Lessons Learned from Chickens
A few days ago was the worst day ever... Something I hoped would never happen to me, but did! The worst part was I dreamed about it the night it happened! Apparently I am psychic!
I went to the chicken coop and open up the windows for the day and say good morning to my ladies at 7:30 am, which was sooner then I normally go see them. Something was stinky and the moment I peeked my head into the window I knew what it was. I quickly opened up the door and unplugged the heat lamp because it was facing flat down on the bottom of the coop. Yep the birds knocked the heat lamp over and who knows how long that super warm heat lamp was facing down on top of the wood chips on the floor. Sometime between 8pm and 5:30 am.
I went into panic mode and quickly ran around to the run door and let them out the coop. Then I ran back and grabbed the heat lamp and set it outside and then bolted to the house to get a bucket of water. There was no actually flames but there was a heat fire so it had smoldering heat burning a hole in my coop. After I tossed the water on the floor I knew I need more so I ran to the front of the house to grab the garden hose and quickly sprayed the heck out of it. I just stared at the giant burnt hole and was speechless. Probably while this was beginning to burn was when I was dreaming that our coop was on fire and I had to rescue my chickens. Seriously my dream became real!
I quickly called Scott to tell him and he said as he was leaving for work he smelled a bonfire but he was almost late and thought to himself it was weird that someone was having a bonfire at 5:30 am. I was like what???? no joke every time I smell a bonfire in the area I always check the coop. I have always had a fear of heat lamps, I don't like them and I was really nervous about using them. And my fear totally came true.
After I got that all under control, mind you this is between getting Bella on the bus and before rates turn for her school bus pick up. I went to check the birds to see how they were. At first look they looked just fine. They all made sneezes and funny noises to clear there lungs. But then I saw that our red sexlink "Sunrise" was off by herself and was breathing heavy. So I picked her up and she was wheezing bad. So I began checking everyone else and they were a little but not anything like sunrise. I googled and texted a few of my chicken raising friends to see if they had inputs. I thought I would try a nebulizer treatment on her since I have it for Henry. I didn't do a full dose but I gave her a little and that really seem to help her. She actually didn't fight this treatment. She was touch and go all day. She was struggling and I felt so bad for her and not knowing what to do for her. I gave her a little drops of water through out the day because she was not eating and drinking on her own. In the afternoon I gave her some chick electrolytes and with in minutes she died. It was not awesome to watch her pass away but I was glad to see her not suffering anymore.
I talked to Kate before she left for school that she might not be with us when she comes home and to prepare herself for that. And unfortunately it happened, and she still took it really hard. She loves them all so much and is always sitting in the coop run playing and holding each of them. I began checking the birds again to see how there breathing was doing and our other red sexlink "sunny" was a little wheezy but nothing like sunrise. I am not going to lie I was nervous about her making it through the night. But I am happy to report this morning her breathing was back to normal and they are all doing just fine.
We immediately cleaned up the coop and cut the burnt hole out and re patched the floor. I scrubbed the walls and ceiling multiple times to remove smoke smell and it aired out all day. Luckily we still had extra supplies from when we built it to fix the damage. The burn didn't go through the very bottom flooring of the coop. It burned the wood chips, the laminate flooring, and part of the insulation . I am feeling so blessed it was not worse and that our house didn't catch on fire. We will be figuring out a solution for warmth this winter that is not a heat bulb.
It is always hard to learn these lessons about raising animals but we for sure learned from it. I hope this never happens to anyone else. I would never recommend a heat bulb because birds are wild and crazy and knock anything and everything over. We have been researching to find a alternative option for our cold MN winters and I think we are going to go with a heat panel that mounts to the wall and gives 250 watts of heat. It will be just enough to keep there combs from freezing this winter and they wont be able to dismount it.
I went to the chicken coop and open up the windows for the day and say good morning to my ladies at 7:30 am, which was sooner then I normally go see them. Something was stinky and the moment I peeked my head into the window I knew what it was. I quickly opened up the door and unplugged the heat lamp because it was facing flat down on the bottom of the coop. Yep the birds knocked the heat lamp over and who knows how long that super warm heat lamp was facing down on top of the wood chips on the floor. Sometime between 8pm and 5:30 am.
I went into panic mode and quickly ran around to the run door and let them out the coop. Then I ran back and grabbed the heat lamp and set it outside and then bolted to the house to get a bucket of water. There was no actually flames but there was a heat fire so it had smoldering heat burning a hole in my coop. After I tossed the water on the floor I knew I need more so I ran to the front of the house to grab the garden hose and quickly sprayed the heck out of it. I just stared at the giant burnt hole and was speechless. Probably while this was beginning to burn was when I was dreaming that our coop was on fire and I had to rescue my chickens. Seriously my dream became real!
I quickly called Scott to tell him and he said as he was leaving for work he smelled a bonfire but he was almost late and thought to himself it was weird that someone was having a bonfire at 5:30 am. I was like what???? no joke every time I smell a bonfire in the area I always check the coop. I have always had a fear of heat lamps, I don't like them and I was really nervous about using them. And my fear totally came true.
After I got that all under control, mind you this is between getting Bella on the bus and before rates turn for her school bus pick up. I went to check the birds to see how they were. At first look they looked just fine. They all made sneezes and funny noises to clear there lungs. But then I saw that our red sexlink "Sunrise" was off by herself and was breathing heavy. So I picked her up and she was wheezing bad. So I began checking everyone else and they were a little but not anything like sunrise. I googled and texted a few of my chicken raising friends to see if they had inputs. I thought I would try a nebulizer treatment on her since I have it for Henry. I didn't do a full dose but I gave her a little and that really seem to help her. She actually didn't fight this treatment. She was touch and go all day. She was struggling and I felt so bad for her and not knowing what to do for her. I gave her a little drops of water through out the day because she was not eating and drinking on her own. In the afternoon I gave her some chick electrolytes and with in minutes she died. It was not awesome to watch her pass away but I was glad to see her not suffering anymore.
I talked to Kate before she left for school that she might not be with us when she comes home and to prepare herself for that. And unfortunately it happened, and she still took it really hard. She loves them all so much and is always sitting in the coop run playing and holding each of them. I began checking the birds again to see how there breathing was doing and our other red sexlink "sunny" was a little wheezy but nothing like sunrise. I am not going to lie I was nervous about her making it through the night. But I am happy to report this morning her breathing was back to normal and they are all doing just fine.
We immediately cleaned up the coop and cut the burnt hole out and re patched the floor. I scrubbed the walls and ceiling multiple times to remove smoke smell and it aired out all day. Luckily we still had extra supplies from when we built it to fix the damage. The burn didn't go through the very bottom flooring of the coop. It burned the wood chips, the laminate flooring, and part of the insulation . I am feeling so blessed it was not worse and that our house didn't catch on fire. We will be figuring out a solution for warmth this winter that is not a heat bulb.
It is always hard to learn these lessons about raising animals but we for sure learned from it. I hope this never happens to anyone else. I would never recommend a heat bulb because birds are wild and crazy and knock anything and everything over. We have been researching to find a alternative option for our cold MN winters and I think we are going to go with a heat panel that mounts to the wall and gives 250 watts of heat. It will be just enough to keep there combs from freezing this winter and they wont be able to dismount it.
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