Sally's GF3 thread

[Sally PB]

The dividing fence came down in the coop and run today. The littles are in with the adults, and so far, it's going well.

The adults finally have access to the new area in the coop, and they seem fascinated. Or maybe it's just that the chick's feeder is in there, and of course any feed in a different feeder is different feed, and therefore better.

The littles really like the adult's roost. I plan to make them one of their own.

Roost time rumble might be a bit raucous tonight.

The adults have been going to bed about 15-20 minutes before the littles are interested in calling it a day. Yeah, they're still kids.

 

[Sally PB]

Widget laid today! She's only been out of the breaker crate for 2 nights! Three days to really decide to be broody (including plucking her breast feathers out -- new for her), 2 nights in the crate, and now an egg. I'm glad, because she's my most reliable layer.

 

[Iluveggers]

The dividing fence came down in the coop and run today. The littles are in with the adults, and so far, it's going well.

The adults finally have access to the new area in the coop, and they seem fascinated. Or maybe it's just that the chick's feeder is in there, and of course any feed in a different feeder is different feed, and therefore better.

The littles really like the adult's roost. I plan to make them one of their own.
View attachment 3582544
Roost time rumble might be a bit raucous tonight.

The adults have been going to bed about 15-20 minutes before the littles are interested in calling it a day. Yeah, they're still kids.

I can’t believe how fast the time went!

 

[Sally PB]

I told the guy at the gas station next door it looked as if someone misunderstood where the drive through window was. Yes, indeed, that's what happened.

 

[Sally PB]

It's the end of an era on our road. One of the neighbors has moved away. The new neighbors arrive on Monday.
The house was listed at $450K and sold for $510K. The owner told me he had an offer for $600K, but the guy couldn't get a loan. The real estate market here is red hot. Thank goodness we're not in the market for a house!

The new people are a young couple from Indiana. I think they might be in for a surprise in a few months. Our winters are different, and uh, kids, I hope you have 4-wheel drive.

I was chatting with another neighbor and we talked about having a "block party" (dead end road party?) so the newbies can meet everyone.

 

[Sally PB]

First tomato today! A Sungold cherry. Everything else is still green, green, green.

I also dug the rest of the volunteer potatoes. They were in the sweet potato bed, and it was getting a little crowded.

I need to start drying basil. The plants are going crazy. I don't really want to run the dehydrator... I think I might pull one plant and hang it in the garage. I've never dried herbs that way before. Trying something new! If it works well, great! If it doesn't, I have other plants to dry in the dehydrator.

 

[Sally PB]

A week ago tomorrow, we treated our beehive with formic acid. It's supposed to get warm (82) and then hot (93) next week. Formic acid is not supposed to be used when temps are over 85. But that is most critical the first 4 days, so we're hoping the (most) dangerous time is past. We need to kill off the varroa mites.

I saw a few dead bees on the landing board last Monday morning, but not since. They seem to be doing their usual bee stuff, at least as seen from the outside. You don't bother them during the two weeks you have the formic acid treatment in the hive, so we haven't looked inside.
Next Sunday, we'll put on a honey super. I'm looking forward to that.

 

[aart]

You don't bother them during the two weeks you have the formic acid treatment in the hive, so we haven't looked inside.

Do you have to remove the treatment before it gets too hot?

 

[fuzzi]

I got the results of my blood work yesterday. I ask for a hard copy print out so I can go through the numbers, line by line. I have the book, Your Blood Never Lies, which explains what all the numbers mean.

I am not happy about my cholesterol. Not a bit. It has never been this high, it went up 20 points from last year, and cracked the "high" designation at 241.

What am I going to do about it? Well, I am NOT going to take any pills for it. It will be on me to change my diet to get it back down.

I am cutting WAY back on cheese (and my neighbor just gifted us with 5 pounds of cream cheese ). I am going to have oatmeal more often. When the weather got hot, it didn't sound very good, but I can get over that. Toss in cinnamon, banana, and raisins, and it's plenty tasty.

I'm not giving up eggs. Probably going to cut back on bacon/sausage.

I wish I could sweat it off. That would be easy, working in the garden.

They say you reap what you sow. Well, I am going to try sowing what I want to reap.

If anyone has any suggestions, I'm all ears.

I'm not a doctor.

But I read a lot about health, even research abstracts and articles.

There are recent studies on heart disease that indicate it is circulatory inflammation that is the problem, not cholesterol. Plus we make our own cholesterol, so even when you cut back your body can compensate.

If I were you I wouldn't take the prescriptions.

And now, the non-doctor advice is concluded.

 

[Sally PB]

Do you have to remove the treatment before it gets too hot?

Not according to what I've read online. Basically, they say, treat when it's under 85 degrees. If you can't wait for cooler temps (mite count is too high to put it off, and you want to use this treatment), start it when you will have 4 days of under 85 degrees.

We'll have had 8 days of under 85, so that it's been long enough for the strongest of the vapors to have done their job and dissipated.

The worry is that the high temps and the strong vapors at the beginning of the treatment will also kill brood, and perhaps the queen. Or make them decide to swarm and leave the hive.

We'll see what's going on in a week.