# HARD rain



## dawg53 (Aug 25, 2015)

Welp, we got 8 inches of hard rain from thunderstorms passing over us from about 2:00am to 3:30am. Mayport got 10-11 inches and flooded streets this morning. The rain isnt over yet, more today. I recently hauled in truckloads of sand to build the pens back up from all the rains we had in August and September. Needless to say the sand got a beat down like before.
The pen in the 1st pic is 8'x16' and I put one cubic yard of sand in it last week. You can see in the 2nd pic how hard the sand was beat down by the mark I made on the landscaping post. The rain beat the sand down 3-4 inches. Looks like I need to add another cubic yard of sand.


----------



## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

I don't know how many inches we got but it was substantial. Luckily where we live flooding isn't a concern.

Our rain is done now, I hope. The cats don't want to go out in the breezeway when it rains that hard and then they make us humans pay for the boredom or think the humans can turn off the water, or something.


----------



## dawg53 (Aug 25, 2015)

The good news is that none of the pens got flooded out this time, I was prepared. I dropped the tarps down yesterday afternoon. I purchased and attached a 1 inch pool hose to an oil spout which is attached to the gutter. It's all jury rigged and looks like crap, but it works great and that's what counts. The rainwater flows out into the yard away from the pens. The sand inside the pens under the covered areas is bone dry and the chickens didnt need their lifejackets like last time lol. We're expecting a major cool down after this front passes, that means blue skies. Then all I have to do is roll up the tarps and coil the pool hose up and attach it to the chicken wire....easy peasy and ready to go for next time.
Keeping everything as dry as possible is paramount when owning chickens.


----------



## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Man that looks like mine when I have to go in to protection mode. Way different than just closing doors at my old place. And goes to show we will come up with a resolution to a problem and damn the appearance as long as it keeps our feathered ones comfortable.

Love tarps, love pool hoses (and we don't have a pool), love shade cloth. 

55 this AM. I think it might be a few degrees warmer than the predicted. They said we'd struggle to get to 60. I don't think they're right but have a few hours yet to find out.


----------



## zamora (May 26, 2015)

Yeah, my poor birds are tired of the rain too, we have enough room in the covered area for them but they sure don't like going outdoors when it's this wet. Hopefully with the rain heading out, things will dry up. Winter preps are on board for the upcoming weekend.


----------



## jn4 (Jun 21, 2012)

Its bad for sure...we had the thousand year flood last month and 4 inches friday...3 inches over nite last nite.....still raining....I haven't even gotten all the downed trees cleared up on the property yet....developed a bad roof leak yesterday in the kitchen from a roof vent.....wow,..this has been one dayum year of misfortune starting alway back in early May...

The coop yard is standing in water..over the ankle...I let all the birds out so now they are roosting in the trees and under the Tractor shed.....but they seem no worse for wear...yet. Turned on the heat this morning....house is cool and damp feeling...temp is hanging around mid 40's now........They say sun tomorow and the rest of the week but freeze temps at night for friday and saturday. Need to move 400ft. of cattle fence this week on the lower field...ground is certainly soft enough but I may need to borrow a "Swamp Boat" to get down there as opposed to the tractor LOL!

All this aerial spraying and "manufactured" weather is sure taking its toll on people .

Hope all the friends here can stay dry


----------



## seminole wind (Aug 22, 2015)

Dawg I guess you were right in the eye of the storm. We got some rain over night, but not like you.
How cold does it get by you?


----------



## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

OK, found out we had 8 and 10 inches of rain this last go around. I guess we got 3 inches a few days before. But unlike what JN is going through I don't end up with all of that standing water. Hurray for sandy soil and the right topography. 

I've had years like yours, JN. Mine usually started right at the first of the year and just kept on going strong for months. From what I've seen we all get them but dagnabbit, it gets old after the third or fourth month of not fun stuff happening.


----------



## jn4 (Jun 21, 2012)

Yeah....and I'm glad I wasn't over in "ole Miss" at the IHOP....wow what a sink hole..

Also am fortunate...years ago after I got out of the Service I went into Building trades. These yearly setbacks are not as bad or costly on me as they would be if I had to pay for all the work, I have the ability to do most of the work myself....well with my sons helping for the most part..but anyway. I'm sorta the go to guy here in my general neighborhood and I'm glad I'm able to help out when I can......so its still all good........just be glad when the rain stops this year

Robin we have hard clay soil and red mud. Wished I was living back on the coast like I did years ago......good old sandy soil!!!


----------



## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

So, tell me, when will the retired husband person start using his building skills here at home? Kidding, sort of. 

