Consolidated Kansas

[sunflowerparrot]

Today is going to 106. I am taking 1/2 day off and my boyfriend is coming up and we'll be finishing up the little chick coop I started about a month ago. Just need to cut hardware wire and lay that down on the ground and then set the box on top of it. The box has chicken wire that has been attached all the way around it and comes out approximately 18 inches as well. I'm hoping between the horizontal wire attached to the bottom and the hardware cloth underneath that nothing horrible will be able to get into the box. We are going to drive 4 t-posts into the ground so I can put up a little fenced area. (This is just a temp coop to get the chicks out of the rabbit hutch until I can get the real coop done over the next 4-5- weeks). I hope to get the fence up on the posts over the weekend and get the chicks (I only have 5 of them) into the coop by Sunday evening!

These guys started out in my bathtub Then into a rabbit hutch.. time for them to move!

Am getting 5 guinea keets Tuesday that will move into the hutch for a bit.

Hope everyone is surviving this heat - I made the sugar/salt/potassium/baking soda water for my chickens and am going to use that anything the temps are 99 or higher. Am glad I found that

 

[sharol]

Last summer when it was so hot (116 here for a couple of days and over 110 for quite a few more) I don't remember people having the losses they are this year. I wonder what the difference is.

I have a couple of misters going from late morning until the girls go in, and they are smart enough to stay in the shade and mist areas. Last night I hooked the people door open (it faces north and there was a north/east breeze) and sat out there in a lawn chair getting chiggers until nearly 10 trying to get the temp in the coop down a bit. It was 87 outside and 96 in the coop at 9, but by 9:30 the temps were about the same. It wasn't cool, but at least it wasn't quite as hot.

It is quite a bit cooler this morning than it was yesterday at this time, so I'm hopeful.

 

[michelleml]

trish sorry for you Swedish Flower Hen chicks how is it doing this morning?
We've been keeping a close eye on our litter critters and so far everyone is okay but no end in site from this dreadful heat. We are under an water restriction so some of my plants are suffering. My husband starts the long drive tonight from texas to here we are so excited.

 

[HEChicken]

I hope she shapes up! Carrying chickens around the yard is definitely not in job description! We have had some serious issues with the carrying chickens around thing but I haven't caught her doing it, just found very bruised slobbered chickens and a few that didn't survive the carrying around. I am hoping we can remedy it, I was just surprised that she wasn't "playing" with it like I had imagined. How is Tory doing with your birds?

I think Lucie probably will get it fairly soon. Tory is doing okay. I don't really like her level of interest in the birds and I think she may have killed one. It was my broody hatched chick, who had found a way to escape and spent the days free-ranging. My original two dogs never bothered him so I didn't make a huge issue of it even though I would have preferred he stay in. The other day I found it dead in the backyard and I think I've finally figured out what happened. I think he got out and couldn't find his way back in. I was gone overnight and left DD in charge and she did a good job of making sure they have food/water but doesn't know the birds like I do so didn't do a head count to make sure they were all in the coop at night and wouldn't have known who was missing if she had. So he got locked out when the auto door closed and Tory found him and "played" with him overnight. I am sad about it because he was a very pretty little thing and I was curious as to how he would look when he grew up. Also, it is frustrating to bring in a dog to be their guardian and have her end up being the predator.

DH and I fixed the fence and gate on that side where he was getting out so now none of them can get out and there hasn't been an issue since (only since Sunday but still....)

The way I look at it, I don't think LGD's so much think "I must protect that chicken" as "I must keep intruders off "my" property", so even though this happened, it doesn't mean she won't still be an effective guardian, by keeping predators out of the property. I'd really like her to show less interest in playing with them but in the meantime, I'll need to be vigilant about keeping the chickens in their yard.

My Molly did try to stand tonight, drank some in her own and started resisting the syringe. She even ate some yogurt and a couple of meal worms. The corn syrup really did help! Thank you Josie!! She is still far from being OK, though, just stands with her head down and tires out from eating and drinking very quickly.

I'm glad to hear she is a little better. How is she this morning?

