Arizona Chickens

[itsredcandy]

Have you ever nuzzled your nose right into the neck of one of your chickens? I do that occasionally when I check them at night before locking them up (the roost is right at head height). I think they smell awesome. Well, that does sound a bit weird now that I think about it.

I am slowly raising my hand. I caught myself kissing one of the girls the other day when I went to put her back in the chicken yard. I looked around to make sure noone saw me as I said to myself "Why did you just do that?"

 

[itsredcandy]

Anyone want to help a newbie plan the garden/chicken corner?

I didn't know where to post this, so I figured I'd start with the local gang, since you all seem to know so much, and also enjoy snickering at the newbies! ;-)

Here's the thing: My loving husband has no faith in my ability to keep anything (plant or animal) alive and pretty (despite the fact that I cook for him and he is still around) so he doesn't want the veggie garden/chicken run anywhere front and center in our yard. He wants to basically hide it in a corner behind the shed, which is fine with me since there's some shade there, except that it doesn't seem like there's going to be much room for a garden too.

Since we don't have chickens yet, I'm planning the coop/run to account for chicken math. I want to start with 3 (so 5) laying hens, and since I know I won't be able to kill/eat/give away the older ones once they stop laying, I figure I'll need room for 8. When I'm home, they could free range, but I want to account for having to keep them fenced in the run while we're away/when I go back to work. For confined chickens, I read they need 10 sf per bird. So the coop will be 5 x7 and the run would be 8 x 10, plus they'd have room under the raised coop where I'm planning to put the water/feed. Does that sound right? Too much space? If I do it this way, I have very little room left in the corner for my veggie garden (a total of 48 sf, I wanted about double that). I also need room (how much? 2 sf?) for a worm bin and a small compost pile for the bedding and whatever compostable food scraps can't be eaten by chickens and worms (is there such a thing? I was thinking citrus and banana peels mostly). I have no idea how much space I need for a compost pile, whether it can be up against the wall of the chicken coop, or if I should do a single pile or a three-bin system. Any advice there would be great.

So yeah, I'm not even a chicken mom yet, and already the birds have way more space than the garden that's supposed to feed my family. I think I'm in trouble.... Anyone here sew chicken diapers for inside the house? (I'm joking... But then again... Wouldn't that solve the space issue outside?) Oh gosh help me.

Someone's been doing their homework. Great planning. The raised coop doesn't need to be as big as other parts of the US. My girls use the coop for sleeping and laying eggs in the nest boxes. I have a 4X8 foot coop and 10 hens. I could easily and comfortably double the number of birds. My run is 24X4 feet. During the heat of the day they stay in the 8x4 feet under the coop. They free range but on occasion need to be kept in. This is plenty enough space for the girls. I would increase run space if I had more birds.

For feeding consider poultry nipples and a treadle feeder.

Free ranging birds will eat your garden too if you don't try to keep your garden separate.

 

[itsredcandy]

So I guess the EE's like the same nesting box? My older EE seems to be trying out the broody thing but she doesn't stick around. She's easily spoked out of the box and likes to 80% of her time with the other hens. She's the meanest of my birds, I am hoping she's not my first broody hen. I would much rather it be one of my sweet girls. This one is mean to the other hens and has no personal time with me. She's very standoffish and flighty. She's the one on the bottom. I am sure she's hogging the nest. Why Parmesan wanted in the too is beyond me. She usually lays in the box next to this one.

 

[LMS]

So 10 hens can hang out happily in 32 sf of space under the coop and not have issues? I'm thinking maybe I should see if I can make the chicken space smaller -- if I can get it just right, I'm hoping to be able to have two separate garden beds: 1 on each side of the coop so that they can access one or the other but not both. That way, one can be planted for us, the other can have cover crop for the chickens to forage, and then I can switch the next season.

And is it naive to believe what I read about chickens leaving the garden alone if you never feed them from it? Like if I don't give them lettuce or carrot tops, they won't bother them in the garden? (Read that in Jessie Bloom's book about free range chicken gardens...)

