What did you do with your flock today?

[TropicalBabies]

Thanks, the guilt and shame weighs pretty heavy on my chest and heart. I hate letting them down and I start second guessing if I should even own chickens--but I also know that I just could not have done more in that situation. I simply could not function.

That is a great picture I can't believe you aren't out of the fire risk yet! Hopefully there is no more fire in Hawaii's near future. Yuck.

Those fly traps are the only thing that keeps them at bay here as well. I just can't hang enough of them it seems! Sigh. Between the flies, the heat, the constant broodies, the deaths, the rats and the fox...I'm a bit burned out on chickening this summer. I could use a reprieve...I cannot wait for the heat to go away. We are supposed to hit 100 again tomorrow.

Well I hope that you "chicken" out and decide to keep him! But if not, I trust you will find him the perfect home.

I don't blame you. I don't have foxes or raccoons going on and I still feel like a bad chicken moms sometimes, and think maybe I need a break. But, I know a break means rehoming all and I am not prepared for that so I had better suck it up and just thin my flock to make it more manageable on me. Plus the summertime blues will pass and I have to let them pass, not hang onto them.
When people ask for chicks because they can't get anywhere, I'm like... I just don't care. I tried and worked so hard to help provide for folks and well, guess it is time for them to figure it all out on their own for awhile. The good folks I helped are doing well and helping themselves now So, good.

 

[TropicalBabies]

Ok. So, I have been pretty stoic, have not blubbered or cried much for my kid or Lahaina.
Today his insurance kicked in and I called for an eye doc appointment, because his glasses were burnt with the house and he really cant see well enough to drive or at all. So, called a few eye docs and appointments are months out.... deep sigh. Last call I asked gal if she had any cancelations cuz my son glasses got burnt in Lahaina and I tell you, that gal... put DS at the top of her cancelation list and thinks she can get him in this week. Yes, plenty jerky people around, but there are also some real angels.The kindness of strangers...and friends has been overwhelming ♡♡♡

 

[Nomadicus]

I don't go through 50lbs a day... But I buy food a ton at a time. It lasts for a few months.

How many do you have going to a new home?

I move a few hens at a time locally to other rural homes along with a rooster when needed. I'm cutting back on the RIR and Delaware flocks and moving focus to White Giants and Dark Cornish as dual purpose breeds. Egg production is futile for us here as I knew it would be. We will eventually keep only 10 RIR and 10 or another strain of Delaware hens. I would like to introduce Barred Rocks with 10 pullets this coming year. I want to see a Ancona x Barred Rock cross as a free ranging dual purpose cross also. One other breed I want 10 hens and a rooster of is Speckled Sussex. I just want to dabble with genetic materials to create things that are new. Oh and I love the idea of using Idio Gnigante genes which I have some of now. Right now I don't have much of any stock that I want to rehome at all. We breed and hatch for our own freezer but not for market.

 

[Nomadicus]

I have the eggs collected before the rains start up again. Enough to meet needs and a few extra. My Easter Egger rooster Shooster always follows me down to the CxR coop. He will sneak in between my feet to get to a hen. Today I caught him in mid procedure and gave him an easy toss out the door. I know he want take it to heart and will be right back tomorrow. I've got to get a coop built for him and 8 RIR hens instead of letting him run wild all the time. He sleeps high up on a storage cabinet under a carport to where nothing can get to him. The cabinet has slick sides and is not climbable. Other roosters are sleeping on top of hoop coops and none have been attacked by owls or any other predators now for several months. BTW Shooster is one of the roos I adopted from up in upper lower Alabama from another BYC member. He is my most handsome rooster here of all. He almost looks like a fighting game but has no desire to fight anything. He doesn't even pick at younger roos. I had planned on building the walls for another coop this afternoon but the rain clouds had other plans.

 

[PopoMyers]

I'm going to look for some Sweet Mama as I love kabocha squash. If they're a hybrid how do you propagate them? I've grown rampicante before and they definitely have a better flavour. Have you tried tromboncino squash? Somewhere between a squash and a zucchini in flavour? Male and female flower production is generally down to night-time temperature. The cooler the night temps the more male flowers are formed and vice versa. Maybe it's just been too hot at night For the male flowers to form?
We have marmorated stink bugs over here too. We've had a lot on the allotment this year but they don't really cause too much damage here. Our chickens love the green ones!

