Audrey - So glad to hear your bantie rooster is okay and on his way to recovery. Plucky little fellow! Hope you solve the problem of the other roos so he can rejoin the flock when he is well. Maybe you can find someone who has experience to help you out the first time or two. It's not as bad as you may imagine and if done well the chicken does not have time to be frightened or feel more than fleeting pain. Sheila - If you have only a small flock of hens, the only culling you will be forced to do will be for illness or injury. And we have those issues to face for any pet. It's those pesky oversexed cockerels who cause the problems. The downside of having a roo and raising chicks. Clairegrace - You are absolutely right about there being less fighting when there are several roos than just two. My reason for posting was mainly to draw attention to just that point so other people won't make the same mistake I did. Ceresone - I think I understand how you feel. I used to hunt in my youth but at 55 there is no way I would want to unless I were in a survival situation. One's perspective changes as one ages and nothing wrong with that. But you do have a problem with so many cockerels and eating them is the most practical solution. Sorry I don't have a better suggestion.

#1) Always know exactly where the pipe from the skimmer to the filterbox is buried. While putting the netting frame up, I had to drive stakes in the ground. I found the pipe. #2) DON'T add anything to the pond unless you are absolutely sure you want them. Not that they are a bad choice, but I let husband add a 'few' minnows to the pond. That was a year ago and I still have 3 I've never been able to catch. I didn't know they could get that big. #3) DO NOT wear a $2000 hearing aid while IN the pond. I slipped and almost went under. Fortunately, I managed to keep my head above the water although I will never know how I managed that. I can't hear much without it, but I don't care. Besides, I can 'hear' my goldies just fine. They do fin sign language by nibbling and swimming all around me. I am sure I will think of more later, but those are my top three mishaps. Anyone else?

