Arizona Chickens

[AZKat]

I made up a flyer that I'm going to post around my neighborhood in Mesa. If anyone wants a copy they can PM me. It isn't very pretty, but it has all the relevant contact information. I figure that if we can get our comments in that we can stop this nonsense.

 

[ArizonaDesertChicks]

Harry's Pollos 1G :

Oh boy, if ever I needed your input and advice, the time is now! I just went outside to take the garbage out and decided to flash a light in on my chickens roosting in the coop and couldn't help but notice the ground looked as if it was moving! Kind of like the snakes inside the tomb on Indian Jones, except I don't have snakes I have crickets! I have learned to have a deep hatred towards those dang insects!!!

What is so frustrating is that I thought with the addition of my 4 chicks my pest situation would be significantly reduced with my little feathered friends patrolling the boundaries. However, I have since learned that chickens don't exactly see too well at night which doesn't exactly help their cause in taking care of our cricket problem.

About the coop situation...I have been using the deep litter method and dump a steady dose of DE into the coop when I add a new layer of pine shavings. The coop is totally dark at night too. I actually tried to shine my flash light on the crickets and force the head of one my chicks toward several of the crickets, but could not get her to go after any of them. My chickens are about 100 days old and the only thing I can think to do is to run an extension cord out there and hang a light to perhaps provide enough light to help the chickens devour the little beasts!

I'm open to any and ALL suggestions as I know the crickets reproduce like crazy and if there are 100 inside the coop there are 1,000 outside the coop trying to get inside my house. As always, thanks so much in advance for your attention and help to my problem.

I'm surprised there are so many crickets since you use DE in your coop. Maybe over time, you will see a large decrease because the cricket babies will not survive.

At the beginning of the summer, we had flies in our coop & run, but for the last couple months, I haven't seen any flies at all - I think the larva was always killed by the DE. Besides using it in your coop, try sprinkling the DE liberally in your run also (if you're not already doing that).​

 

[ArizonaNessa]

Just a little note to everyone in Southern Arizona~

Some of you may not be aware that there is a category 5 hurricane in the pacific and it is due to come straight up through Arizona. Being as I am originally from East Texas I am sure that most of it will be broke up as it passes across the Baja but they are forecasting quite a bit of rain and wind for Arizona. Look for the rain to start for some of you guys Thursday and continue through to Monday. Break out the umbrellas for all the critters!!!

 

[ArizonaDesertChicks]

This may not be due to the hurricane, but we are gettting lots of rain right now - thunder & lightening too. I had to go (in the rain) and rig up a rain shelter for the babies, cause they've been staying in a separate chain link run till they are big enough to put in with the adults.

 

[rufus]

Yes, we had a tremendous rain last night. The roof only leaks when it rains, otherwise it is fine.

Let's see what this Pacific storm brings us. Used to be hurricanes only happened in the Atlantic; in the Pacific they were called typhoons. They still use that term in the Phillipines.

I suspect the television weather people decided to simplify the situation by using the term "hurricane" for just about any storm. That happened just about the same time they began calling the summer rains the "monsoon."

Who knows what is next?

Rufus

 

[ArizonaNessa]

Hey Rufus..I knew they were called something else and I couldn't think of just what it was. Everyone I talked to said it is a hurricane

Thank you so much for making me feel just a tad bit less crazy.

 

[LarryPQ]

We got heavy rain for quite a while. I woke up the 3 yearold to sit on my lap under the porch. He woke up, looks condfusedly at the rain, and says, "Mommy what happened?"

I wasn't sure either...water from the sky?

 

[Tonopah Pati]

Good Morning Arizona.Boy it is still hot out there this am. We must have cloud cover, I can't see a thing yet, it is still pitch black. I have 85. I didn't get any rain last night. Did anyone get rain? Maybe we will get some out here today.

 

[Mahonri]

It's still 90 here in central Phoenix at 5AM. We didn't get ANY rain the other night... just LOTS of wind... I'm still cleaning the pool.

Weather people are now saying the moisture will move east and NM and TX will get it and only SouthEastern AZ.

bummer cuz we really need it.

 

[Tonopah Pati]

We sure need the rain. By the time the rain gets to me, the desert has pulled all the rain out. I JUST GET TO WATCH IT ALL AROUND ME. I can see it coming, It pushes a dust cloud in front of the rain. It is interesting to watch that happen. I keep saying We are going to get some! Then it piddles out!