Hot Hot Hot Hot Hot

This has been a brutal stretch.  (How long now?!) Recording-breaking heat * Heat Warnings * Extreme Heat Warnings * Killing heat

Sunday - 16 July 2023
After a week of 'making ice' for the chickens, I broke down and bought
a cooler. We commenced making daily trips to CostCo (cooler used to store it
through the afternoon).  The cube design lets
the chickens eat bits more easily than homemade.

Petunia, cooling her feet.  Note: this is before the new
super heavy-duty shade cloth.  See how much brighter
it is vs the photo further down.

Also Sunday 16 July - Box Store Blitz
Went to Lowe's looking for an extra plastic mister.  Those were
long gone, but they did actually STILL have shade cloth. 
I thought, gosh, this is expensive ($35/ 6'x15'),
but I was desperate.  Brought it home, draped it over the fence
and was stunned -- it blocked SO MUCH MORE SUN!
Looked more carefully at the package: 90% UV block.
I went right back & got 3 more. 

As of a week ago, we dragged out every single scrap
of shade cloth we could find in the shed, and
clothes-pinned it up somewhere.  Let's think of it
as 'colorful' ... and gosh, don't they love their chickens.

None of the new cloth is "installed" ... but just draped
on top of what we had, it is making a HUGE difference. 
Note:  requires a new set of muscle groups bending over
to clean their water and bring ice. :)

If at first you don't succeed, try, try again: 
Blue ice packs (adventures trying to cool the roost box with it)

Our lovely Buff Brahmas, Quon and Nora, have been freaking me out at nights, panting in this horrible raspy voice, audibly, loudly, suffering from the heat.  So, I thought, what if I put the blue ice pack things in their sleeping area?  Tried on Sunday night.  Conclusion - putting it on the bottom of their roost area is too far from them.  How do I get it closer to the pole and their feet?

Last night -- first mistake -- went out after they were already 'in bed,' -- meaning that I didn't have much room for reaching in and under.  Found the plastic jug I use to scoop bedding, and stuffed that in and roughly under her.  Then wiggled the blue ice pack (wrapped in a plastic bag to keep it clean) on top of it.  Went off to do something, and when I came back a few minutes later, she was freaking out.  She was nearly shoving the tettery, ancient Butterknife off the pole in the annex in her attempt to escape whatever that EVIL thing was.  You should have SEEN the looks she threw at me through the window! 

Third time is the charm? 
G suggested that I go out BEFORE they are in bed, and just lean them against the back wall (and maybe one on top of the nest box).  Stay-tuned.

Update - They didn't freak out, so that seems like an improvement.  But the cloud cover sealed in the heat -- it was a hot night.  Maybe it made a difference?  Hard to judge.