I'm not a Newbie, but have had my share of "things learned the hard way" over the past 6 years of WS. So I thought I'd respond to some posts with suggestions with things I've learned to help out those of you posting. "I have a heavy hand when sowing seeds in containers. Next year I'll be more gentle. First of all, store those tiny seeds in empty medicine bottles that you get at the pharmacy. Easy to store them in. If you don't have any, I know for sure, Walgreen's pharmacy will give them to you for a nominal charge. They can't give them to you free but they will sell you 10 of the small ones for $1. For sowing the small seeds, get yourself one of those things called a melon scoop or melon scooper, You may be able to find one at a thrift shop, but I know that Walmart and Target have them. Just be sure that the scoop end is small to fit inside the medicine bottle and it has a little hole in the scoop. When you go to sow the small seeds, just use the scoop and gently sprinkle he seeds through that little hole in the scoop. perfect sowing of those tiny seeds. "3oz dixie cups That is too small a container to use. Cups are fine but if you are going to sue one to sow seeds in, it needs to be a 12 oz cup or deeper. A 3-4 inch container is fine, if it has width to it as well, but not those tiny cups. "I'm keeping better track of when I see sprouts. Not crazy details, just jotting down what numbered containers have sprouts about once a week. That way, next year I won't be fretting "why don't I have sprouts yet?!?!" Although, I don't really "fret" about anything. But it will help me to be patient (or that's the theory anyways). I like my records to be simple and easy as well, and in my hands when I'm outside checking on germination. I also like them readily available to check on from year to year as well. But, i has to be simple and you can' beat how simple, but full of info my system is. When the school supplies go on sale, pick up a bunch of he cheapest spiral note books you can get. I use the college ruled, 70 page count, and get yourself a package of 3 ring notebook paper as well. When it comes time to start sowing seeds. Use the notebook paper to record your sowing info on as you sow the seeds. The date I'm sowing goes on the top of the page. On he left hand side of the margin, I mark where the seeds where from, using he following codes. T for trade M for my collected seeds B for burpee TM for thompson morgan VS for value seeds and any other abreviations that would fit for where the seeds came from. Then I start recording the seeds that where sowed and the number of containers of that seed that where sowed. like this 1 dianthus firewitch 2 dwarf balloon flower When I'm done sowing and everything is cleaned up, I copy everything into the spiral notebook. My handwriting is not large, so there is plenty of room to write the dates of when each container germinated. I start a new page in the note book for every date that I sow seeds. When I have time, I jot down beside the name of the seeds, height and light requirements. S for sun SH for shade P for partial sun But I do know that just about any plant that needs full sun will do quite fine in partial sun. Im going to try to wait longer to sow the annuals, even the hardy annuals. Its really hard to wait. Patience is the name of the game Doris, whether it's to WS or waiting for seeds to germinate. We are in roughly the same zone type area. I'm zone 5 in MA. I sow like this. Between January and the end of February, all the perennials go out, and cleome. Cleome germinate better with cold stratification. In early to mid March, borderline perennials go out, but if they go out later than that, it is sill fine. Those seeds include things like balsam impatiens, malva zebrina godeia.larspur snowpeas, etc. They may or may not make it through my winter or I want to start them early because they are cool weather loving plants. bachelor buttons, too. Then I don't sow anything until the first week or so in April. All the snow has to be gone in my back yard for any annuals of any kind to be safe. First out will be herbs livingston daisy, lobelia, gazania, nigella and the like and he veggies start like peppers, petunias, torenia. By the April 17th,the toms, annual aster, nasturtium, 4 oclocks, dahlias, zinnias, marigolds, and a few cosmos go out. 3rd week in April out go the rest of the dahlias, marigolds, cosmos, zinnias, coleus, datura, portulacca, schizanthus, easter egg plant Last week in April out goes the shunflowers, the rest of the cosmos, cukes, rest of the veggies, Last day of April all of my morning glory go out and that can be anywhere from 40-60 different kinds of morning glory and the moonflower vines and the sweet peas. This works perfecly for me every year. I'll be sowing smaller containers that I can plant out as one hunk, I use smaller containers for most sowing. I really dislike the milk jugs and we don't buy tonic and with a bottle return, everyone that does buy tonic returns their bottles. Just remember that the smaller the container, the more you will have to keep an eye on them to water, they will dry out more quickly than larger, deeper containers. I don't have a problem with that, and am very happy with the containers that I have been using for 6 years. I need to buy more soil at a time I run out far too quickly. That is a big problem. I use at least 8 bags of miracle grow potting mix, 2 cubic foot size bags every year for WS. I stock up for the winter starting in Sept. Usually get my bags at Walmart and they are usually marked down by then. Buy the 8 bags then and put them in the cellar till winter time. will only use storage containers, i love them. That's the part you have to learn by using various containers. What works for one doesn't always work for others. But yes, use only the ones you like and maybe try a few different types that you think you might like and see if they work for you. "Plastic knives make the best plant markers. Gold paint pens rock, make sure you get fine tip" I've never used plastic knives, I'm all for cheap and recycle, especially in the containers till they are planted out. I've found that black paint pens work even better than gold. Be careful though in what type of paint pen you buy. The ones marked for clothes do not work well or last and they can take a long time to dry as well. The best ones I've found to use and been using for 4 years is the DECO paint pen in the black fine point. My plant tags look brand new and many of them are 4 years old. Here's a cheap idea for plant tags instead of the knives or writing on the containers. Take the plastic covers from coffee cans, margarine, cream cheese etc. and cut in half, then cut each half in half. DO NOT CUT OFF THE RIM OF THE COVER. Then take the paint pen and write the seed name on the rim edge and then on the side of the piece that you cut. Put the tag in the container. Easy to read the tag with name on the rim part and you can add a bit more detail on the side of the tag if you want. Always sow only one kind of seed in each container. No matter how carefully you sow the seeds, the soil heaving that occurs in the winter from freeze and thaw, and the rain that hits the containers in the spring, will move the seeds and they will get mixed up. Make plant markers ahead of time. I didn't use them this year thinking that I would remember what I planted where. Yeah, right. This years garden will be a suprise to me. Plant markers should be made as you sow the seeds to go in each container. It's too easy to put the wrong one in the container if you have a bunch of them ready and you are sowing. Good idea to have your plant markers made ahead of time to go with the seedlings as you plant them out though. I make them or have them already left over from last years plantings, once the seeds have germinated. When I take the tops off the containers, the garden tags go right into the containers and are ready to go in the garden when the plants are ready. Carol, check out what I said about how I keep records, it might be of help to you. One more lesson. I liked planting in fast food cups with a lid. However in our cold weather the thin plastic lids cracked and broke and became very brittle. Those covers are a disaster. Better idea is to buy the cheap market brand ziploc type sandwich bags. Slip them over the cup and pull down as far as they will go, then take a small razor blade in a holder and put a slit in the bag covering the top. If you can put them in a crate to hold them up, they will work fine. Hope these ideas helped and if you have any questions just ask me or e-mail me through GW. Fran

Hi Bramblebee: I know just how you feel it happened to me last year. Your Queen probally died, this happend quit often and as the brood dies off there is none to replace them. The ants came after the hive was so week they couldn't defend it. This is what I did this year and it worked for me. Retrive your honey and place in a cool dry area, if you have any empty frames in the brood box save them and the ones that have something in them (anything) remove the comb replace with new foundation. Replace the bees in the spring and as always you will have to feed the new bees, give them some of the honey in the brood box but also feed the proper sugar mix. The most important thing to do is check for that queen, I know she is hard to see so look for eggs, if you see eggs, she was there in the last two days. This year I checked mine at least every 3 weeks (normal life cycle of the worker bee) that way if she is not there you have time to requeen. Another thing I did I started feeding my bees in Oct even though they had a good bit of honey, now it is paying off the hive is still strong dispite having a poor fall and relative hard winter. Don't forget to come here and ask any question no matter how simple you may think it is, there are real professionals that read this forum regually and are more than willing to help. Barnabus