Arizona Chickens

[City farm]

Gallo we have missed you!!

 

[MaddBaggins]

My yard is also east/west with a south wall. I built the coop/run 2' off the wall and I have a large tree on the east side of the coop. I used a 3/4 covered roof and will apply shade cloth to other places soon. I'm thinking of adding an Ash tree to the west side of the run.

 

[RiNkY]

My yard is also east/west with a south wall. I built the coop/run 2' off the wall and I have a large tree on the east side of the coop. I used a 3/4 covered roof and will apply shade cloth to other places soon. I'm thinking of adding an Ash tree to the west side of the run.

I have 2 Huge Ash trees in my front yard, shame they aren't in the back for the shade. But one thing with them is they DUMP their leafs badly both at the same time in the fall, I'm talking 2" of leafs all over my front yard and blowing into the street making a hell of a mess. So you might want to make sure that your Chooks eating them won't do em any harm.

 

[maryhysong]

I have 2 Huge Ash trees in my front yard, shame they aren't in the back for the shade. But one thing with them is they DUMP their leafs badly both at the same time in the fall, I'm talking 2" of leafs all over my front yard and blowing into the street making a hell of a mess. So you might want to make sure that your Chooks eating them won't do em any harm.

Ash should be no problem. The major problem would be oleander, which they plant everywhere in the valley and all parts of which are poison including the flower pollen.

 

[RiNkY]

I'm actually reconsidering my coop placement now. Thinking of placing it at the back of the yard on my West wall, where it will be shaded by the neighbors tree on the house we back onto, plus my garage / workshop in the yard. Will also be a lot easier to run a water line to the back of the yard from the house, as there's a brick patio between the faucet and the original location.

My original plan was to build the coop on the South side of the yard (Yellow Rectangle on South Wall) Then run a removable tunnel in front of the rarely used garage / workshop, which just contains a trailer used a few times a year. Then behind my garage against the back (West) wall fence off a large 25ft long x 8ft wide run, where they can feast on weeds / bugs.

The new plan I think will be to build the coop on the Back wall (Wes Side) pictured in Red. Then use then fence off the between the Garage & West Wall for their run, the same as the original plan. Would no longer need to run the removable tunnel for them to get to the run then.

Crude MS Paint drawn plans! (Was the only paint tool I had available at work).

http://i791.photobucket.com/albums/yy195/rholgate1975/coop_zps12434686.jpg

 

[Demosthine]

Crude MS Paint drawn plans! (Was the only paint tool I had available at work).

If you go to PortableApps.Com, you can download all sorts of programs that do not require any sort of installation. You move them to your USB drive and run them directly from there. It even comes with a nifty little Launcher for you that can autorun when you insert the drive.

My favorite graphic program on their list is Gimp Portable. It is very similar to Adobe Photoshop, but without the bloating and price. I've used it many times and it works great. Best of all, it's free, too!

Oh, and they have Chrome Portable, too. I have come to hate Internet Explorer and we don't have Chrome at work. So this way, I get the best of all worlds.

 

[City farm]

A neighbor sent this info to us.. I guess one of her friends ended up with some of the symptoms..
She is sick... Just more tips on how to be vigilant on cleanliness..

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0002073/#adam_001082.disease.causes

 

[City farm]

I have 2 Huge Ash trees in my front yard, shame they aren't in the back for the shade.  But one thing with them is they DUMP their leafs badly both at the same time in the fall, I'm talking 2" of leafs all over my front yard and blowing into the street making a hell of a mess.  So you might want to make sure that your Chooks eating them won't do em any harm.

Since the winter freeze our trees are dropping all of their leaves... We have been using them for the run... The flock loves when
I put new things out for them... After they are done I mix the leaves,their poo & what ever is mixed in, then add that to our compost..
FREE SOIL... Happy chickens, plants and recycle reuse... .

 

[RiNkY]

Since the winter freeze our trees are dropping all of their leaves... We have been using them for the run... The flock loves when
I put new things out for them... After they are done I mix the leaves,their poo & what ever is mixed in, then add that to our compost..
FREE SOIL... Happy chickens, plants and recycle reuse...

.

Good to know the poop is ok for compost. My wife is already planning on composting with it for her vegetable garden. City of Mesa give out free compost bins for just $5 deposit. http://www.mesaaz.gov/waste/Backyard_Composting_Program.aspx

 

[Mahonri]

Photos of my morning hike up in the preserve....



Pics from my morning hike.... violet and yellow flowers...

Valley just to the east of Squaw Peak.

Squaw Peak

Downtown Phoenix in the distance... if you look carefully you can see Chase Field.

Brittle bush.... pretty yellow flowers.

Camelback Mountain in the distance...

Squaw Peak from the top of a hill to the east...

A barrel cactus.

Saguaros

Saguaros up close Why does it turn my pics?

Sorry it turns my pics... "On the trail"

Orange flowers

Cholla or "Jumping Catus"

Palo verde tree to the left, Ocotillo to the right. The Ocotillo will be blooming soon with bright red flowers. Both of these trees are known as nurses for baby Saguaros.... They can't grow as young plants unless they are in the shade initially.

Blooming creosote

Blooming violet flowers... these only last for perhaps a week and then they are gone till next year, IF it rains in February.

A very young (40 or 50 year old) saguaro, growing in the shade of a Palo verde tree.

Squaw Peak from another vantage point.

Another interesting little Cacti... don't know it's official name. Looks happy to be there.

Home of some cactus wrens....

There's a nest in there....

And there is mama... daddy had just delivered some goods and flew away.

Mama Cactus Wren, waiting for her mate to return with goodies for the chicks in the nest.