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Farm Livestock / Re: Falconry
« Last post by Bakersdozen on March 09, 2025, 12:53:00 pm »Is the diet of a hawk all protein or does it eat grains like a chicken?
Recent Posts
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Farm Livestock / Re: Falconry
« Last post by The15thMember on March 09, 2025, 11:52:40 am »The mews is all but finished. It just needs another couple bags of pea gravel on the floor and to clean up all the scraps from around the building site. Then Charlotte's sponsor will come out and see it, and if he okays it, then the Wildlife Commission will come out and officially inspect and certify it.
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Farm Livestock / Re: Baby Goats Anyone?
« Last post by The15thMember on March 07, 2025, 02:20:17 pm »We may have had a breakthrough in the fertility trouble with the goats! Louise has this habit where she will suck on or scrap her teeth on the gate; we jokingly call it "flossing". She's kind of a wacko, so we figured it was just Louise doing Louise things. 
But Haley noticed that Halo has lately been doing it too, and these are the two does we've had the most trouble breeding. So Haley got to thinking, they only do this flossing behavior on galvanized metal, so was there some mineral they were looking for that is in the galvanizer that they could be low on? Well, as you may or may not know, galvanized metal is coated with zinc, and a little research led Haley to discover that zinc levels are directly linked to fertility in goats!
But Haley noticed that Halo has lately been doing it too, and these are the two does we've had the most trouble breeding. So Haley got to thinking, they only do this flossing behavior on galvanized metal, so was there some mineral they were looking for that is in the galvanizer that they could be low on? Well, as you may or may not know, galvanized metal is coated with zinc, and a little research led Haley to discover that zinc levels are directly linked to fertility in goats! 64
Farm Livestock / Re: Baby Goats Anyone?
« Last post by Bakersdozen on March 02, 2025, 09:02:07 am »Thanks for sharing pictures of the babies. Those are the cutest things!
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Farm Livestock / Re: Baby Goats Anyone?
« Last post by The15thMember on February 27, 2025, 12:50:26 pm »Here's the pictures. These kids' father is Arthur, who we just butchered, so we named most of the kids after King Arthur characters. The white boy is named Lancelot (we've been calling him Lance for short, and I've also been calling him Cracker 
), and the white girl is Guinevere. The brown girl is named Mage, since King Arthur: Legend of the Sword is our favorite King Arthur movie, and one of the characters in that movie doesn't really have a name, she is just "the mage". The black boy is named Gad, because in case anyone hasn't picked up on this yet, we have a tradition of naming the first male goat born every year after a tribe of Israel.
), and the white girl is Guinevere. The brown girl is named Mage, since King Arthur: Legend of the Sword is our favorite King Arthur movie, and one of the characters in that movie doesn't really have a name, she is just "the mage". The black boy is named Gad, because in case anyone hasn't picked up on this yet, we have a tradition of naming the first male goat born every year after a tribe of Israel. 66
Farm Livestock / Re: Baby Goats Anyone?
« Last post by The15thMember on February 27, 2025, 11:27:25 am »Guys, you are not going to believe this! We missed Murphy kidding AGAIN! 
Her ligaments were gone in the morning, so Haley had been checking on her basically every hour, all day. So she went out to check on her at 8:30 PM. Nothing, she looked the same as she had all day; a little uncomfortable, that kind of dazed look in her eye that does about to kid have, no interest in food, but also no contractions, no pre-birth material, and not even laying down. So Haley goes back out at 9:30, and on her way down to the barn she hears babies crying. She gets down there and ALL 4 KIDS are on the ground, and the first one is mostly dry and trying to nurse! We can't understand how she can even give birth that fast and with absolutely no pre-labor. It's like she deliberately waits for Haley to be gone and then quickly gets them all out as fast as possible before anyone can see. Needless to say mom and babies are doing very well, since this whole process is weirdly easy for Murphy. She had 2 boys and 2 girls. Pictures will be forthcoming.
Her ligaments were gone in the morning, so Haley had been checking on her basically every hour, all day. So she went out to check on her at 8:30 PM. Nothing, she looked the same as she had all day; a little uncomfortable, that kind of dazed look in her eye that does about to kid have, no interest in food, but also no contractions, no pre-birth material, and not even laying down. So Haley goes back out at 9:30, and on her way down to the barn she hears babies crying. She gets down there and ALL 4 KIDS are on the ground, and the first one is mostly dry and trying to nurse! We can't understand how she can even give birth that fast and with absolutely no pre-labor. It's like she deliberately waits for Haley to be gone and then quickly gets them all out as fast as possible before anyone can see. Needless to say mom and babies are doing very well, since this whole process is weirdly easy for Murphy. She had 2 boys and 2 girls. Pictures will be forthcoming.67
Pests and Diseases / Re: tracheal mite treatments
« Last post by rober on February 25, 2025, 01:57:48 pm »i instructed my daughter on how to send samples to the usda lab. i told her to pkg. samples & label them & each sample tested. otherwise the lab lumps them all together.
i never had these mites show up in testing before, just mites & nosema. i also never had an issue with either foulbrood or chalkbrood.
i've not actually seen the reports so i'm not sure of the numbers. i'll have her send me a copy.
i never had these mites show up in testing before, just mites & nosema. i also never had an issue with either foulbrood or chalkbrood.
i've not actually seen the reports so i'm not sure of the numbers. i'll have her send me a copy.
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Pests and Diseases / Re: tracheal mite treatments
« Last post by The15thMember on February 25, 2025, 01:12:14 pm »@rober do you know what the numbers of trachael mites were like? Basically I'm wondering if the test discovered a handful of tracheal mites in a sample, but were they negatively impacting the bees that much? Obviously if they were at infestation levels, then they were having some impact, but finding a parasite in a sample doesn't mean that parasite and host weren't in some sort of healthy balance.
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Honey, Bee Forage; Nectar & Pollen Sources / Re: What blooms where and when
« Last post by The15thMember on February 25, 2025, 01:07:31 pm »I've had what I can only assume is maple pollen coming in for several weeks now, which is really early.
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Pests and Diseases / Re: tracheal mite treatments
« Last post by Bakersdozen on February 25, 2025, 11:14:33 am »This is the first I have heard of a confirmed tracheal mite diagnosis. Beekeeping classes in this area tend to mention tracheal mites but add the caveat that we rarely see it.
For those interested this is a link from Clemson University about Tracheal Mites and recommended treatments. https://www.clemson.edu/extension/beekeepers/fact-sheets-publications/tracheal-mite-honey-bee.html#:~:text=Tracheal%20mites%20are%20microscopic%20in,where%20the%20developmental%20cycle
For those interested this is a link from Clemson University about Tracheal Mites and recommended treatments. https://www.clemson.edu/extension/beekeepers/fact-sheets-publications/tracheal-mite-honey-bee.html#:~:text=Tracheal%20mites%20are%20microscopic%20in,where%20the%20developmental%20cycle