Author Archives: jkmcintyre

Catastrophe! Calamity! Comb Collapse!

Posted on May 5, 2013 by jkmcintyre

The view through the observation windows on our top bar hives isn’t perfect. The combs are, after all, covered in bees (nearly a ‘couch‘, to be precise). Nonetheless, I could see a piece of the pattern that did not fit. … Continue reading →

Posted in bees, top bar hive | 3 Comments

Hanging with our peeps

Posted on May 3, 2013 by jkmcintyre

Like babies all over the world, chicks go to bed early. Whereas the big chickens hit the roost around dusk, the babies are in bed with momma by 5pm. For us it’s a great opportunity to hang out with them … Continue reading →

Posted in baby chickens, broody hen | 1 Comment

“A couch of bees”

Posted on May 1, 2013 by jkmcintyre

Our first bee visitor under 4-ft tall was Kinsey Craig. She’s three. She doesn’t know anything about bees, but she likes honey. When we opened the observation windows, she was impressed with how many bees were inside the hive (so … Continue reading →

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Baby Chicks: The Poopy Butt Problem

Posted on April 30, 2013 by jkmcintyre

Occasionally (OK, we’ve had one in every batch) a chick will develop a ‘poopy butt’. Little poop balls become stuck to the fluff by her vent (the all-purpose exit hole), eventually binding up the vent itself. I treat this by … Continue reading →

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