As I sit at my computer, this is the view out the window, with the temperature at a balmy 13 degrees Fahrenheit, after a bone chilling low of -16 earlier this week. If you are looking at similar weather, you might be wondering ‘What do beekeepers do in the winter (other than worry about their …
Author Archives: rpgreen61
Who knew chickens were so good at telling time?
Over the years all my egg customers have learned that our chickens don’t lay much in the winter. We all miss the eggs! Although you might think reduced laying is their response to the cold weather, the primary reason egg laying slows down during the winter is the shorter length of the day. Chickens apparently …
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Snow, snow everywhere but not enough to ski
We welcomed 2026 with temperatures in the single digits and snow blanketing everything with a deep, airy layer of flakes, that hinted at the possibility of fabulous cross-country skiing. But by morning the “inches of snow” showed themselves to have been an illusion, brought about by huge fluffy flakes falling while temperatures were so cold …
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Duckling Terror
Every year since we started our chicken flock at Green Acres, I have been able to raise a few new hens by fostering purchased chicks with broody hens. Overall, with a few hitches along the way, it works amazingly well… for chickens. I wish I could say the same for ducks. You might recall my …
Doodle don’t
Up until I got my first dog at age 50, I would have told you I was a “cat person”, but once we got Bear, and then added Bella a year later, I was hooked. I can’t imagine ever being without a dog again. Bear and Bella were both golden doodles. We decided on doodles …
Weed wars
Life at Green Acres is filled with many simple pleasures: things like living next door to my best friend; long walks with the dogs; tapioca made with goat milk and duck eggs; evening strolls with the goats; ducks who boldly join the goat walk as we pass the pond, delighted to return to the security …
The Honey Flow
I have previously written about harvesting honey Nothing else in beekeeping is quite like watching the bees turn nectar into liquid gold, so I can’t resist doing it again! As nectar and pollen producing trees and flowers start to bloom in the spring, honey bees take advantage of the expanding food sources to raise more …
Heroic Hugh
Having made the decision to let our chickens free range, we have accepted the risk that they may fall victim to predators. We have lost chickens to hawks, and raccoons, and occasionally to an unknown, when one just doesn’t come home. Each time, I struggle with my decision to let them wander and after a …
Bad decisions and bouncing bee boxes
In my next life, I am going to come back as a person who is good at just leaving well enough alone. It might keep me out of trouble! For those of you who have read some of my prior stories, you will know that May is swarm season in Michigan. Swarming is the way …
Bee Poop
Have you ever been pooped on by a honey bee? Walk past a beehive on a warm, winter day, following a long cold spell, and you probably will be! Bees will do everything they can to avoid pooping inside the hive, and they can hold it a LONG time. In the winter, when cold weather …