Arizona Chickens

[Gallo del Cielo]

Quote:

Yeah, I like hardware cloth too. I also think that welded wire is also excellent material. Each kind of wire has it's limitations and strengths. I like the rigid structural integrity of the 1" X 2" 14 gauge welded wire and I think it would stand up to anything that might encounter it in the city. It's just highly permeable to small birds like european house sparrows. I should mention that I was talking with another AZ BYCer that lives outside of town and she said that her pens were made from the same wire that mine is and she never gets wild birds entering.

I'll bet those rabbits and squirrels are destructive! I'm glad we don't have them in the walled back yard--I do enjoy observing them out front.

You guys must have your run against stucco or block?? Part of my run is covered with 1" bird netting...not chicken wire...the actual netting stuff like you would put over a fruit tree. There has never been a lizard up there. But, they would have to crawl up fence postst to get into it. I am sure they could....just never have. Coyotes come up to my fence every morning, so my coops and runs are about 5 feet away from the fence. My dogs can run completely around the chickens to protect them. Wild birds get into the runs all the time. Not through the netting, but through the welded wire fencing. I don't really worry about it. The chickens are exposed to them when they free range anyway....no way around that. The chickens do chase off any birds and ground squirrels that come into the coop to eat their food. Their scratch also gets tossed inside the coop instead of out in the run. I mix my own with BOSS and 4-way, would be an expensive waste to let the wild birds eat their BOSS.

Yeah, mine is against the block wall and that was certainly the main route in which they got entangled. As you know, they love to run along the wall and the space between the coop and wall is a great hiding place for them. The bird netting I was using was also smaller-- 1/2". I also used it for a week or so as a temporary fence for the garden. I found out pretty quickly that I had to keep it elevated a couple inches above the ground and off the wall to keep from snaring the lizards. I think we have a lot more wild birds here in town. If we were throw any kind of grain onto the ground we would be over run with hundreds of sparrows and doves. When I first built the coop and was feeding the chickens inside I was fine for a few days, but then the wild birds discovered it. It was common to see dozens and dozens inside the coop at once. That's what prompted building the treadle feeder. The dang wild birds would finish off a 1-gallon feeder before the end of the day. Once my birds got to be adults, they never really paid much attention to the wild birds. I think they probably realize it's completely futile. I agree that there's no way around them coming in contact with each other. I just feel that whatever I can do to limit that contact will be helpful, especially if I can limit wild birds from sharing a food and water source with the chickens.

 

[itsredcandy]

I don't know anything about quail. But very cool aviary!! Would make a great brooder.

I was actually thinking of moving my 3 month old frizzles in there. They don't seem to know how to make it back to the hen house at night and they are scared to get out of it in the day. This way I could just open it up every morning until I get quail in it.

I am really hoping they aren't much different than chicken. Or easier, other than processing them as I don't plan to process my hens anytime soon.

 

[Odii]

Quote: Hatchery or a local Breeder for chicks. General consensus is to stay away from the feed stores due to a higher chance of bringing home diseased chicks. If you are looking for grown ready to lay hens, I don't know. Maybe the State fair?? Occasionally some folks here have extras to sell or give away.

Welcome Odii!!!

Thanks for the welcome azbootsie. Dont necessarily want/need laying hens, puletts are fine. Just would feel guilty if we got a roo and couldnt keep him. What is the general opinion on getting pullets from craigslist?

 

[itsredcandy]

Howdy all. I live in PHX. Almost done with my pallette coop, and will be looking to get some hens in september.
Where should i get them from?

Welcome Odii, Please post picture of your coop. Would love to see the finished product. I got 5 of mine from a feed store (Superstition I think), they couldn't tell me for sure what breeds I had but the girl did pretty good. 2 I got from a fellow BYC'r and 5 I got from different people on CL. So far I have had very good luck from all three sources. Since being on the forums here I now know the obvious things to look for when I get a hen. Look for obvious signs of lice and mites, wounds, boogery eyes, wheezing in breathing, fowl breath (no pun intended), over sized croop, sore feet, cleanliness of living conditions(both human and animal). Your house doesn't have to be clean but uncleaned feces on the carpet, might be a clue to the care for the animals living there.

~Selina

 

[AZBootsie]

Gallo I had forgotten how many birds there are in the city. Our Goodyear house has 3 huge Ficus trees in the back and it is impossible to sit on the patio and talk on the phone....so many noisy birds. We tried everything to spoke them off, but had no luck. Washing poo off the cement was a never ending chore.

 

[City farm]

Here are some hats

. Ok, Now that is to cute...

 

[City farm]

welcome!!! for hens a local breeder..
Send us all photos of your girls when you can..

Howdy all. I live in PHX. Almost done with my pallette coop, and will be looking to get some hens in september.
Where should i get them from?

 

[Gallo del Cielo]

I especially love the nurse's hat!

I have to remember to show that to my wife.

 

[Di Gibbs]

So I am freaking out. I had put down sand and then pine shavings in the new run for Alice and her chicks and that will be where they stay till they get bigger to go into the main yard. I have heard pros and cons on the pine shavings, we have always put it in the nesting boxes, and I just put it in the pen to add some fluff.

Some people say that is a no-no. What are your opinions?

Thanks, Di - who is getting a little obsessed with worry where the babies are concerned.

 

[itsredcandy]

So I am freaking out. I had put down sand and then pine shavings in the new run for Alice and her chicks and that will be where they stay till they get bigger to go into the main yard. I have heard pros and cons on the pine shavings, we have always put it in the nesting boxes, and I just put it in the pen to add some fluff.

Some people say that is a no-no. What are your opinions?

Thanks, Di - who is getting a little obsessed with worry where the babies are concerned.

I use the 'deep litter' method in my coop. I use pine shavings as the litter and pine shavings in the nesting box. We've never had a problem. I don't have baby chicks though. I also am not an expert.