Surrounded by smoke

[KlynneL]

Hi, I'm new to posting (been lurking for a while now.) But we have a real emergency here. Our valley is surrounded by fires, some are as close as five miles from us, and the air quality is hazardous. We only have a chicken tractor for our 12 pullets, and we are concerned that the smoke is bad for them. Any suggestions on what we can do to help them. It is so bad the wild birds are all gone now.

 

[ChirpyChicks1]

Is there any other place you can go? I personally would pack up and leave

 

[KlynneL]

Right now we are more concerned with our animals and homestead. We have a place to take them if we have to evacuate, but the air quality isn't much better there. We live in Southern Oregon and have several big fires surrounding us.

 

[ChirpyChicks1]

Well I'll hope everything works out alright. Sadly besides getting them all to another spot way away from the fires I'm not sure what you can do.

Can't really control the air

 

[ten chicks]

Right now we are more concerned with our animals and homestead. We have a place to take them if we have to evacuate, but the air quality isn't much better there. We live in Southern Oregon and have several big fires surrounding us.

Hose down everything,make sure coops/house/fences,etc. are soaking wet. Fill your bathtub up with water,in the event of a fire breaking out. Close all windows,keep smoke/embers out. Do not wear anything made of nylon,melts fast. Other than leaving,this is about it. If you have a basement,i would consider bringing chickens inside.

 

[KlynneL]

I wish we did have a basement, but we live on a floodplain. We've been watering as much as we can, but we are on a well and in the middle of a dry spell. Our creek is even dried up. We have the hot tub filled, and are doing what we can.The aerial bombers were out for a bit today, but the smoke is too bad. They've even closed the Rogue River to rafting. I'm thinking of just having DH put them in their makeshift coop and covering it with a tarp, but they are lower to ground where they are currently at. They aren't even going on their roosts. Staying close to the ground.

 

[ten chicks]

Soak some towels seal up any openings,under doors,around windows,etc. Coops and house.Do you have a cellar?

 

[bettythegreat]

A friend of mine lives in Central Point and is trying to figure out what to do as well to protect her poultry from the smoke, she has many ducks and chickens, lives in a rural area of town. Trying to find some helpful suggestions for her online as well.

 

[KlynneL]

A friend of mine lives in Central Point and is trying to figure out what to do as well to protect her poultry from the smoke, she has many ducks and chickens, lives in a rural area of town. Trying to find some helpful suggestions for her online as well.

Central Point is quite a ways from the fires, but the smoke is very bad. The fires are close to 20,000 acres now, and some are converging. People to the north of us have had to evacuate, and they are telling us to stay indoors, or use respirator masks. My hubby has one that our daughter got for him, just so he can take care of the garden and animals. I wish we had a basement to put them in, but we don't. He's putting them back in their yard so that they are close to the ground where there is less smoke. They seem to be doing fine.

It is funny, my friend in Hugo, where the fires are the closest, just moved all her animals to Central Point.

 

[KlynneL]

Just an update. I consider us very blessed. When we started on this chicken journey in March, we bought 12 three day old chicks from our local grange. My husband raised chickens when he was in high school and remembered that you were lucky to keep the majority alive to maturity. Sure enough, one morning I was counting the chicks and noticed one was missing. Then I saw a lump under the cover we had on the bottom of their cage. I pealed it back and there was a poor little squished baby. Then I saw that she was still alive. So we nursed her back to health, keeping her separate from the other chicks. We placed another little chick in her cage to keep her company. Those two always were the runts, and when we put them back with the flock we expected the others to peck on them, but the didn't.

Then we had the fire. With all the smoke and ash falling everywhere, we were sure they would have respiratory distress of some kind. Never happened. Then I left for several weeks to be with my parents as my dad started cancer treatment. DH and two of my kids who are currently living at home took care of the ladies, and they started blessing them with eggs.

Here it is, the end of October and all 12 of our ladies are still with us, blessing us daily with fresh eggs and laughter. I love how the just squat down and let me pet them. The little runt that we saved, she's the last to go into their coop at night. She waits until one of us goes out to their yard then follows us back to the coop and won't go inside until we put her there. She still loves to snuggle before bed. Now we just need to finish their winter home. It's starting to get a little chilly here.