Heat Stroke..

It is HOT here today.... In fact, it broke the record . It was 113 F  (45 C for those of you outside the US) . That is pretty darn warm.  And Elly May made leek and onion soup. Go figure. We ate it cold.  The ducks did fine with frequent water changes but I went up to check on the chickens , who don't seem to handle the heat as well .... and noticed our White Rock laying limp under the feeder (it hangs) . I ran over and scooped her up . She was still alive and I cradled her in my arms and rushed up to the house... I was thinking of trying to cool her off in some way... she was sooo warm.... but she died in my arms on the way to the house. I wasn't completely sure at the time so I still put her in the sink and ran water over her neck but then I realized it was all too late and she was gone . ..... I felt sorry for her. She was one of the ones on the very bottom of the pecking order and she got picked on a lot. I'd actually thought of culling her earlier as she didn't look the greatest (all the stress of being the lowest of the low can get to one..) but she was still laying and seemed okay despite having feathers pulled out. Well, now I don't have to do that.... Poor girl. 
                The ducks are 5 weeks old today.... Where did the time go? They shall be completely feathered out soon. And they shall be gorgeous.
                  The winter greens I started a couple weeks ago when it was cool are getting fried in this heat... We shall see if they survive. I hope so. The top bed is completely empty (except for a squash plant) and ready for planting. I had a soil test done and found I needed to add gypsum so that has been done. We'll see if that changes anything in the coming growing season. Or it may do nothing and those darn bagrada bugs (imported somehow from Africa two years ago.. they look like small harlequin bugs) will eat everything as they seem to be trying to do already. I wonder if cool weather affects them at all?? I guess we'll find that out too.