By the time I made it back to the entrance, I decided I was going to have a baby right there in the middle of the road. I wondered how long it would take one of those guys on a golf cart to take pity on me and drive me to my car if I were to just sit down on the asphalt and refuse to take another step. I didn’t really want to find out, but as I looked at the seemingly endless sea of cars before me my muscles rebelled. They refused to take another step.

Just then, the parking fairy arrived in the form of a John Deere tractor towing a large trailer. I didn’t really care where it was going. So long as I got to sit, I was willing to ride along. Slowly, the trailer filled and the more people boarded, the quieter it got.

One lady verified with the driver where the trolley would be headed.

The man across from me whispered to his wife that he hoped it wouldn’t break down, being a John Deere, and all.

But for the most part, we sat quietly, staring at nothing in particular, careful only to not let eyes cross with strangers.

Suddenly, a young purple finch flew in and flapped wildly as it attempted to land on the hand rail in the center of the trailer. Everyone was instantly alert, watching the little bird’s plight as it desperately tried to land. It flew up into the awning, meeting the same fate with the metal bars holding up the awning. Exhausted, it came down hard, barely catching hold of a lady’s crutch and perching for a moment as the woman tried to move it to encourage the little bird to fly elsewhere.

Again it rose, but it was out of energy. It crashed into her shoulder, coming to rest on her back. We all watched. She gave a bit of a nervous laugh, both pleased at the unexpected encounter and perplexed at what exactly to do. As she shifted, the little finch dropped to the floor of the trailer and stopped, worn out from its exertion, oblivious to its surroundings.

A young woman cupped her hands, gently lifted the bird and looked for a place to move it to. Aiming for a nearby bush, she gently tossed it and we all watched the little bird fly for a tree. Success!

A cheer went up, followed by applause. No one spoke directly of the finch, but the conversation no longer took place in hushed whispers between couples. We talked about the fair, it’s move from Lincoln to Grand Island, the traffic, the drive. We talked, we joked, we laughed. All because, for a few brief moments, we were not merely inconsequential strangers aboard the same parking trolley at the fair. We had found a common interest in the welfare of a young bird whose fight for survival had landed it in our midst.

As the heat increases, chickens slow down. They forage less and chase each other less. Layers may stop laying and meat birds may stop gaining weight. All of this signals heat stress which can be alleviated with some simple steps.

1. Select the right birds for your climate.

The most important part of keeping your flock healthy is to start with birds suited to your area. There are heat tolerant breeds, cold tolerant birds and birds that aren’t tolerant to any temperature extremes whatsoever (like broilers). Don’t build your flock based solely on looks, egg laying potential or what is available at the feed store. Know their preferences. Henderson’s Handy-Dandy Chicken Chart is a great place to find this information. At the very least, this will help you devise a plan to help your birds through temperature extremes they are not well suited to.

2. Plan your chicken coop with the climate in mind.

A roof slanted toward the summer sun will absorb more heat. A well-insulated coop will retain more heat and humidity. A coop built off the ground allows air flow under the coop, helping to keep bedding dry, thus reducing the humidity (and the smell!) A screened window (or hole covered in chicken wire) can make a huge difference on a hot day, as can free access to the outside where your birds have a choice between the coop’s shade and the summer breeze.

3. Water, water, water.

Warm water is better than no water, but on a hot day, keeping a steady supply of fresh, cool water will go a long way in helping your chickens manage the heat. Throw in some ice cubes to help keep it cool a little longer, especially if you need to be gone for a few hours during the heat of the day.

4. Know the signs of heat stress.

Your chickens will pant when it is hot outside. This is natural and does not necessarily mean you need to rush out and buy an air conditioning unit for their coop, even if you are hitting high temperatures. Except for a couple of hours in the early afternoon, our flock forages all day and shows no particular signs of actual stress. Our layers are laying well and our pullets are continuing to grow at a nice pace despite the triple digit heat. Basically, you need to know your birds and what is normal for them. You should be concerned with a bird that does not react normally. A struggling bird may also lay down in the dirt with wings held loosely and legs stretched behind them. This is an awkward position for a bird to take, particularly a prey species that normally is ready to take flight at a moment’s notice. When getting rid of excess heat becomes more important than fleeing from predators, it is probably past time to bring the bird inside and give it a cooling bath.

Important: Birds will acclimate to the heat over time. If the weather has been warming slowly over the last month, they may get through a heat wave with nothing but shade and some extra water. If the heat comes on suddenly, they will need more attention from you, but some of your cooling efforts can be scaled back as time goes on. Too much intervention can actually make it more difficult for them to acclimate to the heat.

