Hi everyone. Have a look at this short video of the mason bee houses. **Notice** a couple of new bees emerging from the upper left out of the hatching box. They are busy in the garden eating, breeding and making new cocoons. Enjoy.

Spring Time Clean Up & Tilling

Hello again. Boy it has been a while since I last posted. I am so busy working I forget to post. Besides it has been winter and not a lot going on in the PNW.

I got a new camera. It is a CONTOUR ROAM. It comes with a bunch of way to use it. I was out today cleaning up the yard before it rained and so I strapped it on my head. You can see a bit of my head. Sorry but I am still learning. I thought I would upload a video of the chicken working my garden for me. I am not happy with the video quality on the upload. I am not sure what happened. The image is very good on the computer. I will have to work on getting a better upload??? Can anyone help me understand what I did wrong?

When I first started last week, that bed was covered in weeds and grass. I fenced it off with some very cheap bird netting and some stakes. The girls now roam around and peck and dig all day. Look how clean it is getting. Work smarter not harder I always say!

Feed the birds with the squirrel-n-ator!

Yes that is right, you saw it here first, The Squirrel-n-ator!

The story goes that  I got so tired of those fence rats (Grey Squirrels) chewing up my bird feeders just to get at the seed I was literately at my wits end. My wife in all her wisdom went on line and purchased me the toughest bird feeder she could find "The Squirrel-n-ator". OK, it is really not called that. I just made it up. But the first time I saw those little thief's coming around with thoughts of chewing out the seed pecking holes, watching all the seed hit the ground, and feasting I thought.....Hah...take that you little grey devils! The Squirrel-n-ator was born!

It has a steel cap and feed holes that are painted with a very slippery paint. It is almost impossible to scrape away. I tried a small spot simulating a squirrels sharp teeth with a knife and not a mark I could make. You can't imagine the joy found sitting in the window watching their feeble attempts to get at the seed. I could almost see the pain in their eyes as time after time they tried to chew it and failed to get the seed. So what did they do, they went over to the suet bar holder and ripped it apart and ate it all! However, that is another story for another day as it involves me, a BB gun pistol, a broken broom and a lot of shouting.

All cleaned and loaded for the little birds in the yard.

Another view....

The suet cage. Note I stuffed it with bread and a dinner roll. This thing locks shut, how the heck do the squirrels open it?

Winter sun equals chicken fun!

Hey all - nice to have you back and reading. Yes it is winter here in the PNW but yesterday we got some sun. I let the girls out and was feeding them some leftover buns from a dinner. They love to peck and eat just about anything. But what they love the most is to be let out and roam around in the sun! They are so funny the way they lay out and sunbath some too. I got a couple of pics and thought that you might think they are funny.

You will note that part of the run is covered with some very light weight plastic netting. That is because the run is on a bit of a down hill slope and they kept running and jumping over the fence. So for about $3.50 I fixed them by covering the run. No more break outs! 

Here they are looking at the new mole hill in their pen. I feel sorry for the mole as they will catch it! I just tossed them some leftover rolls. A favorite in the coop.

Here is Bonnie. She is so pretty but kinda dumb. I could make a blond joke here but I will not.

Here is a great picture of Joan. She is my noise maker and talker. She is always complaining about something. This is a great picture don't you think?

The Mason Bee's cocoon harvest

Hello again. Well late fall is the time to take the Mason Bees out of the tubes and harvest the cocoons.I had a good supply of them. I could only show a few as I had over 80 tubes to clean out! I got about 200 cocoons when done and they are safe and sound in a special holding box in the refrigerator.

Note the mud plugs and pollen left over from some of the tubes. It is clear that there was an abundant amount of food for the bees to eat and gather.

Close up of the pollen and mud plugs.

The cocoons from a tube. The big ones are female and the smaller are male. The little strands are there waste material.

A good idea.....FAIL!

The motion camera!!!

Hi everyone. Yes I know that the few of you that read this will be glad to know I am back. It has been a long summer for many reasons. And as you all know, when you are busy, some things fall to the way side. My blog was one of them. Sorry about that for you and for me. I missed sharing a few thing.

So in light of that thought, I thought it would be funny to tell you about a FAIL to and idea.Many people in the world love to follow others in hopes that they mess up and are then forced to admit it -  I know that this makes many feel better about themselves. Well here is one of those times for me. I thought I had a great idea and it so far has totally backfired.

I was very certain that if I put up a trail sensor triggered camera, I would see what is visiting the coop day and night. I have seen possums, raccoons, squirrels, mice etc at random times.Would it not be great to have some proof photos to answer many questions as to what goes on in my absents? With that in mind, I researched the web, looking for a camera that was cheap but rated high to get started. I did not want to spend too much in case it did not work out. I reviewed for weeks the merits of certain models, actions shots, photos etc. I read hundreds of reviews. This action was the smartest and most successful  part of the plan. The rest was not so good.