I do get how the timing is important when it comes to being in construction and having to rely on others when things need doing. It's hard. It's hard to know who to trust in their abilities and whether or not one of the fifteen different hunting seasons will interfere.

We lived in the heavy, red clay part of TN. But almost all of our land had a gentle slope away from the house and all of the outbuildings. Where others flooded and ended up soggy mess, I just ended up with the grass feeling like a sponge when I walked on it.


----------



## jn4 (Jun 21, 2012)

Robin I started using my "skills" as soon as the surgeries and PT was done and over with...still that was almost two years worth. The wife puttin a boot in my rear-end helped get me motivated too! 
The time I was out "on the road" working I was only home about 5 days of the month. Back then I paid others to do what I needed...didn't have time to do it myself..ya know? Hubby will get bored soon......I did. Then when he is tired of it he will start keeping busy I'm sure. Yeah I completely understand about that "waiting on others" to get things done.
.....................................
The house actually sits on a knoll but all the sheds and out buildings are downhill out back and the fields and garden areas are fairly flat all the way to the creek so the actual yard isn't to swamped.. Even during the hurricane flood last month when the creek/river came up we were ok up here at the house but everything else was standing in knee deep or more water.
Went into town this morning and noticed all the cotton fields looked like lakes.

Oh well....spring will be here soon and I can hardly wait to start busting ground and setting plants..


----------



## Feline (Nov 8, 2015)

Sounds like you've had some extreme weather over there- here it's exceptionally mild for the time of year.
I am glad I built some guttering into my new shelter though- it's stopping the area around it getting soggy from roof run-off. Dry as a bone in the run right now- I went and sat in there this morning with the chickens so they could climb on me


----------



## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Same scenario here, he was home two weekends a month for nearly 20 years. Luckily I learned a great deal from him so I was able to do quite a bit myself, it was the big things, the things that needed more knowledge than I possessed. Of course I could have just gone ahead and done it and let him clean up the mess I made when he got home again. Which I think he might have been afraid he'd find when he showed up on his weekend home. 

Fortunately he no longer swung a hammer or used a skill saw when he was on the road so he didn't wear his body out like you did. It was me that did it to myself. I guess you call that balance. 

I think the biggest reason I didn't deal with the mud was our ground. I tried to plant something once, I couldn't get the shovel in the ground. I used a cordless drill to break it up, then made a six inch deep hole. Poured water in it and waited for hours for it to finally disappear. I do have heavy gauge plastic under my pen here, other wise the water would just run in there and keep everything wet. Now it just drains under the plastic and things stay dry.


----------



## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Feline said:


> Sounds like you've had some extreme weather over there- here it's exceptionally mild for the time of year.
> I am glad I built some guttering into my new shelter though- it's stopping the area around it getting soggy from roof run-off. Dry as a bone in the run right now- I went and sat in there this morning with the chickens so they could climb on me


LOL, some personal time with the girl, huh? Zamora has a stupid bench where she and hubs go to just veg.

Yes, we've had quite a bit of heavy rain for a couple of days. No tornadoes yet. Those might be cropping up in the next few days.


----------



## seminole wind (Aug 22, 2015)

I'm offering all the free sand you can carry away!!!!


----------



## dawg53 (Aug 25, 2015)

seminolewind said:


> I'm offering all the free sand you can carry away!!!!


Too bad we dont live closer, I'd take you up on your offer. Unfortunately it's a 3.5 hours drive one way.


----------



## seminole wind (Aug 22, 2015)

Well maybe one day!


----------



## dawg53 (Aug 25, 2015)

I got 3 cubic yards of sand this afternoon, already hauled 2 yards into the main pen and one yard to go first thing in the morning. I'm wore out. Perfect timing really, I got an appointment with my chiropractor Thursday morning.


----------



## jn4 (Jun 21, 2012)

Brother, that's quiet abit of sand you have shoveled lately.


----------



## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

I am so glad I don't have to do that any more. I did it TN more for the no mites area but a ton of sand to move was rough. And it all had to come out and once since that was my only transportation.


----------



## dawg53 (Aug 25, 2015)

jn4 said:


> Brother, that's quiet abit of sand you have shoveled lately.


Yeah, I needed the exercise any way lol. This will be the last of it unless we have some more gulley washers.


----------



## dawg53 (Aug 25, 2015)

I got rid of the 2" pool hose that couldnt handle our deluges (see post #3 in this thread.) 
I put up a 4" hose, and so far so good.


----------



## seminole wind (Aug 22, 2015)

Wow. I saw you had rain but it kept jumping over us.


----------

