Arizona Chickens

[LarryPQ]

I had a MAJOR issue with morning doves eating the feed. They were squeezing through the tiny spaces where the corregated metal didn't connect with the coop frame. I ended up shoving the DH's old socks in the holes when I bought him new ones.

 

[tofuranch]

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I love your solution to the doves....have they started taking the socks apart to make nests..some bird probably will, last time I used material in a hole thats what other birds did

 

[LarryPQ]

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I love your solution to the doves....have they started taking the socks apart to make nests..some bird probably will, last time I used material in a hole thats what other birds did

NAH, big socks, rolled into TIGHT softballs, shoved into little holes. The morning doves aren't strong enough, and there is nowhere for bigger birds to perch & yank them out.

 

[ArizonaDesertChicks]

We have problems with sparrows over here - used to be doves too and sometimes starlings, but after working at closing up the entrance holes, we elimated the doves & larger birds. The darn sparrows are still getting in. If there happen to be a couple sparrows still in the pen when I enter it, they actually squeeze out the chicken wire that covers the chainlink to escape (not their entry point).

 

[cap1717]

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This has been a big problem for me, too. I will be having a new coop / run built later this month, and I am deterined to use hardware cloth so that I do not lose feed to wild birds.

 

[ArizonaDesertChicks]

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Thanks - would the eggs still be viable this Saturday? That's the day I intend to start incubation (can't do it any earlier because my hubby's out of town and I need his help making the incubator). You're a long drive from me, but David is coming in from the airport Friday morning and could pick them up then if you think they will still be good for incubating. He'd be able to stop by sometime between 9 a.m. & 11:30 -- I can narrow the time down the night before (company hasn't bought plane ticket yet). If that doesn't work for you - no problem - I'll just incubate what I have here and see what happens.

The plan is: I'm picking up all the materials needed for making a homemade incubator today. David gets home Friday morning and will get to work making the incubator (with my help). I will start running it when finished on Friday so that the temperature & humidity have have time to stabilize before putting the eggs in Saturday evening. I'm hoping the eggs being laid are still fertile and fresh enough. I think hens lay fertile eggs for about 10 days after leaving the roo? and I believe you're supposed to hatch eggs within 7 days for best results. My eggs will be between 1 & 9 days old (1 egg laid per day for 9 days), so that will give me 9 eggs with about 6-7 having the best chance of making it.

The dark blue laid another egg today - the two of them really are taking turns (3 from the splash & 3 from the blue in the last 6 days

)

 

[Mahonri]

Quote:
Thanks - would the eggs still be viable this Saturday? That's the day I intend to start incubation (can't do it any earlier because my hubby's out of town and I need his help making the incubator). You're a long drive from me, but David is coming in from the airport Friday morning and could pick them up then if you think they will still be good for incubating. He'd be able to stop by sometime between 9 a.m. & 11:30 -- I can narrow the time down the night before (company hasn't bought plane ticket yet). If that doesn't work for you - no problem - I'll just incubate what I have here and see what happens.

I just put the old ones in the fridge, but I stored todays eggs and marked them with the lay date. I'll continue to store and rotate 3X a day until then. There may not be a full dozen, but I'll figure out the price of what I have available. ($2.10 an egg + a couple of EE eggs as extras) One other BYCer has expressed interest and unless she tells me she's gonna get them for certain on Saturday then I'll have them ready for your hubby to pick up on Friday. My wife will have to hand them to him because I'll be at work.

 

[tofuranch]

Quote:
Thanks - would the eggs still be viable this Saturday? That's the day I intend to start incubation (can't do it any earlier because my hubby's out of town and I need his help making the incubator). You're a long drive from me, but David is coming in from the airport Friday morning and could pick them up then if you think they will still be good for incubating. He'd be able to stop by sometime between 9 a.m. & 11:30 -- I can narrow the time down the night before (company hasn't bought plane ticket yet). If that doesn't work for you - no problem - I'll just incubate what I have here and see what happens.

I just put the old ones in the fridge, but I stored todays eggs and marked them with the lay date. I'll continue to store and rotate 3X a day until then. There may not be a full dozen, but I'll figure out the price of what I have available. ($2.10 an egg + a couple of EE eggs as extras) One other BYCer has expressed interest and unless she tells me she's gonna get them for certain on Saturday then I'll have them ready for your hubby to pick up on Friday. My wife will have to hand them to him because I'll be at work.

If you are talking about me...I am not coming down until the END of Feb on the 27th...

 

[tofuranch]

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great...how are all of the new years babies doing??? so have you figured out now many roos you ended up with

Today is another really nice day up in Northern AZ....hopefully I will be able to get a few more things done with the chickens, we have more rain predicted..and it is starting to look like that it might rain again.One pen from the last snow/rain is still very wet. I just can't seem to get it dried out. Need to figure something out today. Even the run is really wet. I guess this is what happens when you get ALOT of water in a short time. Also you have your coops at the lowest part of the hill.

 

[Beckyhsinglsc]

Does anyone in the East Valley of Phx need 1/2 bag of Purina medicated Start & Grow?
I'm not going to use it. I only bought it a couple of weeks ago and have had it in an airtight container.
I'll trade it for some eggs.

Mine aren't laying yet.
Becky