I am starting to tire out. I was gonna stay up and clean the house but I worked outside all day today, bathed 3 horses, cleaned pens, moved stuff and fixed fencing, scrubbed out all the kiddie pools with diluted bleach...I am tuckered out. Guess I will have to get up tomorrow and get to work early. Don't want the in laws to come up on Sunday and think I am slacking off up here! Stay cool everyone!

Well no wonder you're tired - sounds like you got a lot done yesterday.

Today is going to 106. I am taking 1/2 day off and my boyfriend is coming up and we'll be finishing up the little chick coop I started about a month ago. Just need to cut hardware wire and lay that down on the ground and then set the box on top of it. The box has chicken wire that has been attached all the way around it and comes out approximately 18 inches as well. I'm hoping between the horizontal wire attached to the bottom and the hardware cloth underneath that nothing horrible will be able to get into the box. We are going to drive 4 t-posts into the ground so I can put up a little fenced area. (This is just a temp coop to get the chicks out of the rabbit hutch until I can get the real coop done over the next 4-5- weeks). I hope to get the fence up on the posts over the weekend and get the chicks (I only have 5 of them) into the coop by Sunday evening!

These guys started out in my bathtub Then into a rabbit hutch.. time for them to move!

Am getting 5 guinea keets Tuesday that will move into the hutch for a bit.

Hope everyone is surviving this heat - I made the sugar/salt/potassium/baking soda water for my chickens and am going to use that anything the temps are 99 or higher. Am glad I found that

We always like pictures around here - I'd love to see your coop that you're working on.

Last summer when it was so hot (116 here for a couple of days and over 110 for quite a few more) I don't remember people having the losses they are this year. I wonder what the difference is.

I agree with you! Last summer was brutal and the temps were sometimes higher than we've had so far this year but I don't remember hearing about so many losses. I wonder if it is because its the second year of drought and the ground is that much drier so it makes it harder to take the heat this year? I dunno. Last year I kept gallon water containers frozen and added them to their water bowl around 1pm every afternoon so they would have cool water to drink. I haven't done that at all this year because the ducks like to sit in the water and the container would get in their way if I did. I added a mister though. Mine do have plenty of shade and since they are free-ranging within their large yard, they have plenty of places to move around throughout the day and get out of the heat, so I haven't actually lost any and in fact they seem to be coping fairly well, but I do worry, and I am down there every couple of hours refilling water bowls with fresh water, because if they ran out of water, I hate to think what would happen.

 

[HEChicken]

Oh, I meant to ask in that last post - Trish, how is your SFH doing this morning?

 

[checoukan]

Good morning everyone, I am running late, so thought I might as well make it real late.

So far all is going well and I have not lost any birds to the heat. I have a high speed fan blowing in the chicken barn. So I keep knocking on wood!!

Saturday the fair ends at 10 PM and man am I ready. starting to take a toll on all of us, doesn't look like we will get any relief from the heat, and I think it is going to keep heating up for a few more days anyway.

Ivy~~ did you get your email?
Hechicken~~ how old is tory? She still maybe young enough that she was just playing, and did not mean to hurt the chick. She did not eat the chick, and that is a good thing. It will get better. My dog Earl played with the chickens, and casper did too, Casper even got ahold of my goose and was playing with her. He never hurt her, roughed up her feathers, but I seen him and hollered at him, "NO" and man he slinked away and never bothered her again.

Everyone please be careful outside, and drink lots of water.

 

[chicken danz]

I had a lot of catch up reading to do.
My rooster is still staring into space but he did jump out of his box once yesterday. He still isn't eating which really worries me. The only energy he has had is what he has gotten from the syringe when I am giving him some fluids. I'll just keep trying I guess and hoping for the best.
I had misters and ice out yesterday and don't think I lost any more birds. I had some mighty close to going down though. The problem is that they get under the chicken houses and under the porch wehre I can't see them and if they die it could be a few days before I notice. I keep thinking I will wire around those areas but it is precious shade there so I haven't.
I told DH last night I have always liked sunny gardens and haven't cared to have too many trees but now I would be happy to have an entire yard full of trees. I wish I knew the secret to the volunteer trees. How they can come up and grow without any attention or water and thrive. I have about 4 in my iris garden that need to be removed. I think I may leave one of them as much as it is bad placement. The others have to go though because they are right beside an existing tree and would never do anything.
I can't believe some of you had rain yesterday. We never had a cloud in the sky and it certainly didn't cool down at all.
We took the boat out to the lake last evening. The water was perfectly calm cause there was no wind. That is the first time I've ever jumped off the boat into the water and not had a bit of a chill initially.
I have another busy day planned today. Plus I have to get laundry all done and get my granddaughter packed to go back to Colorado tomorrow. The time really has gone fast and we haven't gotten to do a lot of what we planned. But I think she has enjoyed herself just the same.
I am sorry for all the losses every one is having. I do hope this weather breaks even though it doesn't look promising in the forecast. They can be wrong all winter so maybe they'll be wrong now.