5. Provide shade. And lots of it.

If you do not have shade, your chickens will tend to stay in the coop where air circulation is not as good. A shady spot in their run will provide much more relief from the heat. We have a dog house on one side of our run and a tarp spread out on the other side, though neither are of much use since most of our birds fly over the fence anyway. Instead, they hang out in the corner of an old barn, in the lilac hedge or in our windbreak. Free ranged birds know the coolest spots in their range. You just need to find where they’re going and make sure they don’t have too far to walk to get to their water.

6. Pay attention to the changing position of the sun.

This is particularly important for pastured poultry. A pen in a shady spot in the morning may trap them in full sun in the afternoon.

7. Start making ice packs.

Gallon milk jugs filled partway with water and frozen or Ziploc style baggies full of frozen water work great. Overheated birds will park themselves next to their makeshift air conditioning and drink the condensation as it forms. A pan of ice cubes will also be appreciated, though they are likely to foul them up rather quickly.

8. Mist your chickens.

Chickens don’t sweat, but a fine misting of their feathers will help cool them as it evaporates. Mine run too fast for me to spray them so I figure they aren’t that bad off. I’ve read of chickens who will stand near a sprinkler to take advantage of the spray, though, so it is definitely something to consider.

9. Mist your hen house.

This might bring up your water bill a bit, but consider running a sprinkler or hose over your chicken coop. The water itself will cool the building and the evaporative effect will further contribute to the cooling. If your birds free range like ours, this likely won’t help much but then your birds will also have far more choices of where to go to keep cool.

10. Provide wet sand for them to walk through.

The moisture will help cool their feet and legs as they walk through the sand.

11. Provide a good dust bath.

If you have chickens, you know they love nothing more than a good dust bath. They fluff their feathers, rub their wings and even roll in the loose dirt, trying to get the dust through their feathers and down to their skin. Dust baths help relieve itching, control parasites and are thought to help cool birds. At any rate, they certainly love them and all that feather fluffing has to be good for releasing extra heat! Sand or loose dirt in a shallow container (like a kitty litter pan) is perfect if you don’t have a section of your yard your birds have already turned into a dust bath site.

12. Provide a fan.

Air circulation will help your chickens significantly, especially if they’re locked in a coop for a day. Chickens keep their body temperature around 106 and, well, they’re like little heaters when they’re shut up together. Ventilation and a fan can help keep the coop from getting hotter than the outside temperature while also reducing the humidity.

How are your birds faring this summer? What have you done to help keep them cool? Most of our flock seems to be doing fine, while the broiler chicks are showing signs of stress. It has been a challenge keeping them cool. I just moved them off a table and into a larger, more ventilated pen on a concrete floor hoping to give them a little more relief. They certainly do like their ice packs! If it weren’t for the fact they are my daughter’s 4H project, I would never try raising broilers in the summer.

I step out on the porch, pushing the other dogs back. I don’t want them chasing coyotes onto their own turf again. I’m hoping my presence will be enough to drive them away, but on the porch, holding my trusty hoe, I falter.

The coyotes are still there. Copper is beside himself with a fury I’ve never heard from him before, and I can hear their rustling. They can’t get into the hen house and soon they’ll figure that out, but I don’t want to leave our little beagle at their mercy, either. They can easily jump a six foot fence, and poor Copper would barely be a snack.

But chasing coyotes is a little different than running to the hen house expecting to find a weasel. These coyotes have looked in our window, closed in on us and even chased our car. I’m not quite ready to see just how bold they are by running after them with a hoe and a flashlight.

So I stand on the porch in my pajamas holding a hoe in one hand and a flashlight in the other with thoughts racing and feet firmly planted.

A moment later, I am joined by Zane, a giant of a Doberman Pinscher whose shoulder stands at my hip. He gives me a smile only a Doberman can then reads the concern on my face as I look anxiously toward the hen house.

Instantly he turns from submissive, wriggly, over-sized puppy hoping for a scratch behind the ear to fearsome beast, his wrath evident in a vicious snarl and horrific charge. The coyotes take flight and disappear in the soybean field to the west as Zane halts at the property line.

I watch as he trots our western boundary, glaring into the darkness, voicing his anger and marking every few feet. I’m not alone. In the beam of the flashlight, I catch the eye shine of at least four animals lying amongst the soybeans watching him pace.

They finally move on and he returns to me, wagging is whole backside and smiling his Doberman smile, hoping for a scratch behind the ear.

I heartily oblige. “Good boy, Zane! Good boy!”  I so want to let him in the house, to reward him properly for his feat.

