bees

[Cumberland]

How are your bees Nellie? I never hear you talk about them. I still really would like to get them but dont see it happening until we move after residency.

On another note, my chickens finally started laying!

I'm glad you posted because I've been wondering about your chickens. I'm wondering when mine will start laying again or if she is too old (2yrs old). I'm feeling bad for the chicken. She is alone and I don't let her out of the coop. She was pooping on our deck and also finding a way to escape the fence and I ran out of tolerance for both. Do you think anyone would want a lone chicken? I would like to re-group and start with a new round of hens next year. I have some coop issues to work out. Seems that every time I fix one problem a new one crops up. I put the coop up on some wood (sort of like a deck) to keep rodents from burrowing in. Well, now that I have done that, she can't scratch and eat bugs and I'm getting a drainage and smell problem. Maybe it is the coop. I would love to have a bigger space that allows for an enclosed small yard so they can free range but be contained at the same time. And maybe a barn cat to keep away the rodents?

The bees are doing well. Both hives are active and appear to have made it through the winter. I'll wait a few more weeks to suit up and go check on them. This will be the first year that I have started the spring season with both hives active and hopefully healthy. Maybe this will mean honey at the end of the summer.