#Nice thing about Quarantine is I have enough time to make color panels | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

purplepints · 4 years

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Quarantine

Years ago I had pneumonia, which slid into double pneumonia and eventually led to me getting IV drugs through a port daily. After my rounds of IV meds were complete and I was deemed free of pneumonia, I was put on what turned into a 6 week isolation where I could not leave my apartment or expose myself to people because of my status as weak and immunocompromised. I didn't have but a few TV channels and the internet was still newish so there wasn't a lot going on there. Daytime TV was THE WORST being mostly soaps and Maury 'Not the Father!' type stuff, but I did get a DIY channel that showed several cooking shows, creative ways to make/change stuff for decor and a couple of This Old House type shows that always showed how a simple project could be done.

After a couple of weeks, I was going nuts. I started watching the DIY/cooking shows to pass time and remembered I had an old Fannie Farmer Cookbook as well as a Better Homes one (it was red & white like a picnic blanket), and realized I had some decent amounts of flour, sugar, spices/herbs, etc as well as some box mixes for cakes and whatnot. So, I started looking through and picking some easier looking recipes. I'd taken the mandatory Home Ec classes in junior high (1 semester of sewing, 1 of cooking) and knew how to cook some stuff, but baking? Beyond a box mix I hadn't don't much of it. So to keep myself from madness, I used those books and shows to learn how to actually bake, all the way up to some decorating tips for cakes. I'm no cake boss, but I make some mean little 'fake fondant' (icing + confectioners sugar) things and can do some decent piping and multi-color cakes for cut reveals, plus learned how to sugar edible flowers for decoration. Beyond that, I learned how to make some simple breads and candies, though the candy was a pain in the ass to get the hang of. Hard candy especially. Now, even tho I rarely make hard candies, I know how to do so.

I also watched the DIY Home stuff and noted what I liked. There were a couple of episodes demonstrating how to apply different textures on interior walls with just a couple of tools (spatula/mud spreader, a board or ruler for broader strokes and sanding blocks) that I ended up learning and using in a place I moved to later. I ripped off the paneling, filled all the holes and repaired brick damage, then applied the layers, then painted and did a damp rub with a metallic overtone followed by a quick damp wipe so it'd only remain on creases or in the pocking and it looked so good!

Those weeks of learning have remained beneficial throughout the years since, but it took me a couple of weeks to get to a point where I was both bored enough and well enough to pick something and actually do it. Even then, I realized I knew very little about both groups of activities so I purposefully chose things that were few ingredients, simple steps and small batches at first. The DIY home stuff was less immediately beneficial but has been used and successfully raised property values.

Depending on where you are and how long you've been on stay-home, you may be coming up on a similar "gotta do something or go crazy" breaking point where others have been doing stuff since their Day 1. Everybody is different and a lot of us have different situations going on, so if you see people crafting or cooking away, don't feel like you're the odd one or wasting your time or whatever. Sometimes it just takes different things to get people motivated or curious about something, and that is completely normal.

If you are getting stir-crazy and don't have much money or time, you could look at small projects like learning simple origami (hopping frogs are always a hit) or practicing improving your penmanship / trying out basic calligraphy with chisel tip markers or highlighters, or little flip-books from scrap paper. Look up "how to make box cake taste great" if you have some box mixes, or check out those 2-5 ingredient recipes or look at making a nice salt or sugar scrub for yourself. Make a little jar with single words on slips and pull one or more to base a short poem or story about/including the word, or use the word on the slip in an internet search and write about one of the top 10 image results. It doesn't have to be baking or cooking or language, it could be anything that you enjoy doing.

If you don't do anything, *that is fine too, there is zero requirement you must learn something new during this time*. The important thing is that you are doing what helps you feel OK, and whether that means nightly bubble baths or brushing up on your old high school Italian or doing nothing "productive" but only things that keep you mentally balanced and OK, then that's what you do and nobody should make you feel bad for how you handle your own mental well-being.

Sleep enough.

Drink your water.

Eat or snack to keep your body strong.

Open a curtain or stand outside to get some sun, help process that Vitamin D into K.

Stretch when you remember, especially if you are spending most time in a chair, on a couch or in bed.

Everything else are just ways to spend time and distract your focus from our lives being turned topsy-turvy overnight, and you'll be able to identify when you need to add something or remove something from your life or your mindset.

