New from rhinelander wi

[sourland]

OP has been inactive for 10 months.

 

[Sylvester017]

OP has been inactive for 10 months.

 

[gander007]

 

[Sylvester017]

Thx!

So what kind of breeds thrive in Southern Death Valley CA?

In our L.A. inland valley area we get pretty hot in summer - sometimes 2-3 week triple digit heatwaves and most of the time 90s all summer and I worry about our APA Ameraucana as it seems EEs and Amers don't do well in heat. We have an Orbit Mister we keep on when temps go over 85 but this will be her first summer and I hope she does ok. The Silkies and Leghorns do fine in heat but just a tad concerned about the Ameraucana?

 

[gander007]

Quote:
Mine have been in temps up to 129 degrees for up to two weeks in the summer but
my trick in to have shallow pans for them to stand in and I water the ground that is
shaded for them to stand on the other thing is I put Electrolyte in their water just to
help make things right ....

I have had EE's for over 5 years up here now the bobcat dose more damage then the
heat

And they still huddle even when it is hot

gander007

 

[Sylvester017]

Mine have been in temps up to 129 degrees for up to two weeks in the summer but
my trick in to have shallow pans for them to stand in and I water the ground that is
shaded for them to stand on the other thing is I put Electrolyte in their water just to
help make things right ....

I have had EE's for over 5 years up here now the bobcat dose more damage then the
heat

And they still huddle even when it is hot

gander007

Thx!

I already do everything you suggest except the Electrolyte water which I'll also do now for summer. I hate to have the shallow dishes of water out because the Silkies come along and drink out of the dirty feet water bowls. A shame to waste Electrolyte water that way! I had a White Leghorn that loved to stand in water - didn't matter how hot or cold the days she's go stand in any water dish she could crawl into - even when it was raining!! We finally had to set up all the water dishes under low roofs so she couldn't crawl into some of the dishes to pollute every water container in the yard. We have a Buff Leghorn now and so far she's never stood in water. And so far the Ameraucana has never stood in water but I understand that some like to. I'll find out this summer I guess LOL

 

[gander007]

Quote:
I put the Electrolyte in drinking dishes with water bottles on top and the chickens and ducks can't stand in that

See the water bottle is set up just for that reason and I so understand
what you are saying on that subject ......

gander007

 

[Sylvester017]

I put the Electrolyte in drinking dishes with water bottles on top and the chickens and ducks can't stand in that

See the water bottle is set up just for that reason and I so understand
what you are saying on that subject ......

gander007

Last year I got 3 covered Omlet Grubs (not the Glugs because those are open from the top) to use for covered water when the kennel attachment goes up. Once installed maybe some of the water won't be able to be dirtied because it is covered and hangs from the sides of the pen. We got them (not cheap) because the White Leghorn dirtied everything - even the water container showing in your picture. It's funny that we got the 3 Grubs because now the White Leghorn has been re-homed.

In any event the Grubs should be cleaner - they are a U.K. product and hopefully not Made in China anywhere. We have to make sure the water will be low enough for the Silkies to reach. One owner lost their show Silkie because they were gone from home and the caretaker refilled the waterer and hung it too high for the bantam to reach and it died - so senseless.

 

[gander007]

Quote:
That is the worst part having someone taking care of the animals and just doing a horrible job always frightens me to no end

 

[Sylvester017]

That is the worst part having someone taking care of the animals and just doing a horrible job always frightens me to no end

As a kid on a farm my folks were never gone for more than overnight and there was always one of us at home to pen up the animals. Because we had relatives on nearby farms, there was always a knowledgeable farming relative we could trust and who counted all the animals in the evening if we were gone a couple days. Farming communities understand and help each other. However, city folks are hit-and-miss on brains and/or kindness LOL.

Being retired now it's a bit easier to stick around the homefires to pen the chickens. I don't trust automatic waterers, feeders, or automatic chicken doors. I don't think the automatic door would be a problem except my DH worries a predator would enter and get trapped with the hens for the night the one time we wouldn't be home. So no matter where we are, we have to be home by dusk or one of us has to go home to pen up the girls and check all the roost boxes. Sometimes we pen them before we leave the house for the night if we'll be too far away to come back home. We have a chicken friend a couple streets away if we ever had an emergency and we would pay them if it ever came to an emergency. They probably wouldn't accept it so would give it to one of their kids if need be.