Arizona Chickens

[MagicChicken]

Quote:
Haven't a clue. You might have better luck with this question on the Emergencies/Diseases/Illnesses forum (under Raising Backyard Chickens in the Forums dropdown menu).

 

[ccmarie]

I just moved to Yuma, Arizona from Utah. I had chickens growing up and would like some again, but it might take us awhile to build our little coop/run I've got designed, between the heat and my pregnancy. If we finish in the next couple months we might get a few then. I'm thinking just Plymoth rocks and RIRs from the feed store. I'd really like some Delawares if I can find a way to get only three or four without paying a ton--maybe joining somebody on an order or seeing if anyone in Arizona or southern California raises them. Any ideas? Thanks.

 

[Demosthine]

During football last night, my wife asked the craziest question to come out if her mouth. She asked if I'd "bring her the babies so I can snuggle!" Say what? Umm, sure! She spent a half hour playing with them. It was pretty cool. Photos will come when I'm not posting from a cell phone.

Well, the chicken projects have begun. I picked up all the supplies for a black soldier fly composter today. I cut all the wood, but haven't put it together yet. It consists of a 55 gallon barrel laying on it's side. It sits on a wooden frame with casters for easy mobility. The cool part is that we have the flies here naturally, so after throwing in table scraps, they'll start laying in it in a few days. Once the larvae are full grown, they climb to the highest point, which is a rain gutter coming up out of the compost that sticks out the end of the barrel. They drop off the edge and into a rain gutter sitting below for the chickens to eat out of. They can't crawl out of the gutter if it is sitting correctly. I'll post photos later and explain it on a new page in the Feeders section. It was NT kaylee idea, so I'll reference the original poster there.

I am also making a roost for the brooder today. The girls act like they want one, instead of laying on the ground. How high should it be? The chicks are about two weeks old. Do I add one higher later on? I couldn't find info on any of this.

Lastly, if anyone is interested, Petco has a 10 gallon glass aquarium with NO accessories for $13.99 right now. It is supposed to be perfect for having a colony of mealworms. I haven't seen them that cheap on Craig's List, so I'll do that project next weekend. Has anyone used a heat lamp to regulate the temp during winter? They do best at 100*, so I am hoping to find a bar-style bulb. Any suggestions?

 

[Gallo del Cielo]

Quote:
I'm not very clear on the exact symptoms your bird is exhibiting. Is she just occasionally shaking her head? Maybe a more detailed description or video of the behavior would help.

ETA: Upon further thought, does your bird act like those with "wry neck"? Look at examples on youtube using the terms "wry neck chicken" to see if the behavior is similar.

 

[Gallo del Cielo]

During football last night, my wife asked the craziest question to come out if her mouth. She asked if I'd "bring her the babies so I can snuggle!" Say what? Umm, sure! She spent a half hour playing with them. It was pretty cool. Photos will come when I'm not posting from a cell phone.

Well, the chicken projects have begun. I picked up all the supplies for a black soldier fly composter today. I cut all the wood, but haven't put it together yet. It consists of a 55 gallon barrel laying on it's side. It sits on a wooden frame with casters for easy mobility. The cool part is that we have the flies here naturally, so after throwing in table scraps, they'll start laying in it in a few days. Once the larvae are full grown, they climb to the highest point, which is a rain gutter coming up out of the compost that sticks out the end of the barrel. They drop off the edge and into a rain gutter sitting below for the chickens to eat out of. They can't crawl out of the gutter if it is sitting correctly. I'll post photos later and explain it on a new page in the Feeders section. It was NT kaylee idea, so I'll reference the original poster there.

I am also making a roost for the brooder today. The girls act like they want one, instead of laying on the ground. How high should it be? The chicks are about two weeks old. Do I add one higher later on? I couldn't find info on any of this.