Good luck, everyone. Coming out of this on the other side is what matters, everything else are just details.

❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤

#Quarantine #Pints writes

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comicteaparty · 4 years

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March 28th-April 3rd, 2020 Creator Babble Archive

The archive for the Creator Babble chat that occurred from March 28th, 2020 to April 3rd, 2020. The chat focused on the following question:

How many hours do you work on your comic per week, and how do you manager to balance that with other responsibilities?

Holmeaa - working on WAYFINDERS

heheh So we are.. cheating a bit Both me and my coworker are unemployed, and is working on hour comic, like was it a full time job. It is our passion project, and dream that we can work and live of makeing comics. In Denmark you can apply for grants from the government, but you need to have releashed a book before that is possible. We are useing the comic, to show potentional clients in the future what we can do. For now we are working on it from 09:00-17:00 ish (with a long lunch break) while applying for other kinds of grants, and also does all the things we are supposed to to get our unemplyment money, and searching for jobs, and freelance gigs, gathering the courage to start our own small company (not right now though) and yeaah time will tell

carcarchu

@Holmeaa - working on WAYFINDERS that doesn't sound like cheating to me? more like using the tools at your disposal to turn your passion into a viable career

Holmeaa - working on WAYFINDERS

hehe it feels a little like cheating! there are some debates about if it is okay or not, but we think that strengthening our skills is a good use of our time

eli [a winged tale]

Haha also not cheating! It’s great you’re using the time to chase the dream I’m curious what’s your breakdown for those time working on the comic? As for me, usually 1-2 hours a day with a bit more on the weekend if time permits. These days with the quarantine it’s about 2-3 h a day

DanitheCarutor

Since I'm unemployed until who knows when I've been working on my comic between 40-50 hours a week about 6 to 7 days a week... most weeks. Some days, like update day or chore day, I hardly work on the comic or don't work on it at all. Admittedly I'm not the best at balancing drawing with other responsibilities, sometimes I get so into it that I forget about daily house chores, other weeks I do the opposite and only do house chores which makes me totally behind of comic stuff. I can't seem to find a good middle ground, it always turns into completely focusing on one or the other.

eli [a winged tale]

Yeah when I get in the zone, time flies and life gets put to the wayside

shadowhood (SunnyxRain)

So I have no school or work, so the webcomic has become almost a fulltime project for me

I average about 10 hours per day working on it, not counting on chores and exercise

Another thing I worry about is the possibility of carpal tunnel syndrome, which is why I've been relentless with exercise, too

I guess it's just a combination of relentless reminders and also sheer willpower that gets me to do other responsibilities haha

@eli [a winged tale] also I know that feeling

Joichi [Hybrid Dolls]

So since my school had to cancel, I have to be more responsible for my online course. Sometimes I give myself 2 days off each week to work more into my upcoming webcomic but I have to switch my mind for school work, online classes. Also extra time for food. I need to get back into exercise or I feel exhausted more easily. I keep a wall schedule so that I make it a routine to write what I'll do every 3 or 5 days, to keep my active brain reminded(edited)

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

I spent the majority of last year (fun)employed (partially by choice, partially not! my previous job let me go rather unceremoniously... and I needed a hiatus anyway... so it worked out) so I poured a lot more hours into that chapter of Phantomarine than I usually did. I worked on it almost every day - at least for a couple of hours, but sometimes up to a full eight-hour day. That number has dipped tremendously since I’ve gone back to work, but I’m spreading the same amount of time out in a broader way. I’m trying to get a good buffer during my hiatus, so I can work and draw in a healthy balance. I don’t have crazy overtime at my current job like I did at my last one, so that’s already a comfort. I’m confident I’ll be able to hit a good stride once the comic returns in June (edited)

eli [a winged tale]

Can’t wait Lady!!

Feather J. Fern

Two part time jobs, and school killed my comic, but I been working on getting one panel done a day, which is around 30minutes to an hour if possible.

eli [a winged tale]

My routine used to be rendering on the commute but now just once in am and once pm until this limbo time is clarified

That’s awesome Feather! It’s so rewarding when everything comes together after putting effort everyday

Feather J. Fern

Once school is done in two more weeks I will be more free to do things so I hope to get maybe two panels done in a day XD

Online school, stupid quarantine

Tuyetnhi (Only In Your Dreams!)