As you will see below, my camera works very well. However, the only images it has managed to capture is ME going out to check on the coop. BTW, I carefully selected the photos. Some of the pictures were so unflattering I have now vowed to never eat again. It is a diet for me.

So have and look and be the judge. It was a FAIL in my book but funny.

 

 This is the first shot I retrieved. It is me checking that the camera is working. Well it is.

Here is me again a few days later, going out to check on the girls. Yes I am a fan of the band "Chicken Foot". Great band and great hat.

Here is me the next day again, on the way back from checking the girls. Ho hum....

This is the picture I got about 1003 times. It is of the coop and garden with absolutely nothing happening. What is triggering the camera?? I think it is the branch movement.

Oups - I managed to capture 2 of the girls looking out wondering where I was. I am sure they are awaiting a snack.

Updates from Chicken Scott

For this update I will cover -

Broody hen success  - chicken feeding good/bad - chicken treats you bake at home and save $$$$$ - last tidbits. 

Hi everyone! Our summer is really going fast. I have been so busy and have not had much time to blog. Isn't it the way it works, when you have time, it is winter and nothing much is going on. SUMMER time= so busy that you cant even take pictures or update the blog.

Oh well, now that I have ranted a bit - on with some updates.

The broody chicken, Bonnie - I am happy to report that we broke the brood. I did not have time (see above) to build a small "jail" pen or coop to hold her in. So I did the next best thing, I put her in the side "chicken yard" which is all gravel and no comfort. She like to peck around in the gravel but did not like sitting on it very much. The idea I got from my reading is that you have to remove the warmth and comfort of sitting on eggs. If you give no nest, no bedding for a few days, they stop brooding. Some folks plunge the chicken  in cold water and others add a fan to blow on the bottom of the chicken while in the cage coop.I just had to remove her from the nest as often as I could and stuck with it. She would flare up, peck,get very mad and even growl a bit.  I would don thick leather work gloves and she could not hurt me. Not that the brooding is over, she is just the same shy, sweet little hen. She has even started laying eggs again. 

Bonnie (this is a stock photo) but she looks just like this......

Do Not Feed Info - So I have had a lot of questions on feeding chicken. Everyone has their opinions but I stick to what I have read over and over. I have looked at many different sites on this subject. I also have read lots of bolgs and discussion boards on this subject. I complied a small list with the DO NOT FEED -

Raw green potato peels -- Toxic substance called Solanine.
Anything real salty -- Can cause salt poisoning in small bodies such as chickens.
Citrus
Dried or undercooked Beans --- Raw, or dry beans, contain a poison called hemaglutin which is toxic to birds.
Avocado Skin and Pit --Skin and pit have low levels of toxicity.
Raw eggs -- You don't want to introduce your chickens to the tastiness of eggs which may be waiting to be collected in the nest boxes.
Candy, Chocolate, Sugar --Their teeth will rot... No, it's just bad for their systems, and chocolate can be poisonous to most pets.
Moldy or rotten veggies and fruit - If it is bad - compost it - don't feed to your hens.

If you want a big list of the "good snacks" send me a email and I will send you the doc. It is the "A - Z on treats.


Treats to make & bake -

The other day I decided to make some treats I had read about on some blogs. My girls deserve the best, right?  Most treats you buy are costly and I wanted something easy and cheap. I was mixing up the batch and my dad called. I answered the "hey what are you doing" question by telling him I was baking chicken snacks. He sort of stuttered, what the ???? It was funny.

Ingredients -

3 cups finely ground corn (their scratch)
1 1/2 cup wild bird seed - or their feed or a mix of anything - black sunflower seeds, bird feed, some cracked corn etc. I use up what I got. Some people add dried fruit too (apples, berries).
1 cup of oatmeal

Add enough water to moisten the mixture, but not make it soupy - someone also said to add an egg -good for binding the product. Hey it works for cakes and cookies, why not for this?

Mix up well in a bowl and pack firmly into a greased shallow baking dish (form a round or square cookie - or put in paper muffin cups (not full about half full) **** Note - one guy made a hole in the center by inserting a piece of foil (in a small ball or tube. The idea is to have a hole in the center of the treat to be able to hang it up. If you try and put a hole in later, you could break the "cookie"

Baked at 300 degrees for 1 1/2 hours until the edges were brown - low and slow on the temp and time.

Remove and let cool completely before serving. I keep the extras in a zip lock bag in fridge to keep fresh for a long time.  Be sure to mark the bag - Do Not Eat - Chicken treats ONLY!!!! I do not think my kids would eat them much after one bite.


Let me how it turns out for you and how your hens like it. I would be interested any and all changes and varieties.

Best to you - ChickenScott