Arizona Chickens - Page 2748

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Originally Posted by parentwarrior 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Novaleigh 

The lady at Ace Hardware told me that they stopped ordering chicks because the boxes get too hot during shipping. They only do special orders. 

Darn, I am going to run out and get two more I guess. Mine are like 5 weeks old now. I wanted to wait a few weeks. Will my guys attack the new ones? I have an a Buff Orpington and a Wyandotte.  Will anyone local have some I could buy? Looking for a calm gentle one for a pet and eggs.

Integrating young chicks usually goes really well as long as they are about the same age or size. If those 2 chicks are valuable or your kids are super attached you really should quarantine any new birds before introducing them to the flock.   Standard quarantine is 30 days....more if you see any questionable behavior.    Yes, it is a pain....but if you don't quarantine you run the risk of loosing everyone.

Congress is about 2 and a half hours from you.  But if you ever feel like a drive out of the city, you are welcome to some chicks.  Right now I have 13 that will be a week old this weekend, 14 that are a month old and 11 that are 8 weeks or so.  Easter Eggers, Ameraucanas, Plymouth Rocks and Barn yard mutts.  

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Originally Posted by nurseshelly 

I have a free blue silkie rooster, we thought it was a girl, but it's a boy and we can't keep him.  My other rooster just started attacking him, so I need to find him a home fast.  He is one of Aurorarose's chicks.  

Looks like a hen to me!

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Originally Posted by Fuzzybird 

Looks like a hen to me!

looks like a hen but cant see the face. does it have wattles and comb ? please be a hen I need a blue hen ! im thinking I might have to just take a chance on this one so darn cute.

Western Ranchman in N Phoenix on 32nd street had a ton of chicks last weekend....but who knows if they still have 'em.  It was hard to keep my eyes averted and walk outta there without some 

I wanted to share a link to our new coop!  https://sites.google.com/site/desertchickenz/coop-mahal

The website is awful (my first), but it's an easy way to see the pictures.....

I still need to finish off a little paint on the back side, we need to hook up the big waterers on the drip system again and need to put in hooks to suspend the roll-down window shade across the gravel, but otherwise it's pretty much done!

Unfortunately, my DH's fabulous "chicken tunnel" entrance with 2 right angles to keep out pigeons and mourning doves has not worked.  They figured out how to get in the first day....and three of our more, ahem, challenged chickens have yet to figure out how to get out in the morning...

Our chickens free range during the day and so we need to leave access to the coop open during the day for food/water.  We can't use a treadle feeder due to the wide range in shapes/sizes (wyandotte to serama to OEGB etc)  so we were trying to use an entrance the wild birds couldn't see into.  

Do any of you have better ideas?  what about beaded curtains over a small coop door?  Would the chickens figure it out and/or would the pigeons/doves too??

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Originally Posted by pdx2phx 

I wanted to share a link to our new coop!  https://sites.google.com/site/desertchickenz/coop-mahal

 

 

The website is awful (my first), but it's an easy way to see the pictures.....

 

I still need to finish off a little paint on the back side, we need to hook up the big waterers on the drip system again and need to put in hooks to suspend the roll-down window shade across the gravel, but otherwise it's pretty much done!

 

Unfortunately, my DH's fabulous "chicken tunnel" entrance with 2 right angles to keep out pigeons and mourning doves has not worked.  They figured out how to get in the first day....and three of our more, ahem, challenged chickens have yet to figure out how to get out in the morning...

 

Our chickens free range during the day and so we need to leave access to the coop open during the day for food/water.  We can't use a treadle feeder due to the wide range in shapes/sizes (wyandotte to serama to OEGB etc)  so we were trying to use an entrance the wild birds couldn't see into.  

 

Do any of you have better ideas?  what about beaded curtains over a small coop door?  Would the chickens figure it out and/or would the pigeons/doves too??

wow its like a chicken condo . Are those blue recycling bins? Man my biggest worry is this extreme heat thats about to hit us and trying to keep everybody cool and ALIVE . I have a feeling its going to be a doozey summer this year.  thanks for sharing

Quote:

Originally Posted by pdx2phx 

I wanted to share a link to our new coop!  https://sites.google.com/site/desertchickenz/coop-mahal

 

 

The website is awful (my first), but it's an easy way to see the pictures.....

