First you will need to buy a few supplies. These include two boxes of unassembled wire storage cubes and two packs of one hundred cable ties. You will also need a piece of plywood that is 28 inches wide and one or two feet long. You will need four wooden dowels. Two of them will be forty six inches long, and two of them will be thirty two inches long. All will be 1 1/8th inches wide. Three small spring clamps are also required, as well as furnishings.

You will start by assembling a large wall consisting of nine unassembled wire storage squares. Do this by laying them out next to each other and fastening them together with cable ties. Repeat this step again to assemble the other wall.

The two smaller walls consist of six squares of wire. Again, attach them together using cable ties. Two squares of wire will remain. These can be discarded. Use cable ties to connect the four walls to one another. You can manipulate the cage into a shape that you like. Next, place two dowels against the inside of the cage where you want to place the shelf. These dowels will be used to keep the shelves from falling. Place the plywood shelves onto the dowels. Tighten all of the cable ties and cut them off so that there is no excess. Use more cable ties to attach the dowels to the cage and again cut off any excess so that it is secure.

You can make a door for the cage by cutting the ties off of one or two of the wire squares on the side and top of the door. The spring clamp can then be used to keep this door secure.

Furnish the cage. Rabbits enjoy a few towels to use as a bed. Give them a few toys to chew on as well as a litter pan and food and water dishes. The toys will prevent them from chewing on the cable ties and eating away at the cage.

By following these steps you can build a cage for a rabbit for a very low price. The rabbit certainly won’t know the difference, and by tweaking the instructions to your liking you can make the cage as big or small as you like. This is a great way to save yourself a decent amount of money and to provide a home for your pet rabbit that they will enjoy for many years to come.

The novice beekeeper should perform some research. Read a few books, try some searching on the Internet, and make a connection with an experienced local beekeeper. All of these resources will prove indispensable as the new beekeeper embarks on their adventure.

Beekeepers should then prepare a space in their yard where the hive can be placed. Try to locate it a sufficient distance from any gathering place frequented by people. It may also be a good idea to place the hive near a fence that is at least six feet in height. This will encourage the bees to fly up as they leave the hive, keeping them well clear of entanglements with humans. A water source should be located no farther than 40 feet from the hives. If no lake or stream is that close, then the beekeeper will need to provide a birdbath, pool, or other water source for the hive. A hive will prosper most if it is placed where it can be warmed by the morning sun and kept cooler in the evening.

Now it is time to buy some supplies. One of the nice things about starting out as a beekeeper is that there are not a lot of items to acquire. The boxes that will be the hives, frames constructed with a wax foundation, a bee suit, and a smoker are the essential equipment any beekeeper should have. Hives can be ordered online or the beekeeper may find plans for constructing a beehive and build it themselves.

The most important supply is the bees. Worker bees and the queen bee can be ordered by mail. A typical hive will require three pounds of bees, which works out to be approximately 12,000 bees.

Beekeepers need to look inside their hive on a regular basis to perform maintenance and harvest honey. They may also need to supply their bees with sugar water when nectar is scarce. These may seem like daunting tasks to the novice, but with proper safety equipment, beekeepers quickly become comfortable with these routine chores. The smoker helps calm the bees, making it easier for the beekeeper to reach into the hive and perform tasks. Beekeepers should work at making slow, fluid movements which will not startle the bees.

Ideally hives should be set up off the ground using bricks or concrete blocks. A new hive probably will not produce much honey the first year. Most of it should be reserved for the bees themselves as they work to become an established colony. However, even in the early stages it may be possible to harvest some honey from the hive. Beekeepers can accomplish this by harvesting comb honey which leaves the beeswax comb entirely intact or by slicing the caps off the comb to allow the honey to flow for collection. The empty comb is then returned to the hive. This method is the one that is least traumatic for the bees, though either method is acceptable.

Most beekeepers find that the hive’s frames need to be replaced regularly, which also gives them the opportunity to harvest beeswax from the old frames. The beeswax can be fashioned into soaps, candles, lotions, and other products, boosting the productivity of the hive.

The queen bee is generally replaced each year. Most beekeepers favor doing this in August, allowing time for a new queen to establish herself before the next busy spring and summer season. Once a hive is established it does not require a great deal of maintenance, making beekeeping a fun and easy hobby.

Ferrets are notable for their sleek fur, which comes in two distinct types. Most of the fur that people see are guardhairs, which are quite lengthy. The shorter, softer fur is called the undercoat, and it is closer to the ferret’s body and keeps it warm during cold weather. Because there are two different types of fur, there are more variations possible in terms of patterns of color.

In addition to fur color, ferrets vary in terms of the color of their noses. They may have entirely brown, black or pink noses. Some of them may also have splotches on the nose, with any two color combinations possible, or a T-shape in the middle of the nose, again with the basic nose one color and the T another.

In terms of fur, ferrets come in just four basic colors. Silver ferrets are fairly common and come in several varieties. Because they are so light-colored and often have some white hairs, they may be mixed up with Dark Eyed White (DEW) ferrets, which are pretty much the same as Albinos except that Albinos have pink or red eyes and DEWs have brown or black eyes. Sables are the most distinctive-looking of the ferrets, with dark brown or black guardhairs and a light brown undercoat. While these provide a general idea of the palette for a ferret, there are several different patterns that may emerge.

