Should I buy eggs or wait it out?

[Scrambles55]

I lived in the Bay Area when the big earthquake hit. I truly thought that that was how I was going to die. I lived on the top floor of an apartment building. The Cypress freeway collapsed and many people died.
We also had the Oakland Hills Fire about 2 years before or after. My memory fails me on that, but over 3000 homes burned.
I kinda like North Idaho.

 

[Scrambles55]

@Wishing4Wings
How are things there. I hear that over 1500 homes burned. Was this arson?
I’m praying for you.

 

[casportpony]

Hi Ron. We are at my sister's in a nearby town, still in the smoke zone. As of 8:00 tonight, our place is still standing. The fire is creeping down the ridge and is being monitored. The firefighters will tackle it when it gets to the bottom at the edge of the neighborhood... about 50 homes so they will do what they can to protect it. Fingers crossed.

I am so glad you are safe!

 

[Scrambles55]

Well.... tomorrow I’m off to elk camp. For some reason, the elk aren’t around. We may have to drive to the Canadian border.
My hens are molting big time. The pen and coop look like the chickens exploded.
Egg laying is slow but I will not be putting a light in. The girls need a break.

 

[Scrambles55]

So, I go out to lock the pen up for the night. I count the hens (Blu has been known to hop the fence) and I check Rumpy’s condo. Rumpy and her chick Frizzy aren’t there. I’m in a mild panic. I open the door to the coop and my crippled Rumples was on the coop floor with Frizzy snuggled next to her.
I guess the Rumpy has decided that she can hold her own and become one with the flock. Sniff.... my heart is melting.

 

[ronott1]

So, I go out to lock the pen up for the night. I count the hens (Blu has been known to hop the fence) and I check Rumpy’s condo. Rumpy and her chick Frizzy aren’t there. I’m in a mild panic. I open the door to the coop and my crippled Rumples was on the coop floor with Frizzy snuggled next to her.
I guess the Rumpy has decided that she can hold her own and become one with the flock. Sniff.... my heart is melting.

I hope she does ok in there!

 

[cheeka]

W4W, thinking about you lots...

Scrambles, good luck on the hunt and hoping that Rumples continues to succeed in joining the flock!

 

[ronott1]

W4W, thinking about you lots...

Scrambles, good luck on the hunt and hoping that Rumples continues to succeed in joining the flock!

@Wishing4Wings Please check in!

 

[Wishing4Wings]

Hi everyone. Sorry for not checking in. It has been a busy stressful time, and I am very tired. My hubs and our 2 kids are still squished in at my sister's house with all the chickens, 2 cats, a dog, a house bun, parakeet and cockatiel!

Learned about the fires Sunday just before midnight. At 2:30am (Mon), woke hubs and asked him to confirm that I was not crazy and we should think about packing up. He saw the glow from the fire on the ridge above us to the east and shortly after where it had jumped the road to the south. The glow got brighter and we could hear the roar of the fire, but could not see flames. 3am we woke some neighbors and started packing up, animals first. 13 laying hens got thrown in the back of our small pickup under the camper shell. Everyone else and the necessary gear and supplies were being loaded when the official notice came to evacuate at 3:30am. We spent another hour trying to get things we wanted to save, and then headed out... a caravan of 4 vehicles and 3 licensed drivers oops: well, the 16 yr old almost has his license) and drove over the hills in the dark to my sister's house, about 20 minutes away. You could see flames off in the distance. It looked very bad.

Monday night, the flames from the ridge were creeping down toward our neighborhood, so it was a restless night not knowing the outcome. Several large areas of houses had already been completely destroyed by the fire Sunday night, so it was a huge worry. Early Tues morning we got word that the amazing firefighters saved our neighborhood. Big relief, but not out of the woods yet, because on Wed, the fire flared up in Annadel State Park, which borders on our neighborhood to the north at the top of the ridge. We are on the valley floor. Very relieved again on Thurs morning to find that the wonderful firefighters saved our bacon a second time! They are amazing.

So here we are on Friday, hoping the danger is over for us, but knowing that this ordeal is not over for many people. Erratic strong winds and extremely dry conditions in hilly rugged terrain have created the worst fire storm in CA history. What started as one fire in Napa became 14 small fires in 3 counties. Most of those fires have merged into one huge fire, and several new ones have popped up in counties farther north. Estimates of 5700 homes burned... So far.

We have not been able to return to our neighborhood, which is frustrating, because I accidentally left a broody behind. She had water but no food, although the pop door is on auto timer and run by batteries (no power since Monday... dreading the refrigerator) so broody can get out of the run and go eat apples during the day if she's hungry. Stress and frustrations aside, we are so grateful that our house still stands, as does my dad's place up at the farm. So many people have lost so much. It is horrible.

This picture was taken Thursday around noon. The red is actually green trees, black shows burned grass. You can see how close it got to my neighborhood. (I'm on east side of Birch Dr.) The stripey looking pink fields are vineyards. To the far right are the white skeletons of burned houses on the eastern ridge above our neighborhood. Some 75 homes burned up there Sunday night. We didn't know it, but could hear muted explosions that were probably propane tanks. It all happened too quickly. The winds were horrible... aptly named the Diablo winds.

Oh, we tried to get home again today, denied by a very friendly county sheriff's deputy, who told me to contact the county animal control about my left behind broody. They send out people every day to care for pets left behind. So I called, and my broody was put on the list and was supposed to be checked on today. They will give her more water and put out some food. Hope they don't try to pet her, because that's the one I renamed Chomp!

I will try to post more tomorrow. Glad you found a good home for the ducks Cheeka. Do you still have a trip planned?
Happy hunting, Scrambles. Ron, glad you are away from this fire. When is it going to rain???

 

[Wishing4Wings]

@Wishing4Wings
How are things there. I hear that over 1500 homes burned. Was this arson?
I’m praying for you.

No official cause yet. Probably trees knocking down power lines in the wind and sparking transformers.