Thing is, he isn’t even our dog.

__________________________

Image courtesy of Webshots.

At least until I’m close enough for the geese to hear me and their chorus of peeping assures me that all is well.

Since losing over half our flock, I’ve become a little more vigilant in watching over them. Hunter is no longer allowed in the house during the heat of the day. Copper is tied out near the goose pen where he can hunt voles and hopefully discourage the weasel. A squawk, a sudden flurry of flapping, a bark from any of the dogs . . all will send me running outside, certain my flock is under attack.

And believe me, now that my cockerels have turned into hormonal teenagers, there is a lot of squawking and flurries of flapping going on. The hens will have none of it and the cockerels won’t give it up.

You can imagine my response (and my pulse!) at two in the morning when I’m awakened by a chick’s scream. It’s a sound I’ve heard often enough. I have four chicks that free range with the rest of the flock and every so often they get a little too close to the hens at feeding time. Fortunately, these are warning pecks, aimed at teaching the chicks their proper place in the flock hierarchy.

But it is still a scream. And to someone who has heard it at almost every feeding, it is unmistakable.

And chickens don’t squabble at two in the morning. They’re silent. Even with the dog in the attached kennel barking like mad, they are silent and seemingly oblivious to all disruptions and intrusions.

So anyway, this is the point in the story where I’m running to the hen house barefoot and in my pajamas. I forgot the flashlight but at the last second hesitated just long enough to grab a hoe. After all, weasels and raccoons both have been known to stand their ground over a fresh kill, even against a human.

I don’t really stop to think whether it is smart to challenge them. The bites, the stitches, the rabies shots. It might be better to just replace the flock, but I think those are the costs you don’t count until after the crisis is over.

I fling open the hen house and . . . nothing. No disturbance. No chickens flapping wildly. No feathers settling from a struggle. No shuffling, even. Just the slight little coo my chickens always give when I open the hen house at night and the peeping of the geese in friendly greeting. By the porch light, I can see there’s no disturbance, but I decide to fetch a flashlight to do an actual head count.

Everyone’s accounted for.

But I’ll hear the scream three more times before the night is over. And each scream will send me running, though each time I’ll be a little less panicked.

In the morning, I discover the culprit.

The northern mockingbird. Renowned for his mimicry. Renowned for his late night singing. He can learn the songs of over 200 species in his lifetime, and ours has to go and choose the scream of a chick to perfect in the wee hours of the morning.

That whole damping off thing is a killer. Of plants, of gardening enthusiasm, of all my vague dreams of harvesting my own seeds in the fall to start the following spring.

This year was going to be different. This year I started with heirloom varieties, partially because of that vague dream of saving my own seeds, and partially just because I like the stories behind them. It’s like planting a little piece of agricultural history as you read that the corn you are planting was the first yellow corn found acceptable for human consumption.

This year I planted them with much more soil and did away with the flimsy plastic greenhouse cover in favor of monitoring the moisture daily with my finger.

This year I had nowhere to go during those most critical days of a newly sprouted seedling. In years past, it was often a weekend away that resulted in too much or too little moisture for wee little sprouts who barely poked their heads out of the soil before returning to it.

This year my seedlings grew. Thrived, even.

If it weren’t for Abby, the herbicidal cat, and Pepper, the pepper killer, I’d likely have had more tomatoes and peppers than I knew what to do with. As it was, I had seven tomato plants and twelve pepper plants sitting in their containers. Outgrowing their containers. Begging me to move them to the garden.

My husband and I sat down with some old fencing we found in the barn and made cages for the tomatoes. I wanted them to get just a little bigger, just a little more resistant to goose nibbles and rabbit munches. I wanted them to live.

I found a strange pleasure in buying tomatoes and peppers at the store. Every time I looked over the pinkish tomatoes, not quite finished with their ripening after being picked green in California or Chile or somewhere else warmer than Nebraska, I thought of vine ripened sweetness from my own garden. Every time I winced at the price of green peppers and thought of breaking down and buying them frozen, I thought of fresh abundance in my harvest basket.

Then planting day came.

Then a storm came.

I carefully plucked the tomato leaves out of the muck and propped them against the bottom wire of their cage so they could dry out. The peppers seemed to savor the rain. I thought all was well.

Then a real storm came.

A storm with wind that shook the house. A storm that forced rain under a section of the roof which proceeded to pour down the bathroom wall and into the basement. A storm with hail. Quarter sized hail that flattened the corn, drove the tomatoes back into the muck and broke the spirit of the pepper plants that seemed so joyful the day before. By afternoon, it was clear the tomatoes and peppers were dead. The corn I’m still not sure about, but it persists in looking healthy, even if it is growing at a 45 degree angle.