Due to the pandemic im mostly off school and my part time job so i spend like 4-5 hours on my comic per day. Still would like try to get a page done per day but lmao digital painting is slowwww

eli [a winged tale]

What’s everyone’s tips for breaks/stretches/balance? I feel like I certainly need to revisit these to avoid burnout and continue feeling motivated!

Feather J. Fern

Actually there was a cool manga artist who's tip was literally he only worked working hours. His mornings are free and since manga was his job, he worked form 12-6, giving him 2 hours to do other work he needs to get done, and takes morning walks and stuff.

Another person I know had "No working weekends" as a thing becuase they are a freelancer.

I personally have try to make sure I ahve a routine, and actually, stretch before drawing.

Streetch before, during a break, and then after, to keep that body nice and warmed up

keii’ii (Heart of Keol)

Health-wise there's this hing for your : every 20 minutes, look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds. I'm not good at following this, but when I do it, it helps a lot.

Cronaj (Whispers of the Past)

Despite the current pandemic, my work-life hasn't changed much (unless you count stress getting in the way). I am currently "unemployed," but I do consider comicking my full-time job. I am also not very good at balancing work and life. Something's always gotta give. Last year, I worked at a job that basically ruined my ability to work on my comic. I worked 30-40 hours typically, ruined my sleep schedule, took work home sometimes, and was constantly exhausted. This is what resulted in my year and a half long hiatus, and it's what drove me to work like hell on my comic when I quit. Now (when I'm in the groove and not suffering from art block), I typically spend 60-70 hours on my comic and get 2-3 pages done: - 30 hours sketching (I know, ridiculous) - 5 hours filling in base colors - 20-25 hours painting - 5 hours adding text, speech bubbles, sfx, and finishing touches - 1-2 hours formatting for Webtoon I also spend some time throughout the week typing up the script, doing concept art for things coming in the future of the comic, and preparing for conventions, but I can't tell you exactly how much time.

eli [a winged tale]

Thanks for the breakdown! I’m always keen to learn from everyone and seeing how the workflow is like for different people

shadowhood (SunnyxRain)

oh don't forget to do wrist stretches!

eli [a winged tale]

Ahh formatting time is always so tedious for me!

Yes wrist exercises! Any recommendations?

shadowhood (SunnyxRain)

hmmm well the easiest one is literally just shaking it out

like every hour

and I also like to hold my arm out parallel, point my fingers up and using my other hand to pull the fingers back so i'm stretching the wrist

then I point the fingers down and pull on the fingers until my wrist is stretching

eli [a winged tale]

Awesome. Will be adopting those!

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

I'm pretty fast. 2-6 hours per page, depending on how detailed it is. Average of 3-4. I could probably do 2 pages/ week easily enough, but don't want to do more than that. I'm the kind of person who always needs to be doing a million different things. I need to leave time for my other hobbies and my paintings and my academics and extracurriculars. Otherwise I'd get burnt out doing one thing only

Holmeaa - working on WAYFINDERS

@eli [a winged tale] So since it is both me and @Q (Wayfinders: Off Course) working, we start with working on a rough each, our goal is one step (so rough, ink, color) for two pages pr day, pr person. So in a weak the goal is four finished pages a week, and then we upload 3 pages per week. So it is divided that in the morning we start at 09:00 in the morning, maybe checking mail, being practical or whatever. Then we work until 12:00 were we eat lunch, go for a long nice walk and then we go back to work between 13:00 and 14:00 ish and then work until 17:00 when we begin to prepare dinner. Then of course breaks inbetween

Q (Wayfinders: Off Course)

It’s pretty wild to be able to dedicate your entire day to comics like that

shadowhood (SunnyxRain)

damn you all work fast

do you guys have any tips on how to work on a webcomic faster?

Cronaj (Whispers of the Past)

Lol, I wish!

