The Old Folks Home

[wolftracks]

Oh Linda, good luck!!! I had to laugh at the end. I saw where he was warning you about predators and thought to myself "Time for Linda to get Emus!!!" LMAO!!!!

 

[chickensnewtome]

I was going thru the older posts on this thread and really got a laugh. I really am the new girl on the block aren't I?

 

[dsqard]

Bet the rooster will make a nice Sunday dinner!!

X4 They make wonderful enchiladas! I have a scar on my leg from a mean rooster. They are quick. Time to invite him to dinner.

 

[Arielle]

Quote: I have only ever had two naughy boys-- One was invited to dinner, the other give only a half hearted effort and is trying to protect HIS girls. He doesn't know I raised his girls, poor boy, so I tolerate his weak efforts of attack.

No reason to have bad boys around.

 

[Bunnylady]

No reason to have bad boys around.

Bad boys are only fun when they are someone else's! (headache, that is)

 

[chickadoodles]

I have only ever had two naughy boys-- One was invited to dinner, the other give only a half hearted effort and is trying to protect HIS girls. He doesn't know I raised his girls, poor boy, so I tolerate his weak efforts of attack.

No reason to have bad boys around.

DH say's he's going to freezer camp!

 

[superchemicalgirl]

X4 They make wonderful enchiladas! I have a scar on my leg from a mean rooster. They are quick. Time to invite him to dinner.

I have had the enchiladas with Rooster Randy... they/he were/was delicious.

Had a BYC chicken friend and her 3 kids here yesterday. They got attacked by bumble bees. It was like the bees were just honed in on them. The girl and her two older kids got stung multiple times, luckily the baby didn't get stung (although I do have an epi pen just in case). I have never seen an aggressive bumble bee and couldn't figure it out - thought maybe they had banana extract in their shampoo or something. This evening I was out with the goats taking them on their daily walk (not leashed) I got attacked by a bumble bee around the same area where my guests were attacked yesterday! It followed me (screaming, jumping and hysterical) into the house. I got stung on my hand. I finally found that they have a large ground nest right next to the stump by my main chicken door. I'm not big on pesticides, and I love pollinators, but I RAIDED the heck out of that nest when I found it. Just like an ornery rooster, I'm not keeping (what appears to want to be) an Africanized Bumble Bee Colony. It's so big it looks like a rat hole.

I did a (honey bee) hive inspection yesterday and turns out my bees are starving to death. There have been multiple reports in this area from members of the beekeepers club of that happening, yet I was still shocked to see it happening in my hive. The weather patterns have been really odd this year - my bees arrived late because it was too cold in Georgia to strengthen the hives to take bees from (most of the package bees come from the south) - and then when they got here it was cold cold cold and rainy, and then super hot and dry. Then repeat. Gardens are about a month behind where it should be (we're just now picking blackberries and blueberries). I had stopped feeding the bees on July 18th and put a honey super on the hive, and when I went in yesterday the honey super was untouched and all the food the hive had stored was gone with exception of only a few cells of pollen. I wonder if this is happening in the rest of the country? Or maybe related to why the bumbles are so angry?

 

[chickadoodles]

SCG I found a bit of info on the bees dying here in the US on BYC on a thread about bees.
Here it is: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/779000/the-demise-of-honey-bees

 

[Arielle]

I"m sure you wer upset that your guests were stung so badly; good thing you found the nest even if you did have to run to the house in near hysterics. WOnder how deep the nest goes?

THe weather pattern was/is strange here this year too. I know we are not far apart, but enough. THe spring rains came very late and I have hoof rot in a couple of my sheep. I haven't had this problem in YEARS. THe perfect storm. I had culled out all breeding stock about 15 years ago with the hoof rot and rarely had it since. This year, UGHHH.

Had my first tomato from the garden tonight. Orange and tart-sour but it tasted like heaven anyway.

 

[chickadoodles]

I have had the enchiladas with Rooster Randy... they/he were/was delicious.

Had a BYC chicken friend and her 3 kids here yesterday. They got attacked by bumble bees. It was like the bees were just honed in on them. The girl and her two older kids got stung multiple times, luckily the baby didn't get stung (although I do have an epi pen just in case). I have never seen an aggressive bumble bee and couldn't figure it out - thought maybe they had banana extract in their shampoo or something. This evening I was out with the goats taking them on their daily walk (not leashed) I got attacked by a bumble bee around the same area where my guests were attacked yesterday! It followed me (screaming, jumping and hysterical) into the house. I got stung on my hand. I finally found that they have a large ground nest right next to the stump by my main chicken door. I'm not big on pesticides, and I love pollinators, but I RAIDED the heck out of that nest when I found it. Just like an ornery rooster, I'm not keeping (what appears to want to be) an Africanized Bumble Bee Colony. It's so big it looks like a rat hole.

I did a (honey bee) hive inspection yesterday and turns out my bees are starving to death. There have been multiple reports in this area from members of the beekeepers club of that happening, yet I was still shocked to see it happening in my hive. The weather patterns have been really odd this year - my bees arrived late because it was too cold in Georgia to strengthen the hives to take bees from (most of the package bees come from the south) - and then when they got here it was cold cold cold and rainy, and then super hot and dry. Then repeat. Gardens are about a month behind where it should be (we're just now picking blackberries and blueberries). I had stopped feeding the bees on July 18th and put a honey super on the hive, and when I went in yesterday the honey super was untouched and all the food the hive had stored was gone with exception of only a few cells of pollen. I wonder if this is happening in the rest of the country? Or maybe related to why the bumbles are so angry?

How terrible that your guests were attacked by those bees! It's a good thing you found the nest and got rid of them!

I am also terrified of bees! But I know we need them!
Here is some very interesting info on a bee keeper who had all his bees stolen by the state he lived in unjustly!

http://www.globalresearch.ca/illino...santos-roundup-kills-remaining-queens/5336210