I had purchased the seeds for Sweet Mama, and planted the last of them last year. The vines were wild! I prefer the more compact vines. I grew tromboncino in Texas, where they did well. I'll try again next year. Temps make sense, as we had a lot of cool nights in the early summer. Think I'll yank out the 2 delicata hills which still have nothing. It's too late for them. That packet of seed had germination issues. Planted over 3x just to get 8 plants, the last time planted the rest of the packet. It's frustrating when our season is so limited, as is yours, I imagine. DH picked the rest of the peaches today. I racked the plum wine, so the fermentation bucket is ready to do some peach wine. I think I'll have to wait until my hand is out if the bandage and stitches, and is washable.. Think it'll be a sticky project, as the peaches, although cosmetically very ugly, are very sweet.
They will be covered in nylon socks next year. Darn BMSBs! My chooks eat them if they happen upon them. I don't want to try to catch them and get that smell all over my hands.

 

[PopoMyers]

Oh no, I'm so sorry you had to go through that and make that decision. I have only dealt one time with wet pox and it sure is brutal and depressing. We haven't had as bad of an issue with mosquitoes this year thankfully, but OMG the flies!!! SOOO many flies. I am hopeful that you are right that you only have the one baby that got it and the rest are just fine!

I have been feeling super sad...when we were all down with COVID and couldn't check on the birds as often, I lost two of my perpetual broody hens that clearly overheated and didn't leave their nests enough. One of them was Goldie my Salmon Faverolle, and one of them was my sweet, sweet dedicated silkie Fuzzbert. I've had her since I first started chickens and I was just devastated when I found her. It's just so tough when they are so broody, every day is over 100, they started molting, and won't break and get out of their coops enough! We just couldn't manage with everyone down and sick. I literally didn't leave my bed for two days straight. Despite misters, and water, and shade, and electrolytes...if they won't care for themselves so much is on you to keep them alive! I just brought in Big Momma for two days inside because she's been broody and lost weight and her comb was paler than normal. She got a bunch of vitamins mixed in with eggs and egg shells, AC for a couple days, and some harassment from Aria (hugs and forced love) and she is back outside now looking much better. Orpingtons are much easier to break than silkies in my experience! They at least take some time off before going broody again...every time I tried breaking Fuzzy she just went right back. Blah.

@TropicalBabies I'm so sorry you have to consider thinning the flock! I cannot imagine you having to let go of Spider!! I hope you are able to find a way to keep him!

So sorry to hear about your losses, and at a time when you weren't able to take care of them and yourselves. Are you feeling better?
Don't know which is worse, flies or mosquitos. I hung out some fly traps this year. Seems to be working, but the ones that get inside the house drive me crazy.
@TropicalBabies , you have such a difficult decision, but sounds like you are already leaning toward one group. They'll certainly be missed. We do these things for the good of all. Spider is such a handsome roo. I'm sure you'll find a good home for them, as you are a discerning person.

 

[fuzzi]

Finally installed my hoop coop ground anchors this afternoon ! I don't anticipate any issues with the rain and wind in the current forecast, but I'm prepared for the future.

I had assistants:

 

[Nomadicus]

Finally installed my hoop coop ground anchors this afternoon ! I don't anticipate any issues with the rain and wind in the current forecast, but I'm prepared for the future.

View attachment 3622874

I had assistants:
View attachment 3622879

I need about 40 of those anchors. Many $$'s involved I know.

 

[fuzzi]

I need about 40 of those anchors. Many $$'s involved I know.

I just got four from Amazon, at not a bad price, and they're pretty hefty, too.

I don't think that a gust of wind would shift the hoop coop, it's aerodynamic, but I felt it was a worthwhile preventative measure to install the anchors in the four corners.

 

[Nomadicus]

When I went out to shut the coop doors one house had 8-10 roosting on top of the house in the rain. Out they stayed. It's the latest age of about to start laying soon mixed breeds as well as RIR's. If they were dumb enough to roost up there in a not so light rain then their genes are not really needed for anything except dumplings.