MJ's little flock

[MaryJanet]

Yes they can spontaneously combust but the circumstances where that can occur are very specific and hay bales stacked outside in a small pile cannot.

Spontaneous combustion of hassle baffles occurs when damp hay is baked and stored in a dry barn in a large stack. Mold can form on damp hay and it creates a small amount of heat as it grows. The stack has to be large enough to trap the heat from escaping and dry enough so that when the heat reaches a high enough temperature the hay will start to combust. This problem is almost exclusive to barns and large scale hay operations.

There is no way a couple of bales stacked outside will ever burst into flames. Please don't let this fear stop you from doing anything or keep you running crazy putting tarps on top of a couple of bales that you have outside.

I second @BY Bob reply. I used to bale 7 acres of hay for my horse twice a year and have had bales spontaneous combust. The reason is because the hay did not dry enough before being baled. We used to use a piece of 1" pvc pipe jammed into the center of our stack and run a thermometer down to check the temperature.

You may even do better with straw instead of hay. There is less leaf in straw and therefore less mold opportunity. Plus there should be minimal seeds in the straw so you won't have hay growing in your yard next year.

Thank you for backing me up. The most money I made as a young teenager was baling hay for farmers. We always did it in August because it was so hot and most importantly, dry. But that of course made it miserable work.

This is just a small sample of the hay I've baled. This was my barn with my ex-husband. View attachment 1988758

Thank you for sharing your expertise friends I deeply appreciate it.

 

[CrazyChookChookLady]

Thank you for sharing your expertise friends I deeply appreciate it.

You are very welcomed!! That's why this place is so wonderful, we all have out points of expertise and we get to share them with some many people here.

 

[Shadrach]

I agree on both points. She's been very unwell lately which might explain her size, but she's always been too thin in my opinion.

I know very little of her history. She was an adult hen, laying slower than you'd expect for a commercial layer, when she was brought to live here. She was found walking the streets about 15km away and they couldn't find her people, so I said I'd provide a home.

She was bonny when she moved in but for a few months she was quite brutally picked on by Janet the barnevelder. There are very few pecks these days, although Janet still chases her away from treats and pecks once or twice (without touching) at roosting time.

Sandy came down with a tenacious bacterial infection, from which I surmise she was on prophylactic antibiotics before she was found. She's had two treatments. The first was lincospectin for five days. The infection appeared to clear up but came back. The second was a course of amoxycillin injected over five days.

She's been ok since then, but not yet thriving.

If her infection comes back, she'll have a hysterectomy.

I take the chooks to a bird specialist vet. They're pets, not livestock, and a key element in my stress management.

It sounds like you have a good avian vet close enough by to visit.
My sister in the UK has one like that. Hers is pretty expensive. But, he knows what he's doing.
Gloria, the vet I have here is wonderful (she was an avian vet many years ago) but she doesn't have the equipment and her knowledge isn't really up to date. She's taught me a lot. I'm the only person that takes chickens to her.

 

[Shadrach]

At least it's good whisky!
I never drink unless I have a pesky throat infection. Alcohol is a dab hand @ killing throat germs!

.......and brain cells.....

 

[Ribh]

.......and brain cells.....

Ah, well; you can't have everything!

 

[MaryJanet]

The vet is 30 minutes drive away, but Sandy enjoys riding in the car these days. He keeps his own flock of hens and is the only provider of chicken hysterectomies in Adelaide, so he gets all the referrals. If his colleagues trust him with their clients, I can too.

Here's a picture of Sandy watching the world go by at a traffic light.

When I thought she wasn't going to make it, I stopped so she could look at the sea.

She stared at it for a full minute, which I'm sure you'll agree is a long time for a chicken. I'm glad she had that minute of sea-staring.

 

[MaryJanet]

It sounds like you have a good avian vet close enough by to visit.
My sister in the UK has one like that. Hers is pretty expensive. But, he knows what he's doing.
Gloria, the vet I have here is wonderful (she was an avian vet many years ago) but she doesn't have the equipment and her knowledge isn't really up to date. She's taught me a lot. I'm the only person that takes chickens to her.

I bet she appreciates your appointments

 

[Shadrach]

The vet is 30 minutes drive away, but Sandy enjoys riding in the car these days. He keeps his own flock of hens and is the only provider of chicken hysterectomies in Adelaide, so he gets all the referrals. If his colleagues trust him with their clients, I can too.

Here's a picture of Sandy watching the world go by at a traffic light.

View attachment 1988819

When I thought she wasn't going to make it, I stopped so she could look at the sea.

View attachment 1988821

She stared at it for a full minute, which I'm sure you'll agree is a long time for a chicken. I'm glad she had that minute of sea-staring.

I think she's a good looking hen.
I take them to the vets in a plastic pet carrier. It's much safer than on my lap as I have done in the past. I had one leave my lap and get onto the floor and under the pedals as I was driving and that was enough to get something a bit more secure.
I like your basket.
My daughter tells me that the feral colonies of chickens that live on the beaches in Hawaii like the sea. They don't get in it but they roost close by.

 

[MaryJanet]

I was very worried about the risks of letting her out of the travel basket but she proved herself reliable over time. I joke with my chums that she's booked in her driving test and will be working for Uber soon and they should give her good ratings so she can build up her profile

I use a large plastic cat carrier for Mary as she's rather inclined to panic, which leads her to bad decision making. I even bathed her in it recently when she had a poop pile up on her butt fluff.

I'm delighted to learn about the Hawaiian chickens enjoying the sea. What a wonderful thought the chooks roosting in a sea breeze. @Ribh 's hens have a marvellous sea view!

 

[Ribh]

I was very worried about the risks of letting her out of the travel basket but she proved herself reliable over time. I joke with my chums that she's booked in her driving test and will be working for Uber soon and they should give her good ratings so she can build up her profile

I use a large plastic cat carrier for Mary as she's rather inclined to panic, which leads her to bad decision making. I even bathed her in it recently when she had a poop pile up on her butt fluff.

I'm delighted to learn about the Hawaiian chickens enjoying the sea. What a wonderful thought the chooks roosting in a sea breeze. @Ribh 's hens have a marvellous sea view!

When we have a sea breeze in summer the chooks all like to find a roost where they can face into the wind & let it ruffle their feathers. Then they will close their eyes & doze. From the coop they can watch the tides come & go & all the water activity. They seem to enjoy it.