While walking around the farm today I found a hen with new baby chicks tucked in next to the aquaponics fish tank. The piglets were sunning themselves and there was a swarm of bees near the bee yard.

It was probably from one of my hives but I can’t be sure until I can open them up this weekend. Fortunately they were in a place I could get a ladder to and I was able to shake the swarm into my swarm trap. I have not placed the trap out yet partially because I thought it was too early and partially because it has rained the last couple of weekends. I was obviously wrong about it being too early. I will need to open the hives this weekend and add some empty bars (checker boarding) to help remove the erg to swarm. Technically not checker boarding because I am using top bar hives. I am opening the brood area and adding empty bars to the rest of the hive as well.

Olive the new Jersey cow has come a long way since arriving on the farm. When she arrived she had not been handled. She was a breeder cow. I have made an effort to touch her every day when I feed the cows and now I can brush her all over while she is eating. She has tamed down much faster than I ever imagined. We should have a new calf in about another month so I should be milking her shortly after that. I still have to build a milking stanchion in the next couple of weeks so she has time to get used to it before the calf comes.

Marla was never breed or if she was something happened along the way. I think she is outside of the window for calving even if she would have been bread the day she left to come here. She is still big bellied but I think she is just well fed. A little bit of grain and all the hay she wants.

I haven’t really decided where my little mixed up herd is going yet but it will be an interesting ride with many new experiences along the way.