The Hooded ferret bears a resemblance to a raccoon, as its face has a mask pattern covering the whole head. Cinnamon ferrets have ruddy brown guardhairs, while their undercoats are cream-colored. Dark ferrets veer toward the black end of the spectrum, while Chocolate ferrets are dark brown, with tails and feet even darker than the fur on the rest of the body.

The Siamese or Pointed Pattern ferret has a mask in the shape of a V, and this is of a different shade than the rest of the fur on the body. Ferrets of this type also have what are called zippers, which are lines of color along their bellies. The Panda ferret has a white head, front, feet and belly, while the rest of its fur is darker.

The Shetland or Badger ferret has a number of white accents around the eyes, feet and knees, as well as the bib. Ferrets with this particular pattern also have a tendency to be deaf, as do Blaze ferrets, which have a pretty similar look to the Badger but also have a white stripe going down the back. The Mitt ferret has a white bib as well as white feet, and the Roan has both white and dark-colored guardhairs mixed in together.

No matter what color they are, ferrets are beautiful animals, and any ferret can make a great pet with the proper care. However, knowing ahead of time what types of options there are can better prepare you for what to expect when you go to the pet store, especially when it comes to potential health problems. Know exactly what you’re looking for, and it will make your task of finding the right ferret much easier.

Your initial investment in a hive, some bees, and the equipment, should cost between $200 and $400. The best time to start is in the spring. Your bees will need some shade if you live in a hot environment. Also, worker bees tend to fly up when they exit the hive, so bear this in mind when choosing a location around your yard to set up your bee hive. Most people recommend starting with one hive in the first season, and expanding to two or more later on. The bees will need a good source of water, so a birdbath or small pond should be placed near the vicinity of your hives. Throughout the season, especially when your bees are actively gathering nectar, you should inspect your hive on a regular basis to check its health, activity and productivity. You will want to make sure that the queen is alive and well, and that she is laying eggs for the production of the next generation. At the beginning and end of each season, antibiotics should be applied to the colony or colonies to protect from bacterial infections and other health problems that could cause the bees, larvae and pupae to die. If you live in an area that contains bears or raccoons, barbed wire or hot-wire can be installed to protect your operations. One of the reasons many people choose not to keep bees for a hobby is the threat of being stung. Some things you can do to lessen the risk of being stung are to wear protective gear, and make sure it is on properly and zipped up all the way. Turn on your smokers and puff the smoke into the bottom and top of your hive. The smoke calms the bees. When removing frames from your enclosure, be sure to get a good grip on them so you don’t accidentally drop them and cause disturbances. If possible, work with your bees during nice, sunny weather while the bees are out looking for nectar. Try not to swat the bees, as this will cause pheromones to be released, warning the other bees, which can cause aggressive behavior in the rest of the hive. You should expect to be occasionally stung, and over time, most people will develop a tolerance for the bee venom contained within the stingers. If you are stung, immediately scrape the stinger out with your fingernail, and apply the smoker to the area of your body that has been stung. This will help to mask the pheromone response of the sting, helping the other bees to remain calm. It is helpful to purchase an emergency sting kit which contains antibiotics, especially if you have guests around who may have an allergic reaction if they are stung. Beekeeping can be a rewarding hobby if you follow the helpful information found on this site.

Free range chickens are reportedly the best tasting if you are considering meat chickens. The eggs of chickens that are free-range have yolks that are more yellow than chickens fed a diet of chicken feed only. The eggs are also higher in Omega-3s than standard store bought chicken eggs. Below are a few things a family should consider before making the final decision to raise free-range chickens.

*How much space can you dedicate to the chickens?

Free-range chickens do not require a great deal of space and can be kept in an average sized backyard. The idea behind free-range is to let the chickens graze through the grass to eat the bugs and greens that are in the area. Chickens will not stray too far from their coop, but if they are spooked, they may fly over a four foot fence. If you have neighbors, it is a good idea to install a fence that is at least six feet high to keep the chickens in during any flying episodes.

*Family pet issues

Family pets may be an issue if they have never been around chickens before. If a family wants to have free-range chickens and pets it is best to keep the pets inside or penned up while the chickens are out and about.

*Chickens and children

Children do not generally pose an immediate problem for the chickens. However, if the chickens will be using a backyard as their range, remember they do poop a lot. Kids and adults alike may not appreciate the mess chickens tend to leave behind. Chicken poop is great fertilizer but can be harmful to lawns if the chickens are allowed to stay in any one spot for a long period of time.

*Is there enough space for a chicken coop?

Chickens must have a coop or house to be locked into at night. This is also where most of the chickens will lay their eggs. Wild animals or stray dogs are a threat to chickens. A family will need to secure their chicken house with mesh wire all around the bottom or foundation as well. This will help keep out raccoons and other critters that will try and steal the eggs. Most chicken coop plans are designed to be raised off the ground several inches to prevent some egg thieves from gaining entrance.

*How much work are you willing to put in?

Lastly, one of the most important things to consider before choosing to raise free-range chickens is the time and energy involved. Cold winter months will require a heat lamp to be on almost constantly to keep the chickens warm. If there is a great deal of snow on the ground the chickens will need to be fed inside their coop. The chickens will need fresh water every day as well. This means trudging through the snow to the chicken coop carrying water.

Many people feel the benefit to raising their own chickens far outweigh the minimal amount of work involved with actually caring for them.