 

I still need to finish off a little paint on the back side, we need to hook up the big waterers on the drip system again and need to put in hooks to suspend the roll-down window shade across the gravel, but otherwise it's pretty much done!

 

Unfortunately, my DH's fabulous "chicken tunnel" entrance with 2 right angles to keep out pigeons and mourning doves has not worked.  They figured out how to get in the first day....and three of our more, ahem, challenged chickens have yet to figure out how to get out in the morning...

 

Our chickens free range during the day and so we need to leave access to the coop open during the day for food/water.  We can't use a treadle feeder due to the wide range in shapes/sizes (wyandotte to serama to OEGB etc)  so we were trying to use an entrance the wild birds couldn't see into.  

 

Do any of you have better ideas?  what about beaded curtains over a small coop door?  Would the chickens figure it out and/or would the pigeons/doves too??

Fantastic job!    It's so bright, clean and fresh.  What direction does the open broadside of the coop face?   I like the beaded curtain idea and I think it would work at keeping pigeons and doves out, but maybe not sparrows.  I used strips of shade cloth over the pop door in the coop and over the larger door of the tractor and it worked to keep everything out except sparrows.  That could be due to the larger spaces between the strips of fabric, which you might not have with hanging beads.  But even just keeping out the doves and pigeons is a big improvement, so it was worth it to me.  I haven't had a dove or pigeon in either the coop or the tractor in the two years since installing them.  For me it took removing the food from the coop before the sparrows stopped coming in.  Maybe you don't or won't have as many problems with sparrows so it won't be as big of an issue.

You have to slowly acclimate the chickens to the changes in the doorway as you install the curtain.  I'd do it one of two ways, depending on how the curtain was structured.  I'd either slowly move the entire beaded curtain down a half-inch to an inch at a time every couple of days until it covers the doorway, or I'd add one new beaded strand every day or so.  With this latter method I'd start at the sides and move to the center (I think this method would be better).   I'd also make two layers, one on the inside and one on the outside to create a greater visual barrier to the interior of the coop.  Add the second layer just as you did the first, but after the first is completed.

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Originally Posted by nurseshelly 

  How are your tortoises?  Mine are loving all of the weeds and plants around right now.  My one that got stung by a scorpion last summer is finally almost completely better :)

The tortoises are finally waking up and coming out.  It's our first spring with them, so it's been interesting.  I thought they'd all come out at as soon as it warmed, but some are staying hidden.  I looked in a couple of the burrows a few days ago and I was surprised at all the re-designing of the holes.  There seems to be a lot of subterranean activity even with the ones that haven't yet emerged.  I'm also fascinated that they seem to remember the layout of the property after their long sleep (they only had a couple of months here prior to hibernation).  It just tickles me when one wandering the yard gets sight of me and changes direction to come interact.   I suspect that is left over from their lives of being fed kitchen scraps.  Or maybe they're just interested in what I'm doing.    They are very odd creatures and I love them for it.  I'm glad yours is healing from the scorpion sting!   Dang scorpions! 

my ex-boyfriend had an african spured tortiose that learned how to use the doggie door and would come inside looking for something to eat.   then it out grew the doggie door and we had to leave the sliding door open!

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Originally Posted by GoldBarRanch 

looks like a hen but cant see the face. does it have wattles and comb ? please be a hen I need a blue hen ! im thinking I might have to just take a chance on this one so darn cute.

Nope pretty sure it's a boy, he is getting sparkly, shiny hackle feathers on his neck.  No obvious comb or anything else.  He also walks really tall, but is very submissive.  If it was a girl, my rooster would be trying to wing dance with it, not trying to attack it.  The girls are all mean to it too, though so who knows.  I think the attack plus the shiny feathers coming in on the neck make it pretty sure it's a boy.