Okies in the BYC The Original

[poultryand bees]

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The Bee keeping thing sounds interesting, so when they swarm are they leaving and looking for a new home for the queen ??.

AL

Yes, bees swarm when there is no longer room in the hive for the queen to lay eggs. One of the things I will look for tomorrow, when I go back into the hives, is swarm cells. These are queen cells that the bees make on the bottom of the frame when they are getting ready to take part of the hive and move on to better quarters. The hive will make a second queen and take her with them when part of the hive leaves.

When the hive wants to make a new queen because the current queen isn't laying well enough to suit them, they make supercedeous queen cells, which are generally located on the side of the frame, among all the other eggs the queen is laying. Queen cells are larger than cells for worker bees, so you can see what the hive is doing if you are in your hives on a regular basis - which I admit I am not.

Last year, I hived a swarm that I captured from a limb in someone's back yard and it stuck around for about a week before deciding that my hive wasn't where it wanted to live. My husband was doing some repairs on top of a trailer and when the bee colony left the hive, the swarm of bees just flew past him and around him, like he wasn't in their flight pattern - 15 feet in the air.

 

[Okla-doodle-doo]

Evening all. Sounds like a stormy night in OKla. That means we will have it tomorrow night. Went to a sale barn auction today. Set thru the whole poultry sale (mostly roosters) to see a pair of frizzles sell and then let them get by me at $5.50 each. I just wasn't sure I could do any good with that breed. Should have tried. (hindsight)

Greybeard--Did I understand that you planted cabbage seed directly in the garden? I have never heard of that!

Big Okie, If you get to make the trip to Louisville and want to resell those D'Anvers I would be interested!I think I'm on your way.

 

[Sooner]

I have all of mine out of the brooder to a pen outside (still with the heat lamp) waiting on poops to see what I get there. I have 18 eggs in the bator but don't hold out much hope for them. I only see movement in one egg, waiting a few more days to candle again.

 

[RonnieAtkeson]

Very stormy, had one finish blowing through an hour or two back and now im hearing the thunder rumbling again. My yard is soaked. I went out side just after it stopped and noticed how tall my grass realy was and with this rain I wont be able to put off mowing after another week.

Dachshunds, hows them doxie pups doing? Mine about 3.5 weeks old and walking around now.

 

[al6517]

I am hoping to find some nice eggs at poops as well. I have teach bringing me some nice quail & eggs, that should be fun. I am planning a new hatch when I get back, I have a few dozen egg coming in the mail on the 27 th.

AL

 

[poultryand bees]

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My big brooder is in pieces, because I started cleaning it yesterday afternoon from last fall's chickens. I don't know why I waited so long to ask my DH for help in moving it - I couldn't get it out the door by myself, so that I could dump the tray. My "makeshift brooder" which consists of a large bird cage with a heat lamp secured on the outside of the top, contains 11 Saipan Jungle Fowl pullets that we picked up yesterday at the post office ( I had split an order with a friend who also likes Saipans) and 17 broiler chicks that I received from two kindergarten classes that hatched them from eggs they got from OSU extension.

It is a small private school where a friend teaches Kindergarten, and I gave a presentation to all the elementary school's classes yesterday afternoon about honeybees, chickens and rabbits. The children seemed to like the mama hen and her babies the best of all the chickens, although they were also facinated with the turquoise blue earlobes on the silkie chickens. They liked the 2 day old rabbits and my Flemish Giant rabbit, probably the best of the entire menagerie that I took with me, although the baby goat was pretty popular also.

 

[Sooner]

P&B that is great that you do that for the classes! I know they loved all of it! I am using an old guinia pig cage for a brooder when needed (glad I'm not the only one). It will be coming to poops to haul home the turkey's and silkies I am getting from Carla.

 

[Okla-doodle-doo]

Hey Ronnie they are doing great. I was just thinking of asking you the same question! The two that I was calling blk/tan are turning more of abrown color,the dapple is changing like crazy,I'll have to try post apic of hr. Their eyes are onpen and they are scooting around a little now.

 

[poultryand bees]

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I have received the newly hatched broiler chickens from their kindergarten classes for the past 4 years, so I was glad to be able to do something for them in return.

My makeshift brooder has a large enough door, that it probably was sold as a cage for a guinea pig or a rabbit. I like it better than the "true" bird cages I sometimes use, just because it is easier to fit a quart jar waterer through the door. On the bird cages, although they do have a solid bottom, some of them have lots of small doors so you have to hold your mouth just right when you put the mason jar waterer inside - with the fount on top because you will spill the water if you try and put it in right side up to begin with. Then, you have to let the waterer get mostly empty before you can take it out again, because of the mess when you turn the jar sideways.

Over the years, I have learned to look at almost everything differently, from cages - to old dishes - as something for my poultry, bees, or rabbits.

 

[bigokie37]

i gave some ducks eggs to my little great nieces daycare for them to hatch several of the kids took babys home an they sent the rest back to me.I am sending 2 dz americanas for them next.weve been hatchin some nice colors an beards this year