The Old Folks Home

[ronott1]

Ronotti if your climate isn't a quite s bad as Dar's - then your area must be "Hades waiting room."

It is worse a bit further north of us. The prediction for Redding CA is 111 for today. We have dropped down to 108 for today. When I was growing up in Red Bluff CA, We had two days with the temperature of 121.9. Go here and click on the record high tab: http://www.weather.com/weather/wxclimatology/monthly/graph/96080

It is funny, the chart does not go up to 121, sot they had to drop it below 119 on the chart so that it could be seen.

Why did you lose power? Is that a "brown out" ?

That makes sense about your garden. Oppositely, I grow the "cool" varieties of plants here, I finally last year found a cantaloupe that will grow here. Granted, it's softball sized, but who cares? Sweet melon from my garden! I'm still working on finding a watermelon that will grow here but I think my results from this years experiment won't really work because it's been so cold and delayed.

I think we've got Andrea overhead now. Surprisingly there's no wind but I got soaked going out to do the morning chores.

I hope all is ok with the storm! We are separated from the ocean by a mountain range.

Without the mountains, we would have completely different weather here.

One of my original hens died overnight. It was probably heat stress but I will take her to CAHFS(California Animal Health and Food Safety) for a necropsy today. She was a 2.5 year old Black Australorp from Cackle Hatchery. I will have to check my records and see which one she was.

 

[Arielle]

ROn, sorry the hens are struggling in this heat. HOpe you don't lose anymore. As I remember BOb BLosl saying, it takes a few years ( and generations) to have the line adapt to its new climate. THere was a long discussion about this on his thread. A line might not look so good when moved to another location, but move them back "home" and they look great. I like your idea of using a bird noted for handling the heat; gret way to start.

We had 104 temp here last year-- thought I was gling to die!! ALl the birds took cover and didn't move the whole day. I still have a huge number of trees and nearly closed canopy in areas which I think really holds the temps down a few degrees.

 

[ronott1]

ROn, sorry the hens are struggling in this heat. HOpe you don't lose anymore. As I remember BOb BLosl saying, it takes a few years ( and generations) to have the line adapt to its new climate. THere was a long discussion about this on his thread. A line might not look so good when moved to another location, but move them back "home" and they look great. I like your idea of using a bird noted for handling the heat; gret way to start.

We had 104 temp here last year-- thought I was gling to die!! ALl the birds took cover and didn't move the whole day. I still have a huge number of trees and nearly closed canopy in areas which I think really holds the temps down a few degrees.

It is a type of culling. I have Crele Penedesenca and Blue egg layers from the University of Arkansas on a farm in a place called Guinda. It is in a little valley about 20 miles north of me. Kim, the owner said it was 110 there and the boys were lightly panting! It seems the Blues of the UofA are heat hardy!

Temperature update: it is 8:05 and 82 degrees already!

 

[Arielle]

Well you are certainly putting these girls ( and boys?) thru a vigorous test!! Yup, natural culling at it's best.

Is this a high heat day, or as the summer rolls in the heat will be that high everyday?

 

[ronott1]

Well you are certainly putting these girls ( and boys?) thru a vigorous test!! Yup, natural culling at it's best.

Is this a high heat day, or as the summer rolls in the heat will be that high everyday?

We usually go through heat waves. Next week will be in the high 80s and low 90s. The next week has some low 100s. Last year we had three or four heat waves with the highest being 107. June and July are the hottest two months. August will be a bit cooler so if the chickens can make it through the next 6 weeks we should be ok.

 

[gryeyes]

My poor little window A/C unit worked until 11:30 last night! It hasn't kicked on yet... Already 86 outside at 9:20 a.m.

Mister system worked well yesterday; glad I got it set up. I have already watered my garden really well.

No flock losses but everybody spent all day under trees, bushes, or the deck. Many panting and miserable with wings held well away from their bodies. Or in the house (house silkie hatched four chicks yesterday).

So very glad I am retired!!! I can check on the flock periodically.

 

[pickitfarm]

We usually go through heat waves. Next week will be in the high 80s and low 90s. The next week has some low 100s. Last year we had three or four heat waves with the highest being 107. June and July are the hottest two months. August will be a bit cooler so if the chickens can make it through the next 6 weeks we should be ok.

Those are some high temps.....and I thought we had it bad in the south. We are typically running close to the 90's this time of year but is has been unseasonable cooler......but still humid. We are going to try the frozen water bottles that some have mentioned when it starts to really go over the top here. Does this type of heat impact the hatching of eggs under a broody hen? Any precaution that should be taken?

 

[ronott1]

Those are some high temps.....and I thought we had it bad in the south. We are typically running close to the 90's this time of year but is has been unseasonable cooler......but still humid. We are going to try the frozen water bottles that some have mentioned when it starts to really go over the top here. Does this type of heat impact the hatching of eggs under a broody hen? Any precaution that should be taken?

Yes, it would not be a good idea to try broody hatching with temps like that.

Back when I was growing up, living in Red Bluff we hit 119 and the hens did not go under the shade. A bunch of them literally popped from the heat...It was awful

I have misters an a lot of shade. I also do health checks each hour during the heat waves.

 

[Arielle]

Maybe your new hens will fare ok. Hard to imagine wearing a feather coat in 100 degree summer weather.

 

[pickitfarm]

If it gets too hot would it be okay for us to hatch the rest of the time in an incubator? This is our first time trying to hatch our own eggs. We a BR roo with two of his BR ladies. Those girls lay some very large light brown eggs too.