Arizona Chickens

[AZKat]

For heat, I've found that a misting system is the best thing for keeping them cool. When it gets really hot, they all stop laying, or at least slow down a lot. My Blue Andalusian lays really well in the heat, as do the Leghorns, and the Easter Egger does pretty well, but even they only lay once or twice a week.

 

[turkeybreeder]

With that many hit that rapidly, and not just your flock but also those of neighbors, you really need to get the state vet involved. It sounds REALLY, REALLY serious!

im with sonoran silkies the state vet should examined
the flock of all the neighbors to know what is going on
its best to know what diseases they are caring
to find out what to do if you dont know the number
check with a vet if they have the state vet phone number
call them on monday

 

[pastrymama]

becky,
i was thinking barbed wire or those clear plastic pigeon things they put on top on fences and such. are those pretty enough for you? nails in a piece of board attached to the top of the block wall?????

 

[turkeybreeder]

your lucky i wish we had a broody
its easier with a broody rather than to have
to check temperatures and humidity
i would be so happy if i had some
broody chickens my best luck in
hatching last year was with a broody
chicken i have never been able to
hatch anything with an incubator
a couple of friends let me borrow
an incubator tried different ones
but never was able to hatch any chicks
at what age have your wheaten and
blue wheaten gone broody our is
a year old but has not gone broody
or my splash and black ameraucana
have not gone broody either they
being laying alot of eggs

Well, I put 4 chicks under each broody at sunset and in the am there was only one chick under the broody in the coop... she had been on the nest for just about 2 weeks. 2 were on the floor shivering and one had found it's way out of the coop into the real cold but was fine. So I took the four of them and put them with the other four under the other broody, (the one that rejected the Easter chicks) and she took to them all like a wonderful mama.

I put the other broody into the juvie pen to break her. She got on a nest in there for a while but it hit 104 today and she gave it up and stands around the waterers like the rest in that pen. The Easter chicks are all panting.
I turned on the AC again in the main coop. Got 7 eggs PLUS my black sumatra hatched on Dec. 10th laid her first little boof egg today... that or the Icelandic laid a boof egg.

It's just too dang hot for April. We tied a record high from 1989 with the 103 yesterday and it's an outright record with 104 today.

I hope I don't have dead chickens. They all have COLD water in the grow out pens.... the ones with the AC in the coop are surviving.

 

[turkeybreeder]

hi pastrymama how you been

becky,
i was thinking barbed wire or those clear plastic pigeon things they put on top on fences and such. are those pretty enough for you? nails in a piece of board attached to the top of the block wall?????

 

[Mikey D]

I have a problem I need help solving so of course I'm asking here.

I have an area of my wall on either side of the yard that's shorter than the rest because the yard is on a slope.
This area is where the coyote jumped over. Also the neighbor on one side has 2 big doodles (labradoodle and some other doodle) that like to look over the wall there. They like to watch the chickens.
It drives my little dog crazy and now the top block is loose and I'm afraid it's going to get knocked over on top of my dog. I'm also a little worried that the doodle dogs might decide to jump over and "play" with the chickens.
I would like to put some kind of extension there so the dogs can't look over and it might even deter coyotes from jumping over. It needs to be solid to prevent the doodles from peeking, weather proof, and it has to be very pretty so the neighbors don't complain. Their pool is directly on the other side of the wall and they just fixed up their yard to be very pretty.
I think I need something about 1 + foot high and 4 feet long. (It might be nice to have it slant down at the end)
Help!
Here is the wall:

Pull the cap off of the end block.

A couple pieces of rebar down into the blocks on top and 2 more courses of block on top of the wall filled solid.

 

[Mikey D]

becky,
i was thinking barbed wire or those clear plastic pigeon things they put on top on fences and such. are those pretty enough for you? nails in a piece of board attached to the top of the block wall?????

A cap of concrete on top of the existing walls

Bed a row of glass bottles in the concrete necks up.

After the concrete cures, break the necks off of the bottles!

Very pretty colored glass and a definate deterent for over the fence!

 

[Gone-Ducky]

I sure do, Ill be having some scobie ducklings hatching out soon too. Im new to chickens though, i just got 5 gold sex links.

 

[Mahonri]

The only breeds I've ever had go broody are the Wheaten/BW Ameraucanas and one Partridge Rock.

I had one Ameraucana that went broody at 9 months, just a few weeks after she started laying.

Oh, and Becky...what Mikey said. and anything you can put on top to deter the coyotes.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Quote:
I'm with that, and then add rapid growing tall bushes that would deter dogs and coyotes: bouganvillia, climbing roses, ocotillia, if you want to annoy the neighbor, something that spreads litter like crazy, if you don;t plants that don't.