The birds are doing their daily 'Shade Chase' and now they have it down pretty well. We start the morning all over the place. But the Sun starts cooking by 10 AM. Most birds go to the West side of the coop and some stay on the front porch. Then in the afternoon there isn't too much shade except on the front porch. Later in the afternoon the east side will get more and more shade.
You can't see the shade tarp off to the right. The wind has been flopping it around so much that the birds won't stay there even if that is where the water and food trays are. Today I tried to fix that by stretching a rope below the tarp and above the tarp so it can't flap so much. There wasn't much wind today and there were about 30 birds under the tarp tonight. So maybe I have figured something out. If it works, I'll have a picture next time.
Yesterday I realized that I only have 6 bags of organic feed. I think a bag lasts 2 days now. I am not feeding so much because they are picking out the yellow corn chips and ignoring the white fine-crushed feed. Now I have been Not filling trays until they are mostly empty of everything. Some of them meet me at the gate and garble at me until they get me to realize I have to get some feed in the trays....
Oh, they love zucchini.... especially the big ones. They can really peck them apart.
This is cool..... Yesterday I was doing something down in the field and I saw a hawk circling them. When I got closer, the hawk had moved off to the west. But All of the birds were on the porch-tight to the coop wall, standing, and watching the hawk until it circled out of range. Chickens are not so dumb.
Well, it is hot, dry and baking out here. Last week the leaves on a big pretty birch tree turned completely yellow and in 2 days the branches were bare. Another different kind of summer season. Tomorrow I water the gardens again. I guess you just do the next thing.
Be well everyone.
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