BYC Café

[ShrekDawg]

I have heard many reasons why lightning likes hitting pines so much, from them being so tall, to the iron deposits that they seem to flourish on top of, to the needles creating a static charge because of the resins... I have no idea why, but lightning does love them.
If it is looking like lightning, just stay in. Your chickens will be fine, but you might get hit carrying the ladders away.

I never thought of those reasons, that's so interesting.

And that's true. Thanks. It's still sunny and HOT right now but may start soon. We're going to run errands hah

 

[ShrekDawg]

Not that anyone really cares but here's me going around the house with the dog and showing the ridiculous amount of pines we have LOL it got a bit longer thanks to the dog but eh. I made a shorter one after but we're going off so I didn't want to wait for it to upload and cancelled the upload ha it wasnt that much shorter anyways. We're surrounded by pines ha

[VIDEO]

 

[Mtn Margie]

Your chickens seem to be in a Faraday cage anyway.....
Planted quinoa today....

 

[ShrekDawg]

Your chickens seem to be in a Faraday cage anyway.....
Planted quinoa today....

Assuming that means they'll be fine or? It's an old dog kennel we had laying around, 6x12, and a coop kit from TSC. But the chicken McMansion in the background is going to be their new coop once we FINALLY finish it haha

 

[Bunnylady]

Lightning can do some weird things, but I don't think aluminum ladders would be any more attractive than the steel fence that already surrounds them.

My horses have been less than 100 feet of two lightning strikes that I know of in the last few years. Both times, they were in a metal-roofed run-in shelter. The last time, the lightning hit a 40' pond pine that was only about 50 feet from my house. The previous time, the object that was hit was a martin house in the middle of a pasture. This "house" was made from a length of schedule 40 PVC pipe, that was mounted on a wooden fence post (extra tall, because it was the pivot post for a gate in the fence). There were hundreds of trees that were much taller only 150 feet in several directions, why this got hit is anybody's guess.

But I agree with Eggsy - you have more important things to worry about than the chickens in a thunderstorm.

 

[3goodeggs]

I grew up on 330 acres of pine flatwoods, dad grew timber and pole trees.

So when we moved into this tiny lot and that had 21 pine trees on it, He was brutally and agreeively against us having any removed.' Pines are money.'

They grew too close together, the roots fused, one lightning strike would take out five at a time.
Pines really are money-especially if you have to have a professional come to your house and have them removed.

I figure we have spent over 8 thousand already and still have four left to remove.

 

[Bunnylady]

I grew up on 330 acres of pine flatwoods, dad grew timber and pole trees.

So when we moved into this tiny lot and that had 21 pine trees on it, He was brutally and agreeively against us having any removed.' Pines are money.'

They grew too close together, the roots fused, one lightning strike would take out five at a time.
Pines really are money-especially if you have to have a professional come to your house and have them removed.

I figure we have spent over 8 thousand already and still have four left to remove.

We have a fungus that is removing them for us, even though we'd rather it didn't.

Right now, we have three dead trees that could fall on the house if the wind blew the right way, one that could land on the workshop, and one really big one that could land on the firewood shelter. A dead pine behind the rabbitry tried to fall on it a couple of months ago, but it was mostly caught by a maple tree. The one that was menacing the horse barn has come down, too - it went the opposite direction. We have lost trees to lightning and storms, but I think the fungus has taken twice as many. Hubby is pretty skillful with a chainsaw - I've been really impressed with the precision with which he has dropped some - but some of these have no good direction to go. A lot of the dead trees have come down in pieces; some very neatly; I think that's what he's hoping the ones close to the house will do.

 

[ShrekDawg]

Thanks everyone! Not really sure why I was so worried about the ladders when theyre in that pen, guess that was pretty dumb haha though i worry about the pen too.

We had some trees taken down years ago after one got struck by lightning and we were worried they'd fall on the house. We saw a fire ball from downstairs aha the back where all that overgrown grass is behind the pen there used to be about 9 trees back there plus we had some removed in the front and side too. It was so cool when they were hanging upside down from the trees and everything ha

 

[ShrekDawg]

Right now we have a birch or aspen or, not sure?, The small tree next to their pen, being ravaged by the **** caterpillars

 

[3goodeggs]

Quote: And I thought my husband was overly optimistic.
Reality says -if it can go horribly wrong it will.
Our tree guy is a genius in removing tall pines in very tight quarters, but- I still worry for everyone involved when a tree has to be taken down.