What did you do in the garden today?

[Sally PB]

I want to add that I spent about $350-400 on plants specifically for honey bees, not just for pollinators. I planted bee balm, and the honey bees ignored it. The bumble bees and yellow jackets loved it. Sorry, bumble bees, but I'm not feeding the yellow jackets!

I asked someone at a bee meeting and he said that the throat of bee balm is too long for honey bees' tongues to reach the nectar, so it's useless for them.

In case you're wondering...

Seven Sons (4 @ $40 each)
Maakia ($50)
New England Aster (10 @$6 each)
Purple Cone Flower (10 @ $6 each)
3 trees @ $20 each
Plus some seed packets.

All but the Seven Sons and seeds were bought either at a sale by/connected with the bee club, or from someone in the bee club. The maakia tree was grown by a member who is a beekeeper and arborist, and he donated it to the club to auction off. I wasn't shy about bidding $50 right off the bat. Honeybees like the flowers; same with Seven Sons.

 

[Rick589]

We are at day 20 of our broody hen experience anticipating new chicks tomorrow……maybe.

 

[TJAnonymous]

Yes, well at one point when we got our first egg we figured it cost about $600.00

Oh, I get it... After not having chickens for many years, I suddenly brought home 6 chicks from the feed store. I ended up spending a hundred and some odd dollars to buy one of those cute little chicken coops on Wayfair. Realized a few weeks later that it was going to be WAY too small. BTW, did I mention I lived on a postage stamp in a subdivision at the time? Not my brightest moment... Ended up spending another hundred bucks or so to build this little coop below. To be fair, nearly all of the materials were free (plastic pallet, siding, shingles, etc...). Still... $300 for chicks that wouldn't even produce a single egg for 5 months! Crazy, if you think about it... And that was back in 2018 when eggs were cheap. If you said I had to drop $1200 to even get started, I know I'd have never bought those chicks...

 

[ShrekDawg]

We are at day 20 of our broody hen experience anticipating new chicks tomorrow……maybe.

Awwwwwww

 

[Rick589]

Oh, I get it... After not having chickens for many years, I suddenly brought home 6 chicks from the feed store. I ended up spending a hundred and some odd dollars to buy one of those cute little chicken coops on Wayfair. Realized a few weeks later that it was going to be WAY too small. BTW, did I mention I lived on a postage stamp in a subdivision at the time? Not my brightest moment... Ended up spending another hundred bucks or so to build this little coop below. To be fair, nearly all of the materials were free (plastic pallet, siding, shingles, etc...). Still... $300 for chicks that wouldn't even produce a single egg for 5 months! Crazy, if you think about it... And that was back in 2018 when eggs were cheap. If you said I had to drop $1200 to even get started, I know I'd have never bought those chicks...

View attachment 4160242View attachment 4160243

Do you think it ever becomes cheaper to have backyard eggs than buying? I built and outfitted ourselves for about $1500.00 figuring 5 hens. We ended up with 6, 2 of which were roosters, which we got on the 2 of July this year. By the middle of December we got our first egg….so, I guess the first egg cost $1500.00 not $600.00. Of course, these gals have been pumping eggs out at an average of three a day. So, per egg price obviously dropped a lot but I always wonder whether it ever actually becomes cheaper.

 

[Rick589]

Oh, I get it... After not having chickens for many years, I suddenly brought home 6 chicks from the feed store. I ended up spending a hundred and some odd dollars to buy one of those cute little chicken coops on Wayfair. Realized a few weeks later that it was going to be WAY too small. BTW, did I mention I lived on a postage stamp in a subdivision at the time? Not my brightest moment... Ended up spending another hundred bucks or so to build this little coop below. To be fair, nearly all of the materials were free (plastic pallet, siding, shingles, etc...). Still... $300 for chicks that wouldn't even produce a single egg for 5 months! Crazy, if you think about it... And that was back in 2018 when eggs were cheap. If you said I had to drop $1200 to even get started, I know I'd have never bought those chicks...

View attachment 4160242View attachment 4160243

Do I detect Buff Orpingtons? That’s what we have.

 

[Rick589]

We are at day 20 of our broody hen experience anticipating new chicks tomorrow……maybe.

So, how many days beyond the 21 would you allow before calling the egg a failure? Us broodyhenhatchingeggs virgins would like to know.

 

[Backroadlogic]

I had one of my broody girls hatch hers today! I was 2 and a half weeks off on her hatch date lol I had no idea she was broody until last Sunday 9 chicks!

We are at day 20 of our broody hen experience anticipating new chicks tomorrow……maybe.

 

[Smokerbill]

I believe this thread addresses our general desire to eat as naturally as possible. I’ve always adhered to the moderation stance and stuck with the natural(unaltered/undesigned) foods:sugar, flour,salt,butter,lard,milk,eggs,etc. Grow and can a lot of our own vegetables and do not buy any premade/ready to eat foods except for the occasional chips or pizza. Grandmother cooked with the above, grandparents ate well(we all did), and they died at 88 and 87. So, they, the researchers, can keep the sugar substitutes, play with the definition of what milk is, bad mouth eggs, and muddy the waters on fat. I’ll stick with good old God given food.

That's my philosophy too. Processed foods with their additives are the cause of many medical problems in my opinion.

 

[Backroadlogic]

Do you think it ever becomes cheaper to have backyard eggs than buying? I built and outfitted ourselves for about $1500.00 figuring 5 hens. We ended up with 6, 2 of which were roosters, which we got on the 2 of July this year. By the middle of December we got our first egg….so, I guess the first egg cost $1500.00 not $600.00. Of course, these gals have been pumping eggs out at an average of three a day. So, per egg price obviously dropped a lot but I always wonder whether it ever actually becomes cheaper.

I've not bought new chickens in yearssss. I buy feed only in winter and still i use very sparingly. I have no coop. I have more eggs than I could ever use, nearly free of cost. Just depends on the route you take.