Devonviolet Acres

babsbag

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Feeding non GMO feed is $$$ for any animal. Disgusting that it costs more to feed "natural". Go Figure, you would think that the cost of the "treatment" would make that feed more money, not less.
 

Devonviolet

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Feeding non GMO feed is $$$ for any animal. Disgusting that it costs more to feed "natural". Go Figure, you would think that the cost of the "treatment" would make that feed more money, not less.
Its a racket, I tell you! Me thinks (based on what I'm finding at feed stores) that a move is afoot to take over the market.
 

Baymule

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I don't remember about the feed in Emory. I've slept since then. LOL every day is a brand new day! Haha. There is a feed store in Van that is a game ranch, supposedly they have a feed store to offset their feed costs. I'll check it out for you.
 

Devonviolet

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I don't remember about the feed in Emory. I've slept since then. LOL every day is a brand new day! Haha. There is a feed store in Van that is a game ranch, supposedly they have a feed store to offset their feed costs. I'll check it out for you.
Thanks for checking that out. Could it have been Mineola, rather than Emory?
 

Devonviolet

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You could try feeding them yogurt or clabbered milk to up the protein in their diet. My chicks love clabbered milk.
Hmmm . . . sounds interesting.

I've been making Kefir, from local organic milk. Maybe I will give it a try today. I'm paying $6/gallon. We've been going through 2-3 gallons a week, and I'm planning to start making Greek Yogurt and eventually cheese and butter. Makes me want to get some dairy goats even more. But, we still have several large projects, that need doing before we can get more goats. :fl
 
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Devonviolet

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As most of you know, we moved to our beautiful five acre homestead in January, and started raising goats (to clear the remaining 4 acres of woods) and chickens for meat and eggs. This spring I noticed the large red wasps, with black wings, flying around the animal pen, and making paper nests in the eves, of our porch.

Since these red wasps seemed to keep to themselves, I stood back and observed. When it seemed they were leaving me alone, I relaxed and we seemed to have a peaceful co-existence.

Then, about a month and a half ago, we were walking up the front porch steps, and WHAM! My DH got hit on his little finger. I have never heard him yell the way he did that day! He ended up with an 1/8 inch sore on his finger, which swelled up and burned and itched for two days. After it happened, we realized there was a red wasp nest under the hand rail, right where he put his hand, going up the steps. After that, we cleared away the nest and I was careful not to put my hand on the rail. There was another nest in the eves, of the front porch, but they kept to themselves. I noticed an occasional red wasp fly around me, while I was on the porch, but they left me alone.

An interesting side note: I was on the porch one morning, talking to DH, who was on the standing on the ground, next to the porch. There was a red wasp flying around me, and then it was gone - POOF - disappeared! I didn't see it happen, but DH did. We had a large Banana Spider, with a web up near the eves, of the porch. The wasp got itself caught in the web, and in a split second the Banana Spider had nailed the wasp and was spinning a 1/2" wide swath of web strands, from it's rear end, wrapping the wasp in a cocoon type wrapping. When it was done wrapping the wasp, the spider went back to its post, as if nothing had happened. The next morning the wasp " cocoon" was gone. I'm guessing it made a tasty midnight snack. :drool

Fast forward to last Thursday. I walked out on the back porch, to call the kitties in. All of a sudden I felt something hit my hand, heard a crackling noise (like crumpled paper) and WHAM! I got hit with intense burning pain! I never even saw it! I looked at my hand and there was a red wasp! I screamed, shook it off, and ran into the house and got some ice in my hand immediately. After 5 minutes, of ice, I went online and learned that apple cider vinegar tends to neutralize the venom of the wasp sting. So, I soaked a piece of paper towel in it, and wrapped it with gauge, to keep it in place. While I had some intermittent sharp pain, for about 3 hours, when I took the wrap off, you couldn't tell I had been stung, and there was no more pain. Later, I went back out on the porch and found a 2" nest under the concave porch rail. Grrrr!

I thought DH had destroyed the nest, and as I went out to hang something on the clothes line yesterday morning, I proceeded with caution, checking where the nest had been. Nothing. So I went down the steps, and BAM, a red wasp hit my left hand! I screamed, shook my hand and ran down the stairs, thinking I had avoided a sting.
WRONG!!! It flew down and hit the inside of my left ankle! I frantically shook my foot and looked down. It was clinging to my leg, and stung me again! So, I brushed it off, screaming blood murder, because the burning pain was excruciating! :ep

Our LGDs, from across the yard, were barking their heads off. I'm sure they thought I was being murdered! When DH came running, they calmed down.

I ran in the house, screaming in agony, and grabbed a handful of ice, to put in a paper towel, so I could sit down and keep the ice on it. DH came in the house and soaked a paper towel in apple cider vinegar. When I lifted the ice, to put the vinegar on it, you can clearly see where it got me twice! I think the ice and vinegar helped, as the pain was a lot less and it didn't appear to be swollen. Later in the day it felt like a bad bruise with intermittent sharp pains. Ouch! This morning it is back to normal. YAY! :celebrate

It turns out DH did NOT remove the nest under the back porch hand rail. But, you had better believe it is no longer there NOW! I suspect that in the not too distant future, we will be buying a couple 8 foot lengths of 1X2" lumber, to fill in the underside of the front and back porch hand rails! AND we will be more diligent about destroying red wasp nests, before they can get very big!

There are those who say red wasps aren't aggressive. Like them, I used to have a live and let live approach. Now??? NOT SO MUCH!!! These suckers are very aggressive! I was trying to avoid them, and that sucker sought me out and attacked! The fact that I was near its nest most likely was a huge factor in the attack. But, I would have to side with the "Aggressive Wasp Camp" now! :somad

Then, yesterday afternoon, I stopped by a neighbor's house. They agreed that red wasps are very agressive, and their stings are VERY painful! But, they seem more agressive during the heat of Summer, and less so in Spring and Fall. Maybe they are protecting their baby wasps.

So anyway, for the time being, I'm steering clear of the back porch! :ep
 
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frustratedearthmother

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And, of all the bees that I've ever been stung by - red wasps hurt the most. When I was much younger and wore itty, bitty, tiny short-shorts I had the distinct displeasure of sitting on one. It was very close to .. uh... um... a very sensitive place on my body and I've gotta tell you it hurt for days! Guess I should have learned that vinegar trick earlier in life!

Hope you get rid of 'em for good!
 

Devonviolet

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And, of all the bees that I've ever been stung by - red wasps hurt the most. When I was much younger and wore itty, bitty, tiny short-shorts I had the distinct displeasure of sitting on one. It was very close to .. uh... um... a very sensitive place on my body and I've gotta tell you it hurt for days! Guess I should have learned that vinegar trick earlier in life!

Hope you get rid of 'em for good!
YIKES :ep!!! That sounds AWFUL!!! It's amazing that any of us survive the traumas we are exposed to in life! :th
 

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