When I look in my bird book there is actually no such bird as a chicken hawk, but according to Wikipedia it is an unofficial designation for three types of hawks: Cooper, Sharp Shinned and Redtail. Recent personal experience has given me a pretty good idea of how a hawk becomes designated a ‘chicken hawk’. …
Author Archives: rpgreen61
Chicken Feathers
I have been taking every opportunity to be outside to enjoy the unseasonably warm weather this week. And given the number of chicken feathers decorating the yard I suspect that I am not the only one at the farm grateful for these warm days. In general, a pile of chicken feathers can be an ominous …
Home Grown
My mom grew up on a small family farm outside of Detroit at the end of the depression where she learned the value of local food production, eating what you can grow or find and putting up food during the plentiful summer and fall to help feed the family through the winter and spring. Those …
The smell of the end of summer
What smell would you bring to mind, if I asked you what the end of summer smells like? As we approach apple season, I can imagine you saying “warm apple pie”. Or if state fairs were a part of your growing up, “cotton candy”, or “hot funnel cake”. Or if canning is a family tradition, …
The wildlife is winning
When you live on a farm in the country, sharing your space with wild creatures comes with the territory, and for the most part that is a good thing, but this year, it sometimes feels like we are at war and the wild life is winning. I guess I should be pleased that the deer …
Swarm Catchers
The best laid plans of mice and men, or in this case beekeepers, often go awry. And when it comes to swarms, this year my bees have definitely had a mind of their own. I don’t entirely understand why they are having such a hard time sticking with the plan. I talk to them regularly …
The Buzz about Beeswax
Before I became a beekeeper, I had never done anything with beeswax, or even owned a beeswax candle. But since I started keeping bees, I have learned that beeswax is pretty amazing. Around 2-3 weeks of age, worker bees develop 4 pairs of wax producing glands on the underside of their abdomens. These glands secrete …
Chicken Chat
So far (thank goodness) we seem to have avoided any bird flu, and the ladies are thriving, and laying well. The first broody hen has long since moved back into the regular coop, leaving her three teenagers to fend for themselves in their little “private shed”. They are getting pretty big, and I have started …
Harvesting Honey
Although a couple of hives did decide to make swarm prep in June, and July, for the most part the bees are now satisfied to stay put, and are focusing on making honey. It looks to be a good honey year so far, and I am busy collecting the bounty of their work. With the …
Baby goats!
After anticipating their arrival since early June, the kids are here. It has been a bit of a rocky start, including: Today, having weathered the rough patch, the kids are thriving (and are acting like typical baby goat “jumping beans”), Mama goat is slowly getting back to normal, and I expect to be able to …