Sharp corners and the water hose

We have torch-cut cattle panels hanging to our barn gate. The corners are sharp. Very sharp. I've sliced my arms and wrists numerous times just hooking the chain. Tonight, however, the sharp corners attacked!

While reworking my chicken tractor (I had to change out and rehang waterers and feeders because the birds were pooping in the other waterer...) I looked at the barn door and saw a hazy mist filling the backlit barn door. The soggy doorway dripped and then I heard a steady hiss. Then I realized that the hose I had used to fill the waterer must have exploded and was spraying the barn. Ever heard the term "madder than a wet hen"? Well that was our primary concern; soaked chickens. My father-in-law hot-stepped it down the hill. He headed to the shut-off valve while I headed to the barn. When entering the barn, with a showery mist dowsing me, I began working the chain-shut barn gate when it happened. A sharp corner grabbed hold of small part of my scalp and sliced off a souvenir. I might have said something bad but, as I grabbed at my scalp, I noticed a hair with some of my skin hooked to the corner of the gate.

Once the water pressure subsided, and after I got over my flesh wound, I saw a small puncture in the water hose at the bottom corner of the barn gate. That's right, each corner attacked. Me and the hose were victims of a sharp-corner assault. It was like they were in cohoots and planned their attack. They've probably been scheming for weeks and this was their chance. I'm wearing a hat from now on.

Big Move

So this was "big move" weekend for the young roosters. We had built the chicken tractor to use as a move-able shelter for the chickens, but I was never happy with the top cover. It was made of wood material that was to be used indoors and, though it would be light, I was never confident that it would reject water. After some torrential downpours, my theory was proved correct; water seeps right through.



This weekend I replaced the cover with tin. The only problem with this design is that it's not nearly as easy to get into. On the day we need to cull the cockerels/roosters we'll have to pull the metal roof to get to all of them. But, most importantly, I believe they'll stay much more protected and drier than with the previous lid.



Moving the chickens was a bit of a trick. I had read that chickens tend to relax when you hold them upside down by their legs, catching them to hold upside down, however, was another story. At first they did just fine because they come right to the gate and wait for me to enter the coop when they hear my voice. They know I've got food, so they look forward to my visit. After capturing about 10 of the 20 or so I needed to move, the flock was panic stricken by my presence and I had to corner the chickens, turn them upside down, and try then try to catch more. I attempted to carry 3 with each transfer to their new home.



Most of the time I carried 3 once I got the hang of it. And, yes, they relax. But some of them will give you a fight and it's relatively frightening at first when the chicken starts doing these ridiculous upside down ab crunches to start biting at your glove and arm. Eventually they relaxed and let me carry them to their new home where I gently laid them in the tractor. They jumped up, turned their head and clucked. I think they were calling me a jerk!



I was happy to find that all the young fellas survived their first night in their outdoor home. We are, however, down one cockerel. My father-in-law went to feed the chickens on Friday and found one dead. No signs of distress or attack...just dead. I too found nothing obvious that was wrong. To date we've lost exactly 2: one when the chicks were transported to us from the hatchery and now this one. We have one that is having trouble with it's legs but does not seem to be sick. I believe he's outgrowing the strength of his legs. I may have to cull him sooner than the rest.

Funny Note: I had captured all but one cockerel. He'd figured out I was trying to catch him so he'd run as soon as I entered the coop. On my return I saw his head peeking out from behind this leaning board. When I looked at him, he ducked behind the board...twice! When I approached the board, he bolted but there was nowhere to hide and there's a reason why humans are at the top of the evolutionary ladder...we know where you're hiding.