Washingtonians

[Chickielady]

Quote:
I have alot, but am too far away.
I suggest PM'ing WA4-HPoultryMom, she has fertile eggs in Monroe.
Is she LF or Bantam ?
A LF RIR hen can handle alot of eggs, try even 10.
Just to satisfy her, 6 would make her happy.
Some hens will sit with NO eggs.

 

[Chickielady]

Quote:
There is a chance they may move in. Do you have frames and foundation in there?? You may also want to spray some of the frames with a little 1/1 sugar syrup. Just make sure it is PURE CANE sugar. NO BEET SUGAR !!!! I would only put one deep box and if they fill it 70% then add another deep.

No foundation, just frames that have the foundation in them already.

 

[AriLovesChickens]

Poultry shipping $44??? Ouch.

 

[Chickielady]

Quote:
I'm not CR and probably really late answering this but I've been reading a lot about swarm traps..

1) The size has to be "just right"

Room for the swarm and room to grow but not to much space. So I would make the hive 1 level with frames in about 5 spaces and empty in 5 spaces.
Once they move in you can add the other levels again.

2) They are attracted to Lemongrass scent.

The suggestions I've read are to take a q-tip and dip the ends in lemon grass oil. place in back floor of hive. Apparently the lemongrass scent is simular to queen bee scent.

3) reduce entry door

They want to build a new hive not have to defend a football field sized door. so block/reduce the door/entry to just a small gap. This allows them to work on building rather then defending the new hive.

I'm hoping to take a single box with frames and hide it in the blackberry field at the local campus here. I'm hoping I can entice a swarm to move in and then I can take em home.

Oooh, lemon grass...nice to know.
This isn't a trap though, just a real hive body.
The swarm traps I have seen are alot different, maybe need to study more.
DH talked to his Dad this morning and they discussed bees.
There, FiL (Dad) had 4 hives, and 3 were new & late swarms, and he fed them throughout the winter.
It gets really cols there...in the 10s for months sometimes..but usually a low of 14 degrees is normal.
Can't hardly waite to get hands on all his equipment.

 

[Ogress]

Quote:
Cool! I want to see a picture of it running down the road (hopefully with a rider on it.)

 

[Chickielady]

Here is a seriously weird thing that happened yesterday....
We let JACK off his chain when no one is here, and he lopes around & we play fetch & stuff.
Yesterday, he suddenly decided to run THROUGH the peas...which is 2 rows of 6" netting, ground to 5 feet tall, 12 feet long (Imagine a tennis net here) Two rows!
His head got stuck & he pulled, busting the stake from one side of row #1, so he plowed forward, freaking out & having a blast (a netted dog!) and went head first through row #2...busted that stake off, and all the peas (HEAVY) fell on him, with nets inside...
Then he managed to pop out the other side.
DH & I got the stakes back up with support tethers, and now I bet half the pea plants will die off

I have been harvesting a 1 gallon freezer bag A DAY from these plants...guess I have enough!

Next thing you know, he will spy the zuchinni & retrieve it.
Had a lab that used to go nuts over balls, and everytime we let her run around the garden, she would steal tomatoes & play with them.

Sometimes we'd go out to see in her dog house, 15-20 tomatoes (all red) stashed inside her house.

Wondered why none of my tomatoes were turning red....

 

[Chickielady]

Quote:
Cool! I want to see a picture of it running down the road (hopefully with a rider on it.)

Will tell him!

 

[Ogress]

Quote:
My favorites are Maine Coons, but my all-time best mouser if Flumpers, the fluffy white thing we have now. I think she is an albino himalayan. She would be perfect if she did not insist on crapping on the carpet instead of one of her 3 litter boxes!

Maine Coons are HUGE. I had one boy who weigher 20lbs and was not at all overweight. We kept him indoors, so I don't know his mousing ability.

 

[VelvettFog]

Quote:
My favorites are Maine Coons, but my all-time best mouser if Flumpers, the fluffy white thing we have now. I think she is an albino himalayan. She would be perfect if she did not insist on crapping on the carpet instead of one of her 3 litter boxes!

Maine Coons are HUGE. I had one boy who weigher 20lbs and was not at all overweight. We kept him indoors, so I don't know his mousing ability.

I'm glad that someone likes cats. For me, they are only good for one thing.

 

[Chickielady]

I believe Stumpfarmer said she had a Main Coon.
I am not a fan of house cats.
I think they need to doo doo outside.
The cost of raising a cat from kittenhood until death is way, way, way more than you think..you could have a new car!
All the litter, tiny canned foods (that they usually throw up or turn their noses at) and the vet bills & shots and kibble, and did I mention toys?
Sprays for the pee- pee mishaps, (shredded furniture not included in the total amount) all totalled up will make you think twice about getting a cat.
But, I need a few for the mouse/rats here in the woods.
I like barn cats.
They have a job to do.

What really gets me is they are NOT a native species, and they are resposible for killing millions of native songbirds (and other native species like chipmunks) every minute of everyday.
Just need a good mouser.
My last Himalayan even caught hummingbirds....