Sdwd

[Yard full o' rocks]

Quote:
I have seen your postings on the Good Shepard thread....all of 'em look great. I have 2 females from that line that look pretty good, one better than the others. Still have 5 pullets from the Hardy line and 1 from Kraig Shafer (and she is really looking nice even at 8 weeks). My boys just don't seem to be weathering the heat too well. I have fans out there, plenty of shade and watered every few hours, but can't afford to A/C them and me too. We got a brief rain shower yesterday around 4pm but after it was gone the humidity was horrible even though the temps went down a bit. I am just "OVER" Summer....I will never, never, never complain about ice in my water bowls again!! Bring on the winter!!!

 

[speckledhen]

Rex is doing okay in the heat, I guess, though he does lay down quite a bit. Isaac is doing the worst of all my roosters. I think the dense musculature of the Dels may contribute to that--can't figure out any other reason a white bird with that type feathering would suffer so much in the heat, more than even the big Orps. If I lost Ike, I won't be surprised. If I lose Rex, I don't think I'll have the heart to start again. I'm ready to go back to a dozen layers and that's it after this long, hot, grueling summer.

 

[Hillbilly Hen]

Gloria Jean, I hope you are feeling much better

Those of you that are having trouble with the heat, you have my sympathies

I hope that it will cool off soon for you and you will even be able to actually enjoy the weather. So sorry for the losses due to the heat and also for the suffering some are going thru.
After a long, cold wet spring we are having hotter than normal temps. So for here, it has been hot too. Mostly in the upper 80's and low 90's and not cooling off much at night. Usually we will have a couple of hot days and then it will cool back down for several days. That has not been the case for the last couple of weeks or so.

I think I may have a Black Austrolorp that is laying internally. When I dipped the chickens on Monday [last week] I noticed that the one hen had a large hard swelling in her belly. I thought she might just needed to lay her egg. it took her a few days and I was going to giver the spa treatment but she laid her egg before I could do that. She was no longer hard but still swollen. The egg was a normal size and had "gunk" all over it. She is eating, drinking and acting fine.

 

[Cetawin]

Oh no Laura I really hope not. *sigh* Keep us posted. Cyn is good with diagnosing that stuff.


Scott I am sorry you have lost birds too. I am so over this heat I could scream. I miss my flock so badly. DH has been in the coop the past two nights trying to find a way to cool it down in there and he toldme today "Lancelot and the girls stay in the bathroom until I can get that coop cooled down out night....I will not have you lose him and those 3 girls"....so he is in his playpen on the porch with his fan on him and the girls and then inside he comes at night. I still cannot believe I lost 13 girls in one day. So far 14 total to the heat and 2 ducks, even my ducks are suffering in this mess.


Cyn...I am praying for Nugget, Reba and Shadow.

 

[crazyhen]

Thanks al,l my ear is feeling much better. I am like you Scott. I will not fuss about the cold again. Heat and I do not get along except to grow plants. So far I have not lost any younguns to it. All my flock is young. From about 14 weeks to down to 12 weeks. I have two black English, 2 lavender orps, 3 barred rocks, one olive egger, two bl. Ameraucanas, 4 NH, one splash orp, one blue orp, one delaware, and and. I can not think right now.

I will be trinning out some more males a little later. I want at least one of each kind that pleases me. I sent 13 males out already. I wish I could find a good home for my sweet new splash orp from the Suede line via Beth. Hes so friendly. And almost as big as the English.

Scott I hope those birds of yours do better. Cynthia, I do not want as many hens as before either. They become work instead of pleasure. I want about 12 to 14 layers and one roo, just because I love to hear them. Also I may hatch some eggs next spring if need be. Since I have smaller hens like the olive egger and ameraucans I do not want a hugh roo. Gloria Jean

 

[speckledhen]

All I want to do today is

Called LH and told her to come down here and shoot me. At least I know she won't miss. I can't lose Nugget. There is no hope for Reba because her body betrayed her a long time ago, but not my Nugget! She's too young and vital and the best mama on the planet. I was talking about getting rid of my D'Anvers to scale down, but they are doing better in the heat than anyone else so maybe that's not such a great idea, even though it takes at least three of their eggs to equal just one large one.

 

[crazyhen]

Not nugget!!!!! poor baby, she is so pretty too. I am so sorry Cynthia.
It looks like we are going to have to go to the mediterrainan breeds for heat tolerance. I just do not think I like their personalitys as well. Gloria Jean

 

[speckledhen]

Nugget and Reba are in the dog kennel in my great room. Stupid heat. It's 93* right now, and though the humidity is down, about 44%, it's like living in a pressure cooker. My birds are not used to that up here in the mtns at our elevation, not at all, certainly not for literally months on end. If I get through this summer without losing a bird to the heat, it will be a miracle.

 

[crazyhen]

The hottest summer consistantly that I ever remember in the mtns. Thank goodness here we had cooler nights in the high 60,s and one night 70. The heat arrives with a vengence in the evening because I live on a western slope. Yes we would have a day once in a long while that was 90's but not day after day. Week after week. I feel so sorry for those in MO. Over 100 for so long. Whew! I can't even imagine living like that week after week.
I pray we all do not lose anymore and hope we have an early fall. Gloria Jean

 

[Hillbilly Hen]

I was out taking pics of some of the gang and Shug wanted her pic taken too. She is getting to be a big girl.

Here is one of the boys I am thinking about keeping for a breeder.

Here is the other that I thought looked good for being only 7 & 1/2 weeks old.