Allow me to introduce myself. I am in Park City Utah and have just recently become a bee and chicken keeper. Did the chicken thing cause I had the room and wanted the kids to have some chores and such. So I started with the chickens. They don't have to get up and milk at 5:00am like we did as kids but its a start. We live in a great place, but the kids stay busy with sports and skiing so I wanted them to have some chores. I have a 13, 9, & 4 yr old Girl, boy, girl. Sarted with some day olds in March of "07" and with a few friends that came up with incubators and such have gone a little crazy. Had a friend with an old pigeon racer loft that he wanted to get rid of and started with that. Its is a 8x20 and nice... I did not know that I was taking a $4K thing off of his hands though (Brian), or I would have been tempted to sell the thing. So anyway, I have been loving this year spending time with the kids and getting things done. Building the flight pen and incubating chicks etc. We now have about 70 birds mostly white leghorns, rode island reds and hybrids of the two. I had a couple of others that were given to me by the local elementry schools when they hatched theirs from class so we have quite a group..
I got interested in bees and started doing some research and wouldn't you know it a developer friend of mine bought some property with 13 hives on it. He asked me if I wanted them,,,, They look like they have been forgotten for a year or so I think thought I am no expert. So I took them and happily put them out on the ranch... They are all double deep and 12 of them seem to have good bees. I wasn't quite ready for them in my opinion but I can't complain. The price was right!! I just hope I don't screw anything up. I have been reading posts for about two months now here and absorbing as much as I can. I am very thankful for all your posts. I have learned a lot and know that I have a long way to go. So keep it up all. I always went to general beekeeping and hive construction etc, and I did not even see the bottom section. I was elated to find a lot of you have chickens and other fowl as well. Feel like I found a home... Anyway, I am just praying that I can get most of the bees through the winter. I am taking all the advice in so far that I can and doing a lot of finger crossing. A lot of firsts this year. I grew up working a dairy farm, with pigs and thats about it. You need to pull a calf or artificially get her pregnant I am your guy, but with the chickens and the bees I am a newbee.... For sure. Looking forward to getting to know you all.
Thanks for all the info past, present, and future...
Frantz, Amie, Maddi, Max, & little Emma