The Old Folks Home

[superchemicalgirl]

Last year was my first year beekeeping and I was surprised how docile the bees were. I did not get stung and have peeked inside and worked the hive without a bee suit on.

 

[bamadude]

Glad to be back

 

[Highcotton]

I'm allergic to stings too but I still have bees. A good bee suit and caution do wonders. I've gotten to the point that I'll even open the hive for a peek without any protection.

Much to my dismay, swarms, package bees and bees afield won't sting unless trapped. (i.e. stepped on when on a flower or caught inside a shirt) Bees always try to save their sting for protection of brood and stores in the hive. When the hive is threatened they will travel some distance to chase the perpetrator though.

Just don't take your furry pet to the hive with you.

 

[Highcotton]

Glad to be back

Welcome back.

 

[tnspursfan09]

Home all alone today. Someone had to keep an eye on the animals. DD and DH took Maddy to the hospital. She's okay, she is just due for her annual cats and mris. There's been a bit of swelling on her right temple and there are some spots that feel like some screws haven't dissolved, but the Dr thinks that could be calcium deposits. At least we didn't have to drive all the way to Vandy this time.

 

[CanuckBock]

It's pretty amazing that people from all over the planet meet about chickens and have cocktails at a pub together.

I imagine it was the same way back when ancient traders brought fowl from SE Asia to the Indus Valley, Mesopotamia, the Mediterranean and beyond. Or when Polynesians brought chickens to South America. Just people sittin' around having a cocktail and talking chickens.

You nailed it CC...pretzels, a beer and a bird...

Historically across the Pond, you'd go to the local pub with a bird or two and have a beer along with a friendly bit of competition between your neighbours. More backyard garden poultry keepers than farmers, popular breeds taken to these "pub" competitions were White-Faced Spanish, Sebrights, and Hamburghs. The breeds were standardized as Derbyshire Redcaps and the Hamburghs had such names as Old English Pheasant Fowl & Black Pheasant Fowl (Black Hamburghs) with some of the more modern varieties we would recognize today named as Silver Spangled and Gold Spangled. While the pub competitions were informal, newspapers of the day still proudly reported the results. Prizes consisted of copper kettles, "joints of meat," and other practical domestic utensils.

Formal poultry "shows" required worded Standards and the first real show in the world was held in 1845 at the London Zoo. Bristol also held such events. Breeds shown were Dorkings, Surrey, Sussex, Hamburghs, Polish, Rosecombs, Spanish, Malays, and Sebrights, Entries were not a single bird but what is called a pen (1 cock and 3 hens) and the exhibitor provided the cage they were to be displayed in. There was an annual show held at the Crystal Palace from 1870 until it burnt down in 1936.

Legend has it that the White-Faced Spanish was brought over to England by war refugees in the 17th century and these people may have begun to hold poultry competitions some four centuries prior. Sir John Sebright may hold the rights to claim the oldest of poultry breed clubs, The Sebright Bantam Club which began some time in 1810.

Even royalty got into the birds...Queen Victoria had a large poultry house built at Windsor. Those that liked to mimic the Royals, started up what was labelled as "the Hen Fever" round about 1855. The Opium Wars opened up China and saw the importation of poultry to England. Commonly thought to be Cochins, Brahmas and Shanghais but some now question this origin because only the Silkie and Langshan exist in China. Sigrid Van Dort gives us quite the wake up call on the foundations describing the imports as: "It were the worst animals which were taken by merchant ships for food. The birds which looked too bad to eat because of their unhealthy condition did not end on the plate of the crew. Such a bird could make you sick. When home these remaining birds were sold to the highest bidder." She goes on to marvel at how these meager beginnings resulted in such spectacular specimens...I guess what don't outright kill you, makes you strong, eh?

I know of several people that holiday in Europe just to attend poultry shows held in the Netherlands and Germany; simply outstanding poultry events with thousands of entries. You have no hope of seeing every entry...such huge events! I am told that in the UK, you can pretty much spend every weekend at a poultry show if you want.

Oldtimers here in NA use to be called "stringmen" because they had enough birds to enter the shows that they travelled with their "show strings" filling up entire train boxcars. My Booted Bantam mentor Gordon Ridler said his father would have him prepare the East Indie duck entry and he would be exhausted from removing all the white feathers. The old masters raised thousands upon thousands of birds for meat and eggs. This enabled them to make selections from huge numbers for breeding and for showing. As expected, they had some spectacular examples of the breeds and varieties using these methods. There really is no rhyme nor reason on why one bird for showing is better in a really true genetic sense than another (shank colours, # of comb serrations, colour in earlobes, etc.)...so what we humans prefer is much easier to "cherry pick" if you have a crop of a 1,000 over a dozen to choose from.

Dan Honour's article on Buff Leghorns...

www.aviculture-europe.nl/nummers/11E05A04.pdf

There are five sets of photos of James C. Punderford's Buff Leghorns that won Best Exhibition Pen of the Show (one cock and four hens) at Madison Square Gardens from 1909 to 1913...a feat never duplicated.

To me, these are what exhibition Leghorns SHOULD look like. Certainly glory days for the Fancy.

Doggone & Chicken UP!

Tara Lee Higgins
Higgins Rat Ranch Conservation Farm, Alberta, Canada

 

[ozexpat]

Uh oh. Ummmm... guess the Oz visit to The Pub just didn't happen. I don't think we even thought about pulling out our cell phones to commemorate the event.

Too busy talking!

It was A fun evening

Linda was a great host. Its a beautiful area. We are so glad we passed by.

Next time we will stay a while.

 

[LFchixranch]

Thank you LFchixranch. I might check that out. I have the 24000:1 maps and a lensatic compass and I actually know how to use them (thank you land-nav tests in the military). I have promised SCG that I will be the responsible one with the map (although she has passed a hunter's land-nav test) but we will blame her if we get lost.

Linda so glad you had some fun with the Oz's (

Mrs. Oz) but you know the rule - no pictures, it didn't happen!

Wound up with seven poults and only one chick from my hatch. Wish I knew why I get such terrible hatch rates but I really don't incubate enough to worry about it especially since I am not spending money on expensive shipped eggs anymore. I just can't justify the expense with my terrible rate. Oh well, I have plenty of turkeys now and I didn't really need another chicken. I am hoping it is a hen because it is a beautiful lavender Ameraucana chick.

Yeah I also had Land nav in the military. The biggest things are pace count and not letting obstacles through you too far off your coarse. with my ipod maps its a tad hard on getting a direction un like a paper map where you can set the compass down on the map and use a string. But I imagine you will be staying on trails so they should be on the map.

 

[LFchixranch]

I was trying to bring up that map of coyote bluffs but I haven't found it. These are mostly named after the primary city in that grid. I was trying to look at it to see if it would be worth your troubles.

edited to add: I was able to find Kanab, It has alot of trails on it along with dirt roads and of course the elevations. I had originally got it for the AT (that I never did), but if that was on them you guys should b good.

 

[dsqard]

LFchixranch I forget the title of the maps (the area is right on the border of two) but it is the Coyote Buttes area. It is actually south of Kanab just into AZ. Pretty sure if you Google Coyote Buttes map you will find some. There are no real trails to where we are going. There are dirt roads to parking areas but no trails. It's OK I have been to this area before. Just need the maps, compass and I do have a GPS to get to the specific area we are hiking to.
And yes SCG, you are being brought along for scape goat purposes!

Linda, you got lucky that Oz snapped a picture. I guess it did happen