Bad Morning

[I luv herfrds]

Hubby came busting into the bedroom yelling "Your Chicken House Is On FIRE!"
I jumped out of bed and grabbed son's muck boots and a coat and go running outside. The front area near the door is on fire. Hubby is trying to get hoses hooked up to the outdoor water faucet, but that is froze. (Fire truck has been drained of water because the furnace quit in the storage shop.)
I was able to get inside and started throwing birds out the west window. Was able to chase the rest outside. Had to go back in for a duck, but they all got out.
No way to put the fire out.
Birds then went into the old brooder house behind this house. Went out to check on everything and this building was now burning!!!!!!
Dragged daughters show box out side and got all the birds that took shelter there out except for one I could not catch, the smoke was too bad. :frowns:

Know what caused it. One of the outlets in there shorted out. Had a couple heat lamps going because of the cold.

Going to put them in the building I used as a brooder house this spring.
Just a depressing morning.

 

[TennesseeTuxedo]

Rough way to start the day. Sorry to hear about your losses.

 

[I luv herfrds]

Found her alive TT! Feathers are all singed off of her but she is alert. In the new house right now in a pet carrier.
Got half the flock in the newer shed and the other half took shelter in a different building.

Late for work but they know what is going on.

Note to self: Do not go outside when it is this cold in just muck boots, a coat and a night gown! :lol2:
Got to laugh or I will break down crying.

 

[Nesikep]

That is certainly a rough start to any day... If it's any consolation you ought to know that many people (myself for one) will see this and realize how good their day is going!

Hope it's better from here on in!

 

[Limomike]

sorry to hear about all that.. wow.. not a good way at all to start a morning. Glad you are ok though, and I know its not much consolation, but thank God it was only a chicken structure, and not your house, or any harm done to you and your family.
MIght want to look into getting a dry chemical fire extinguisher or carbon dioxide one to keep handy for outdoor fires. They wont freeze up.

 

[branguscowgirl]

Wow, tuff morning! I agree with Limomike. Sure grateful that it was not worse! Fire extinguisher is a very good suggestion.

 

[slick4591]

Hate to hear it, but glad it wasn't as bad as it could have been.

 

[MO_cows]

So sorry that happened! It sure could have been worse, though. Your birds didn't get burned alive and it didn't catch your home on fire, so there is still something to be grateful for. If there is any photos or video of you chasing chickens in your night gown, we could evaluate it and, you know, give you helpful pointers on the finer points of chicken wrangling. :roll:

Now you have me worried! We have been running a heat lamp at night for our birds, too. I think you just convinced me it's time to pull the plug on it.

 

[skyhightree1]

Rough way to start the day. Sorry to hear about your losses.

very true hope things get back to normal soon.

 

[HDRider]

Not a good start on one's day. I am not one to make light of another's misfortune, but the mental image caused me to chuckle. I am truly sorry.

 

[I luv herfrds]

Thank you everyone.
I must admit I wish someone had been videotaping as I was throwing birds out the window and daughters dog was running around thinking it was birds from Heaven for her to chase! :lol2:

MO you have seen me throwing birds from the second building, especially the 3 that ran into that rabbit cage we had stored there and I threw the cage, with them inside, out the door! Just make sure the lamp cannot fall to the floor. One of my outlet boxes shorted out somehow.

Limomike going to look for a re-chargable fire extinguisher.

 

[Nesikep]

Once in a while you can get those stainless steel fire extinguishers.. put some antifreeze in them if they're going to be out in the winter.

I put a sprayer nozzle on one in the shop so it makes a fairly fine mist... hardly uses any liquid and works well for things you can get close to. With the fire hazards we have around here we have invested heavily into fire suppression

 

[I luv herfrds]

Pics of that day

 

[I luv herfrds]

My burned chicken died during the night.

 

[Nesikep]

Well.. that certainly sucks!.. Look at it this way, maybe you'll get to build a new coop now and it'll be better than the last one.

The buildings around your place look from about the era of the ones on our place... Our house was built out of 2nd hand materials in 1934. The Scottish people who first farmed the place were really dirt poor, and SHORT!.. us 6'ers need to duck to get into some of the old barns and we have had plenty of lumps on our heads from when we forgot.

 

[I luv herfrds]

Well the first one that caught fire was not very old. It was only 9 years old. The second one we have a picture in the 30's of it. Our current house was built by the original homesteader 100+ years ago.
I am already making plans for a new chicken house. There is an abandoned one west of us I am using as an example. They have the brooder house attached to it and then an area for the bigger birds then a laying house. Pretty neat!

 

[Nesikep]

Our henhouse is the old blacksmith shop (we think, there's been pounds of horseshoe nails coming out of the ground around it). It's about 8x10 or so, not much insulation value to speak of.. we never heat it, but our 4 chickens do ok in it for as cold as it gets here (-10F), but the eggs are always frozen in the morning

 

[branguscowgirl]

Wow! Those are some lucky chickens. I am terrified of fire! Sorry that you lost your coup and one of your chickens.......

 

[inyati13]

That is not the way you want fried chicken. Sorry, hope you can get them a new apartment.

 

[I luv herfrds]

I took over the kid's old rabbit house. They are in there with food, water and a couple heat lamps. Happy birds!

inyati13 had a co-worker tell me to sprinkle some Alpine on this chicken and she would be fine! Alpine is a custom made seasoning mix made here in MT! :lol2:
Quite a few comments about fried and smoked chicken!