High Desert, California!!

Batten down your hatches or whatever one says when the heavy, HEAVY winds are blowing.

High wind warning issued through tomorrow night for us San Bernardino County folks. Possible gust to 70 - 75 mph from the North!!

It is terrible here 130 miles from Death Valley in RC and I was out in the gust watching my chain link panels move into the coops. This is not the first time either. I need to put rocks or something more sturdy on the tops of the run. It is so bad here that I feel like I am in Kansas with Dorothy and toto.

Well, we made it through the night... No damage to the coops or run, and the girls are running around in the run like it's just another day We lost a few of the aluminum roofing panels on the garden pergola. I'll have to take a trek out to the back of the property later to see if I can find them. Thankfully there is nothing or no one in that direction for a mile or so. I sure wouldn't want one of those things flying at me at 60 mph!

All's well here in Joshua Tree too. My girls won't leave the run but for a quick dart out then back in again. The rain they'll stand out in but the wind they just don't like

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Well, if the forecast holds... maybe the rain will bring them out!!

Any weather right now would be better than this. It is so unusual to see the wind coming from the northwest. The trees are confused after blowing in the opposite direction for years. Ya gotta live in Ridgecrest to understand. I can taste dust while sitting in the house. My birds are out in this but not as frisky because it is a real fight to stay on the ground.

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Yep the wind blows the wrong direction and it knocks over trees. Rolled up dampened towels to keep sand from coming under the door. Trees normally greeen turn grey because they are showing the undersides of ALL their leaves. I remember sitting in school and listening to the sand tic tic and tic on the paper while taking a test. I lived in Vegas for that. But had family in Ridgecrest at the time.

Yesterday when I was driving on the freeway near home and I watched a Raven try to cross the freeway flapping furiously. With each stroke he was only traveling a foot or so. (sometimes backwards) We are talking VERY strong fliers here. I passed him up and watched and realized he was doing a zig zag pattern to get across the road. Amazing.

I am located in the foot hills of a mountain range that divides the desert and the ocean. near the Mexican Border. At about 3000 feet The wind from the North east comes from the desert the wind from the south west comes from the ocean.

deb

the wind hit over 100 mph @ the inyokern airport last night! All I can think about is my poor cooped up girls, they need their vitamin D!

I am in Pinon Hills and have a predator question. I lost all but one of my chickens to a predator. The one surviving has been getting better after 2 1/2 weeks in the house in a dog crate. I found her on her perch with a gaping hole in her neck. It wasn't bleeding, but was red and raw. Her trachea was exposed and she had a hole to the right of it that was quite deep and would emit sucking noises (gross) a few times an hour. She appeared to have a bad right leg and left wing, but no signs of breakage. I had to hand feed and water her, but after a week she was showing improvement! She now can stand and walk slowly and feeds herself. I'll be moving her outside in a week or so...
The hole the predator made was only about 4 inches in diameter at the bottom of a chain link gate. The wire was pulled aside at a weak section, but the predator had to have been strong! There was no sign of the chickens other than a few feathers and some blood. I am suspecting bobcat. some on this forum have suggested raccoon. The coop/yard is fully enclosed including the roof...mostly wood and chicken wire with a cement base to discourage digging. The only chain link is a gate which is where the predator got in. Any ideas?

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I have seen dogs that could tear a hole in Chainlink but they usually kill and leave the carcasses. A bobcat would go over. so would a racoon. Maybe a coyote? Did you see any footprints?