Mini-van-coop-fire evacuation-mobile, PREDATOR BREAK IN!

[Hummingbird Hollow]

Counted the Freedom Rangers 4 times this morning and the count came up: 33, 31, 35, 35. I guess that means I still have all 35 in-spite of all the stress and the not-particularly-secure containment. All 8 layer hens are still with me too. Going to check on them again now.

 

[Stumpy]

I hope you're able to return home safely very soon.

 

[mynamesjenelle]

Counted the Freedom Rangers 4 times this morning and the count came up:  33, 31, 35, 35.  I guess that means I still have all 35 in-spite of all the stress and the not-particularly-secure containment.  All 8 layer hens are still with me too.   Going to check on them again now.

I'm so glad to hear that they are all doing well, and love the story of your husband driving up the canyon with the chicks! Definitely a keeper! Good luck with all of this and I hope your property escapes the fire. If you are still looking for a temporary nest box for your picky Welsummer, I've heard a covered cat box (like this style: http://feeds2.yourstorewizards.com/1298/images/1000x1000/bdomeboxb.jpg ) works great in a pinch. Hopefully you can get home soon.

 

[chickenreferee]

I just saw photos of the fire this morning attached to a news story. Scary stuff. Hope you all are okay. Take care!

 

[flewdacoop]

love it use what you got less spend money means more made money..

 

[HEChicken]

Any advice for dealing with stressed out chickens (and stressed out chicken owners) would be appreciated.

Hope you guys are doing okay. Was reading on Yahoo! News about the Waldo Canyon fire and it is serious stuff. I lost a house in a fire storm about 10 years ago and it is quite devastating.

As far as stress, it will often stop a chicken from laying so I wouldn't worry too much about laying issues such as egg-bound. Once things settle down, she will most likely resume laying.

 

[Hummingbird Hollow]

Hi Folks, If you've been watching the news regarding the Waldo Canyon Fire near Colorado Springs you'll know that you'll have to refer to it as the Waldo Canyon Fire IN Colorado Springs, as the wind blew in at 50 - 65 miles per hour yesterday afternoon from the Northwest, sending the fire Southeast over the ridge and into the Northwestern edge of Colorado Springs. We are all still safe, although my middle child was staying with friends in the area that was evacuated in such panic yesterday evening. We were on the phone with him as he and his friend were stuck in traffic that we were watching with live fee on the news. Scary to say the least.

But, back to chickens. Here is the minivan-coop-evacuation-mobile in action Sunday afternoon in Deckers, Colorado where we stopped for a lunch break and to offer the chickens water. We ended up ditching the "poop hammock" because the little ones kept leaping up on top of it and tipping it and flapping around in a panic. I figured we were better off without it while in transit.



Here are my eight rather unhappy big girls stuffed in a dog crate in the back of our other mini-van. One of my Easter eggers actually laid an egg somewhere between Woodland Park and Deckers. We drew some attention at the rest stop and I gave the egg to a man who was taking pictures of my flock-on-the-go.



Here's my current set up in my sister-in-law's garage and dog run. Every morning..really early because it's been getting so hot later, I open the dog door between the garage and the dog run and let my big girls outside. Then I open the garage door, jump-start the mini-van and back it up until it's about a foot or two into the garage. I open the hatch, but not the pop-door so that the little ones can get some more fresh air but not get out yet because it takes me at least 10 minutes to rig a make-shift barricade around and under the van so that the chickens can't escape the garage. Over the past few days I've refined the process so it is getting quicker.

Then a plank is propped against the back bumper, the pop-door is lowered and there is this mad exodus from the back of the van down the gangplank to the feed trough. The big girls often come in to express their disapproval of all the noise and commotion, but I have to give them credit that other than an occasional peck on the head if a little one is in their way, they have left the little ones alone.



Another view showing how we've stapled plastic fencing up to keep chickens from flying into the other half of the garage.


We were actually blessed with 5 eggs yesterday. Three in the cat carrier you see up on top of the dog crate and two here:

 

[AMA Chick]

Wow:/

 

[Phottoman]

I had to comment just so I could subscribe to this thread.

I hope everything works out OK for you, living down here in Arizona I know what it's like to be running away from fires. We've had some big one's here too.

Stay well and God Bless all of you and your critters.

Photto

 

[Euphillia]

I am here in Fountain, CO and the Springs is my home town! ! Its horrible to see. Very happy to see you have all your girls with you and I hope your home is spared!!! Best Wishes

Christine