Today, I took no pleasure in buying two tomatoes and a green pepper.

Buying started plants was like an admission of defeat.

Who knew a simple vegetable garden could be such an emotional roller coaster?

I had no idea what could have caused them to die so suddenly and without any symptoms. For the most part, geese are hardy and anything that would kill a gosling would kill a chicken first. But my chicken flock is healthy, no signs of disease and certainly none dropping dead without warning. At least so long as Pepper, AKA Chicken Killer, hasn’t gotten to them.

A little over a week later, three more died under the same circumstances: in their pen, within an hour of being checked on and without any symptoms whatsoever.

I felt like crying. We’ve lost over half our little flock and now have only one female and two males. And I really love our little goslings. They’re so different from chickens. So much more personable and they always run to the front of their pen to peep at me in greeting when I come to check on them. They follow me about while I do my garden chores and I’ve found their constant chatter to be a most beautiful sort of music to work to.

But they were dying and I didn’t even know why.

Then I found the chick. It was dead in the hen house, dragged partway through the kennel I keep in there for the chicks to escape to when the hens pester them too much. Whatever dragged it that far had a bit of strength behind it. It was firmly wedged and I think I may have broken its back dislodging it. Because of this, I inspected the body much more carefully and found two tiny bite marks just under the eye.

Weasel crossed my mind, but it was the middle of the day. Whatever it was walked right through our property with twenty two free ranging poultry, entered the hen house and chose a chick it was going to have to drag through bars to take home.

Then I talked to a neighbor. Well, a sort of neighbor. They live a few miles from here, but they keep geese and chickens, too. And they have lost several to weasels. Who were hunting during the day. Who left evidence so slight that she didn’t catch it until she started looking very closely for the tell tale bites around the head or neck.

And I’m not happy. Weasels are not easy to stop once they get started. They can wipe out a flock in a single attack, for they tend to kill until there is nothing left to kill or their little murderous spree is interrupted. Then they stack their quarry and camp out near the carcasses to gorge themselves for days.  They are difficult to keep out for they can squeeze through any opening large enough for a mouse to enter.

And I’ve now learned that hawks aren’t the only predators I need to worry about during the day. We have a tractor for the young ones because they are the most vulnerable. Since the neighbor’s dog killed one of our chickens (and we have our own Chicken Killer), I’ve been wanting to get some built for the others as well. But this weasel, if that is what we are dealing with, has so far seemed to prefer the penned birds, the ones that don’t have the ability to run away or fly up into a tree.

I’m afraid the tractor intended to keep them safe will become their own death trap.

And I don’t feel any better than when I was clueless as to what was causing the deaths. I feel rather helpless, actually. Because I know I can’t just camp out next to them all day every day, and eventually this little thing will find its way into the hen house at night. Probably as soon as it realizes the dog is only dangerous if it goes into the fenced area.

So I sit at the edge of my garden, watching the geese work the rows, peeping at them when they lower their heads and peep at me, stroking them when they waddle over and wondering if I can keep them alive until they are big enough to defend themselves.

geese goslings weasels homestead

Enjoy more Wordless Wednesday posts here.

And don’t forget to add your Wordless Wednesday posts to the linky!

But did you know native bee populations are suffering population declines as well? These native bees are much more well adapted for pollinating native flowers; some, like the mason bee, are even more efficient pollinators than the famed honeybee. Healthy native bee populations can help with some of the pollination, but pesticide use and habitat loss are taking their toll on their populations as well.

What can you do to help? A lot actually.

1. Know your forage region. Click on your state for a list of important pollen and nectar sources for bees in your area. Have some growing nearby? Protect them. Can’t find any? Consider planting some. Their bloom times are given as well so with some planning, you can provide a food source throughout the growing season. Of course, the efforts of a single gardener will not have much effect. Bees forage over two to four square miles to collect the nectar and pollen they need, but the combined efforts of many gardeners will have an impact. Which is why #2 is important.

2. Talk to friends and neighbors. Pass along this list and encourage at least small bee plantings, even if it is just a small container garden on the driveway. Oh, and you know that patch of clover growing in your yard? Consider leaving it, or at least part of it. Clover was at one time intentionally planted in lawns to fix nitrogen. Chemical fertilizers have since taken its place, but it continues to provide the same benefits as well as a food source for bees. And if you have enough, you can even consider making some clover jelly.

