Sitting with a cup of coffee. (coffee lovers)

[TeaChick]

My broody is still broody (and getting grumpier by the day).
I'm going to keep a close eye on her today and tomorrow morning. I'm going to set up a new nest for her in the large wooden brooder (b/c the little plastic one I've got her in is too small for her and a chick). And once she hatches the egg she's got left (the other one exploded yesterday evening

), I'll move them to the new nest in the larger brooder.
If the egg hasn't hatched by some time tomorrow, then I'm going to candle the egg and begin an egg-topsy. We'll see from there with the egg itself. If it's viable, then I'll either set up my heating pad or I'll give it back to Sky; not sure yet (any and all advice would be more than welcome!!!)
If it's not viable, then I'll kick her out into the yard.
If she then decides that sitting around for 3 weeks w/ no chick(s) to show for it is unacceptable and insists on setting on hay in a nesting box, then I'll scrounge up whatever eggs I have that are a week old or less and put her in the large wooden brooder. I think it was other chickens and chicks that ruined her clutch.

 

[tjo804]

I don't know where original posts are so...
@TeaChick I never dreamed I would consider, raising bugs on purpose... It is mind blowing.

@tjo804 . You are welcome, Deb showed me a video and now my son is gonna try and build me a bin. Supposedly they will climb a ramp and fall into a tray for easy harvesting.... (Ok, I might have over simplified it a little)

Texas isn't too different than Fla when it comes to bugs, so...why? Why don't you just use the bugs you already have around???
What is it you said you ordered? Black soldier flies? What do they do anyway?
I was not in on the original I just wondered about the Soldier flies I get them so bad in my compost it grossed me out. So I googled them last year to find out what they were. They can stay they have no interest in humans or animals they lay eggs in rotting compost and clean it up. was the basic jist of what I gleaned. I am not sure why delivery? But those guys just might make a nice snack for the ladies when they get too much for my bin. don't know why I didn't think to just put a shovel full in the run for them last year, but they were free ranging last year and can not at this point. so anyway when I saw the name Soldier Fly I got intrigued because that is a play thing I have on hand to keep them happy and busy in the run. Almost anything that has been in the fridge too long goes in compost Especially if it gets moldy I don't feed that to my Ladies.

Now that my ladies are on Lock-down for security purposes I am looking for new ways to entertain them and bringing the bugs to them is a good idea. Especially since those things multiply so quickly in my bin. I don't want to spend all day collecting bugs. bring out compost shovel Soldier Fly maggost for ladies just one more quick step in the regular day. Trying to be prepared for boredom or depression like adding a Monopoly game to a bomb shelter. Gathering ideas for the future. I can let my ladies out as I am home all the time. However they got attacked while I was in the house making dinner. Stuff happens and I cant get those Cacklers to listen when I say just go to your room for a minute while I see what is going on.

Boy that got rambley fast didn't it.
Sorry

 

[perchie.girl]

Here's one of mine.

Now Seee.... I cant do representational NOR can I do Color.... What medium? I love it !

I am limited to pen and ink, Pencil, Charcoal, And even when I have been able to mix color it still looks like a cartoon. I also dont have the patients to work on anything long term... so mine have to be done in one sitting.
deb

 

[perchie.girl]

I cant even read my own handwriting half the time

Neither can I .... too many years as a Draftsman taught me how to print... Printing in all caps too... And Yep when I am writing my manuscript I am printing. Either 1/8, 3/16, 1/4, or 1/2 inch tall. But mostly 3/16 if you lay a scale on it... When i worked for US Elevator doing 100 drawings a week that was before computers. We had to do bills of materials on the face of the drawing....

Though my favorite Drafting job was working for General Dynamic Space Systems. All Pen and ink... Nothing was free hand.

deb

 

[perchie.girl]

Soldier flies are benefitial to the garden... I had something all written up and lost it some how...

Anyway Soldier flies take over. They dont bite and when they are around the regular fly population decreases. So they are good to have around livestock like horses and cows and pigs.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermetia_illucens

http://www.blacksoldierflyfarming.com/

http://www.scientificamerican.com/video/soldier-flies-the-new-food-for-farm-fish/

http://www.esrint.com/pages/bioconversion.html

http://msue.anr.msu.edu/news/harnessing_insects_for_on_farm_biological_control_and_nutrient_cycling

and finally here at BYC

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/406797/anyone-using-black-soldier-flies

so in captive flocks like mine will be or because of the fear of AI they will be a good source of protien for your chickens and will do a dual duty of composting that kitchen waste that doesnt composte well.... Protiens, fats... etc.

edited to add a picture of one they are kind of pretty




deb

 

[saltandpepper2]

Now Seee....  I cant do representational NOR can I do Color....    What medium?  I love it !

