***OKIES in the BYC III ***

[Cuban Longtails]

I have baby scovies

 

[TheBarnSwallow]

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Will do! I have a Best Friend like that and her and I finish each other sentences and even though we are now miles apart due to our respect hubbies military life...we still can pick up where we left off as if we had never been apart....

 

[poultryand bees]

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Yes, I had 8 eggs from about 25 hens yesterday. I was getting about 18 per day. Of course, I do have 2 broody hens in that coop and I haven't checked beneath them to see if "friends" are laying eggs in on top of the ones that they are supposed to have.

 

[GotGame]

Afternoon, how is everyone with the crazy weather? Just muggy and overcast here....

 

[poultryand bees]

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My suggestion would be to see what is on the website of the California State Beekeeper Association. Oklahoma's State Beekeeper website maintains lists of beekeepers who want to be called for swarm removal and most folks will either do it for free if the bees are not difficult to get to and are a true swarm, or just ask for gas money. Another alternative would be to contact the County Extension office and the State Department of Agriculture. Both of those sometimes maintain lists of beekeepers who will get swarms.

If the bees are not a true swarm (a swarm has only have been in the location a short time and has not started building a lot of wax or putting away honey), then it is reasonable to expect to pay someone to remove them. That is because they are now a hive of bees and much more inclined to defend their home from the beekeeper who would seek to remove their larva and eggs. (think mama bear defending cubs). An established hive is also much more difficult to relocate than is a true swarm.

 

[vegetarianchick]

Howdy y'all, been offline during all this severe weather and flooding. All our roads were under water yesterday and now the weather service says today will be even worse. Water meter lids floated off all around town yesterday. Today the water co. was out painting water line areas so the county can come out and replace all the bad ditch culverts, of which one is mine.
I caught a 4 ft. black rat snake in the coop 2 days ago and tossed it in the road. It floated off downstream in the flooding yesterday. I pity the person who finds it and hope they don't panic.

Our forecast is high risk for tornadoes today so I've got my reinforced closet space ready to go. My cat and I will be hiding in there if tornadoes come near, I was in an F-5 massive mile-wide tornado in Tulsa on June 8, 1974 at 5:28 p.m. That is something that has stuck with me forever, including the tornado nightmares sometimes. The house I was in was nearly destroyed but I/BF & his sis and BIL all hid in the hallway and were safe but the house came apart and people were killed next door to them. Already said my prayers for severe weather to miss us. Everyone tells me no tornadoes have hit here in 100 yrs. My house is 99 yrs. old! Let's hope it makes it to 100

Be safe everyone and don't drive into high waters.
Will be unplugged till all the storms are gone again once they start moving in this afternoon.

 

[vegetarianchick]

All my adult chickens did great thru the storms. I covered windows somewhat to keep out driving rain & have them locked in the coop for a while . Only got 7 eggs yesterday from 17 hens but today I got 12 and a bird was on the nest while I was feeding them so will probably have a good batch of eggs today. Heat and cold do affect their laying habits.....
My new NN girls and my baby ameracauna chicks are all inside, so are protected from everything, except tornadoes....

 

[vegetarianchick]

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With all the severe weather yesterday I too had to keep going out to check one last time on the chicky girls and make sure their windows were covered well enough to keep the driving rain off them. I got soaked! First warnings that come I stuff my cat into her pet taxi & she sits quietly till I let her out. She sleeps in it at night so no biggy for her to be locked in for a bit during storms. She's such a good cat and I love her to pieces.

 

[vegetarianchick]

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My 4 ft. rat snake had an egg inside it. It's dead now and washed away in the flooding. Might be why I was shorter on eggs the past week....

 

[vegetarianchick]

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P&B, how did the hatch turn out that didnt get turned for the whole 21 days?

I have to say that it fell under the catagory of "even a blind squirrel finds an acorn now and then" rather than being a great success

Out of 3 dozen eggs in the incubator, 4 eggs hatched. I don't know whether it was a temperature issue since I am not totally confident my digital thermometers with probes are accurate - or the lack of turning. Out of 3 dozen eggs from the same group that were set under hens at the same time, about 18 chicks hatched.

Pepper had me buy a hydrometer (got it at walmart) to put inside my styrofoam still-air incubator and to increase the humidity to 50% the last 3 days. I got a perfect hatch the first try. The hydrometer tells you the humidity levels all the time and I had to add wet paper towels almost daily to keep the humidity around 38% initially, then a lot of wet paper towels the last few days. I turned my eggs 2x daily though.