give my ex some of them. (he and his gf are trying to rebuild a flock after predator losses this winter) How much were you going to ask for them?. (Cuz that would make a difference to me....sorry...minimum wage job doesn't give me a lot extra)

 

[Lynzi777]

This was the video I saw on FB a couple of weeks ago, thought it was really cool. It's an animated video of the development of an egg thru hatching days 1 thru 21.

 

[payner59]

I'm not sure when they shed their antlers! Good point as I forgot they do that. Lol.

 

[ke5hde]

Just as an FYI I'm thinking of down sizing in the near future. When I do I'll probably be getting rid of 3 partridge rocks, 3 black australorps, maybe 3 speckled sussex (all hens). I might also be willing to part with a few EE's and my Welsummer rooster.  All of them will be a year old this April. 

Wish I still had our australorps. Those girls were gentle giants. Sadly when I made the switch to Barnevelders, they didn't make the cut.
I also have a few birds I need to move out. 3 blue silkie cockerals, a pair of black frizzles and 1 lavender cochin cockeral. I'm trying to clean out some of the birds that don't fit in with my plans this year.

 

[Aria]

From Aria: Everyone talking about crocheting and knitting. This is one of the rugs I braid.[COLOR=0000FF]This one is from RAGS. Most of the rugs in our house I made. We built our own house and money was scarce...so when my husband was working on finish wood work...I would be making the rugs. I do knit and crochet. Regards, Aria[/COLOR]

How very beautiful!

Sally8, Thank you. I enjoyed making them and we needed them to cover our floor areas. We did build a large home. They are easy to take care of and lasted through all the years. They are showing very little wear..I have one in our library area in our living room....that is made from all our old clothes. I braided the dress the day I was engaged and the trousers my husband wore. FOND MEMORIES. Some are braided and others a looped. A blind lady taught me how to loop. This was more difficult for me. But they both are a treasure. Enjoyed making them. I don't think I would want to make them today. Thanks again, Regards, Aria

 

[rancher hicks]

You might find a bee keeper that would put his hive on your property, and then share some honey with you. A lot cheaper than $350. Then, as I have read, keeping bees is not so easy. Things you have to do for them to keep them alive. I looked into it, and decided I have enough to do with grandchildren without adding taking care of a bee hive.

For me to buy the equipment to do all that is necessary myself would be expensive. Not to mention learning what it takes to maintain a hive. I'd need help recognizing problems just like I did when I firts got chickens. Now I know more about chickens but not enough to consider myself and expert.

Bee keeping requires a good deal of knowledge. Then there is the equipemtn to extrude the honey nad bottle it and all that.

So I figured it would be worth the money to have a hive set up and maintained by someone else for a share of the honey. Winter maintenance is little if any I understand.

I have deliveered bees when i deleivered mail. I have no diea what to do if I put up the hive and then get a pack of bees. Sure I could learn but do I really want to? I have a garden each year and the first year I sat on the ground pollinating the squash by hand. Not fun.

I recognize the cost of the hive then the bees then the smoker and suite etc. etc. The hive alone is about $200 for just the basic set up.

 

[rancher hicks]

Ke, I'm glad your little ones made it through the night. Good thing it wasn't one of those super cold ones!

And Rancher and Tab, those are seriously beautiful Orps!

I agree that you should not have to pay to have bees on Your land. It is worth a lot to the beekeeper to have a spot for his/her hive. Soon after we moved here a swarm landed in a pine tree right by the house. It was very loud, and I worried about the bees and us coexisting so was looking for someone to adopt them. No one wanted them because they thought it was too late in the year and they might not make it through the winter, and since they had swarmed they might not stick around. They finally moved on. $350 is a lot of purchased honey. I saw a show on tv that the grocery store honey is not really the same as fresh honey, since it has been so mixed and processed. So I've been buying from small bee keepers.

I would own the hives and the bees. They would maintain the hive and share the honey. That to me is worth something.

 

[Aria]

Well lets have some instructions.  How easy are they to make.  Those look really nice. 

x2 I'd like to know. That blue one especially is beautiful.

So did anyone else look into that growing fodder for your birds thread? Apparently some people have done it enough so that they feed the birds only fodder with some insects and that's it, they never buy feed. I might give it a try and see if they like it, if only to get them some greens this winter.

Rancher and Pyxis, You cut material of your choice about 2 inches
wide and start the looping. This rug is made of rags. As you loop you hand sew additional strips and keep looping and adding strips. With the looped rugs, it is all done with just this one step. (no need to sew)

With the braided: you cut strips of material about 2 inches and have 3 strangs of material going at one time (and you do a simple braid) you keep working until you finish the length
of braid and then hand sew on more material and continue.

After you have a length of braid.....you hand stick the braid together and just keep going.
This method is easier. The loop system is difficult to explain here. It is a matter of looping the material (after it is cut and stiched) to the other strip....in and out. NO SEWING.

Regards, Aria