Arizona Chickens

[arizonarancher]

Had to move my silkies into garage, their pen flooded and they looked as happy as a wet cat! I know we need rain but I am sick of it and the mud!

I put a tarp over the two coops the other day but the water pooled on top of it Its so low I can't get one of the doors open, and its too heavy for me to push off. I have to wait til my boyfriend is home from work to rescue the chickens.

 

[Demosthine]

So, a question for all of you deep litter users. Is it too cold out to have it starting to compost right now? I started using this "method" about two months ago, but I just wanted to make sure it was going right. I only get any kind of a smell if I'm directly in the coop. You can't smell anything standing next to it. I'm not even sure how to describe the slight smell. It's definitely not ammonia, but it's not quite just poop either. But I'm not sure I would call it "earthy." My girls all seem healthy and scratch around all the time. I toss in various things to encourage their scratching.

The coop is elevated about two feet and underneath the porch, and open on two sides, with the other two against the house walls. I started out using the TerrAmigo Animal Bedding that was in the brooding box with them and added a bunch of leaves periodically over the last few months. I just added some pine shavings that a friend gave me, but I'll probably be adding more tonight. Thinking about it, I don't think I added enough.

I ask because my black soldier fly composter has not progressed at all with this weather. I think it was Gallo that said it would be too cold to start that when I did, and he was right.

Otherwise, my girls are absolutely loving this weather. They've been itching to get out and forage, so my wife locked the dogs in the pool area and let them loose. I'm sure they having a hayday. It'll like a party for them. All the bugs and goodies coming up.

 

[flower]

A chickens scrathing in the damp earth is a very happy chicken !

 

[Fuzzybird]

Voting is up for the Holiday Chicken Photo contest. Please if you like my Photo's go vote for me.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...eup-micro-farms-holiday-poultry-photo-contest

 

[City farm]

I guest my girls are lucky, they have one dry spot in their run, under the coop is mostly dry, they have 2 roosting bars that are dry, I put more plastic sheeting on the walls to keeps rain out, seems to work. Been out with treats off and on all day. They love t heir veggies, now I'm all out. I gave them my veggies I planed on for myself. I'm bad......... I love my veggies too...... My lettuce I transplanted are loving the rain, they are really perking up.

Boy I can't wait....

Wow girl I am admireing your garden...
I am on one year with no garden.. Really due to volunteering in our neighborhood.. Even our other neighbors that were involved
with the isssues, that had gardens, it took a lot out of us all..

Can't wait to have you pop on over for tea & lunch again.. Let me know when you are close by..

 

[City farm]

Welcome,
When will you be here? The time to plant fruit trees is now.. We plan on planting peach,apple,lime,lemon & orange..
Along with some Moringa tree.. Can't wait..

 

[LadyKotaDoria]

Cactus have such shallow roots. Sadly, they are best when rooted as as 'cactuling', I marvel at how they support themselves. Is it Possable to save it? I do hope you plant one of its arms. In 50 years it will be magnificent.


We have had here in Phoenix about 1.24 inch of rain, fantastic. That is about 1,100 gal. of collect able water off my roof. That is a lot of water, I wish I could capture all of it. The desert gets/needs 9 inches on average. That would be over 7,000 gal in a year, if I could collect 8" of it. For a family of 5, between 3

What a good idea to collect rain water. The farmers back east used to collect rain water to use on their gardens. i used to collect it at the bottom of a spout from the rain gutter. Maybe I can work on that again. But in the meantime I want to dig tones of organic matter into the soil. I will be living in the area of the painted desert. 

When rain comes to the desert we are not ready for it since it is such an infrequent event. 

Exactly, you can used recycled food grade containers, we found a source in Apache Juction, food grade washed out containers. Check out LDS PREPPER on YouTub, he has a wonderful collection system off his roof. I hope to set one up someday, hopefully this fall. I need tanks, gutters and PVC pipping, and a job!!. A hob is the most important. Living in the painted desert you have less water if I remember correctly (need to look it up). There you need. O collect the maximum amount when it rains. I know a rancher that collects for stock tanks, and he still needs to truck water in between rains.

. (276 gal for this size)
.10" = .98 cup water per square foot. Almost a cup. A 30'x20' roof will five you 1500 cups or about 97 US gal. Minus the dirty water buy pass. It adds up.

 

[cbnovick]

I put a tarp over the two coops the other day but the water pooled on top of it Its so low I can't get one of the doors open, and its too heavy for me to push off. I have to wait til my boyfriend is home from work to rescue the chickens.

I think if we get another onslaught of rain this year, I am going to try stapling heavy duty construction plastic on top and a few sides...then i can just rip it off for late spring and summer season. I used tarps too...water pooled around the bottom sides into run making it wet...i dug a little trench about 4-6 inchesdeep to get it to drain out of area for next few days, since we may get more over next day or 2...chickens are out in yard grazing a bit...they love the weather...i just hate wet/yucky runs!!

 

[rufus]

That makes me sad seeing such a pretty cactus fallen over!

Don't forget to make a claim on your homeowner's insurance. That was probably a two or three thousand dollar plant.

 

[City farm]

What a good idea to collect rain water. The farmers back east used to collect rain water to use on their gardens. i used to collect it at the bottom of a spout from the rain gutter. Maybe I can work on that again. But in the meantime I want to dig tones of organic matter into the soil. I will be living in the area of the painted desert. 

When rain comes to the desert we are not ready for it since it is such an infrequent event. 

We do love to collecting water!!! We only get 70 gallons for now.. When we went to flagstaff camping we stop off at the K.O.A.
They had a great set up... Screens so there was no debri, a spout on the bottom.. Up on blocks... Ect...