For my littles I just use a extra-large pan full of dirt that I put in their play pen. Usually that is plenty of dirt at a time and I change it out when I cleaned the play pen. I generally only raise 6 at a time - this year I lost one so I only have 5 in the littles pen right now - they have graduated from the play pen. Usually when they can fly to the top and sit on the edge they are ready for outside!! They are around 5 weeks old.
Yes like @DesertChic said our chickens are much tougher than we think. We've had much colder than usual weather here in the Casa Grande/Eloy area and I only give the heat lamp at night. I find they are seldom "under it" even though it is high. Our daytime weather has been mid 60s and they are out playing, dust bathing, going up and down their ladder and eating everything they can scratch up! Put yours outside during the warmest part of your day if you are able and put them back in at night. You will see - they will love it!
I moved my chicks to the pen when they were just 2-3 weeks old. I give them a heat lamp for our colder nights but have noticed they often do use it even when the temp is only 40 degrees. (We're having a cold snap here right now.) Today was only about 60 degrees and they spent nearly the entire day in their attached outdoor pen, playing in the dirt. They're only 4 weeks old now. Chicks are tougher than we give them credit for.
Alright! I have to clean their brooder today so maybe I will wait until it's warmer later and after I clean the brooder take them for a trip outside.
awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!! I wish my mother would let me have more chickens!! Especially roos... I had to rehome my roo, and im eally depressed about it still ;(I have another chicken for sale. She is a young d'Uccle Pullet. I am getting rid of her because she just gets picked on in my flock of large chickens. She is $15, or I will trade for a young large fowl Pullet. I am in Tucson Arizona.
PM if interested.
I also still have my Ohiki breeding pair for sale. They are both still very young. The rooster has crowed, but no eggs from the hen yet. They are $30 and if you get them, you can have the d'Uccle Pullet for free.
Mine are set up in a similar way, side yard away from the neighbors. I put netting over my run both to keep in the chickens and keep out hawks and owls that are in my Tempe neighborhood. Netting is fairly cheap, easy to put up and take down. I don't have to worry about my chickens escaping. Those weeds will be gone in a day or two, yummy chicken fodder! They will be wanting more BTW.OK so after months of prodding from my wife I caved and we got 5 chicks this weekend, 2 buffs, 2 ameracuanas (i think I spelled it right) and 2 yellow ones that will grow into white hens with black spots, I forgot the name lol. So I spent the weekend working on a coop and Im almost done, still need to do some trim work, add roof, latches, add hardware cloth and install the big door. In one pic you can see the door leaning up against the side, I made it so that the whole wall will be hardware cloth and will open for easy maintenance. I made large vents all around the top of the other 3 sides for plenty of ventilation in our AZ summers. My question I have now is this, should I build a run or I would ideally like to fence off this whole side of the house in the pic below (don't judge me by the weeds I have 3 kids and a full time job and we NEVER go on this side of the house so it gets neglected) This side of the house is against the street and away from neighbors. I would love to just fence that off and let them have the full run of that side of the yard all day but worry about them jumping/flying to the top of the wall or over it. I know I can cut their flight feathers but still worry. What do you think I should do, let them have the run of that side or build a run for them. Also that side of the yard is 10 foot wide and in the shade all day but about an hour or so mid day. The coop is 4x4'
The flooring will be very durable, good choice! Make sure to get the rabbits out of the run before you enclose it.
Moringas love heat and sun. They will take as much as you can give them. You are on the way to your moringa forest!Ugh, I'm so excited. Our Queenie is gonna be a Mama on April 16th approximately. So far, she has done really well. I moved her yesterday because the other hens kept climbing all over her and the one time a day she would leave the nest, they'd go in the nest and climb on the eggs. They have broken a few so I wanted her in a safer spot. No issues with moving her because I moved the entire box. One benefit to using plastic storage totes. She is still making happy noises and hasn't moved from her spot on the eggs. We've been hand feeding her and offering her water to make sure she stays in good health. She had been broody a while before I gave her the eggs.
I have 4 tiny moringas popping up their leaves. Yesterday morning there was only one. They really like heat and sunshine. I have them sitting on top of a trampoline in full sun.
