California - Northern

[ChickNmamma]

cool things in front of the ancient Sears box fan, yes! and the chicklets are all wallowing in the damp areas around their coop where i've sprayed with the hose -- also hosed down a shady section of the deck for the one silly cat who insists on staying outside.

and according to my thermometer, the temperature has JUST started sneaking down a tad again -- hoping that's a trend!

 

[lizanne]

It never really cooled off here. It was the same temp inside 78 as it was outside. I had fans going trying to pull in cool air but it didn't make any difference.

I need to think of different options for the chickens. I used frozen watermelon and misters and ice in their water yesterday; I don't have any extra bricks to soak. What else? I know we talked about this during the last heat wave and I thought I remembered something else...... I don't have any empty soda bottles to freeze either......

I heard of some one laying down hay, then putting a soaker hose down on top of it. It doesn't get muddy, and they chickens can lay down in the cool hay. I have fans and a mister for my chickens, but they are still hot. My Cornish Cross are doing surprisingly well though...

 

[chiqita]

Bleach the crap out of your shoes and clothes if you go somewhere that has that many birds comment and going. Its like kinder garden!

i'm not sure why this place does, but it seems to turn them over (at prices higher than someone just looking for dinner would likely pay -- plus my two boys are too young to be much of a meal, at 8 weeks) -- just as i was leaving, another woman had pulled up with roosters in her trunk.  

but they sell a LOT of birds, both genders -- not only little chicks but they're constantly getting mid-sized pullets and they always sell out incredibly quickly, of everything (also ducks, doves, rabbits, etc.) -- one of my former students works there, & she says everything always goes super-fast.  Sonoma County people just want their critters, i guess!

 

[OR4-hmom]

I wish I could get rid of the extra boys that easily. It would make it easier to justify hatching more, DH enjoys the chicks but when they crow it flips a switch and all he does is grumble about them.

I picked the first 9 pickling cucs yesterday. I have spent 7 hours out in the heat, (94°/97°), doing Growers Market and he just asked me if I was going to make pickles tonight.

3 boiling pots for 3 jars of pickles, I don't think so!

The quail are growing way to fast. It looks like they have doubled in size in just 4 days. I noticed red poop yesterday, then I remembered I gave them watermelon. Panic attack averted.

 

[DemarisJewelry]

Oh my, even with a warning, I think my heart will still stop when I see THAT! LOL!

 

[lawatt]

Bleach the crap out of your shoes and clothes if you go somewhere that has that many birds comment and going. Its like kinder garden!

i did not wear my outdoors/garden shoes, & changed my clothes when i got home -- but i'm not a bleacher (except my hair, once, long ago...)

 

[Grandmas Basket]

I rehomed 15 cockerels last night and 22 earlier this week...You can't tell I got rid of anything.... Still way to many Chicken! Yikes!
Congratulations on a productive week. I'll bet you can tell the difference. And I recall you sent some girls to new homes, too. Keep on this path and you'll edit your flock down to your favorites, fast!

I can now focus all my attention on our 3 pullets. They are doing well despite the heat, but I picked up Chick Boost electrolytes as we were already at the feed store. I usually do research before buying anything my chicks ingest, but it was there and I figured it wouldn't harm them especially with prolonged high heat forecast. Up to now they've done fine with plain water in a water cooler with a couple of chicken nipples attached.

On a Happy note...
Love these girls...



Sweeties! Many thanks again for Tilly, Inga and Ting. We can't imagine not having them around. And our neighbors are in love with them, too.

 

[Grandmas Basket]

DH and I evicted our little cockerel today. He was a favorite and loved to converse with us. We agreed it was time to give him up.

To cool ourselves down this afternoon, we stopped by Devine Gelateria in midtown. Facing two freezers full of flavor choices, we momentarily forgot about our sadness. This stuff is as good as what we ate on our one trip to Italy a couple of summers ago. They use local seasonal ingredients making it interesting to stop in and check out what's new. Yum!

 

[ronott1]

i did not wear my outdoors/garden shoes, & changed my clothes when i got home -- but i'm not a bleacher (except my hair, once, long ago...)

Pinesol and Lysol all purpose cleaner-99.9% of germs killed and no bleach

 

[ronott1]

Day two of the heat wave and the chickens are ok. The Mister worked better for them--North breeze moved the mist closer to them.