Hens in the bathtub

So it has been another crazy hot day near 104 degrees, and I had to tell you that we now have Buffy and Peachie in our bathtub!!!  They were starting to do poorly in the heat after all we'd tried.  Buffy actually tossed up her cookies (well, her water) and Peachie was hooting in a loud mournful way in between panting.  Buffy's comb was drooped over to the side.  All very good indicators that the girls were way too hot....so we brought them into the bathroom for a few hours this evening until it gets cooler outside--they are doing much better already. We filled the tub with just a little water to cool their feet.  They seemed pretty content and didn't try to fly out or do anything other than preen.  What good girls!   Interestingly, the other three girls who are Red Star/Golden Comets pant only a little bit and don't seem all that bothered by the heat.  They've enjoyed sprawling in the dust under the hydrangea and staying cool there.  It is supposed to cool off (down to the low 90s) next week so hopefully thing will improve for the girls soon.   In meantime, here are a few bathtub photos..... 

Helping our hens survive the triple digit heat

Happy Aloha Friday!!  How are you guys doing with the heat?  My temp gauge says 102!!  I've been VERY focused on taking care of the hens, wild birds, and other backyard visitors....the squirrels have been sprawled across tree branches, the hens and other birds are panting, bless their hearts.  So I've got bird baths filled, various drinking stations with ice in it them, and I run cold treats (cold yogurt, sunflower seeds, even cold milk) out to the hens fairly often.....Natalie and I also dunk their feet in a water bath for a bit.  

Which brings me to my first interesting tale:  Buffy and Peach were laying together in the coop, panting heavily, and I suppose trying to lay their eggs.  I just didn't feel sitting in the coop cuddled together was a good idea, I took them out and held them both in a water bath for a minute and...PLOP!...there went Buffy's egg in the water :)  I read on-line about a woman who rigged up a cool space for hens by using a big plastic trash can with ice packs in it so the hens can lay against the can (or even in it)....so I rigged one up here, and we'll see.  

During all this, I witnessed a black bird trying to throttle a sparrow in the birdbath--I stopped the rumpus and have been trying to help the sparrow....I'm not sure if it'll make it or not, but when a hen is hurt, it's best to isolate them while they recover.  So I've got a sparrow in a box of leaves in our guest bedroom.....and Erin should be home any minute.  Wish me luck :)

Stay cool and hydrated! 

  

ps If you have any ideas on how to keep the hens cool in this heat, please let me know!!

First carrots!

Finally this year we were able to grow carrots!  Apparently they are quite finicky and we have not had good luck in the past, but this year was different.  We had a lovely crop--sweet and delicious.  Next year we must remember to plant more because they were eaten way too fast!

Blow dry for Buffy

Adventures in hen bathing

Aloha Friday, Hen Mommies and Friends of Hens!!

So I have been watching the hens very closely these past several days through the 90 degree heat, and I noticed that Buff and Fannie Mae have become increasingly messy in their....err...hindquarters.  And this afternoon, I looked at the caked poo and dirt on their bum feathers and couldn't stand it anymore.  Natalie--bless her heart--held Buff first as I took the garden hose and gently tried to wash her.  We did the same with Fannie Mae.  But then it looked like they had wet sticks (feathers) around their bums, and how long would THAT stay clean??  I realized I should have Googled this first.  I checked a couple of different places for hen bath instructions (they get bathed for ag shows and such) and learned that washing them could possibly damage their feathers--we should have filled a small tub with warm water and a bit of soap and soaked their nether regions until the water dissolved the dirt.  Oops.  However, next Natalie cuddled Buff and Fannie Mae once again while I held the family hair dryer and gently blew their ass feathers dry.  I'm telling y'all, we lived the life today.  And thank goodness we chose hens based on their laying ability AND their docile temperments!!  Anyway, the feathers got poofier as they dried, and so I think all is well.  Of course, as I write this, I see that Buff is taking a super-intense dirt bath in my flower bed.  Well....at least it's just soft dirt (normal) and not caked dirt and poo.  I hope.

After we washed our own hands for 10 min or so, Nat and I rewarded ourselves with a bit of chocolate.  The docile hens got sunflower seeds :)  And that's all the news from Eastway Backyard Farm for now!!  Hope you got a giggle from this, just as we did!

Summer updates

Time for a summer update!  We have 5 baby chicks ordered from Meyer Hatchery to arrive the last week of July.  Very exciting!  We have new co-op members joining the chicken keepers to help out and who will need more eggs so we've decided to take the leap.  My sister will help expand the coop a bit, but its amazing how little additional space is needed.  The tricky part I think is raising the babies separately for a while and then combining the two flocks.  We shall see!

Cousins visiting the hens