***OKIES in the BYC III ***

[Buster52]

Hit 110° in Lawton today. Man that is OVEN hot!

I knew it was coming and since we had already lost 5 birds to the heat, I turned them all loose to fend for themselves. I have this theory that if left to themselves, chickens (and dogs and cats and goats and...) will do what they need to do to stay cool and survive. So, I took one side of the netting down and let them go. Came home and they were all sorts of places. Under trailers, under trees, in bushes, high grass, etc.

Didn't lose a single bird.

They are now all back inside their tractor for the night. It's supposed to hit 108° tomorrow so I think I will just leave the netting down for the night and let the dogs protect them.

So, how is everyone else's birds handling the heat so far?

 

[poultryand bees]

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I would drain it and pack it with either honey or granulated sugar - then put a wrap or bandage on top of that. Both honey and granulated sugar will help it heal from the inside out.

 

[poultryand bees]

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My birds are doing better than I am - I like the idea of NanaKat to use fabric as shade cloth. I have bolts of it that will never get used otherwise. I do plan to attach "professional" shade cloth to the tops of some pens tomorrow. We already have tarps on the ends of pens to help provide sun block from the West. It is still 98 degrees here - at 8:30 in the evening!

 

[michaeldaugherty]

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She is out of rabbit dog's from rushspring's He said his dog's ran the track fast no paper's an i would give her to you

Michael, How old is she? and where can we meet? Is there a sale at Blanchard this weekend?

-Keith-

PS can you post a picture of her?

I think Blanch is next week...she is 1yr ....Ill try an post a pic some time..

 

[michaeldaugherty]

Nana good looking bird's in that pen ...

Buster are all your bird's white or did you get any red one's this yr...

 

[NanaKat]

Quote:
My birds are doing better than I am - I like the idea of NanaKat to use fabric as shade cloth. I have bolts of it that will never get used otherwise. I do plan to attach "professional" shade cloth to the tops of some pens tomorrow. We already have tarps on the ends of pens to help provide sun block from the West. It is still 98 degrees here - at 8:30 in the evening!

I made rings from bailing wire that would pierce thru the fabric and could be tightened with a pair of pliers. I used a 1/2 inch dowel, wrapped the wire around the dowel. Slipped the spring off the dowel and cut the rings with a pair of wire cutters....each ring was a wrap and a half....carry over from my jewelry making days. The rings were cut at an angle so the ends were sharp. Worked like a charm.

 

[Elwood Lightfoot]

One of the Pekin Duck eggs I won at POOPS hatched today or last night, I still have 6 more and one is pipped still a few days left fot the Mucsovy eggs but they all candle well so maybe I'll get a good hatch from whats left, I'll get some pic's tomorrow maybe, sure has been a long hot week, I haven't lost any birds to the heat so far I used an old trampelene over the big pen to give them some shade it has worked out well and is too tough to tear up unless the chickens figure out they can jump up and down on it then I might be in trouble, or maybe they'll just lay scrambled eggs that would exceptable LOL For a while anyway

 

[artsyrobin]

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Robin, Captain carries a single copy of the barring gene.

ummm...i'm clueless on genetics... so is that part of his coloring then?

 

[old*cowboy]

Michael you going to Mary's tomorrow. Be awful hot. Talking about beagles. My son just lost his today that we got him when he just turned 6. He is 18 now so he had her for 12 years. We just noticed a couple days ago she was starting to have trouble seeing. He made an appointment to take her to vet today and went out to get her she was dead. I hope when he gets out of college he gets another, we killed a many a rabbit over those beagles while he was growing up.

 

[nnbreeder]

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I would drain it and pack it with either honey or granulated sugar - then put a wrap or bandage on top of that. Both honey and granulated sugar will help it heal from the inside out.

Yep that is what I would do. Also I would only use anti-biotics as a last resort. Chickens have amazing powers of healing if they are healthy when injured.

A friend of mine once used over 150 stitches to close up a bird that suffered a dog attack and after a few days it was business as usual for the hen. She just watched for infections and never had to use any drugs on the bird.

Oh and I might add, if cleaning the wounds use Betadine soap mixed 50/50 with water and unless problems arise once the scab forms leave it alone. It will get black, cracked and nasty looking but this is normal. Keep the area dry and since it is summer watch for eggs from flys around the wounds.

Hydrogen Peroxide is a good cleaner initially but only use it at the start of treatment. If used once healing starts it can damage new tissue that is growing in.