Arizona Chickens

[kevs-chickadees]

And as if I don't have enough projects...

Our first re-model...



It was 112 today - how hot do you think it's going to be when I ascend into the attic?

It was at least 145 yesterday when I had the joyous opportunity to army crawl 25' through scissor trusses to retrieve a pex waterline and bring it back. Good luck Mikey! Make sure someone is there watching out for you.

 

[AZKat]

Mikey: Please be careful! Make sure you have someone watching, and the means to get cooled off as soon as you are done.

Mahonri: Congratulations on your anniversary!

My chooks are still doing well, although I'm only getting 1-5 eggs out of 8 girls who are laying. Still waiting on the little girls to start laying, they're 18 weeks so it should be any day now.

 

[pimachickens]

Grew up near 39th and Glisan (Laurelhurst/Hollywood area). Then lived in Boring in my 20's (Yes, there really is a town called Boring, Oregon. And yes, it really is). Moved to AZ in 1998, and I would never go back. The water and green were nice, but I just can't handle all that rain. The desert is where I belong.

I wish you the best of luck in your new home. Don't be a stranger!

 

[pimachickens]

taking a breather.... this has been quite the month.

Israel from June 1 - June 11.

Son #1 got married on June 20th in SLC and we had an open house for them here last night.

June18th, my receptionist's mother died and her funeral was the 22nd.

Too much to do and too little time.

Got the coop cleaned today, went to The Feed Barn, The Pet Food Depot and Western Ranchman. I buy something different at each. Put a new AC unit into the big coop. Put some cloth over the pop door to help keep the cool in and my Barred Rock figured it out immediately... she is so smart and taught the others how to push it out of the way to get to the run... BUT... most are staying inside now. I set it on 85 so it runs till it hits 81, shuts off and then doesn't turn on again until it gets up to 87, they'll survive in the big coop.

I feel badly for the easter chicks in grow out pen 1 and for the NYD Icelandics in grow out pen 2 as they are right in the heat... the pens are semi-shaded by the oleanders on the south but there is only one side open... the north side and it is warm. I keep putting Ice in their waterers and they all crowd around.

I've got two EEs, two australorps and1 PW leghorn that I need to sell from my Easter hatch.

I had a guy that I thought was going to buy my black sumatra hen but then, he stopped e-mailing me...amazingly, she continues to lay in all of this heat. I'm down to about 6 eggs a day with 30 hens! Lets see what the AC does for me.

It's our 25th anniversary today.

Have a great weekend and Happy Fourth!

Luv y'all,

M

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!

I hope July is a little calmer for you.

 

[pimachickens]

i freeze chicken treats for the hot times, and i just put a box fan by the run to spread the mist around.
just wanted to share, i LOVE LOVE LOVE the superstition ranch market in mesa near greenfield and main. i encourage everyone to check it out. the other day i got a dozen cast off mangos for $1. yep. awesome!! i salvaged some to freeze for my smoothies, but the rest i kept whole, scored and froze for a mango popsicle treat for the ladies. i also picked up a cast off honeydew for 15 cents that i just cut in half and tossed in the run. they're so happy.
i've been freezing a lot of their ordinary treats too. right now there is a whole head of lettuce in the freezer for their afternoon munch-fest.

Oh, I wish I was closer! That place sounds fantastic!

 

[pimachickens]

Quote: Wow, guys. Be careful please! Mikey...is this REALLY necessary right now? I mean, seriously, is there no possible way that this couldn't wait a few months? I'm sure there are many other projects you could find that don't require a trip into the attic...in Arizona...in the middle of the summer. Right?

 

[Mikey D]

Quote: Wow, guys. Be careful please! Mikey...is this REALLY necessary right now? I mean, seriously, is there no possible way that this couldn't wait a few months? I'm sure there are many other projects you could find that don't require a trip into the attic...in Arizona...in the middle of the summer. Right?
Thanks for the good wishes folks.

My son in law & I went up there around 9PM tonight - only took about a half our but it was still pretty warm up there.

Pima - I wish it could wait but once the school year starts I'm busier than a one armed paper hanger. All of our major projects happen during the summer. Kinda sux but that's the way it is.

 

[pastrymama]

I am sure the fireman would LOVE for it to only be 145 degrees inside a working structure fire while he has on 70# of protective gear. It can be as cool as 700 degrees or 1000 degrees. I don't think that anyone would stop the fire department from rushing in and saving their house because its so hot out.

I am sorry, but sometimes people say the silliest things on here.

 

[Mikey D]

Got all the wiring moved to their new homes.

A trip to Homer to get a duplex 3-way and single switch & make sure the wiring works on the new circuit.

We found a few code violations that the builder put into the house for us. All fixed and up to code now!

The fridge lived on the other side of this wall. It is moved to a temporary location across the kitchen and two cabinets will be taken down (also on the other side of the wall) and the rock cut out to make a pass through. We are leaving the column cause the roof trusses have been resting on that wall for 22 years now and I'm not willing to see if they are going to sag without it!

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

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.

www.chickendiapers.com The original and the best.