Arizona Chickens

[Fuzzybird]

Does anyone have any idea about the Holiday Chicken Calendar that was suppoised to be made with pictures submitted during the Easter Hatch Along last year?

 

[ChrisMartin217]

Hi all, I need to cull 11 roosters, and I know that I could do it the old fashion way, but I prefer something fast and easy. I am wondering if anyone has a barrel type feather plucker that I could borrow, rent, or buy.
Thanks

Did you ever hear back about your request to rent a plucker. I too am looking to rent a plucker. Or perhaps if no one on the thread has one that they want to rent I will buy one and start renting it out depending on how much interest I see from others.

 

[Fuzzybird]

My last 4 Serama eggs are in Lock Down! Please wish me luck!

 

[Billiam]

We treated a Rhode Island Red for about two years for bumblefoot. We did the surgery twice.

During a big wind storm, a totem pole cactus blew down. I let it lay until the guys came to take care of the lawn and trees. She walked on it, and I suspect that was the source of the bumblefoot.

We had her isolated in a separate coop and doctored her with antibiotics. She would get better, but relapse when we took her off of the antibiotic. She still layed, but we did not dare eat the eggs. We fed them to the feral cats. On a positive note, the cats' eye infections seemed to get better when they ate the eggs.

On the question of scale mites, just spray the hens' legs ever once in a while with WD40. Some people say that we should use vaseline instead because WD40 is a petroleum based product. But just where do they think vaseline comes from?

So is the WD40/Vaseline/Cooking Spray for preventive maintenance or treatment of mites?

 

[flower]

So is the WD40/Vaseline/Cooking Spray for preventive maintenance or treatment of mites?

Both Mites can not live in oil. But that is just for the scale legs mites. There are other mites which live on the skin. I inherited a chicken from neighbors who were moving. I placed her in isolation, but a hugh storm broke fences that night and she moved in with my main flock.She infested the entire flock. I treated with Ivomec/Eprinex a few drops topically on the neck two does one month apart. And have not seen any since.

 

[beehappy4ever]

My last 4 Serama eggs are in Lock Down! Please wish me luck!

Good luck! I just put 1 lemon orpington egg in lockdown only one from a shipment of 12, the rest where clear so I am hoping this little one hatches and defies the odds!

 

[Demosthine]

WD40 works like a charm. So does Pam cooking spray.

Now, I never would have thought of that! Either one! Excellent. Thanks.

 

[parentwarrior]

Is anyone using heat lamps in their coops at night yet? I have mine ready to go but wasn't thinking that they really needed it yet with all the warm temps we have been having. Should I turn it on and if they are too warm they will just move away from it? Just curious as to what everyone else in the valley was doing at this time.
Thanks,
Allan

I have a heat lamp out in the run set up but I am not turning it on. I have a solar light in their coop that comes on at night from Harbor Freight. That works great, it has a separate solor pannel to charge it that I can put on top of the run. I will probably not heat the coop. I heard it makes them heartier if they can adapt and make more down under feathers to keep warm. I may change my mind though. I figure in the coop they are raised up off the cold ground. I thought I would have the heat lamp come on at first light for the early am when the ground is cold on their feet. They could go under it if they needed to. Yes, I will baby them. I do worry about the lowest chicken in the pecking order. They are not nice to her. She now sleeps outside the coop on a tall ladder near the top of the run with my quail at night. I put a small blanket over the top and hanging down over the side of the cage (hangs down just a bit) where sleep but it is still open to the outside. I will probably clip the heat lamp up by them somewhere to add a little heat at night for those two come the 20's and 30's since they are out in the open more and not in the coop. When the temps drop that low I may add a small heat source of some kind to the coop, not an actual heat lamp though. I am afraid of fires in my tiny coop. Maybe a light bulb of some kind.

 

[maryhysong]

Our nights here in the mountains are in the 40s now and everyone 6 weeks or older is out in the coop. The one month olds are in a dog crate in the greenhouse; it doesn't really stay warmer in there at night, just maybe a couple degrees warmer than outside, but there is not wind on them at all in there. No light on them either. Now the 10 day old babies are in the house with a light ;-)

 

[rufus]

Both Mites can not live in oil. But that is just for the scale legs mites. There are other mites which live on the skin. I inherited a chicken from neighbors who were moving. I placed her in isolation, but a hugh storm broke fences that night and she moved in with my main flock.She infested the entire flock. I treated with Ivomec/Eprinex a few drops topically on the neck two does one month apart. And have not seen any since.

I am reluctant to put chemicals on my animals. I just rely on the old methods. Put the dead ashes from the stove in their dust bath. It does the trick.