Robin - How old is the cockerel? 4 - 6 weeks is optimum. Later than that and it's like Kass said; he may still crow. The two late Cs I've got are putting on a little weight and they are less aggressive. If you decide you want yours Cd, I could pick him up next week. I'm waiting for some suture needles from Jeffers Livestock. I know suturing is not required, but I think the cockerels will heal faster thus reducing the risk of infection following the procedure. I have two more (again, too old to be good capons, but still great for the freezer) I plan to C next week. --- I'm not getting update messages from this thread either. I think it's been two days since the update feature worked for me.
The third beekeeping class was informative. We now know how to assemble our frames and hive boxes. We're bringing our hammers and wood glue to the next class meeting, and everyone will have a chance to assemble what they've bought. The instructor has a box jig and a wire jig, so assembly will be fast and painless. If I decide to build more hives, I'm going to take the extra time and build jigs to make assembly more efficient. I'm going to research extractors to see if it's more practical to rent than to buy. One of the NEOBA members rents extractors and hot knives, so my first honey crop (two years away??????) may be harvested using rented equipment.
Sooner - Thanks for the Grit link.
The wedding at the cathedral began at 7:00, and the reception was still rocking and rolling when we left at 10:30. We were home around midnight, and the goats were anxious at being out in full dark. I put them into their little house and gave them extra hay as an apology. They ate half and slept on the rest. Silly goats. All the chickens had put themselves to bed, so all I had to do was close coop doors. I hope some of the photos I took turned out. It was dark in the church and at the coffee house where the reception was held, so I expect most of my photos to be blurry.