3. Take a more organic approach to your gardening. Pulling weeds and hand picking parasites may be tedious, but it is way more selective than any chemical pest control on the market. Particularly Sevin, as popular as it is, has been indicated in pesticide poisonings. If you must spray, read the label carefully and follow instructions. Don’t spray while plants are in bloom. Spray in the early morning or late evening when bees are not present. Don’t contaminate water sources, including puddles near the plants. These simple measures will help reduce the number of bees affected by the pesticides gardeners most commonly use.

4. Consider purchasing more organic produce. It is pricier, but organic pest management is not as detrimental to bees as routine spraying.

5. Be judicious in your bee control measures. Some people are allergic to bee stings or are just afraid of them. If this is you, please do not use pesticides to kill them. Find out what is attracting bees to your yard and eliminate that instead. There are a variety of imported ornamentals that are beautiful and of no use to bees. Without a nectar source, they will do little more than fly on through. But also make sure you know the difference between a bee and  wasp. Many people confuse the docile honeybee with the more aggressive yellow jacket.

6. Lose the mulch. That’s right. One of the most frequently recommended organic means of controlling weeds and retaining moisture for an organic garden actually decreases the availability of suitable habitat for many native bees, 70% of which burrow in the ground. You don’t have to get rid of all of it, however. Pull some away, perhaps hidden in the shade of your planting, where bees can more easily burrow and provide you with a full season of pollination.

7. Plan your garden according to a bee’s tastes. Did I mention that already? Well, it bears repeating. And the list provided with the forage map may include the most significant pollen and nectar sources in your area, but perhaps you desire a bit more variety in your garden? Sedum and butterfly bush may not be significant enough to make the list, but that doesn’t mean bees won’t stop by your plantings! Check out the plants listed at The Melissa Garden and I’m sure you can find a combination of plants both you and the bees will love.

8. Try making a bee house to replace some of their dwindling habitat. A pile of junk, a more fashionable bee boudoir, or even a coffee can may all be used effectively to encourage native bees. (And an old flower pot can be used instead of that coffee can, and turns out much more attractive!)

9. Start your own hive! You would be surprised how many places not only allow, but actively encourage beekeeping. Even within city limits! States know that the bee industry is approaching a crisis and they are hoping to fill in some of the gaps with hobbyists like you and me. The state of Nebraska even has a yearly “bee school” where they teach you every thing you need to know to get started. And there’s a ton of information online, at your library and within your local beekeeping organizations. We’ll see how well that works for us once our bees arrive to populate our two hives!

10. What are you doing? What would you like to do? Sounds like a great homeschool project . . . to improve bee habitat in your own backyard!

bee honeybee native bee colony collapse disorder CCD green environment

I thought what any chicken owner would think.

My chickens were delighted. So the next night I made sure the water table was parked there and placed a bucket under our other porch light. Suddenly I’m motivated to fix the other two outdoor lights we have.

What’s more, June bugs are a bit of a pest, defoliating shrubs and trees in early spring. By mid summer, their grubs are ready to start damaging your lawn and even your vegetable patch.

A healthy lawn is usually able to handle a mild attack of June bug larva, but they can become a problem when conditions are dry (as they usually are here in Nebraska come August) or if the larva population is just too large. My chickens are doing their part to keep the numbers under control!

I may even go sweep up all the beetles that crash land on my sidewalk and patio. I think they’ll store nicely in a bucket until morning.

June bug garden chicken organic pest control

Then we plowed. It was April. A little late to get started since I had snow peas, lettuce and spinach that were all good to go in the ground. But to plow, you need a tractor and a plow and that all takes time.

Then it rained. It rained so much that Nebraska’s wheat harvest is struggling with mold and fungus issues.

As the last frost date quickly approached, I wondered if we would be able to get the garden tilled in time to even get in the carrots.

Then we had a late freeze. A late freeze that took out between 40 and 60% of Nebraska’s sugar beet crop. I learned that having a garden, even if it is just sitting there waiting for you to do something with it, makes you pay attention to the news and the weather report in a different way.

Finally, we gave up on the idea of purchasing a disc harrow for the tractor and decided to rent a tiller. But we still had to wait for it to stop raining.

It finally did. For three days in a row. On the third day, the ground was dry enough to till.

Then we waited for the rain so we could plant.

And waited.

And waited.

And finally bought a hose.

I planted 100 square feet of corn as the sun went down, approximately 1/4 of what is planned for this garden. Today, the goal is to finish the corn and the beans.

As much work as planting is . . . well, I’m trying not to think about what the harvest will be like.

At least I’ll have help with the weeding.

Check out more Saturday on the Farm posts at Linda’s Lunacy!