I am limited to pen and ink, Pencil, Charcoal,  And even when I have been able to mix color it still looks like a cartoon.  I also dont have the patients to work on anything long term...  so mine have to be done in one sitting. 
deb

That was in colored pencil. I can do any type of pencil, and paint, but colored pencils is my best. Can't do cartoons, nor can I do pen and ink! I do have enough patience to work for a while though. The pic above took around a week.

 

[TeaChick]

I was not in on the original I just wondered about the Soldier flies I get them so bad in my compost it grossed me out. So I googled them last year to find out what they were. They can stay they have no interest in humans or animals they lay eggs in rotting compost and clean it up. was the basic jist of what I gleaned. I am not sure why delivery? But those guys just might make a nice snack for the ladies when they get too much for my bin. don't know why I didn't think to just put a shovel full in the run for them last year, but they were free ranging last year and can not at this point. so anyway when I saw the name Soldier Fly I got intrigued because that is a play thing I have on hand to keep them happy and busy in the run. Almost anything that has been in the fridge too long goes in compost Especially if it gets moldy I don't feed that to my Ladies.

Now that my ladies are on Lock-down for security purposes I am looking for new ways to entertain them and bringing the bugs to them is a good idea. Especially since those things multiply so quickly in my bin. I don't want to spend all day collecting bugs. bring out compost shovel Soldier Fly maggost for ladies just one more quick step in the regular day. Trying to be prepared for boredom or depression like adding a Monopoly game to a bomb shelter. Gathering ideas for the future. I can let my ladies out as I am home all the time. However they got attacked while I was in the house making dinner. Stuff happens and I cant get those Cacklers to listen when I say just go to your room for a minute while I see what is going on.

Boy that got rambley fast didn't it.
Sorry

First things first, please don't apologize for rambling, b/c if you do it, then I'll have to start doing it b/c I end up rambling a lot.

I free range. I have only lost a couple of chickens to predation when I was home and a couple of others when I wasn't home. Mostly, they are pretty good at hiding and staying safe, so I still take the risk of free ranging (so far anyway).
As for compost, we put kitchen scraps in a hole in our back yard and call it the compost hole. The chickens don't eat the stuff that gets moldy, but the bugs do and then the chickens eat the bugs. The kids like to dig up worms for the chickens. DD uses the compost dirt for the garden. It works for us, so we do it.
I'll have to look up black soldier flies and see what they are and figure out whether I have them or not. I've read a lot about them on here, but never really though much of them b/c I figure the chickens can get to bugs when they want.
As for chickens going to their room when they're told, you're right. It's taken a few evenings to teach them to go to the coop early and I have to use food to get them in there anyway.

Now Seee.... I cant do representational NOR can I do Color.... What medium? I love it !

I am limited to pen and ink, Pencil, Charcoal, And even when I have been able to mix color it still looks like a cartoon. I also dont have the patients to work on anything long term... so mine have to be done in one sitting.
deb

I've used charcoal and pencil. I don't do ink, really.
If I do color, then I use paint and I can free hand something artistic looking, but not realistic looking.
I prefer to do things in one sitting too.

 

[TeaChick]

Soldier flies are benefitial to the garden... I had something all written up and lost it some how...

Anyway Soldier flies take over. They dont bite and when they are around the regular fly population decreases. So they are good to have around livestock like horses and cows and pigs.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermetia_illucens

http://www.blacksoldierflyfarming.com/

http://www.scientificamerican.com/video/soldier-flies-the-new-food-for-farm-fish/

http://www.esrint.com/pages/bioconversion.html

http://msue.anr.msu.edu/news/harnessing_insects_for_on_farm_biological_control_and_nutrient_cycling

and finally here at BYC

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/406797/anyone-using-black-soldier-flies

so in captive flocks like mine will be or because of the fear of AI they will be a good source of protien for your chickens and will do a dual duty of composting that kitchen waste that doesnt composte well.... Protiens, fats... etc.

edited to add a picture of one they are kind of pretty




deb

I think we have been calling these mud daubers. I'll have to take a better look at the bugs we've got and try to figure out if they're black soldier flies or not.
Thanks for posting this!!!!!

 

[perchie.girl]

Quote:
awesome... with colored pencil or Oil pastels... I can mix color... but with pastels my fingers are almost bloody when I am done because I dont stop till I am finished... And I work with large paper like 17 x 22... Usually dream scapes or impressionistic stuff. those are all at the house. Where most of my supplies are.

deb

 

[perchie.girl]

The horse cartoon was pencil... I scanned it in using Black and white. I have a couple of spots on my flat bed that need to be cleaned .... so I clean them out of the picture with Corel Draw.

Yeh I could just wipe the glass on the scanner... What a concept...

But I cannot get art to come out of a computer.... No matter how I have tried.

deb