I’m off to Kiwicon V this coming weekend.

If you’re interested in computer security and haven’t got a ticket, I suggest you make some very last minute plans to get to Wellington for the 5th and 6th November.

I'm off to Kiwicon V this coming weekend. If you're interested in computer security and haven't got a ticket, I suggest you make some very last minute plans to get to Wellington for the 5th and 6th November.

I’ve been very busy over the last few weeks fencing off an area for my apiary and collecting a couple of Swarms.

I hope to post some more bee info soon.

I've been very busy over the last few weeks fencing off an area for my apiary and collecting a couple of Swarms. I hope to post some more bee info soon.

My bee suit arrived today so I was able to move the bees from their temporary five frame home into their final home.

While transferring them I managed to catch a glimpse of the queen, so she’s definitely in there.

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My bee suit arrived today so I was able to move the bees from their temporary five frame home into their final home. While transferring them I managed to catch a glimpse of the queen, so she's definitely in there. Yes, I've numbered all my frames. I think it's really useful to keep very clear ...

I went and collected a swarm of bees yesterday. I was unable to confirm if the queen was in it, but the bees seem to be staying in the box, so she must be in there somewhere.

I collected them into a five frame Nucleus box. I’ll transfer then to their final home once my beesuit and smoker arrive.

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I went and collected a swarm of bees yesterday. I was unable to confirm if the queen was in it, but the bees seem to be staying in the box, so she must be in there somewhere. I collected them into a five frame Nucleus box. I'll transfer then to their final home ...

We let the chicks outside again today. We managed to find a number of worms while gardening and it seems the chicks definitely have a taste for them.

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We let the chicks outside again today. We managed to find a number of worms while gardening and it seems the chicks definitely have a taste for them. Oscar (our cat) also seems less interested than last weekend.

We wrapped some chicken wire around our outdoor table and let the chicks out today.

They seemed to enjoy themselves. (more…)

We wrapped some chicken wire around our outdoor table and let the chicks out today. They seemed to enjoy themselves.

I never realised quite how fast chickens grew. This is only six days since my last post with a picture of them!

I never realised quite how fast chickens grew. This is only six days since my last post with a picture of them!

I recently had to build a shelter for my Goats and decided to build something with a curved roof.

I’ve also calculated wind loadings for this design – see the end of this post.

The completed goat shelter

I recently had to build a shelter for my Goats and decided to build something with a curved roof. I've also calculated wind loadings for this design - see the end of this post. There are many similar designs available, but most used a 2x6" timber, while I wanted to build something with 2x4" which I ...

Our four chicks have been in a cat carrier cage for the first 10 days of their lives. They grow like crazy and it was soon time to move them to a bigger home.

I made up a 1500 x 900 x 600mm (5′ x 3′ x 2′) frame out of some 50 x 50mm (2″ x 2″) timber and covered the sides and top in chicken mesh. We placed it in our basement on a cardboard and plastic floor (cardboard for insulation).

Have you ever tried to get four baby chicks to pose?

Our four chicks have been in a cat carrier cage for the first 10 days of their lives. They grow like crazy and it was soon time to move them to a bigger home. I made up a 1500 x 900 x 600mm (5' x 3' x 2') frame out of some 50 x ...

We ended up getting four chicks from the eggs we purchased.

We purchased 12 eggs, here are the stats: (more…)

We ended up getting four chicks from the eggs we purchased. We purchased 12 eggs, here are the stats: 2 Infertile (Removed at 10 days) 2 Very early death (Removed at 18 days) 4 Late death (Removed at 20 days) 4 Hatched (one on day 21, two on day 22 and one early on day 23) It appears that the ...