MJ's little flock

[Ribh]

It's been blissful!

I even went out for lunch and a bit of a rummage around the market yesterday. Found myself a new old teacup and was given a tarnished old EPNS coffee pot and creamer. Can't wait to give them a bicarb soda hot bath and see how they come up.

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I'll do a before/after shot for ACM shame the hinge on the coffee pot is wonky.

That is lovely, MJ!

 

[MaryJanet]

That is lovely, MJ!

I spent a long time choosing! They had so many teacups

 

[Ribh]

I spent a long time choosing! They had so many teacups

All the fun's in the choosing!

 

[LozzyR]

I really love this idea and plan to deploy it if it gets really hot next summer.

I’m going to try and make the shade deeper as well, use some old block-out curtain instead of a tarp.

 

[LozzyR]

That is amazingly clever. I love it. Great job.

Thanks! I was really worried about them over the weekend, it was so hot! They looked so stressed and I didn’t want to give them a cool bath in case it stressed them even more. I’ve also put the shade cloth back up in the run and also put a bamboo fence panel behind the favoured henhouse, to deflect the heat from the fence.

 

[micstrachan]

This is Link.
Much to his horror, I picked him up, told him what his name is to be and then fed him some walnut.
Thanks Bob. Sometimes we all need reminding to do the right thing.
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Hello, Link!

 

[micstrachan]

Esky blocks are a good idea. I was thinking of filling a hot water bottle with ice cubes.

Where did you put the esky blocks so Mary used them?

What are esky blocks? We’re in late fall right now, but summers are hot!

 

[micstrachan]

Bear in mind that a chickens core body temp is 41C. If the ambient temp is above that it is impossible for them to transfer heat from their bodies to the environment.
Ice cubes etc will not help much in this condition and they need to be in deep shade ideally.

Yes, but I also ice my chickens’ water in extreme heat so they will drink it.

 

[micstrachan]

A misting system is an evaporative air-conditioner, same as a waterfall.

I'm a bit sketchy on the details (high school chemistry was a long time ago) but iirc, as the mist dries up (that is, as it converts to steam and floats away) it's using up the heat in its environment, making the environment cooler. This is why you feel cool even after you come out of the swimming pool in summer.

In summer, I walk around the yard with a thermometer. I find it is always a few degrees hotter a couple inches off the ground i the hot sun than it is at my standing height. It’s always several degrees cooler in the shade, and a few degrees cooler than that if I have the mister fans running.

 

[MaryJanet]

What are esky blocks? We’re in late fall right now, but summers are hot!

This kind of thing which can be frozen solid.

https://www.bunnings.com.au/esky-large-ice-cooler-brick_p3240461