Washingtonians

[FirewifeJess]

Quote: They do have holes, and I think I want a chicken necklace to wear to the next show and/or BYC gathering. I think I need Ogress or her DD to help me though, I'm no beader/jeweler!

I like the thought of having my flock on my neck...but don't know if having 12 chickens on a necklace is a bit too flashy for me

They're awesome though! I'm getting one in memory of Tilda, and will think about having her make me some more. I just love them! And I love that I could have one that looks like each of my birds. That's so sweet and cool!

 

[FirewifeJess]

My white Leghorn is limping. She is sitting a lot, still eating and drinking like normal. When standing she holds her leg up. No visible injuries or sores, no redness, no black spot on the bottom. Do I just wait and see if she gets any better? She was not limping yesterday, and I don't *think* she was limping this morning. I saw her around noon'ish and I noticed she was acting strange, but I couldn't investigate right then. Help! She's my favorite hen!

I would isolate her in a crate so she can heal. Give her her own water and food and let her rest. Maybe take her outside for a little while each day? But I'd definitely put her in a hospital crate away from the others.

 

[Chicken Rustler]

http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2019244585_zombees24m.html

zombie bees?

This is scary!

Yes I agree. As if there aren't already enough problems for bees.

 

[FlyRobinFly]

Quote:

This is my two youngest Silkies who are currently enjoying some time outside now. DH and I bring them in every evening. Sometimes the Seramas are out there, sometimes it's my new Silkie girl I picked up from Catdance a couple of weeks ago. They take turns. Some have gotten so used to the routine now that when I open the little door, they stand and wait for me to pick them up and bring them in. We all get a little cuddle time then...

Say, those two Silkies look vaguely familiar.

I like your ex pen. I have one that the hatchmates of your babies use, but it has no cover.

 

[FirewifeJess]

Quote:
Wow, that's sad!

 

[Chicken Rustler]

Here is a photo of the Table Mountain Fire, taken by someone from the Forest Service.

The smoke clouds are so intense that they are creating it's own lightning!



And just outside of Cle Elum:

Wow That is really spooky looking. you guys be safe !!!

 

[Greg Richardson]

Washington state's first 'zombie bees' reported

Associated Press –
3 mins 46 secs ago

SEATTLE (AP) — The infection is as grim as it sounds: "Zombie bees" have a parasite that causes them to fly at night and lurch around erratically until they die.

Experts say the condition has crept into Washington state.

"I joke with my kids that the zombie apocalypse is starting at my house," said Mark Hohn, a novice beekeeper who spotted infected insects at his suburban Seattle home.

Hohn returned from vacation a few weeks ago to find many of his bees either dead or flying in jerky patterns and then flopping on the floor.

He remembered hearing about zombie bees, so he collected several of the corpses and popped them into a plastic bag. About a week later, the Kent man had evidence his bees were infected: the pupae of parasitic flies.

"Curiosity got the better of me," Hohn said.

The zombie bees were the first confirmed case of the infection in Washington state, The Seattle Times reported (http://is.gd/ji7UNX).

San Francisco State University biologist John Hafernik first discovered zombie bees in California in 2008.

Hafernik now uses a website to recruit citizen scientists like Hohn to track the infection across the country. Observers have found zombie bees in California, Oregon, South Dakota and, now, Washington.

Zombie bees also are being studied by Steve Sheppard, chairman of the entomology department at Washington State University.

The infection is another threat to bees that are needed to pollinate crops. Hives have been failing in recent years due to a mysterious ailment called colony collapse disorder, in which all the adult honey bees in a colony suddenly die.

The life cycle of the fly that infects zombie bees is reminiscent of the movie "Alien," the Times reported. A small adult female lands on the back of a honeybee and injects eggs into the bee's abdomen. The eggs hatch into maggots.

"They basically eat the insides out of the bee," Hafernik said.

After consuming their host, the maggots pupate, forming a hard outer shell that looks like a fat, brown grain of rice. That's what Hohn found in the plastic bag with the dead bees. Adult flies emerge in three to four weeks.

There's no evidence yet that the parasitic fly is a major player in the bees' decline, but it does seem the pest is targeting new hosts, Sheppard said. "It may occur a lot more widely than we think."

That's what Hafernik hopes to find out with his website, zombeewatch.org. The site offers simple instructions for collecting suspect bees, watching for signs of parasites and reporting the results.

Once more people start looking here, the number of sightings will probably climb, Hohn said.

"I'm pretty confident I'm not the only one in Washington state who has them," he said.

___

Information from: The Seattle Times, http://www.seattletimes.com

http://news.yahoo.com/washington-states-first-zombie-bees-reported-184353539.html

 

[Chicken Rustler]

Quote:

Quote: Eight to ten thousand is a small swarm? How many bees are in a large one?
Well when ya buy what we call a package it is 3# of bees. That's about 30,000. A good strong hive may be from 50,000-100,000 And yes I give them all a name.

 

[SadieSue]

Quote:
Well I wouldn't have believed it until I experienced it first hand, but it's the Silkies... They are like the lap dogs of the chicken world. All of my girls will sit contentedly in my lap cooing and purring as I pet their soft feathers. I am in love with them. I don't know why else I'd be keeping them - the eggs are small and I don't need a lot of "silkie bators," but I can't imagine giving them up now!

(Although, having a few more silkie bators this spring will lend itself well to new chicks! Uh oh... I forsee trouble in my future!)

 

[Chicken Rustler]

BTW For the record...... NO I will NOT be trying any realignment stuff or the use of venom to "build immunity". I may be a little out there but not that far. And I am NOT a guinea pig!! I am very familiar with the process of the injections. See I have suffered with "hay fever" type allergies all my life. A few years ago I was able to do the tests and get the shots (in a Dr. office). I didn't do too bad I was only allergic to 33 of the 35 things they tested for. I did the shots for a few years and now am a lot better. I highly recommend that route BUT ONLY under doctor care / supervision !!!