Arizona Chickens

[kevs-chickadees]

TT! :

annekaelber

I bet you a brazilian dollars that the bag of DE that you bought at Home Depot is POOL GRADE. Don't use that crap around your chickens!

It HAS to say "Codex Food Chemical Grade" on the package. The "Food Grade" can be eaten as a dietary supplement and is completely safe (except for the dust, it's never good to breathe dust).

The "Pool Grade" has been treated with chemicals and heat. The heat changes it into crystalline silica. That stuff is nasty and causes cancer. Aside from that, there aren't as many regulations when it comes to Pool Grade. It is more likely to be contaminated with heavy metals.

ALSO the retards that work at Home Depot will happily tell you that the Pool Grade DE is the same as the Food Grade DE. Do you really trust their opinion? Do your own research. Pool Grade DE should only be used in Pool Filters.

http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/ingredient.php?ingred06=705472 (more about crystalline silica)
http://www.ghorganics.com/DiatomaceousEarth.html (more about DE)
http://absorbentproductsltd.wordpre...s-pool-grade-diatomaceous-earth-the-dl-on-de/ (even more about DE)

HA ha aint that the truth, only it goes way beyond d.e. I often after a employee tells a customer how to fix something will go and tell the customer what they really need/ don't need and what will or won't work.​

 

[Arizonachicken]

TT! :

A BRAZILIAN DOLLARS! I BET YOU IT!

http://www.condoroptions.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/brazil-real.jpg

 

[Arizonachicken]

Ready for the questions? If you have multiple coops/runs, I would appreciate you breaking it down in all the questions, as I'm still new enough I might not catch breed divisions as separate coops and runs, etc.

1. How close to *your* house is your coop? Your run? Is this working well for you? Could you have put it closer (if possible) and been happy?

Our coop/run is pretty close. We don't have acreage, just a good sized lot. I like where it is, easy to get to, especially now, I have the 38+ week pregnant waddle going on now!

2. How big is your coop? Your run? (So I can compare to the 5x5' coop and 10'x10'(ish) run we're considering.

Our coop is about 4x6 and it's tall enough for me to stand in. Our run is about 4x8 and, again, tall enough to walk around in (I'm about 5'7") I'm giving estimates here, but I think I'm pretty darn close.

3. How many chickens do you have? Do you have 1 nestbox per chicken? (Seems like this could quickly get kinda crazy!)

I have two laying hens in the coop/run. I also have 4 pullets that are 13 weeks old and can't go in with the hens yet. My two hens have 3 nesting boxes, but they only use one.

4. How often do you clean your coop? Your run?

I clean the roosts about every other day, takes less than 5 minutes. I clean the pullets enclosure about every 3 days, there's more birds in a smaller place.

5. Do you collect eggs daily?

Yes. Especially in the heat and the fact that I have 5,4,and 3 year old sons who LOVE finding eggs and check several times a day. Poor chickens can hardly get out of the nesting box before their egg is swiped!

6. What is on the floor (?) of your coop?

Pine shavings over linoleum covered wood.

7. What is on the ground of your run?

Mulch/dirt

8. How much feed do you use (lbs/day or bags (what size) per month)?

All my birds get to free-range for quite a few hours every day and they do get lots of treats. I bought a 50 lb bag of layer at the end of May, and I'm almost out now. The 4 pullets eat more, they've already gone through 50 lbs since June and are working on their next.

9. If you are in Mesa or a nearby town (for me, that would be Gilbert, Chandler, Tempe, and southern parts of Scottsdale, I think), would you be interested in meeting me somewhere publicly safe to get to know me? I'm angling for an invitation to come do your chicken chores for a day and see what the work is like. *grin*

Honestly, I don't spend much time other than cleaning the pullets enclosure. Maybe 5-10 min a day to check water, feed, clean. I was surprised to find how easy they are, once established.

10. What one piece of advice do you wish you'd had before you started?

Build bigger than you think you need. You'll want to grow, and even if you don't, your birds will enjoy the extra space, especially on those days, you can't let them out to free range. Hope that helps!

 

[mclevinson]

Quote:
Ha ha ha!!! Went to get parts for another nipple waterer today. The guy who was "helping" me got called away, passed me on to someone else who promptly negated EVERYTHING the first guy said and started showing me other stuff. I had to derail him and show him what I wanted, I've already built and re-built the system.