 

[HEChicken]

Hechicken~~ how old is tory? She still maybe young enough that she was just playing, and did not mean to hurt the chick. She did not eat the chick, and that is a good thing. It will get better. My dog Earl played with the chickens, and casper did too, Casper even got ahold of my goose and was playing with her. He never hurt her, roughed up her feathers, but I seen him and hollered at him, "NO" and man he slinked away and never bothered her again.

I just bet you are exhausted from the fair, even if it is going well. It is a brutal heat week to be outside all day in hot barns.

Tory is 16 months old. She previously lived with a family where she had no opportunity to guard livestock. The family had numerous small children and they got her as a pup thinking she would guard the kids, but as she got older they found she was more interested in chasing coyotes so they kept her in a small pen to keep her from roaming. Realizing she was miserable, they wanted her to go to a home where she had a "job" and that was right after my fox attack when I was considering trying to find a LGD so it all worked out nicely. However as she had had no real exposure to poultry before (the family had chickens but she was penned while they were out free-ranging), I am not surprised she doesn't quite know how to behave around them.

Josie had suggested a shock collar to teach her to leave them alone and I am still considering that idea. However, at our old house, the chooks free-ranged the backyard but DH and the kids got tired of all the chicken poop on the deck so at the new place I agreed to build them a large chicken "yard" in which they could roam freely (it is 240x60) and never run out of grass/bugs, but at the same time they would be contained and not pooping where people want to walk barefoot. If they were free-ranging now, the shock collar would probably work really well as I could just hide, wait for her to approach a chicken, and then shock her to teach her that chickens "bite" and should be left alone. However as she doesn't regularly have the opportunity to approach them - it would only be the odd occasion when one gets out somehow - it makes it harder to know how to train her not to show interest. The chicken yard is off limits to the dogs and they all kind of know to stop at the gate and don't try to push in even when I am going in and out of the gate. I had considered taking her in the yard on leash and walking around, correcting her for any interest in the birds but not sure if that is a good idea? If I wasn't fast enough correcting and she did get hold of one, I would feel just horrible for putting them at risk.

 

[chicken danz]

I think that is an excellent idea Heather. If she has enough GP in here she will understand scolding for sure. Keep her on a leash. If you have a metal correction collar that would be the best way to get the message across. Say a firm NO! and yank on the leash. I would do this a few times and I'll bet she would understand it is strictly off limits.
I raise my pups in and around free range chickens so there really isn't issues. Sometimes when they are very young they will chase a chicken and a firm correction or two will usually stop the activity. Sometimes Cloud who is still quite young will run into the flock of ducks to make them scatter but she never chases them.
She made the mistake of trying that with the Sabastopols. They taught her a quick lesson!
Oh Josie, yesterday I heard a bunch of yelling and one of my red hens had gotten into the Sabastopol pen. One of the drakes decided he didn't want her there and was dragging her around by the head yelling at her. I ran in and he dropped the chicken. The chicken was unscathed but I'll be she thinks before she goes in there again. It was kind of funny after the fact but it sure wasn't looking favorable for the hen.
I'm wondering if I ever get the fence up and let the sebbies free range if they will become bossy with every one else.

 

[checoukan]

Oh how funny danz, one of the kids here is selling his sebbie's and his harlequin (sp) he has 3 pair at he fair. He only wants 40.00 for the sebbies, I don't kow what he is asking for the others, they are nice ducks thou.
I am selling my rouens, thinking about getting the geese, but I don't kow, still think I want to cut down more.