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Chicken update!
Lots of things have been happening with the chickens at our farm. First off, we added 10 more of them! We felt that it would be best to add hens because we have 3 roosters and you are supposed to have a higher Hen to rooster ratio than what we had. So, I reached out in a local chicken group and added nore! They are all silkies and polish hens, like what I initially had. They are super cute and settling in nicely. Some of them are showgirl silkies so they have naked necks and one is a frizzle, which is a curley feathered silkie! I am absolutely loving them!
Now, on to the reality big news: we have eggs! So far only 1 chicken is laying, but, hey, that's better than none! I have been told that I should get the eggs within 2 days so if they are fertilized, the chicks will start to develop. I make a point of checking for eggs every 12 hours because I am not ready to break into a fertilized egg! But I am happy to have them finally laying and look forward to them all laying!
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One change that has been noted since we started our small hobby farm is in our eating habits. I have never been much of a cook. It's not that I am necessarily a bad cook, I just rarely feel like cooking. I lack the interest. My husband does cook, and he cooks well but we still just tend to go out more than we should and eat more processed foods than we should.
Now that we are growing more fruits and veggies, that is changing. We are so proud of what we are growing that we want to incorporate it into every meal in one way of another. Cucumber dill salads have become quite common in our home (so simple to make, too! Just cucumbers, dill, feta, and lemon juice). I add mint from our garden to watermelon. I made grilled cheese with tomatoes and basil from our garden the other day that was phenomenal. I bake blueberry muffins frequently as well as mini blueberry pies. I still have 4 quarts of frozen blueberries in my freezer and more still growing, so the blueberry dishes will keep coming!
We have also started preserving foods, which I had not done before. We are making pickles with our dill, cucumbers, habeneros, and garlic. We also use the grapes that are growing in our yard to make our own wine!
This is much better for us than our previous diets, but more than that, we are just so proud of what we are making!
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Our polish hen's crest is growing in. My husband's hair is falling out. So, today, we play "Who wore it best?"
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When I started writing about the start up of our mini farm, I promised to disclose all of our mistakes as well as our successes. I believe in honesty and I also believe that everyone makes mistakes and we can all learn from them. So, here we go with the big mistake we make this week!
This past week, we left an old frame from a bee hive on the ground with drawn comb on it. We left it right next to our most established hive. Why is this a huge mistake? Well, the comb attracts small hive beetles. Small have beetles are exactly what you would think: small beetles that move into your hive and try to take over, causing a great deal of damage.
As we were doing a hive check, one of our frames broke. It did not have any brood (baby bees) growing and so we just took it out, put it next to the hive, and added a new frame. And, yep, forgot about the broken frame that we left next to the hive. That is, until we noticed a large amount of hive beetles all around the hive. Ugh. I moved the frame far from the hive in hopes of luring the hive beetles away. I am supposed to freeze it to kill them off, but I decided that I would rather try to get the hive beetles away from my hive first and then freeze it. I also put a bunch of hive beetle traps in the hive to help with the beetles that have already gotten into the hive.
If something positive can come from this, we absolutely learned from this. I can also be thankful that it was next to our strongest hive and not one of the weaker hives so the hive is more likely to withstand an infestation. So, we will check the hive in a week or so and see how things are going and report back!
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Update on the bees at the bed and breakfast. I have decided that it takes a level of professionalism that I just do not have. We have called in a group that does this for a living. We are hoping that they will be able to help as I am just in way over my head!
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Our daughter works at a historic bed and breakfast in Savannah GA. It's a stunning building dating back to 1892 with a great deal of ironwork. About 3 weeks ago, it was noted that a swarm of bees moved in behind an awning over a window. Because the awning is made of iron and also due to the historical significance, it cannot be removed to get the bees. Obviously the bees cannot stay as this is a bed and breakfast that has guests coming and going and I can guarantee that they are not paying the prices that they are paying to be stung by bees!!!
Today, we have camped out at the house. We are spraying inside the hole that leads to the hive with Bee B Gone and we have a swarm box with lemongrass oil in it to entice them to come out.
We have only in our second year of beekeeping and have never caught a swarm. Honestly, we have no idea what we are doing. A local group suggested that we spray Bee B Gone into the entrance and have a swarm box near by. We spent about 4 hours this afternoon doing so and successfully cause many of the bees to leave. Unfortunately, the queen was not one of them so they are just going back into the hive.
It is currently 104 degrees and we have been at this for 3 hours. We are exhausted and hot and tired. We are calling it a day and will try again tomorrow!
