I'll take one of your questions. Do you have nest boxes in a coop? The way a lot of folks (myself included,) have "trained" chickens is to keep them confined to the coop until they are used to laying in the nest box. The chickens will naturally seek a quiet, private area, usually out of direct sunlight to lay eggs if available. Your nest boxes should should offer these amenities. Once the birds are used to laying in the nests, they will usually return to the coop during their daily outings to lay. How old are these hens. Getting them used to the nest boxes is easier when they are first starting to lay. If they have been laying all over the yard for a while, breaking them of bad habits may be more difficult. I'd start by confining them to quarters for a while. Put an egg or two (or even golf balls) in the nests to give them an idea of what the nests are for. Wayne

Buying fish on the internet is best used for fish that cannot be purchased locally. Aquabid has some great deals but it helps to know how much a fish is worth because it is really easy to spend too much after paying shipping. If you are interested in West African fish try www.rehobothaquatics they are in Texas and are mainly wholesalers but will sell to individuals if none of their retail customers are nearby. They have many fish that are seen in books only and most of the cichlids they have can be bought in pairs. If you live near a major airport they can send your fish via the airlines and then you pick them up from the cargo area. I have had fish shipped several times and it runs to $34.00 a box which works out to only three dollars a fish if you buy eight fish or more. They have many polypterus also which after airfreight will still be less than the local fish store. I had good luck with rmsaquaculture also but they would be best for getting fish that are not seen in your local store as their shipping will not work well with common fish because of the cost factor. Anthonys Tropical Fish in California has great deals from time to time on fish from the far east.

Start with a good reliable soil test for soil pH and major nutrients and dig in with these simple soil tests, 1) Soil test for organic matter. From that soil sample put enough of the rest to make a 4 inch level in a clear 1 quart jar, with a tight fitting lid. Fill that jar with water and replace the lid, tightly. Shake the jar vigorously and then let it stand for 24 hours. Your soil will settle out according to soil particle size and weight. For example, a good loam will have about 1-3/4 inch (about 45%) of sand on the bottom. about 1 inch (about 25%) of silt next, about 1 inch (25%) of clay above that, and about 1/4 inch (about 5%) of organic matter on the top. 2) Drainage. Dig a hole 1 foot square and 1 foot deep and fill that with water. After that water drains away refill the hole with more water and time how long it takes that to drain away. Anything less than 2 hours and your soil drainsâ too quickly and needs more organic matter to slow that drainage down. Anything over 6 hours and the soil drains too slowly and needs lots of organic matter to speed it up. 3) Tilth. Take a handful of your slightly damp soil and squeeze it tightly. When the pressure is released the soil should hold together in that clump, but when poked with a finger that clump should fall apart. 4) Smell. What does your soil smell like? A pleasant, rich earthy odor? Putrid, offensive, repugnant odor? The more organic matter in your soil the more active the soil bacteria will be and the nicer your soil will smell. 5) Life. How many earthworms per shovel full were there? 5 or more indicates a pretty healthy soil. Fewer than 5, according to the Natural Resources Conservation Service, indicates a soil that is not healthy. to see what else might need be done to start making that soil into something that will grow plants that will produce edible fruit. The people at your local office of the University of Minnesota Cooperative Extension Service will be able to help as well. Here is a link that might be useful: UMN CES

I've had Dish for several years and any time they told me the problem required a home visit I was charged around $100. When I complained, I was told I could purchase a plan in which I paid a monthly fee and then, if they had to come out, it would cost me only $XX. I feel very strongly that because my reception is so much poorer than my neighbor's (his dish is about 300 feet away and we both built on previous farmland so there are no trees anywhere near our houses) there has to be a problem somewhere in their equipment. A while ago I raised enough hell that they did send someone without charging me and the technician told me I had the wrong dish! He installed a different one and my problems did diminish for a while. It was quite a session with a poor guy with a wicked accent that I could hardly understand that got me any help. I kept telling the man on the phone that their service had been substandard from day one and I refused to pay for anyone to come out, but I did expect to have the problem resolved. I didn't abuse the poor man but after every scripted apology he gave me I repeated that I wanted to talk to his supervisor. He put me on hold three or four times and each time he returned and read me the responses the company uses to stonewall customers. I persisted and he finally returned and said an exception would be made and indeed, a tech person would arrive at my house the next day. That is when the man changed the dish and the reception improved for a while. I became too angry to use this technique last night and I just decided to end the conversation. I can't remember the last time I have become so angry. Besides considering their service to be extremely poor, I refuse to pay them to come and correct a problem I did not create. There is no foliage blocking the signal, there is no ice buildup on the dish, there is no snow on the dish. The weather (I checked local radar) was light snow. Because the signal was gone for at least 7 hours I believe something really was wrong with their signal. Still, I recall that in the past and very occasionally, when my phone service went out, the telephone company credited my bill for time lost. My biggest beef with Dish is that they expect me to pay for repairs that I have done nothing to cause. I havenÂt called TDS regarding the slow DSL service because I want to get someone out here, and I will pay him, to go over my computer and make sure the PC isnÂt the reason for the loss in speed. Thanks for the responses and suggestions. Nancy