Arizona Chickens

[City farm]

Here is the link to this amazing tree.. We would really love some seeds..

http://www.miracletrees.org/

 

[maryhysong]

FOR SALE:
6 Welsh Harlequin ducklings, $5 each or all 6 for $25


I have Easter Eggers and some Olive Eggers that hatched on Sunday, with another hatch coming off this Saturday. Straight run chicks $3 each or 10 or more for $2.50 each. (there are currently 12 from the last hatch)


you can send me a PM here if you are interested. I live in Globe-Miami, but am currently coming down to Queen Creek a couple times a week to help my daughter while she recovers from back surgery.

 

[MagicChicken]

Quote: I don't think moringa trees handle freezing very well. If you're in a warm spot and can protect the trees they might work. They would have died in my yard last winter. My African sumac and my Australian acacia both froze back almost to the ground. It's the third time in six years that my Australian acacia tree has frozen like that. I'm on the southwest side of Tucson.

 

[MaddBaggins]

I don't think moringa trees handle freezing very well. If you're in a warm spot and can protect the trees they might work. They would have died in my yard last winter. My African sumac and my Australian acacia both froze back almost to the ground. It's the third time in six years that my Australian acacia tree has frozen like that. I'm on the southwest side of Tucson.

I couldn't kill my African Sumac if I tried. Of course, the previous owner planted it in 79. It's well established.

 

[MaddBaggins]

I put a handful of mealworms in a plastic cup and shook them around and kept saying "treats" to the girls as I tossed the mealworms around the run. I'll do that until the weekend then I think I'll try a little free range just before sundown. My wife is concerned about girls taking off and leaving the yard and we never see them again. I hope not.

 

[Gallo del Cielo]

I put a handful of mealworms in a plastic cup and shook them around and kept saying "treats" to the girls as I tossed the mealworms around the run. I'll do that until the weekend then I think I'll try a little free range just before sundown. My wife is concerned about girls taking off and leaving the yard and we never see them again. I hope not.

Is your yard fenced or walled?

 

[City farm]

I put a handful of mealworms in a plastic cup and shook them around and kept saying "treats" to the girls as I tossed the mealworms around the run. I'll do that until the weekend then I think I'll try a little free range just before sundown. My wife is concerned about girls taking off and leaving the yard and we never see them again. I hope not.

We allow our out front for hours at a time. Loraine went to cross the street to a pile of trees one time.. She was thinking
" wow that looks like a good pile to scratch" then I got the spray bottle out & she went back to the flock & front yard..
They know where their food is & won't leave.. They can't fly.. So you will no worries.. They even know they are
NOT ALLOWED on the front patio.. It takes to much time to clean..

If you were to allow them to free range all day they probably would go out of your yard.. Hope this helps..

 

[Arizonachicken]

I put a handful of mealworms in a plastic cup and shook them around and kept saying "treats" to the girls as I tossed the mealworms around the run. I'll do that until the weekend then I think I'll try a little free range just before sundown. My wife is concerned about girls taking off and leaving the yard and we never see them again. I hope not.

I taught them to come to me before I let them out to free range. It only took a few days before they got it. I also kept them in the coop/run for about a week, so they were comfortable and knew where to sleep and where the food was. I never have had a problem with one getting away or even trying.

 

[LadyKotaDoria]

How do you get them back in the run when they've tasted freedom? They're not so easy to catch sometimes.

Train them. Go in with treats and say something like "here chick, chick!" or whatever. They will learn quickly that it means treats and they will come running. I also use "let's go home" when I'm putting them back in the coop. Also, they will return to roost on their own at dusk, so go out there then to reinforce them going back in to your call.

Training isn't difficult, NUMMIES is their favorite, GO HOME is the hardest during the day. With out fail 2 or three of them do not want to GO HOME. When I tell them that they turn and head in the opposite direction. They know not to go in the house, but they do anyway. Most of the time they start out before I tell them OUT. I have a long staff, I use it to guide them, you need to move slow, they trust me and know that the staff will not hurt them. Until they know simple commands they are hard to get back in.
For the GO HOME command I would cook a squash, put some in their pen, then herded them in, giving the command. They began to associate GO HOME with finding a treat. Now I no longer put a treat in their pen.

 

[GreatWhiteAfro]

So I started a new project over the past week.....building a new coop for the girls!! I am using the Purina Mills plans, but have modified them a little bit. I was able to find a few usefull things at the Habitat for Humanity Re-Store including these three panels that someone built for who knows what with the way it had hinges all over and such, but I need a place for the little girls to grow out and repurposed those panels into a small open grow out pen!! I was able to find some roll roofing at the Re-Store and some hardware cloth!! as for paint, I lucked out and picked up a gallon of Oops paint from Lowe's for $7.00 ( the dark brown color on the frame, it was called coffee bean).

Here's the panels I converted to a pen



Now, here's some progressive shots of the coop....I didn't really take a lot of pics so you don't see all the steps, but hey, you get the idea!!

Frame and Floor



Front of the coop, my wife wanted to modify it and put the panels on the inside, I like the look, but with me not being the best carpenter I'm glad the uneven cuts are hidden!!



Here's the back and roof before the back panel and nest box.



Here's the back with the panel and the nest box attached, don't have the lid on the box yet, that's tomorrows goal, along with the doors/panels for the sides.



It's been exhausting building this, but I'm know it will make the girls happy!! Here's a shot of all of the girls free ranging together today, the smaller ones are 6 weeks old and the big girls are nearing 12 weeks, there wasn't too much fighting, and it was funny because one of the big girls found something tastey and the small BA girls chased her!!