by Daisy | Jun 17, 2014 | Barnyard, Laying Hens
Chicken Time-Out wasn’t much of a success. First, there’s the problem of having to catch an angry chicken first thing every morning. No amount of coffee can prepare me for that. Second, I think there may be another culprit. My smartypants Rhode Island Red laid...
by Ivory Soap | Aug 7, 2012 | Barnyard, Other Critters
We love using our electric flyswatter. That crack of electricity when you get one is such a satisfying sound. However, there is a technique to catching those buggers. This is a really short post, but it will change your life. 1. Wait for the fly to land. 2. Place...
by Daisy | Jun 10, 2012 | Barnyard, Laying Hens
We have one hen, Idee, who goes broody at least twice a year. That’s her, in the middle, with the floppy comb. Like many of her breed, Buff Orpington, she is a dedicated sitter of unfertilized eggs, or of nothing, usually, because we remove the eggs every day. ...
by Daisy | Sep 23, 2010 | Barnyard, Other Critters
When checking inside my horizontal top bar hive the other day I found this, an empty comb. Not sure what was going on, I showed the comb to my neighbor, an experienced beekeeper. In his opinion, this showed that the bees seemed to be chowing down on their own honey,...
by Daisy | Aug 26, 2010 | Barnyard, Laying Hens
In discussions of what sets fresh eggs apart from their factory counterparts, you’ll likely hear the word “bloom.” What exactly is “bloom” and what is it for? In short, it’s a coating, courtesy of the hen herself, deposited on the...
by Ivory Soap | Jul 30, 2010 | Barnyard, Mini Goats
Ivory’s Totally Secure Goat Fence 1. Put up worthless chicken fence. 2. Get sick of it and tear it down, vowing to put up a new one so the monsters won’t kill your garden and fruit trees. 3. Fail. 4. Borrow MIL’s boss’s brother’s...