Still looking for those magical secrets

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

@shadowhood (SunnyxRain) You know the 80-20 rule? You can get 80% of the result with 20% of the effort? My comic is very messy if you zoom in. I don't spend time making sure the linework or the coloring is perfectly clean. Also, I'm pretty fast at drawing figures. I used to practice figure drawing a lot by rushing to draw strangers irl before they moved, or by drawing a bunch of fast figures from the free figure drawing model websites online. I've also taken a figure drawing course (didn't even have to pay because it was part of my university! Even if you don't have that option you can probably find free life drawing sessions on Meetup or similar!) which really helped me streamline my process for drawing people

shadowhood (SunnyxRain)

Oh I see! Yes, I used to take life drawing classes too! And your response makes me feel a lot better

I tend to be a bit messy with inking, and since i'm a perfectionist a lot of my time is wasted on editing/clean up

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

I've seen cronaj draw, and while I think the results look excellent, I think her method is a kind of inefficient. She draws like a printer, nearly finishing one detailed body part before moving on the the next. I think maybe if she drew in a more classical way, going from a gesture drawing to progressively more detailed, it might help her be faster and her poses more cohesive and dynamic. Maybe working on 1 or 5 min figures would help? Practicing things like this?

eli [a winged tale]

Yeah I try to do figure practices for efficiency

shadowhood (SunnyxRain)

I heard that there are some online life drawing vids you can follow too

but what are your experiences with online life drawing vids versus the real thing

like is there a real difference?

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

found some of my old 1 minutes

To me there's not too much difference

I've heard some people say that life drawing is either way easier or way harder though. Because of your depth perception when looking at a real person

But the bruises on my legs can attest to my horrid depth perception haha. That might be why I don't notice a difference

Actually those previous sketches might be 30 seconds? I don't remember

I would recommend you try both but right now we pretty much only have the online option haha

eli [a winged tale]

Yeah I’ve done both and I think irl creates complexity with depth and the interactions with others etc is helpful but online is my go to for flexibility

I think having a process streamlined will make things more efficient. The downside is that it might feel tedious and I do switch it up from time to time for variety

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

Might feel uncomfortable but that's how you know you're improving

keii’ii (Heart of Keol)

There is a TON of difference for me. I HAVE to look at a physical model in front of me.

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

Can't get better if you always do the same things

keii’ii (Heart of Keol)

This is what my brain does.

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

I wonder- could drawing yourself in a mirror be a decent substitute?

If youre lucky you might also be able to ask an SO or roommate to model for you. Should probably pay them back by cooking for them or something though

keii’ii (Heart of Keol)

Brain: sees a real model in front of me Brain: translates 3D to 2D, result: drawing Brain: sees a photo/video of a model Brain: SHIT. That's supposed to be 3D, isn't it? Brain: Translates 2D to 3D (basically re-constructing it in my head, or attempting to re-construct) so that it can translate it back to 2D Brain: BSOD

There's some online resources out there that have "3D" photos... you know, two near-identical images side by side, so if you look at it cross-eyed, it becomes 3D?

But I can't do those because I get a headache X'D

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

Just thinking about drawing from that makes me dizzy

eli [a winged tale]

Oh interesting!

Yeah maybe looking out the window to draw people would be the way to go...

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

But maybe figure drawing in VR exists?

eli [a winged tale]

Balcony figure drawings

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

I live on the top floor so those are going to be some very small figures

eli [a winged tale]

For ants

keii’ii (Heart of Keol)

Once this coronavirus thing is over, there's lots of ways you can do gesture drawings from just random people -- bus stops, cafes, museums (I have not done this, but people who have done this report this is really good because others assume you're drawing the artworks. XD)

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

I've done this a lot

Sometimes I've even shown people drawing of themselves if they've turned out particularly nice

They've always taken it well

shadowhood (SunnyxRain)

I like drawing my professors because they use hand gestures a lot when they talk

keii’ii (Heart of Keol)

Airport was REALLY good for finding people stuck in one pose indefinitely

shadowhood (SunnyxRain)

they alwayas laugh when I show them

eli [a winged tale]

Shadow omg I do that too

Draws classmates

shadowhood (SunnyxRain)

yeah the only issue i have with drawing classmates

is that they're always doing the "i'm using my phone" pose

keii’ii (Heart of Keol)

Become the master of drawing people on their phones

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

Maybe try drawing children on the playground?

