Wisconsin "Cheeseheads"

[Terri O]

TO are your hives active as in actively maintained/still in existence? Do you have them for honey production or pollination or ?? Looks like there's a lot of work/effort to keeping them alive during winter here in WI?
Elaine

Hey Elaine--the hives are still out there (and rotting) The mice got into them. We originally got into bees because DH wanted some of his "own" livestock. LOL! Yeah, until he found out that they were more work than chickens and he lost interest that is! So I took them over for a year but I had too much other stuff that I had to keep up with...we kept having to replace the queens each year and it got to expensive. We did get some nice homey out of the hives though...What I would really like is to have someone drop off bees in my hives or in theirs and have them for pollination...I am not that wild about honey anyhow. I had asked one guy but never heard from him.
It is gorgeous out there today! I thought it was going to be one of those "pretty sun, but pretty cold" days. If I felt better I might even go for a ride! Dont get what's wrong but I am way too achy to go riding. I am wondering if I got some Gluten poisoning at the SB party? It sure feels like it!
I think I'll have some eggs....Terri O

 

[Celtic Chick]

Someone has 2 Blue Laced Red Wyandottes Roosters for sale
http://milwaukee.craigslist.org/grd/2836359220.html

4 new hampshire red pullets - $12 (slinger/richfield)
http://milwaukee.craigslist.org/grd/2835765268.html

BR & RIR chicks
http://milwaukee.craigslist.org/grd/2834369256.html

7 month old chickens for sale
http://milwaukee.craigslist.org/grd/2837808865.html

Free roos
http://milwaukee.craigslist.org/grd/2837808865.html

 

[raimnel]

Guess I can tell you, after all DH doesn't come on BYC. lol I bought tickets for my DH's birthday to the Resch center to see Jeff Foxworthy, Bill Engvall, & Larry the cable guy. lol should be a funny night! They're going to be there on the 24th, the day before his birthday. lol now if only I could afford a hotel, or bring myself to sleep in a hotel

lol I'm gonna set up the GPS to take us to the resch center and not tell him where we are going just tell him to follow the GPS. lol IDK maybe tell him that we're going out to eat somewhere. lol
any who, I gotta run! I just HAD to tell someone or I was gonna bust. ya know I can't tell my mom, 1 she would blab it. and 2 she would invite herself along.

ps she doesn't come to BYC either!

later

 

[ElaineS585]

.....
Elaine-haven't forgot your rabbit meat breed question....get to it a little later today...

No worries, I already forgot my question! ha

Teri, thanks for the info. If I do start a beehive in my backyard it'll be primarily to help with the bee colony collapse syndrome & hopefully have some honey production. $ is the primary issue and I'm undecided if I really want to take on the additional responsibility. Time will tell. I am very, very fortunate in that I have a lot of bees in my yard because of bee friendly plants. They particularly love my anise hyssop. [(Agastache foeniculum) See: http://www.herbcompanion.com/Herb-Profiles/ANISE-HYSSOP.aspx] You can always to see a gazillion bees at my hyssop plants (which are extremely easy to grow, are perennial, prolific reseeders). Hyssop is a herb, makes great tea and the blooms can be dried for dry flower arrangements, etc. I know I have the most bee activity in my neighborhood (based on my walks) and it probably also has a lot to do with my being as organic as I can. Everyone on all sides of me and in my neighborhood generally love to poison the yards -- see all those little white yard signs warning of chemicals in use - very sad.... Anyhow, I very highly recommend this plant for anyone who want more bees in their yard. Hyssop grows in shade & sun and get really tall the more sun they get. I'd be happy to share if anyone wants to swing by for the some babies plants in the Spring. Of, if you want to send me an SASE in the Fall, I'd be happy to send some seeds. I'm very excited for this Spring & Summer as several of my fruit trees should start producing or have increased fruit this year. I will be watching them very closely for bee activity. May even plant more hyssop around each tree....

Well that's all for now, I'm out of time. Stay warm!
Elaine

 

[bigzio]

Chilly Evening To All....sorry about your sheep TO. It's gotta be tuff dealing with losses of the bigger critters.

Hope your surprise turns out for you on the 24th raim.