 

[GoldBarRanch]

Hey im from laveen arizona. . i got my 2nd flock of chickens just the beging of this year . . Tryng to breed rhode island reds, nd jersey Giants haha !!. . hope all goes well

Good to see new faces . We love pictures and lots of questions here. You will meet lots of friends and learn tons too.

 

[pimachickens]

So 10 hens can hang out happily in 32 sf of space under the coop and not have issues? I'm thinking maybe I should see if I can make the chicken space smaller -- if I can get it just right, I'm hoping to be able to have two separate garden beds: 1 on each side of the coop so that they can access one or the other but not both. That way, one can be planted for us, the other can have cover crop for the chickens to forage, and then I can switch the next season.

And is it naive to believe what I read about chickens leaving the garden alone if you never feed them from it? Like if I don't give them lettuce or carrot tops, they won't bother them in the garden? (Read that in Jessie Bloom's book about free range chicken gardens...)

That has not been my experience. My chickens will sample anything. And if they like it...it will be demolished in no time. I like your idea about rotating the gardens, though.

Just a little tip...Make sure that you can easily access all parts of your coop and run, and underneath. I planned a space under my coop for shade as well, but unfortunately didn't consider ever having to go under there. It is very difficult for me to get all the way to the back, and of course that is where they decide to lay their eggs if they are feeling particularly contrary that day. I have to use a rake to try to gently roll the egg out from underneath, and it's about 50/50 odds for it making it out in one piece.

 

[pimachickens]

Quote:

Bwaahahahaha!

Crazy chicken people.

 

[GoldBarRanch]

Easy Sherrie... This old sailor doesn't want to get in too deep just yet.. Remember, I said my first computer was an abacus, and I had trouble with that.. When you get as old as I am, you don't want to go too fast.. I think I'll let the moderators have a shot at helping me first.. I'm so old that I first sailed as the coxswain, (the man who pilots the boat) under a captain named Noah, aboard a ship called the Ark.. Now, we sailed for 40 days and 40 nights, and I still couldn't get that ship into port.. Finally ended up parking it on a mountain.. Not a good recommendation for some one to try changing browsers.. lol Will

That was funny I almost sprayed my coffee all over my screen

. You crack me up viejo loco

 

[GoldBarRanch]

Hello All. I am brand new to the Forum and have been wanting chickens for about a month now. My wife is adamantly opposed to them, thinking they'll be the grossest, smelliest creatures on Earth. I am hoping to find someone near Peoria, Arizona that is currently raising them and has a good, fairly small setup. I would love to bring her and my girls by so that they can experience it and see they really aren't as bad as she thinks. Any takers? Any recommendations? I decided to post a new message, rather than trying to track down everyone individually. I've found a few in Mesa and Glendale, but feel like contacting them directly is sort of akin to telemarketing... Yuck. Thanks in advance! Scott

We are in Wittmann and have a mini Farm with tons of animals , your welcome to come any time and bring the kids . we raise silkies along with rabbits mini long horn bull, mini donkeys,mini horse, pygmy goats , nigerian goats, tortoise, pekin duck, 3 dogs ..... SO FAAAAR

 

[MagicChicken]

So 10 hens can hang out happily in 32 sf of space under the coop and not have issues? I'm thinking maybe I should see if I can make the chicken space smaller -- if I can get it just right, I'm hoping to be able to have two separate garden beds: 1 on each side of the coop so that they can access one or the other but not both. That way, one can be planted for us, the other can have cover crop for the chickens to forage, and then I can switch the next season.

And is it naive to believe what I read about chickens leaving the garden alone if you never feed them from it? Like if I don't give them lettuce or carrot tops, they won't bother them in the garden? (Read that in Jessie Bloom's book about free range chicken gardens...)

Don't know about Jessie Bloom's birds, but my chickens will consume anything and everything in their path. Including styrofoam, which is not something I ever fed them. They discovered those tasty little white peanuts and devoured them all on their own before I could stop them. My garden is protected with a chicken wire fence. The chickens can eat whatever grows out through the garden fence, and the wild birds get the rest. If I'm lucky they will leave a tomato or two.