This works better if you're a woman

shadowhood (SunnyxRain)

oh thank jesus

I also like going to the zoo or the museum

or the aquarium if i'm feeling adventurous

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

I am a University student so I also have some pretty interestng drawings of people asleep in weird poses

keii’ii (Heart of Keol)

I really need to start going to weekly figure drawing sessions once this is over (there's one here... 20 min drive... 8AM Saturdays )

shadowhood (SunnyxRain)

ditto or just go to the park and draw

and @Eightfish (Puppeteer) I've had some.....weird poses from all my profs

one guy was incredibly hard to draw; he was VERY enthusiastic about showing us knife skills

keii’ii (Heart of Keol)

The parks here are too spacious, to a degree where it's weird to get close enough to people

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

Bring binoculars

shadowhood (SunnyxRain)

Don't worry ma'am I'm an artist

nothing sketchy

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

(except my sketch)

shadowhood (SunnyxRain)

A+ pun right there

another place to go for figure drawing

theaters

like.....opera/plays

I once tried drawing the men dancing in the Newsies musical

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

Tried that once, but it took me out of the performance

shadowhood (SunnyxRain)

same i was dazzled by dancing men

aaaaand then i abandoned sketching at all when they started throwing newspaper strips into the audience

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

But they were giving you free paper!

shadowhood (SunnyxRain)

THEY WERE

i'll take what i can get

Cronaj (Whispers of the Past)

@Eightfish (Puppeteer) While I agree that my method of drawing is "inefficient," I do not draw like a printer. There are videos of people drawing like a printer and it's not what I'm doing. I have done gesture drawing before, but it always looked incredibly abstract, and not quite like people, which is fine, but not what I'm going for. I treat gesture drawing like a warm-up exercise. It doesn't really do anything for my end result, but gets my drawing muscles stretched out.(edited)

eli [a winged tale]

Gesture drawings are definitely a good warmup!

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

Perhaps it was an inappropriate analogy. What works for me I guess wouldn't work for everyone. I was trying to offer advice because whenever you talk about how much time you spend on art and you work life balance it's commendable but also dismaying. I hope you find something that works for you in the future

sssfrs (JOE IS DEAD)

Oh god.. I sometimes work 6 hours a day. I guess thats like 30 hours a week? Crazy to think about, it's like a full job

Oooh you guys are sharing figure drawings... I swant to show some of mine

Behold

sssfrs (JOE IS DEAD)

My figure drawing usually breaks down into like, medical anatomy study. I feel like I understand body shapes better by including the muscles & bones

carcarchu

ABS the most important figure study

Deo101 [Millennium]

ah figure drawing? I love figure drawing ^^

I do like a lot but this kinda thing is most of it

anyways as for the question at hand, I do a lot of different things for my comics weekly. My millennium pages take me 2-6 hours i would say, but I also have patreon things I need to do so I'd say i spend 10-15 hours on it a week. for my other comic, I spend about 6 hours an update, and it updates every other week. but honestly, all of my free time goes to assorted comics. If i'm not working on school work or chatting with people, I'm working on things for patreon, potential merch, or other comics I want to start sometime.

sssfrs (JOE IS DEAD)

Oooh nice poses!!’

Deo101 [Millennium]

thanks!! I have a ton of gesture/figure drawings but these ones are my most recent that I have saved to my computer i think

10 minutes im pretty sure. very good for speeding up

sssfrs (JOE IS DEAD)

Those look really nice, good values

Deo101 [Millennium]

thanks ^^ I really hate working in charcoal honestly, it kinda always winds up hurting my body somehow, but its very quick sooooooo

kayotics

My answer for the prompt question has changed a lot since I started quarantine lmao... I used to do about 10 hours of work throughout the week on my comic page (usually after work, I have an office job) but ironically it’s gotten harder while I work from home. I’ve been struggling to find time since I don’t have a separation between work and home now, and putting the boundaries up of “I’m not always available” to coworkers is difficult.

Also on figure studies: they’re a great way to practice speed. I use the concepts of figure drawings all the time.

RebelVampire

@kayotics As someone who always works from home doing remote contract work, I have to say I think this is something a lot of people underestimate about work at home life. In that it's sometimes really difficult to establish boundaries with ppl and make them understand you aren't always available and also aren't gonna work billions of hours of overtime. So I'm sorry to hear that's affecting your comic work.

