Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[Marie2020]

It's sometimes so hard too add pictures. This last time made me swear

 

[Ponypoor]

We had a really bad thunderstorm storm yesterday at the end of the afternoon ; hail, horrible wind, lightning and pouring rain for an hour. Power's been out since and just back on (it's midday) and so did internet + cell phone access.
Turns out we have a problem since we've redone the old houses and added gutters to their rooves. All the water from the three gutters comes pouring down the same path in front of our house and we quickly had a huge torrent running down the slope carrying leaves and mud and small stones.
I was pretty upset with the teens. Gaston is more scared of the other chickens than of getting struck by lightning ! He just wouldn't go inside the coop to seek shelter so the four teens stayed huddled under a wood stack where they weren't really protected from the hail and wind. They only went to roost really late when we forced them to, the storm had ended but there was still a lot of water running.

We're still very lucky as the only damage is on our vegetables and fruits in the garden and like I always say, I'm grateful we're not making a living from our garden. There has been terrible storms in all our region and even some deaths in Corsica from trees falling. The damages are huge and it feels like this is the new normal.

I saw this n the news here — so tragic

But I am very grateful you and your animals are ok.

 

[Ponypoor]

It's sometimes so hard too add pictures. This last time made me swear

Yep I hear ya!

 

[lightm]

We had a really bad thunderstorm storm yesterday at the end of the afternoon ; hail, horrible wind, lightning and pouring rain for an hour. Power's been out since and just back on (it's midday) and so did internet + cell phone access.
Turns out we have a problem since we've redone the old houses and added gutters to their rooves. All the water from the three gutters comes pouring down the same path in front of our house and we quickly had a huge torrent running down the slope carrying leaves and mud and small stones.
I was pretty upset with the teens. Gaston is more scared of the other chickens than of getting struck by lightning ! He just wouldn't go inside the coop to seek shelter so the four teens stayed huddled under a wood stack where they weren't really protected from the hail and wind. They only went to roost really late when we forced them to, the storm had ended but there was still a lot of water running.

We're still very lucky as the only damage is on our vegetables and fruits in the garden and like I always say, I'm grateful we're not making a living from our garden. There has been terrible storms in all our region and even some deaths in Corsica from trees falling. The damages are huge and it feels like this is the new normal.

Glad everyone is OK, but it is still unpleasant to have your veggies damaged after all the drama with the teens.

 

[lightm]

Glad everyone is OK and no chickens got washed away!
Do you collect any of the water at all to use during drought?
Just curious. I have been wishing I collected more (only some of my gutters go to collection) as it has been almost a month with no rain and my barrels are empty!

I collect rainwater with a 275 gallon IBC tote. You can get recycled food-graded ones pretty easily. I am not short of rain here in the southeast NC (for example, sometimes I don't turn on the sprinkler for half a month.), but I like the fact that I have it and it is good in an emergency situation. [rain water going through a Berkey filter is decent drinking water]

I highly recommend you set up one (or 2, 3...).

 

[lightm]

Are they all getting along better?

I think so, maybe just a little.

Ginger was grounded for a while during yesterday's morning free range. When I let her out, she needed to lay. When she was finally out and about, she was in a very different area than where Inky was.

 

[lightm]

We intended to get three 10000 liters tanks but yesterday made us rethink this. We're probably going to get only one tank and pull a pipe to the garden and another to the old irrigation canal, which isn't in use anymore, but we know will have to be used again someday.
We haven't been collecting water up to now, as our village has a lot of water with two streams coming down the mountains. But another year of drought like this would be difficult even for us.

I'm also thinking about collecting the water from our shower and sink but this would be more complicated.

We've been having rain from ten days now, but before that I can count on one and a half hand the number of days with rain or snow since the end of October! Scary times.

That is a HUGE tank.

At least the thunderstorm is giving you a better rain collection/direction plan!

 

[Ponypoor]

We intended to get three 10000 liters tanks but yesterday made us rethink this. We're probably going to get only one tank and pull a pipe to the garden and another to the old irrigation canal, which isn't in use anymore, but we know will have to be used again someday.
We haven't been collecting water up to now, as our village has a lot of water with two streams coming down the mountains. But another year of drought like this would be difficult even for us.

I'm also thinking about collecting the water from our shower and sink but this would be more complicated.

We've been having rain from ten days now, but before that I can count on one and a half hand the number of days with rain or snow since the end of October! Scary times.

That is very scary not having rain and then a deluge of it.

I am very glad you and the chickies are all ok, so very scary.

 

[RoyalChick]

We intended to get three 10000 liters tanks but yesterday made us rethink this. We're probably going to get only one tank and pull a pipe to the garden and another to the old irrigation canal, which isn't in use anymore, but we know will have to be used again someday.
We haven't been collecting water up to now, as our village has a lot of water with two streams coming down the mountains. But another year of drought like this would be difficult even for us.

I'm also thinking about collecting the water from our shower and sink but this would be more complicated.

We've been having rain from ten days now, but before that I can count on one and a half hand the number of days with rain or snow since the end of October! Scary times.

It really is scary times. I am at level 1 water preservation. I have a bucket in the shower for flush or garden and I do 'dirty washing' - meaning animal feed bowls, rags etc. outside with a hose so the waste goes straight onto the plants.
Small steps, but I am cautious because if my well dries up I am really in a bad place!

 

[RoyalChick]

If we're talking about Guci that little lady will only expect champagne

Maybe Prosecco as she is Italian.