Lastly, if anyone is interested, Petco has a 10 gallon glass aquarium with NO accessories for $13.99 right now. It is supposed to be perfect for having a colony of mealworms. I haven't seen them that cheap on Craig's List, so I'll do that project next weekend. Has anyone used a heat lamp to regulate the temp during winter? They do best at 100*, so I am hoping to find a bar-style bulb. Any suggestions?

The BSF composter sounds like the one the doomsday preppers over at Garden Pool advocate. I suspect it will be slow going over the winter but should provide great food next summer. Keep us updated on how it works for you.

Unless you're keeping the mealworm colony outdoors this winter, I wouldn't bother with supplemental heating. I don't know if the energy costs would offset the benefits of increased rate of growth. Also, they probably do best at ~85 degrees and perform very well at 70. They will grow faster at 100, but there is a trade-off with longevity of the beetles, with beetles living shorter lives and thus laying fewer eggs at higher temps. If you have to heat them (e.g. because they are outdoors in the winter), something like a reptile heater or seed-starting heat mat would be better than a light.

 

[Gallo del Cielo]

I've had a canyon grape in my yard for several years. It does well but it is not as lush as the grapevines on your run. I've had flowers and a few immature fruits, but never a grape. I suspect the fruits got eaten before they got ripe.

The goldfinches love my zinnias. They shred the petals and eat the leaves. The first year I grew the flowers for me. Haven't planted them since - they reseed themselves. Now I section off a special zinnia plot just for the goldfinch show. It's pretty entertaining.

My grapes aren't looking all that lush right now. I was very ill for nearly two weeks and I didn't spray for skeletonizers and they really did some damage. Between the skeletonizers and the variegated leaf-hoppers, my grapes have had a rough year. I was so hopeful that the Canyon grape would do better than the domesticated varieties. Do you have yours on drip irrigation? I'll bet the birds LOVE the fruits.

Hey, can you collect seeds from your zinnias for the BYC AZ seed box? Are they growing at this time of year? I'd love to get another flowering plant that does well here and reseeds.

 

[notinoz2007]

update on the incubation.
its day 9 and i just had to test candle a few!
checked 2 random aloha, both veining and great movement.
tested 2 EE both veining, bout all i can see cuz its a darker egg.
tested 2 of the "maybe" ee eggs and 1 is growing, 1 was not.
i will do the official candle tomorrow and report the findings asap.

azkat, how is your cali white mama doing??

 

[Gallo del Cielo]

Welcome to our thread ccmarie and maryhysong!

Congratulations to the incubating folks. What fun! It always makes me a bit envious, but I love the pics.

 

[Demosthine]

The BSF composter sounds like the one the doomsday preppers over at Garden Pool advocate.   I suspect it will be slow going over the winter but should provide great food next summer.  Keep us updated on how it works for you.

Unless you're keeping the mealworm colony outdoors this winter, I wouldn't bother with supplemental heating.  I don't know if the energy costs would offset the benefits of increased rate of growth.  Also, they probably do best at ~85 degrees and perform very well at 70.  They will grow faster at 100, but there is a trade-off with longevity of the beetles, with beetles living shorter lives and thus laying fewer eggs at higher temps.  If you have to heat them (e.g. because they are outdoors in the winter), something like a reptile heater or seed-starting heat mat would be better than a light.

Actually, that's exactly where I got the idea, Gallo. I picked up a barrel for $10 off Craig's List and the culled wood was a total of $3.06 at Home Depth, for treated lumber no less. It's a white barrel and will always be in the sun. I was thinking about having a black barrel for winter and white for summer. Maybe if I close off more of the opening, it'll retain some heat during the cold weather. Either way, I'll have the mealworms year round.

The aquarium is staying inside, so it'll always be between 70-80*. Good to know the hotter correlates to the life span. We only have the two chicks right now, so I won't need a good production for about a year, when we've added a few more. And combined with the free range and red flame grapes, plus the moringa tree, they'll be very well fed!

 

[parentwarrior]

I am just curious. Anyone have a desert tortoise? PM me please.