Calm after the storm.

[Moll. 1,770]

What a horrible couple of days. Firstly the storms hit here late morning yesterday and stayed till dark. Had to lock all the hens away, i am surrounded on 2 sides by trees/woodland. Massive branches ripped from the trees, blowing down the roads at about 20mph.

My best young hen, in fact the only one i have worth breeding from died.

 

 

She had been having trouble laying, and have been keeping an eye on her, warm soaks, oil in the vent etc, brought her into the house yesterday morning as the storms started, a few hours later she just layed down and died. I am absolutely gutted, she was not even a year old, and not only a gorgeous girl but very sweet with it.

 

The garden has been ruined, plants snapped, blown sideways, uprooted, unopened flower heads ripped off. Then the electric went off, remained off for about 8hrs, had to drive 2 incubators full to a pals house where they stayed over night, if they survive the journeys on bumpy country roads i will be very lucky.

Move the growers from the shed, indoors. They still need heat and no leccy meant no electric hen. The teeny chicks were first under mine and sis's tops to keep warm untill i found the hotwater bottle, then into a cardboard box.

Running in and out all day to remove large branches from the garden, rescue fencing etc.

The electric finally came back on around 10pm.

 

Then this morning, found one of the canary chick nest's upside down, 2 chicks dead, 2 barely alive

Dead chicks.

They were these ones...

 

Managed to revive the 2 with the hairdryer, but the cock and hen would not have anything to do with them, in fact the cock has now paired up with the hen who's chicks have just fledged. So taking a chance i have put them in with the hen still with chicks and it looks like she has taken them! I still have doubts about one of them though, much smaller than the rest.

Do not know if the storms had anything to do with the chicks dying....checked them all day and everything was fine, the winds were still strong overnight but nothing as bad as through the day. The nest was upside down on top of them and one chick had been partially eaten???

In the panic to get the canary chicks indoors to re heat them, i had to leave the 12wk Serama growers out on the lawn (they are only out when i am actually in the garden with them) When i put them away found one of the cockerels missing (from good breeding!!!) he has still not been found and i doubt very much if i will now.

The weather has been windy and freezing here for weeks, hail stones this morning, this afternoon we were caught in a heavy shower, so cold like ice water it left my forehead paining. When will the summer start?

The only good news, the small incubator with 12 eggs was due tomorrow, 3 of them have pipped so all not lost.

Feel completely drained now.

[SEAN3513 7]

hell of a few days moll !!!!..........sorry about whats happend.....hope your'e back on track asap

[jimmys shop 182]

Moll you had your work cut out for you yesterday ,all credit to you ,

try and sit back and relax tonite with a btl of wine .

[k94v 12]

Moll you can only have good luck from now on you just got to keep going mate

[Moll. 1,770]

Thank you very much lads

 

Both canary chicks are now dead, smallest died and largest killed by the hen (cannibalised)

[bunnys 1,228]

nature can be bloody cruel at times ,cheer up moll good times a head atb ,to you bunnys.