Stella's Social Club

[mlm Mike]

Well, I screwed up. No time to check hives = problem on 1 hive. I knew I needed to get into them sooner.

This is my Hive #2. It's PACKED with bees, brood, honey, pollen.........absolutely packed. And this hive has built up much more than my Hive #1. When bees run out of room, they get ready to swarm (reproductive swarm to increase colonies). Well, I'm betting this hive will swarm in the next day or 2. I was going to simulate a swarm by moving the queen and some bees to a split I did a few weeks ago. (now Hive #3) Opened the top and they already made a queen. Shoot.

I have a 5 frame box baited to catch the swarm, but this swarm is going to be a large one, so they are going to need to be hived right away. I don't have a bottom board for another hive. A friend of mine does, and I offered to buy it off of her. She won't charge me though. So I have to go get it tomorrow so I'm ready to place another hive. (Hive #4)

So........this is bee math. (there are 2 boxes on this hive)

This picture shows the making of a queen bee. You can see 3 capped queen cells at the bottom of the frame. When the current queen leaves with 1/2 of the bees, they have another queen ready to hatch, do her mating flights and come back to lay eggs for the colony.

Good luck!

 

[mlm Mike]

These two wethers left for new homes yesterday.

 

[Happy Chooks]

They are both beautiful Mike!

 

[mlm Mike]

They are both beautiful Mike!

Thanks, we have a nice group of kids this year.

 

[ronott1]

These two wethers left for new homes yesterday.

View attachment 1397972 View attachment 1397974

Very cute!

 

[1muttsfan]

So sweet. I miss little goaty pictures.

 

[Happy Chooks]

Sunday night, my barnevelder broody smooshed a close to hatching chick in the egg. It was getting glued in, and I knew it wouldn't make it if I left it alone. It wouldn't be able to breathe. I peeled enough back so to get it's head out. There were still blood in the veining of the membrane, so I did as little as possible. Monday morning, I checked, and the chick was still alive but not looking so well. I was going to be gone all day, so I fired up the incubator, peeled off more membrane, and put the chick in the incubator. I really didn't expect it to make it. Monday afternoon, the chick was fluffed and on it's feet, cheeping loudly. I snipped the dried up umbilical, and took it out to the coop to put back under my broody last night. The 2 broodies had swapped nests again, and another chick had hatched. So mama broody has 2 blue Arkansas Blue chicks to mother.

The broody that smooshed the chick is still sitting on eggs. We'll see if she does it again. I suspect it occurred due to other hens trying to lay in the box with her.

 

[ronott1]

Sunday night, my barnevelder broody smooshed a close to hatching chick in the egg. It was getting glued in, and I knew it wouldn't make it if I left it alone. It wouldn't be able to breathe. I peeled enough back so to get it's head out. There were still blood in the veining of the membrane, so I did as little as possible. Monday morning, I checked, and the chick was still alive but not looking so well. I was going to be gone all day, so I fired up the incubator, peeled off more membrane, and put the chick in the incubator. I really didn't expect it to make it. Monday afternoon, the chick was fluffed and on it's feet, cheeping loudly. I snipped the dried up umbilical, and took it out to the coop to put back under my broody last night. The 2 broodies had swapped nests again, and another chick had hatched. So mama broody has 2 blue Arkansas Blue chicks to mother.

The broody that smooshed the chick is still sitting on eggs. We'll see if she does it again. I suspect it occurred due to other hens trying to lay in the box with her.

Nice!

UofA blues are tough little things

 

[1muttsfan]

Yes they are. My 4 week olds are quite happy in with the much larger 6 weeks old Delawares, Speckled and Coronation Sussex ruffians.

 

[robhuncor]

I miss hatching chicks.