 

[ca]

1. How close to *your* house is your coop? Your run? Is this working well for you? Could you have put it closer (if possible) and been happy?
About 50 feet from the door but about 10 feet lower. We CANNOT hear the roosters crow when we are in the bedroom. Something to consider if you will have roosters.

2. How big is your coop? Your run? (So I can compare to the 5x5' coop and 10'x10'(ish) run we're considering)
Originally 8x8. I now have a 12x12 condo/juvie addition and am working on a new 12x12 AZ (3 sided) coop. Run is about 250 sf

3. How many chickens do you have? Do you have 1 nestbox per chicken? (Seems like this could quickly get kinda crazy!)
Well the idea was to have about a dozend. I now have over 50 not including 15 eggs to hatch next week. 20 are currently laying, I have 12 nest boxes.

4. How often do you clean your coop? Your run?
Coop: I have metal pans under the roosts. That is where 90% of the poop lands. I clean that weekly. The main floor once a year. It is ALWAYS completely dry in there. Run: As necessary, harder hit areas maybe monthly.

5. Do you collect eggs daily?
Yes! I do not trust my chickens will not play mini golf (I have seen golf balls moved from one nest box to the other, even to another level!!! Don't ask).

6. What is on the floor (?) of your coop?
I have digested hay (ten year old horse poop) mixed with dirt. They love it.

7. What is on the ground of your run?
Pristine desert soil. Wish I had grass.

8. How much feed do you use (lbs/day or bags (what size) per month)?
Must pass on this one. Some day I will create a spreadsheet... More importantly: if you don't have clever rodents, a hanging feeder is the most economical. My chickens will not EVER waste any food. For the outside I have a treatle feeder. Instructions from Gallo!

9. If you are in Mesa or a nearby town (for me, that would be Gilbert, Chandler, Tempe, and southern parts of Scottsdale, I think), would you be interested in meeting me somewhere publicly safe to get to know me? I'm angling for an invitation to come do your chicken chores for a day and see what the work is like. *grin*
You can visit me in Wickenburg

. You can pick up horse and llama poop as well if you desire

10. What one piece of advice do you wish you'd had before you started?
VERY carefully decide on the breed(s) and the place where you buy birds. Read A LOT on this forum before you decide which advice you should follow. Start reading up on illnesses now. You want to know as much as you can when your chicks get sick. Keep asking questions, we have some incredible knowledgeable people here on the AZ forum!

 

[Tracydr]

Concord grapes and seedless green grapes ( can't remember the variety but the same ones you eat from the store) do very well in Phoenix with a little shade or even full sun. There are some in our neighborhood growing in partial shade that get loaded with fruit every year. They are green seedless.. My husband used to have them and he said they grew really well for him with very little to no care, other than pruning and flood irrigation.
I'd love to have some grape vines but I think we're only going to be here a couple more years so I'm trying not to plant anything too permanent, other than maybe a couple of dwarf fruit trees. I may plant a couple of dwarf trees this spring in the garden. Considering a pomegranate, fig, peach and apricot. I really want some decent peaches, especially after our trip to NM last week where the Walmart peaches were out of this world. I used to have peach trees in OK and they were so good.
If I grow a couple of potted trees, like a fig and pomegranate, I could probably move them with me when I move. I may try a mandarin orange, too.
For something to vine quickly on the chicken coop, you might look at beans, gourds or melons. A lot of the Asian melons and gourds are very strong growers in our heat. Plus, the chickens love eating melons so you could get some free chicken food, too. I wonder if they would eat bitter melon? Bitter melon really grows big and fast. I hate it but some people just love the taste.
In the cooler season, a bean like scarlet runner bean is stunning. I've never gotten it to actually set any beans but the flowers really attract humming birds and it really grows nicely. It will freeze but comes back from the roots. I'm considering trying some hyacinth beans for the beautiful flowers and heat tolerance next summer.

 

[Tracydr]

Quote:
I've never even seen or heard of them before. Thanks for pointing them out. I had no idea they were a problem around here and would have never even been on the lookout. The only real pest I've ever had to deal with has been mites. dE has worked pretty well since I started using it.