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We added chickens! Yes, MORE chickens! This time we went with polish hens. Again, little planning, I came across the opportunity to take in 4 polish hens and I took it!
One of the hens came with what is apparently called "cross beak". My husband picked up the chicks and when they got home, I inspected them and noticed it. I asked about it in a chicken group and found out that it is not that uncommon and there are entire groups dedicated to chickens with cross beak and other medical issues.
As we are a cruelty free farm, we want to do what it best for our chickens and all of our animals. Fortunately, after researching, I found that many chickens with cross beak can live long and happy lives. I also contacted the people that we got the chick from.and they stated that they were unaware of it so clearly she was going untreated up until this point, which is only 2 weeks as they are only 2 weeks old. So I am going to remain optimistic and hope that we have years with this sweet girl!
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Aeound three weeks ago, we inspected our hives. Our strongest hive had no evidence of a queen. No eggs, no capped brood, nothing. In addition to that, our bees were angry!!!! In addition to that, one of our splits was unsuccessful and that hive was empty.
I purchased a package of bees for the struggling hive as well as a queen for the queenless hive. I picked them up and installed them. When you install a queen, she comes in a little box with a screen on it and a few worker bees. The box has "bee candy" stuffed into a hole. Initially, the bees hate the new queen and they start eating the candy to get to her and kill her but, during the time that it takes to get her out of the little box, or "queen cage", they start to bond with her and like her. It takes on average 4-5 days to get the queen out of the cage.
4 days after installing them, I checked in on them and both queens were out. In addition to that, the bees were considerably less angry. Queenless hives are often very angry.
The strong hive appeared to be quite strong again, which is great because we purchased a honey extractor that we are very excited about using!
These bees take so little time and so much time all at once but either way, I really enjoy them and think they are a fantastic addition to our little farm!
#farm#home & lifestyle#homesteading#food#plantbased#backyardbeekeeping#beekeeping#gardening#microfarm
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Fortunately, we live in an area where we have flowers blooming year round, but there's something exciting about this time of year when we have a greater variety of flowers opening up!
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When we purchased this property, it had been vacant for 2 years. The former owner had it custom built. She clearly loved it and loved gardening. Unfortunately, she was elderly and it all became too much for her and she was no longer able to live alone here and her family decided to sell the home, which we then purchased. During the 2 years that it was vacant, everything became overgrown. This includes the rose trellis at the entrance. At first, I considered just taking it all down and starting from scratch, but I wanted to give the roses a second chance. I spent the past 3 years pruning and trimming and this year, they are doing great!!! They are so full and smell absolutely amazing. I am so glad that I tried with them. I am glad for them and for the former owner. I hope that this honors her wishes for the home and garden that she so clearly cared for while she could.
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Oh, bees. Last week, I checked on the new hives. The queen from the top bar hive was out and thriving. Unfortunately, the queen in the new langstroth hive was still in her queen cage, so I opened the queen cage and promptly dropped the queen who then left. I rechecked the hive today in hopes that maybe I dropped the queen into the hive or somehow she managed to get back into the hive. She did not and, being queenless, they were ANGRY! They quickly went into attack mode and started stinging. As I thought this would be a quick check, I was only wearing one layer and was stung what appears to be 6 times. So, I ran into the house after screaming a whole bunch of obscenities, put on more layers, continued my inspection, confirmed that there were no eggs or other evidence of a queen, closed up the hive, came inside, took some benadryl, and fell asleep. I plan to add a frame with eggs and capped brood from my strongest hive tomorrow and hope that they build a queen. Wish me luck!
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I see a lot of people asking what breed of dog is best for a farm in various groups. Now, I may not know much about farming, but I do know a whole lot about dogs. My professional background is almost entirely dog related as my educational background. So, I feel as though I am quite qualified to answer the question: what dog breed is best for a farm. The answer is: no breed!!!
Let me explain. Every dog is an individual. Let's take a look at what we call the bell curve. You can breed 2 dogs who are fantastic as herding sheep and they can have 8 puppies. On average, 4 of them will also be fantastic at herding sheep. 2 will be afraid of sheep or have zero interest in the sheep and the last 2 will likely be aggressive towards sheep. Now, your average person who is looking to get a dog is not going to go out of their way to seek out the top of the line breeder for what they are looking for and even if they do, they only have a 50% chance of getting a dog who will excel at the traits that they are looking for. Now, a reputable breeder will be able to identify those dogs early on and set you up with the right dog, but those are top of the line dogs.