Nothing much new here...getting a few more eggs everyday now lately. Gotta go watch Daniel Boone...

bigz

 

[Apyl]

Guess I can tell you, after all DH doesn't come on BYC. lol I bought tickets for my DH's birthday to the Resch center to see Jeff Foxworthy, Bill Engvall, & Larry the cable guy. lol should be a funny night! They're going to be there on the 24th, the day before his birthday. lol now if only I could afford a hotel, or bring myself to sleep in a hotel

lol I'm gonna set up the GPS to take us to the resch center and not tell him where we are going just tell him to follow the GPS. lol IDK maybe tell him that we're going out to eat somewhere. lol
any who, I gotta run! I just HAD to tell someone or I was gonna bust. ya know I can't tell my mom, 1 she would blab it. and 2 she would invite herself along.

ps she doesn't come to BYC either!

later

Very cool. My DH loves those guys. Me personally am not a fan of stand up comedy but I bet it would be fun. Good luck keeping it secret

 

[Bigfamily4me]

Mealworms = crazy clucking chicks!

Yes... You were right. The grossness of the mealworms is totally worth it when seeing crazy chickie love for them. And what pigs they are! They are definetly getting excited when a hand comes in their brooder. So funny!

DRHaHa... You STILL have not posted ugly chick pics. What kind of chick father are you?! Jeepers... It's not like you have to pose in your bathrobe with them...

TO.... So sad about the sheep. Why the hell can't they just live like their supposed to?!

CC... Get off Craigslist for chickens. I'm cutting you off!!!


QUESTION: why would people use sand in their coop instead of pine shavings? I haven't heard of that practice until recently.

 

[MustLoveHens]

Evening All!!
The Girls have been doing great! I got 8 or 9 eggs today! Other then that not much going on here. Same old same old!

I was checking the rabbits, topping off water bowls as passing out treats when I looking into Maggies nest box. Apparently I was being watched....the babies have their eyes open and kept popping their little head out of the box to check out the happenings outside the nest box!! Maggie is being such a great mama!!

Elaine-your question was about rabbit breeds are good meat rabbits. Well, there are actually meat breeds. There are also breeds for fiber/wool production. My first rabbit was one of those. An English Angora. He was the best bunny ever! A boat load of work though....
Anyway, the best breeds for meat are New Zealand and the Californian. The Cali was the rabbit most commonly uses but the NZ has surpassed them in popularity. There is also a great little meat rabbit that is gaining popularity because they are small as far meat rabbits go but still have a nice sized dressed carcas. They are the Florida While. There are also some other awesome breeds like the Cream D'Argent and the Champagne D'Argent to name a couple. The Rex comes in Mini (miniature) and standard sizes and I have been told the standard sized Rex makes a decent meat rabbit. As easy as the Mini's are to find, the standard sized rex's are hard to find.
There are also three breeds that are referred to as "giant" breeds. Those are the very popular and easy to find Flemish Giant, the Giant Chinchilla, and the temperamental Checkered Giant. The giants actually don't make good meat rabbits because of their meat to bone ratio. They do however make a great meat breed to cross with a smaller meat breed like the New Zealand. I've had FG's and they were fun and made great pets. We had one as our feed store mascot. His name was Harvey.
Interestingly, rabbit meat was very popular in the US and was at one point a table staple. That all changed in WWII when food was rationed and then during that time, in 1942 rabbit meat as an American table staple all but vanished when good old Walt Disney came out with Bambi. Thumper pretty much killed America's meat-rabbit- as- a- food- staple- industry for good.

 

[Terri O]

Good evening--beef stew w/ dumplings is almost done! It smells divine. DH just got home...he is in his under ware...OK--you didnt need to know that...he just worked out at the fitness center/wear you pants upstairs for God's sake and then put your PJs on! LOL!

I talked to Carol LOTS today...she must have had a bunch of time between clients. We are planning an a day ride at Palmyra Horsemen's Camp the Saturday of Mothers Day. If anyone wants to join us please post up and we can plan a time to meet! It will be fun!

Dinner is ready and I am going to watch a movie...nighties! Terri O

 

[Angiebubs]

Apyl: I actually entered last night LOL No idea what I would do with 25 chickens though ;-P