 

[Tracydr]

Quote:
That sounds awesome, but I never buy more than 1 or 2 bags at a time.

If we had enough people interested, it wouldn't matter how many bags you needed. I do feed all organic, and it's expensive. There's a couple of feed stores carrying organic feed in Tucson now, but it's a better price to buy directly from the mill, even with shipping. I have a lot of birds, though, so I go through feed like ice cream in summertime

I'm in Mesa but would be interested. I'm going to order broilers in October so I'm going to need a bunch of 22% grower. I also have 25 layers and 4 bantams.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

1. How close to *your* house is your coop? Your run? I do not have separate runs for my coops. They have their open coops/pens, and I let them out into the yard on a rotating basis. Some of the coops are at the edges of the property, some are closer to the house. I try to place coops where there is shade and they are not too close to neighbors homes (crowing; I do try to be a good neighbor)

Is this working well for you? Could you have put it closer (if possible) and been happy? Mostly. I'd prefer a lot more trees, for our house and pool to be situated differently than they are, for the yard to be more level. I've planted lots of trees since we moved in 12 years ago; just wish I'd planted more that first year or two. My neighbors have nearly 100 large trees, and their yard is much cooler than ours. Nearly their entire acre is well-shaded. We have very few windows in the house (3 if you do not count the front door sidelights, the sliding door from the den and the single french door from the living room), and it would be nice to be able to look out the window to check on the birds.

2. How big is your coop? Your run? (So I can compare to the 5x5' coop and 10'x10'(ish) run we're considering). As I said, I do not do runs. Coop sizes include 4x6, 5x5, 6x6, 6x8, 8x8. All except one are tall enough for me to stand in. That is very important to me for ease of cleaning. I also have pens that range from 2x3 to 4x8 with several sizes in between. Oh, I have some in a 15x30 horse stall.

3. How many chickens do you have? Do you have 1 nestbox per chicken? (Seems like this could quickly get kinda crazy!)
Lots; I do not count. Absolutely not. I really have only a couple of nest boxes; most silkies will ignore them, anyways and lay on the ground in their preferred location, regardless of where you place a nest.

4. How often do you clean your coop? Your run? When it looks like it needs it; that can vary from one week to 6 months. Generally, the larger the coop, the less frequent cleaning is needed.

5. Do you collect eggs daily? Pretty much.

6. What is on the floor (?) of your coop? A mix of sand and shavings. Occasionally I add rice hulls. Some of the pens are raised with wire floors.

7. What is on the ground of your run? My yard is mostly grass (and weeds), with some patches of dirt.

8. How much feed do you use (lbs/day or bags (what size) per month)? I generally purchase 7-10 bags of feed at a time, and if I can make that last a couple of weeks, I am giddy; usually I make it about a week and a half.

10. What one piece of advice do you wish you'd had before you started? Not something I hadn't heard early on, but very useful in our climate, and especially for you since you want to limit the work required: use automatic chicken waterers. I use the Little Giant ones, but there are others available.

 

[annekaelber]

TT! :

annekaelber

I bet you a brazilian dollars that the bag of DE that you bought at Home Depot is POOL GRADE. Don't use that crap around your chickens!

It HAS to say "Codex Food Chemical Grade" on the package. The "Food Grade" can be eaten as a dietary supplement and is completely safe (except for the dust, it's never good to breathe dust).

The "Pool Grade" has been treated with chemicals and heat. The heat changes it into crystalline silica. That stuff is nasty and causes cancer. Aside from that, there aren't as many regulations when it comes to Pool Grade. It is more likely to be contaminated with heavy metals.

ALSO the retards that work at Home Depot will happily tell you that the Pool Grade DE is the same as the Food Grade DE. Do you really trust their opinion? Pool Grade DE should only be used in Pool Filters.

http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/ingredient.php?ingred06=705472 (more about crystalline silica)
http://www.ghorganics.com/DiatomaceousEarth.html (more about DE)
http://absorbentproductsltd.wordpre...s-pool-grade-diatomaceous-earth-the-dl-on-de/ (even more about DE)

Wow. Thank you so much for this information. I would have made a very bad mistake right there!

Anne.​