Shadowmark Productions

I work anywhere from 6-8 hours a day on comic stuff. That’s an average though. Sometimes I slack and need to pull all nighters to make up for it. Yes, I am terrible at time management. They say entrepreneurs are the only people willing to work 80 hours a week for themselves so they do not have to work 40 hours a week for someone else. I guess webcomic creators are the only people willing to work 80+ hours a week so that they can... go to work for someone else afterwards

AntiBunny

4 days of procrastinating, 1 of procrastinating and hating myself, and 2 of actual comic drawing seems to make up my weekly comic making schedule. :p

sssfrs (JOE IS DEAD)

I can only imagine how stressed I would be if I forced myself to update weekly

Cap’n Lee (Flowerlark Studios)

This is a hard question to answer because it varies a lot depending on my energy levels. Ideally I’d spend several hours a day on comics, but realistically I draw as much as possible when I have the energy (5+ hours a day for as many days in a row as I can handle it) and then go weeks or months too tired to do comics. On average, barring any long periods of exhaustion or other interruptions from RL, I spend about 20+ hours a week making pages for my comics.

sagaholmgaard

I prefer to work on my comic for about an hour ever morning and maybe 2-3 hours in the evening, that's the ideal routine for me. Right now I sadly have a lot of schoolwork to do (writing my thesis) so i might get less than 30 minutes in the morning and then feel rlly tired in the evening so I dont get as much time then either. but oh well!

I can still work for 4-5 hours on the weekends so I manage ^^(edited)

chalcara [Nyx+Nyssa]

The whole stay-indoors order's currently completely wrecked my pattern, but before that I did between 3-4 hours a day.

Shadowmark Productions

Can’t imagine the stress of a daily or even weekly posting schedule. Hats off.

#ctparchive #comics #webcomics #indie comics #comic chat #comic discussion #creator babble #creator interview #comic creator interview #comic tea party #ctp

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josephkitchen0 · 6 years

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What Does a Chicken Coop Need in Case of Emergency

By Patricia Harris Pointing – “Expect the unexpected” is as true in poultry-keeping as anywhere else. Having an answer to what does a chicken coop need in case of emergency is very important before disaster strikes. Either prepare in advance or scramble around in a panic when trouble strikes. Having done it both ways myself, I highly recommend preparation!

First Aid Kit Contents and Their Uses

It only takes a few minutes to put together a kit that will spare you a great deal of stress, improvisation and midnight trips to the drugstore. It’s important to put together your kit knowing the proper first aid contents and their uses. Start with basic supplies for dressing wounds: unopened saline or bottled water, an eye dropper or syringe, sterile gauze, paper towels, vet wrap, clean sharp scissors, and waterless hand sanitizer. A plastic basin or dishpan makes a good soaking tub, and can also keep supplies up out of the litter when you’re treating an injury. Old towels help you restrain or dry a chicken. Plastic baggies are useful for preserving samples such as unusual droppings.

Ready to Start Your Own Backyard Flock?

Get tips and tricks for starting your new flock from our chicken experts. Download your FREE guide today! YES! I want this Free Guide »

What does a chicken coop need in an emergency situation? Well, a basic medicine chest for the flock might consist of: Blu-kote or other dark-colored anti-pick lotion; Neosporin cream; either betadine or hydrogen peroxide (the latter is harsh on delicate tissue, but the foaming action can help cleanse badly contaminated wounds); and baby shampoo. A general-purpose poultry vitamin and an electrolyte powder round out the kit. You may wish to stock other supplies as well, depending on your philosophy and level of experience: vaseline for lubrication and for protecting combs from frostbite, hemorrhoid cream for treating a prolapse, a magnifier, alcohol swabs, surgical scissors. Many poultry owners keep antibiotics on hand as well, although it’s important to know when to use them and when not to.

Additionally, all responsible chicken owners need to work out in advance what they’d do for a hopelessly suffering animal. If you’d prefer to ask a vet or neighbor for help, make sure that the means for plan B are nonetheless on hand (a hatchet or sharp knife) in case the situation is urgent and your planned assistance is unavailable.

Prepare The Chicken Coop

Most of us would admit that backyard chicken owners do not always exercise the greatest of care in the placement, attachment or maintenance of heat lamps. Even just a regular light bulb or water heater can ignite dust or dry litter, and it only takes one chewing rodent or lightning strike to set wiring on fire. So unless your coop has no electrical service at all (not even extension cords), you NEED a fire extinguisher ready at hand. This may seem obvious, but in my experience, it is frighteningly rare to see it taken care of. Fire extinguishers are pretty inexpensive these days, certainly much less costly than having to rebuild your coop and replace your flock! You want one labeled “AC” or “ABC”, to handle both conventional and electrical fires. Read the instructions when you buy it so that if heaven forbid you should ever have to use it, it’s not completely unfamiliar. Mount it just inside the doorway. The coop you save could be your own!

