Maine

[buckabucka]

Yes, you must reapply after the rain washes it off, but it is great in the hoop house.
I am worried about the theatrics starting here! SO MANY cockerels this hatch... Seriously thinking about a second big freezer.

 

[Mainechick168]

Good Afternoon Fellow Chicken Enthusiasts!

It's amazing how summer like it's been. It came so suddenly. I think we skipped spring altogether!

I am now keeping my chickens enclosed in what I have termed "Chickatraz" they seem to be handling the confinement pretty well. The run is huge!

Anyway, I was out this morning watering my squash, pumpkin and cucumber plants and noticed cucumber beetles on them. And some weird fly-like insect. Any ideas on what that may be? I am tempted to let the chickens in the garden but my plants are still small and I know that they will scratch up a bunch of them! So, without the use of my chickens How do you control the cucumber beetles? I do not want to use any pesticides. I have too many ponds near by. Thanks to whoever decides to respond. I appreciate it!

Neem oil is a good option for organic insect control, not sure how it would work on cucumber beetles though. If I have any insect issues, I use Spinosad, which is also organic approved. Best to use at night though, so minimal beneficial insects are harmed. It totally got rid of my potato beetle issue a few years ago when hand picking and homemade insecticidal soap didn't do the trick.

 

[quailtrail]

Lockdown yesterday for 11 Polish eggs!!!! We woke to an early pipping & chirping!!

Please keep your fingers crossed!!!!

 

[dstump54]

I'm looking for some silkies. Preferably hens. Close to south Paris area.

 

[quailtrail]

3 pipped now!!!!

 

[ashandvine]

Quail, yey for you. Are these bantams or standard? We hatched out a few bantams. I didn't really want to but my son snuck a few eggs in there. We have RO, bantam Cochins and a few Marans and EE. All the Marans were spoken for as of last year so I don't even get any for myself! Tough go with fertility this year.

I have a story for you:
I put a trash bag in the foyer and left it. Lazy, I know, The next morning it was torn open. Great, I think, squirrels or rats right? As I contemplate how to deal with it during the day I don't really get anywhere. I have been very busy lately so only a few brain cells to spare. We get to our evening routine and I still haven't cleaned up the mess. I should. I know. I resent the mess now though. Birds in, dinner in, getting kids in when my daughter comes to me to say that one of the geese was left out. I send my son out to deal with it. He is also avoiding the mess by going through the back door Goose now in and I am reading to the toddler when my son comes in to tell me he knows who is ripping open the trash. I think I know too and him confirming it isn't making me want to clean up that mess anymore than earlier when I had suspicions. So I respond sarcastically with a, "great, tell me." Then he tells me its a skunk, who is out there right now in the foyer, chomping on a diaper

AND he had come into that room at dusk and saw this white fluff. He bent over to get it thinking it was one of our Polish bantams until it moved quickly away from him in a way that was totally not like a bird. He screamed and ran out

, ran in a different door and then to me. [I had to laugh.] So.... I still have to go deal with this little stinker [pun acknowledged]. Yup, peaking out there confirms it is a skunk. Its butt is up against the roll door and its head is in the bag so I go out the front door and slowly roll open that roll door till its about 3' open. Its tail is right there, aimed in my direction, cute little eyes occasionally checking to see what's going on... if only it weren't eating a diaper and packing hazardous fumes. Roll door open and I run back in. I start making a racket in the kitchen so it hears me, open the door and holler for it to skedaddle from the top step. It retreats. I wait a moment and then run down to shut the door, peaking around to confirm that its not too close... when I see it crawl back under the workshop.

I figure its coming in under the floor and up into the foyer from this old stairway area so I block that off for the night, clean up that darn mess finally and have been unsure what to do ever since. I don't want to hurt it. My dad trapped them without issues while I was kid to relocate them and he was never once sprayed. I just don't have the gutts for that. [you don't hear me say that often.] My thought is to close up the den hole I saw it go in, open the foyer access again and put some dog food there. If I can get it to come into the foyer again I can try letting it out again and close it out... but as my son pointed out... it has all night to dig a new entrance. Other ideas?

 

[longgrove]

3 pipped now!!!!

Congrats! I'm keeping fingers crossed for the clutch of 6 under my tiny Wyandotte bantam, due on the 14th.

Hilarious story, Ash!

Looking for some guinea keets in Ellsworth area. Ideal would be about the 14th for hatchlings (to graft on my broody when hers hatch) Hoping if a broody raises them, she will train them to come in at night.

 

[buckabucka]

Well, I can't really give good skunk removal advice. We raised two skunk families here last summer. The babies were always wandering about the yard, even during the day. We all just went about our business and no one ever got sprayed. Eventually everyone moved on. It's kind of surprising that we haven't seen any yet this year....., although the basement construction is probably keeping them away.

 

[lazy gardener]

I know i have skunks visiting my yard on a regular basis. I'm more than happy to have them digging up my lawn for grubs. I can't understand why city folks get upset about that. We just be sure to shut up the shop (where the trash is kept) at night to keep them from getting into the trash. And of course the chickens are shut in at night. However, if i had a dog, i'd not be so welcoming, though there's not a lot that can be done about it. When we had skunks visiting when we had a dog, i'd always go out at night with the dog when the skunk made his presence known. If i had a problem skunk, I'd try to shoot it first and trap it second. (though i've never had to) I once had a skunk move into the garage directly under our bedrooms one fall. He settled in for a long visit, and no amount of banging, music, or other activity was enough to discourage him. One afternoon, my Terrier mix dog got into the garage before i could stop her. I fully expected the worst when i walked into the garage to find the terrier nose to nose with the skunk. They said their howdies, and i was able to call the dog out without calamity. Eventually, skunk moved on.

Congrats QT.

 

[VardoChicken]

So much going on!
Congrats QT and to DL - my condolences. You did the best you could for your little duckling! I am going to check out these blinking solar lights. They sound promising and cheap

We are officially closing on our new house tomorrow and the family and I (chickens included) will finally have a place to call our own. I'm so excited to get everyone settled and safe! Now I'm off to troll Craigslist some more for a new beater pickup...Anyone here trying to offload a running 4WD pickup?