What do I have for my tiny farm? 2 Mastiffs, 1 Pit Bull, and a French Bulldog. I did not bring any of them home based on their abilities to work on a farm. All of them are shelter dogs and 3 of them are foster fails who predate any thought of even starting a tiny farm. The most recent mastiff came to us when we started discussing a farm. I put the word out to various shelters that I was looking for a female dog, extra large, over a year and a half old, and good with farm animals. My shelter contacts delivered! That being said, Magnolia initially ended up at the shelter with her puppy and puppy-daddy. Her puppy is a great dog. Her puppy daddy is great with other dogs and with kids but did kill a neighbors farm animal prior to entering the shelter. My older mastiff is perfect. My frenchie is a chicken chaser and cannot be trusted with the chickens at all. My pit bull is frightened by chickens and pigs. My last pit bull, who sadly passed away a few months ago, was the best farm dog of all time!
I can't express enough that all dogs are individuals. It should also be noted that once a dog is a year and a half, you are more likely to get a really good idea about the personality. I strongly advise to go beyond the breed and look at the individual dog when you are looking to add a dog to your farm or just to your home! On a personal note, I would like to encourage you to check your local shelters. There are so many great dogs in need of homes who may be just perfect for your home!
#animals#farm#gardening#home & lifestyle#food#homesteading#plantbased#backyardbeekeeping#beekeeping#diy#doglife#rescue#rescuedog#mastiff#doguedebordeaux#frenchbulldog#canecorso#pitbull#farmdog#dogtraining
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Beeswax! It comes with the bees! Obviously we try to leave as much as we can because the bees need it, but we do take come for ourselves and our primary use for it is as an ingredient in lotion bars. Once I started making the lotion bars, I started making soap to go along with them. Both are super easy.
For the lotion bars, I use equil parts coconut oil, beeswax, and shea butter. I add essential oils for fragrance.
For the soap, I use a vegetarian glycerin soap base and honey at 1 tbsp honey to each cup of soap base. I use essential oils for fragrance in the soap as well.
Melt and mix, I use the microwave, and pour into molds and let them cool. Super easy!
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Let's talk about pigs.
Prior to even considering starting a farm, we had pigs. The pigs, Ernest Hamingway and Natalie Porkman, were both rescues from local shelters. Both pigs ended up in shelters due to misinformation about "mini pigs". To this day, some people think you can purchase pigs who will remain so small that they can fit in a teacup. And they can, if the teacup is from the teacup ride at various theme parks. Some breeders will tell you that you can keep the pigs small by feeding them a special diet, and that is also true, but you are basically starving the pig which is inhumane and unethical. Basically, if you are looking for a pig, do your homework and expect to end up with a pig who will be 100lbs or more and will have a strong willed personality. To be totally honest, you will have a very large toddler for 14 years!
So we rescued our pigs and they quickly became family members. Both pigs were house trained in less than 3 days, as pigs are super smart. They also know "sit", "shake", "down", and "give kisses". When we moved to a much warmer climate, they quickly embraced the warm weather and moved themselves outside. We have a doggie door and they are welcome to come in as they please, but they seem to really enjoy their days sunbathing in the warm weather. We built them a "Pigloo" to hang out in and they seem quite happy!
So how do they fit into the tiny farm life that has grown up around them? Well clearly we will not be eating our pigs as this is a vegetarian farm and also, we love them!
If they were to just live their lives out as pets, we would be fine with that and that was also what we had planned for them anyway. Fortunately for us, we have found little ways that they can benefit our little farm. You see, they get a lot of leftovers, mostly items such as strawberry tops and such. My daughter works at a local bed and breakfast and she brings home all of the leftover fruit from there as well for the pigs who then consume the seeds and, for lack of a better term, poop them out at which point they grow and become plants such as cantaloupe and watermelon and pumpkin. So an unplanned benefit to our pet pigs is that we are more eco friendly by feeding them food that would otherwise be waste and they use that food to grow more food for us! Win win! Thanks, pigs!
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The ladies are out in force today!
#animals#farm#gardening#home & lifestyle#food#homesteading#plantbased#diy#beehive#beekeeping#backyardbeekeeping
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New bees!
A few months back, I purchased a top bar hive for my husband. As mentioned in my previous post, last year we had 2 hives. Those hives were, and still are, langstroth hives. Langstroth hives are the most popular because you can more easily add to them when your bees fill them up with brood, pollen, and honey. Top bar hives are vertical and can not be added to.
I am clumsy. Last year, while lifting one of the boxes from my langstroth hive, I tripped and fell, covering myself in very angry bees. So we are adding a top bar to the mix to try it out and because if I trip, I will only drop one frame, not a whole box!
