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  1. bufforphfan

    Arizona Chickens

    I live in Southern Gila county and have been raising chickens off and on for over 40 years. I have never used water sprays, or cold water bottles, or resorted to any other kind of unnatural cooling. Sure you may loose an occassional chicken due to the heat, but mostly you just need shelter from...
  2. bufforphfan

    How to secure under a raised coop?

    My coop is raised to about that heighth and my chickens hang out under the coop in the heat of the day. My run has a 2X4 base running around the perimeter, with non-climbable wire fencing attached. This arrangement was sufficient during the day, as there are no domestic dogs to worry about here...
  3. bufforphfan

    How old do chicks have to be to be without heat?

    I would say a lot has to do with your geographical location and the outside temperatures. Also, if they have a good start on feathering out and have lost most of their down! If the nighttime temperatures are fairly mild where you are, I would think a small enclosure inside your coop in which...
  4. bufforphfan

    Help Four Baby BO Died!

    Is that a small log laying under the light? What kind of wood is it?
  5. bufforphfan

    Hens with bare backs... mites?

    They are probably just molting. You can expect them to molt every year and not all at once. Mine have no rooster, live clear across the continent from yours and they are doing the same thing. The cold weather hinders egg production and they run around half-naked, just when you would think mother...
  6. bufforphfan

    Why did this happen?

    Well sometimes things just happen! Count your blessings!
  7. bufforphfan

    Is it safe/ok to feed chickens the left over turkey?

    Just make sure that you never pass out inside their domain, or those cute pet chickens will eat you too. Of course, they can't lick their chops when they have finished.
  8. bufforphfan

    Building a hen house in an area with varmints at night.

    Flock Mistress has given you good advice. I have 8 hens that roost in a 2x2x8ft elevated coop. There is a ramp leading from the run, up to the entry door. The door is hinged at the top and held open by a heavy cord. At night it is shut and a metal bar is run through two pipe hangers to secure it...
  9. bufforphfan

    Got my new auto door in

    I have considered installing a door like yours, but have a couple of concerns. (1) I need a door that opens the opposite direction from yours. (2) I have a raccoon problem and I am afraid it will be able to force the door open. They are very clever and able to use their paws like hands...
  10. bufforphfan

    Raccoons!!!!!!!!

    I have 8 hens that roost in a 2ftX2ftX8ft long coop made of 1/2" plywood, that sits 3ft off of the ground. They come up the ramp when it gets dark and enter the coop through the a trap door. The other night, I failed to lock the door and a racoon figured out how to open the door and get inside...
  11. bufforphfan

    Hawk flying low!!!

    The hawk will be back. Sooner or later he will get what he is after. He s not afraid of you either. Free ranging your chickens is risky.
  12. bufforphfan

    Why are my chicks dieing???

    What do you mean by "a tree company"? Are they a certified tree nursery or just a company that trims trees and pulverizes the limbs, etc? If it is the latter, I would suspect your mulch or bedding contains something that is toxic to young chick's respiratory sytems. "Pine" shavings are...
  13. bufforphfan

    I think my chickens are too getting hot, how to keep them cool??

    I use bamboo reed fencing which is usually available in the garden section of places like Home Depot. It provides shade and allows air to flow through it also. I cover the top of the run with it and the sunny side of the run also. The fencing is light weight, about 6ft tall X 15 ft long, and can...
  14. bufforphfan

    Hawk attempting to get in cage!

    One day I was sitting with my front door open and a Red-tail Chicken Hawk landed on a rail near my door. I walked to the door and he stared at me until I opened the screen door. Then he flew off. He was after a bantam rooster I had free-ranging and he eventually got him. I have never seen him...
  15. bufforphfan

    Cats as chicken killers?

    I think it is unlikely that your cat is the culprit. The fact that the carcass was left behind, pretty well rules out canines, bobcats or mountain lions. I would suspect a skunk did it!
  16. bufforphfan

    How close is to close?

    If you keep your chickens in the pen all of the time and do not change the bedding frequently, you will eventially have fly and odor problems, depending on the temperatures and number of chickens, of course. If You use removable "dropping boards" under the roosts and clean them frequently , it...
  17. bufforphfan

    when to start grit?

    Chickens have survived for centuries without much help from humans. You can buy some bags of "play sand" from Home Depot if you want to, and put it inside their run. They will scatter it, bath in it and ingest it. They will get their grit the natural way, like chickens have always done! Grit and...
  18. bufforphfan

    Wet under nipple waterers?? Help please!

    I recently installed nipple waterers inside my new coop and I had the same problem with water leaking under the nipples. I soon discovered that excessive water pressure was the main cause of the leakage. I solved that by using gravity pressure only, running 1/4" plastic tubing from a plastic...
  19. bufforphfan

    Turkey Vultures?

    We have lots of buzzards here in Arizona in the summer time. They circle and ride the air currents looking for road kill or other dead animals. As the sun sets they usually start looking for a place to roost. They are not a danger to your chickens. What you need to watch for are Red Tailed Hawks...
  20. bufforphfan

    Chicks play in the run for the first time *PICS*

    Judging from the pictures, your coop and run both look pretty new. I would guess from your chicks young age, that they have not had sufficient time to become accustomed and attached to their coop and roost, before being introduced to the outside run. They should naturally re-enter the coop at...
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