One of the most-needed emergency essentials and often the hardest to find is a good flashlight. Keep a flashlight within easy reach of the door. In fact, you may want two: a large flashlight to provide wide-angle lighting, and a smaller one (possibly one of the new battery-free types, charged by cranking or shaking) to hold in one hand or even in your mouth while you examine an injury.

Water is a no-brainer when asking, what does a chicken coop need? Thirst kills quickly. A backup system should always be at the ready: a spare vacuum-style waterer, or even just clean buckets. If you use an automatic watering system, lay in a supply of replacement gaskets and valves (and a mop!). Additionally, those of us in the North need a plan to keep water liquid if a heated waterer fails or the power goes out during the winter. Some people carry buckets of lukewarm water out to the coop multiple times per day. Others stockpile some of the chemical heat packs used in hand warmers or back-pain wraps; one or more of them, exposed to air according to instructions to start the heating process and placed flat underneath a vacuum-style waterer, can delay freezing for a surprisingly long time.

Because a loose board can admit predators and a blown light bulb can spell disaster for chicks in a brooder, you will never regret establishing a designated repair kit. Mine includes a spare hammer, pliers, assorted nails, fence staples, some spare hardware cloth and 1″ wire mesh, some spare medium-gauge wire, an extension cord that will reach the house, and spare light bulbs. If you have an incubator, keep a spare wafer. If your coop sometimes floods, you might add some pallets and a roll of old carpeting, to temporarily raise the chickens up above the water.

What’s your plan for sick chicken symptoms or an injured chicken? A simple, moveable panel can be knocked together from scrap wood and chicken wire, with a “roof” of heavy cardboard, to pen an invalid in a corner. Store it flat and out of the way until needed. A large dog crate also makes an excellent hospital pen; it can even be set outdoors on nice days to allow a recuperating chicken some sunshine, fresh air, and grass. If you’re fortunate enough to have a vet who will deal with chickens, keep a suitable box handy for transport.

Also, figure out how you could create an isolation area if the need should arise. There are many contagious chicken diseases that could strike, and you may want to isolate symptomatic individuals, and newly purchased birds (other than day-old chicks) should be quarantined for a month or so in case they’re carrying something that could be passed to your existing flock, a depressingly common occurrence. This requires housing somewhere out of range of airborne or crawling contagion. Could you fence off a corner of the garage? Use another barn or shed? Do you have a tractor-type pen that could be beefed up, insulated or have a light bulb added? Many creative solutions are possible, but if they’ll require any scrounging or hammering then now is the time to take care of it.

Prepare Yourself

The ultimate “emergency kit” is the human brain. Keep your vet’s phone number handy. Write down – before you need it – the contact information for your state extension agency or state university poultry department. And since animals have an inconvenient knack for having crises late at night or on holiday weekends, a good bookshelf is essential.

The internet can put you in touch with help, too. If you haven’t already done so, spend a little time identifying reliable sources of poultry keeping advice on the internet; bookmark the sites you find helpful and organize those bookmarks into a single folder so you can find them easily. Print out any web pages that strike you as especially useful, assemble them in a binder, and keep it handy in the coop for a wealth of emergency support even when your computer is down. If you find a forum or bulletin board you respect, consider signing up now so you don’t have to sit around during a crisis waiting to be issued a username and password. Remember, though, that while most people online are sincerely trying to help to the best of their abilities, not all advice is equally good. Double check what you’re told, and trust your own judgment.

Finally, think about whatever natural disasters your region experiences — hurricane, tornado, flood, wildfire. Do you have a method for rain water harvesting and storing several days’ worth of water for your animals as well as for yourself? Do you know where you’d go if you had to evacuate your home, and what you’d do with your flock — take all or some of them with you (how? where?), leave them in the coop with extra feed and water, or set them free to fend for themselves? There are no right and wrong answers but you need a clearly thought-out plan that you are comfortable with.

Remember that the vast majority of the things you prepare for will never happen — but some will, and you can never predict which ones. As the saying goes, forewarned is forearmed. With supplies all in one place and a well thought out plan in your head, you and your flock will be in the best possible position to cope with whatever Fate sends your way.

Now that you have an answer to what does a chicken coop need in case of an emergency, how will you prepare for the unexpected?

Originally published in 2008 and regularly vetted for accuracy.

What Does a Chicken Coop Need in Case of Emergency was originally posted by All About Chickens

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