In preparation for the top bar hive, I added 3 of the bars to my langstroth hive so the bees could draw out comb. Unfortunately, they did not draw out straight comb like I had hoped they would, they drew out fat and crooked comb. Also, I did not add a queen excluder so there was a lot of brood, primarily drone brood. I didn't know this, though, until today when I went to put the comb in the hive.
I ordered the bees about 2 weeks ago to prepare. Today, I drove the hour and a half to pick them up. I ordered a package, which is a bunch of bees and a queen in a queen cage. I drove them the 2 hours home, during which they listened to Biggue and Tupac, as all bees and, well, everyone should!
I got home and moved the bars to the new hive. Unfortunately, during the process the comb fell off. I was trying to bump the bees from the old hive off and all of the comb fell off. Not knowing what to do, I tied it to the bar with string in hopes that they will re-adhere it to the bar. I put the queen in the bottom of the hive, dumped the bees in, and added the "tied on comb bars". I was quite surprised at how the bees fell into the hive, almost as though they were liquid. I'm not sure how the tied comb will work out, but I will check them in a couple of weeks and find out!
For the other langstroth hive, I just added a queen to one of the boxes of my stronger hive and moved it to a new platform.
I will give all of the bees a bit of time to settle in and then open them up and check them out and see how they are doing! Here's hoping for strong hives and lots of honey this year!
#animals#farm#gardening#food#home & lifestyle#homesteading#plantbased#diy#beekeeping#beehive#backyardbeekeeping#apiary
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Last year, we took up beekeeping. As we go into our second year, I want to let you know what we found helpful in our first year, what we learned, mistakes we made, and our plans going forward. I by no means claim to be an expert, but I did learn some things that I would like to pass along.
Like any good idea, beekeeping started out wirh cocktails. We went to brunch, there were mimosas involved, and then we visited a local honey shop where they recommended a book on beekeeping which I purchased, as I tend to do if someone recommends something and I have had a few cocktails. A few days later, I started reading the book and then decided to take some of the beekeeping classes at the aforementioned honey shop. The next thing you know, I was purchasing gear and then my bees arrived and we were off!
For my actual bees, I purchased a nuc from a local keeper. A nuc has frames and has already been started so there is comb as well and eggs and such. The other option would have been to buy a package which is just bees and those bees would have had to start from scratch. So we went nuc.
We were told to start with 2 hives because we could compare the 2 and monitor progress. I am very glad that I listened. I feel as though that was without a doubt the best piece of advice that I was given. Another great piece of advice was to discuss our intent to start beekeeping with our neighbors prior to starting. They were all fine with it and also have enjoyed receiving little jars of honey. One neighbor even pointed out that I should discuss not spraying for mosquitoes around us and they have stopped. The funny thing is, we haven't seen an increase in mosquitoes! My personal theory on that is that without the spray, the dragon flies have also returned and are eating the mosquitoes so it worked out well!
During the beginning, hive 1 was thriving. The bees were producing honey and having babies and just doing quite well. Then in June, something changed. I'm not sure exactly what happened, but one day they were just mean and angry! I received 26 stings in one day. And, yes, I took benadryl. After that, the hive has not done as well. I have yet to harvest honey from that hive and I don't see a great deal of larvae. It's in there, but not at the rate that I see it in the other hive. The queen is also there as I see her often, but she just doesn't lay as much. Other beekeepers have told me to kill that queen off and buy a new queen, but I can't bring myself to do it. It just seems cruel to me. After all, I don't want to have a whole bunch of babies and no one has suggested offing me because of it!
My second hive is the complete opposite. During the beginning, it was not thriving. At one point, I noticed that the population within the hive was dwindling and we purchased a new queen and after that, the hive was a bustling bee community! I was able to extract 22 lbs of honey from that hive and also enough beeswax to make 26 lotion bars!
This year we plan on expanding and adding 2 more hives. I am going to just split the overachiever hive and make 2 hives out of that one and then add another hive as well.
We have really enjoyed the beekeeping so far. It is not cheap, but it is worth it. Beekeeping does not take up a whole lot of our time and we find it very rewarding. We enjoy just watching the bees go in and put of the hive and find it calming.
One thing that I should mention is that you 100% will get stung. I see the videos of people keeping bees without protection all the time and not once have I thought that I will be like that in time. Instead, I think that those people are equal parts brave and crazy. We layer up when we check on our hives and we still get stung! I wear leggins and then jeans and a shirt and bee jacket and veiled hat and gloves and still get stung! But it is worth it!
#farm#gardening#diy#home & lifestyle#homesteading#plantbased#animals#beekeeping#backyardbeekeeping#honeycomb#food
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