Texas

[Jungleexplorer]

Thanks.

 

[jajeanpierre]

Wow! Glad you made it. A bit of advice for you and everyone else that reads this thread, don't try laying down or standing still with the africanized honey bees here. I lived with them in the Amazon for 20 years. We learned to start running flat out in a serpentine pattern and head for water or a house with a sealed room. I got stung 10 times and it put me in bed for 48 hours. These babies hurt bad! No I am not allergic. I have been stung a thousand times or more by an incalcuable amount of different bees, wasp, and other insects and have never had an allergic reaction ( I spent 20 years exploring the Amazon jungle) . These Killer Bees that we have over here are just that, Killer Bees. All bees use pheromones as means of navigation. When a human gets excited or scared, we release pheromones and it is this pheromone trail that the bee follows to track us. Most non-africanized bees will only chase you a short distance though, but the Killer Bee will track you up to a mile or more. In order to lose them, you have to break the pheromone trail by jumping in water or getting inside a sealed structure. The reason you run in a serpentine pattern (zig zag) is because a bee can fly faster then you can run and if you run straight, they will sting you while you are running.

One time when I was hunting in the amazon, I upset a hive and they started attacking me. I took off running through the woods zig zaging for about a quarter mile to a river. By the time I got to the river I was way overheated and took off my shirt and put my feet in the water to cool off (it is not good to jump straight in the cool water when you are that hot). I thought, "There is no way those bees can track me after all that zig zagging through the jungle". I had been sitting there for at least 10 minutes when all of the sudden I was hit by 5 bees at the same time. The swarm had found me. Of course I went in the water and swam a good ways before coming up. I sat there and watched the bees hover over where I went into the water for a good while. They finally gave up and I was able to get my hunting gear back. So believe me when I say, "You have to break the pheromone trail!"

Wow, you are lucky to be alive! You know exactly what I was talking about, the way they would just not quit no matter how long they had to wait.

I'll keep your advice in mind if I ever run into trouble with bees here in Texas--everything I had ever read about bees said don't run and get them excited. The bees I met in Africa had a pretty weak sting--at least it didn't hurt much. My 40 or 50 stings made me a little sick, though. One person who really freaked and got hundreds of stings was pretty sick.

That was what surprised me, how tenacious they were. I must have been down on the ground curled up in a ball not moving for about 45 minutes. I finally got fed up and worried I was going to get badly sunburned so I slowly got up and quietly backed away about 1/4 mile. They still were after me, but many were dead from stinging me and I was able to escape.

I would hate to see that kind of an attack with a sting like the English honey bees.

 

[jajeanpierre]

Got a dear friend with stage 4 colon and liver cancer who live next door (next ranch). He eats eggs from my birds everyday and has never had a problem (he just about won't eat anything else at this point). All we do is wash the eggs real good. The doc gave him 4 months and that was 9 months ago, so my eggs can't be hurting him none. He has been several rounds of chemo.

I'm sorry for your neighbor. I really want to wash the eggs with something "just in case." My eggs are clean, but he might be on so many drugs that knock out his immune system that he needs them almost sterile. A bleach solution? Does anyone know how much bleach? I read somewhere about washing in--I can't remember what they said--Oxine? Something like that.

 

[jockeyeba]

EDIT: Ok I'm an idiot. IT's in "pictures and stories of my chickens" - Right here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/819185/2014-byc-calendar-your-pictures-needed

It;s going on righit now-limited to 2 entires each

 

[Jungleexplorer]

I'm sorry for your neighbor. I really want to wash the eggs with something "just in case." My eggs are clean, but he might be on so many drugs that knock out his immune system that he needs them almost sterile. A bleach solution? Does anyone know how much bleach? I read somewhere about washing in--I can't remember what they said--Oxine? Something like that.

Sorry about your friend as well. Cancer is such a hard thing. My friend did not even know he had it. I went up to visit him and he looked like he had lost a lot of weight and was weak. I said, "You felling okay?" He was like, "Oh, I just got a bad case of diarrhea". "How long have you had it?" I asked. "About six months". I had that horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach when I heard that. I urged him to go to the doctor, but he was like, "I'll be alright". I went to his son and grabbed him by both shoulders and look him in the eyes and said with greatest sense of urgency I could must, "Get your dad to the doctor, NOW!. I go up and visit him a few times a week. He is in bed most of the time now, but his spirit is strong. It's in God's hands now, but I will be there for him and his family whatever happens.

I would say maybe a two tables spoons bleach to a gallon of water max. You have to remember that eggs shells are porous and chemicals like bleach can pass through the shell into the eggs. So, what ever you wash them with, don't leave it on them long and make sure you rinse them well.

 

[mandaleigh1981]

Alright, does anyone here mix their own feed? I am doing fermented feed, and discovered that we have a little hole in the wall feed store in the next town over that sells their grains and feeds way cheaper than TSC. Since I am doing fermented I thought about mixing some things in with the layer feed to give them some variety but wanted to ask for advice from someone with experience before I just go messing with the chicken diet. They lay SO well, and are so healthy, but I am tired of paying over 15 bucks a bag for feed. Thanks guys!

 

[uglychickens]

This is the best pic I've ever been able to take!! Yay!!

 

[Jungleexplorer]

It;s going on righit now-limited to 2 entires each

Thanks.

 

[mandaleigh1981]

This is the best pic I've ever been able to take!! Yay!!

Awww my baby NNs are coming next week. DH loves the way they look and my oldest is excited to get his "turkey chickens"

 

[TammyTX]

This is the best pic I've ever been able to take!! Yay!!

Awww! I love it's little fur neck piece!

I have a Black Star and my husband wanted to know what's wrong with her neck because she is lacking feathers on part of her neck. Must be a defect...I don't care as long as she lays eggs.