On a third of an acre in a village, living alongside his wife and trusty hound, Tim works towards living life within nature instead of at odds with it. Chickens, gardening, mushrooms and much more occupies Tim's mind as new projects appear and old projects complete. Tim is currently working towards renovating his 1850's home while turning lawn into edible space.
Crickets and grasshoppers are a natural prey item for fish, so using them as a bait is an easy choice. I know of some folks who raise their own colony of crickets due to the success they have catching fish. No need to go to those lengths however, you can easily capture some outside or go to a bait shop for the convenience. While I would most likely fish for Panfish using crickets and grasshoppers, people can have success targeting bass, catfish, trout and more.
Another possible source of crickets are pet shops who cater to reptiles. They usually sell crickets for lizards and snakes to eat.
I suppose outside of the advise of consult a vet so there can be an expert determination, what are the symptoms you have observed in your chickens prior to death? There are many different things out there that can result in the loss of a chicken outside of a bird flu.
Do you have a picture of any current hens that you think might be symptomatic?
Some old timers swear by buying the cheapest white bread them can find. They would pinch off pieces and roll them up tight to put on their hooks. Instead of relying on going to a bakery, we can simply make them ourselves at home.
A dough ball recipe is as simple as some flour wetted enough to form into a small ball. These can be made quickly and in mass. They could easily be customized with different ingredients to make them more attractive to whatever species of fish you are looking to attract.
I have heard that if you drop them into boiling water for one minute, they will stay together better on the hook.
There are a lot of products out on the market targeting those who fish. Gadgets, gizmos, do-dads and more are out there for every imaginable purpose. Some things sparkle, some things are scented, some things are made from who knows what. I'm hoping to avoid all of that and minimize the 'things' that I need to have a successful trip fishing.
The first thing that comes to mind for fishing bait has to be worms.
Nightcrawlers, mealworms, super worms, wax worms, red wigglers, blood worms, ect ect.
Worms were the first fish bait I have ever tried when I was a young man. I remember getting a small container of nightcrawlers from a gas station fridge for a trip my grandfather was taking me on. They are a tried and true bait that can be found right in your backyard. Imagine harvesting a few worms from a successful vermicompost system in order to put food on your table? I think that would be pretty neat.
It is a simple as placing the worm (or piece of) onto a hook to be utilized effectively. Worms are an effective bait for an array of both freshwater and saltwater species.
I believe you would have success with this if you had well inoculated spawn.
If I were to do it, I would drill the holes and then make sure to pack the hole well with spawn. Maybe get a similar diameter stick/rod to avoid gaps and ensure good contact with the wood.
I found the bigger the stump, the longer it takes for mushrooms to appear. The bigger stumps, at least for me, produce longer than the smaller ones as well.
The leftover lees from the fermenting process for brewing are excellent additions to compost. I find that the core heats up rapidly when added. I do not worry about any residual alcohol/vinegar content as I have not encountered any negatives from the addition.
Depending on how you brew, it can sometimes be a bit of a pain removing the dead yeast from carboys. I find being able to wash them out over the compost pile has been the best process for me. I use a garden hose.
