The Old Folks Home

[chickadoodles]

Scg that's awesome that you are involved in restoring old cemeteries.

 

[microchick]

I just checked our weather. 90 degrees in beautiful Macon Co Missouri with 52% humidity. It could be worse. It was in the mid 90s with the humidity around 70% and a heat index of 110 a little over a week ago. We aren't looking at cooler weather until the weekend. The chickens were standing, panting with their wings on the ground. I turned an extra fan on them and when I left they were vying for the best spot in frtong of it.

Our regional fair is about the middle of July. I'd love to go to it but frankly it is just too darned hot. A friend has a daughter who was going to show a Black Copper Moran hen and and a goat. They were looking at temps in the 90s and were making plans to freeze milk jugs and set up fans for them and the animals. It always amazes me when they schedule fairs for the hottest time of the year. The animals are miserable, the exhibitors are miserable, the attendees.....well at least they get lemonade shake ups.

 

[room onthebroom]

I just checked our weather. 90 degrees in beautiful Macon Co Missouri with 52% humidity. It could be worse. It was in the mid 90s with the humidity around 70% and a heat index of 110 a little over a week ago. We aren't looking at cooler weather until the weekend. The chickens were standing, panting with their wings on the ground. I turned an extra fan on them and when I left they were vying for the best spot in frtong of it.

Our regional fair is about the middle of July. I'd love to go to it but frankly it is just too darned hot. A friend has a daughter who was going to show a Black Copper Moran hen and and a goat. They were looking at temps in the 90s and were making plans to freeze milk jugs and set up fans for them and the animals. It always amazes me when they schedule fairs for the hottest time of the year. The animals are miserable, the exhibitors are miserable, the attendees.....well at least they get lemonade shake ups.

I agree. Our fair is in June. The kids love to go, but the past few years they don't want to see the animals, because they're so hot it just depresses them. Now we take them at night. Its much cooler & they like all the neon lights. Just talking about this makes me want fudge & fried food.

 

[Wisher1000]

We had a plane crash near our local airport. Three couples aboard, all killed. They were on their way back to Mississippi from a dentist's conference in Orlando. They leave behind a total of eleven children. My heart hurts.....

 

[room onthebroom]

OMG! That's terrible! So much tragedy & loss this past week.

 

[microchick]

I have a question for y'all. With heading into fall, I'm thinking ahead to winter. My flock right now is at 31. 17 hens, 4 of the hens 10 week old pullets and 14 roosters 4 of them also 10 week old cockerels. I have 4 mature roosters in a bachelor pad and will probably be adding a few more before winter. Over the summer months we have renovated an old shed into a new coop for the birds. The Roosters are living in the old coop which is a chicken tractor of sorts. It isn't as well ventilated and insulated as the new coop is.

So the question is, with winter coming and the hormone levels dropping in the roosters, how much chaos would it create if I let them roost together over the winter months?

 

[microchick]

We had a plane crash near our local airport. Three couples aboard, all killed. They were on their way back to Mississippi from a dentist's conference in Orlando. They leave behind a total of eleven children. My heart hurts.....

So sad. My heart goes out to those kids. Such a horrible shock for them.

 

[Alaskan]

I have a question for y'all. With heading into fall, I'm thinking ahead to winter. My flock right now is at 31. 17 hens, 4 of the hens 10 week old pullets and 14 roosters 4 of them also 10 week old cockerels. I have 4 mature roosters in a bachelor pad and will probably be adding a few more before winter. Over the summer months we have renovated an old shed into a new coop for the birds. The Roosters are living in the old coop which is a chicken tractor of sorts. It isn't as well ventilated and insulated as the new coop is.

So the question is, with winter coming and the hormone levels dropping in the roosters, how much chaos would it create if I let them roost together over the winter months? 

My roosters do fine penned up together...... As long as
1- there are two feeders and waterers placed far enough apart so the lower rank ones aren't starved to death
2- there is enough perch space so the lower rank ones aren't forced to sleep outside
3- males only with females within hearing but not within sight OR about 5 or more times as many hens as roosters(if roosters are OK personality wise)


@superchemicalgirl can you ask what they suggest in regard to an old broken tombstone? Large flat/thin rectangle, broken off at base. I know framing it in concrete will eat away the stone and is a big no. I have seen metal frames used to hold a headstone back upright, but at times it looks like the metal also destroys the stone.

Maybe it depends on the kind of metal and/or kind of stone??

I have googled and found conflicting info...and this is VERY MUCH not something that I want to fiddle/experiment with. I am almost tempted to bring it to my house, stick it against a wall, and replace it with a new one.

 

[superchemicalgirl]

I'll ask, Al. Tomorrow morning is a couple hour lecture before we go "into the field."

As far as roosters go, I have not had luck with a bachelor pen, even without seeing the girls and with enough food/water. I also have 2 roos in with my flock at all times and these 2 are the only ones I've ever had that fight (usually I swap them out every year, these got a reprieve last year). A few roosters in a flock is fine, but not 14.

 

[Alaskan]

This isn't the tombstone in question... But the same kind of shape.