Arizona Chickens

[pipemum]

RE: Coyotes:
Gross, that photo of the coyote hanging on the wire is too much. I've had big predator losses this year to coyote(s) and hate them, but yuck, take my chickens over dying extremely slowly and painfully like that! I don't have the funds and isn't practical for my suburban yard, but I would use an electric wire on top of my fence over razor wire. My layer coop is completely covered with hardware cloth, buried at least 8" in the ground. They've been completely safe. I built a meatie pen this fall, and used materials I had laying around. It wasn't secure enough. The pen was buried at least 6" deep, but I didn't have the wire apron. The first coyote attack was a small hole dug in the corner of the pen. Happened sometime between 9pm and 6am. 8 meat chickens completely gone. Shored up the pen, added a wire apron...two months later the 2nd coyote attack pulled up the wire apron but they weren't able to dig in, ripped up most of the pen looking for a way in, and finally found a weak attachment of wire to the frame. They (or it) pulled/chewed the wire from the frame enough to get in, and there was another batch of meaties in not my stomach. So, coyotes are smart and persistent. Shored up the pen AGAIN. More coyote attempts (at least two) but I think it's finally safe to say that the pen is predator proof. My lesson was to do things right the first time around, like I did for the regular coop and run. Do not cheap out on materials or burying the wire! It's a total pain in the you know what, but would have been worth all of those chicken lives.

RE: Summer-proofing. I've got to do something for the summer as well. I'll be gone for 2 weeks in June, and obviously water supply is an issue. I've got the shade thing down. I have a 30 gallon plastic drum that I'm thinking I can adapt for the chickens. In fact, yes, that is going to be my next project. I like the cup waterers pictured above, but I'd be worried they'd somehow get filled with debris?

 

[dlayne]

So I was worried that the nipple waterers wouldn't be hydrating enough in the summer. They might prefer cups to get bigger gulps of water? What do you think of this one? It will be hooked to a hose that will be put in specifically for this. They'd still have the hanging waterer of back up, too. I'm going to be gone for six weeks this summer and I'm trying to make it so that whomever I find to chicken sit will have as easy a time of it as possible. http://www.ebay.com/itm/290619075617

..hopefully you don't mind me jumping in.. But I have these connected to a five gallon bucket and they work pretty well.. This is my experience with them.. The chickens push the thing down in the cup with their beaks trying to get the water out of the very bottom of the cup which makes a little more trickle out, so there is always just a little bit of water at the bottom..unless you go push the thing in and hold it while they fill up, which my chickens just won't do! (if that makes sense?) I would suggest placing them higher off the ground and in a rocky area. If you place them lower to the ground in an area that they can get crap kicked up into them the chickens can't get water out anymore and you have to dig it all out, and since there is only ever a little bit of water at the bottom it really doesn't take to much. That's where I went wrong at first.

 

[dlayne]

So re-reading my post kinda sounds like they don't work great but my chickens like them just fine. Especially now that I have it in a rocky area there have been no problems. I hope this helps!

 

[rockmissjess]

RE: Coyotes:
Gross, that photo of the coyote hanging on the wire is too much. I've had big predator losses this year to coyote(s) and hate them, but yuck, take my chickens over dying extremely slowly and painfully like that! I don't have the funds and isn't practical for my suburban yard, but I would use an electric wire on top of my fence over razor wire. My layer coop is completely covered with hardware cloth, buried at least 8" in the ground. They've been completely safe. I built a meatie pen this fall, and used materials I had laying around. It wasn't secure enough. The pen was buried at least 6" deep, but I didn't have the wire apron. The first coyote attack was a small hole dug in the corner of the pen. Happened sometime between 9pm and 6am. 8 meat chickens completely gone. Shored up the pen, added a wire apron...two months later the 2nd coyote attack pulled up the wire apron but they weren't able to dig in, ripped up most of the pen looking for a way in, and finally found a weak attachment of wire to the frame. They (or it) pulled/chewed the wire from the frame enough to get in, and there was another batch of meaties in not my stomach. So, coyotes are smart and persistent. Shored up the pen AGAIN. More coyote attempts (at least two) but I think it's finally safe to say that the pen is predator proof. My lesson was to do things right the first time around, like I did for the regular coop and run. Do not cheap out on materials or burying the wire! It's a total pain in the you know what, but would have been worth all of those chicken lives.

RE: Summer-proofing. I've got to do something for the summer as well. I'll be gone for 2 weeks in June, and obviously water supply is an issue. I've got the shade thing down. I have a 30 gallon plastic drum that I'm thinking I can adapt for the chickens. In fact, yes, that is going to be my next project. I like the cup waterers pictured above, but I'd be worried they'd somehow get filled with debris?

Yeah thats why im trying to find ways to cut costs and still have quality like buying from this local guy who happens to have more hardware cloth than he needed for his project

 

[FeatherPugs]

I have nipple waterers and I like them, but I think cups would be good too. I've always wanted to try them just so I have a comparison to the nipples. The nipples can be a bit tricky to teach to older birds (although many people report that theirs took right to them--my original birds didn't). All of my chicks since the original birds were raised from day 1 on nipple waterers which makes it super easy and the chicks can't ever drown. Both of these work off of very low water pressure so you'll need a reservoir to hold the water. Something like a food cooler or water cooler would work well but a five gallon bucket will also work. A float valve like you see in evaporative coolers or one from a toilet will keep the water in the reservoir constantly full if you plumb it into your house water system. I like this method because you can put a frozen gallon jug of water in it on the hottest days. If you go with nipples, spend the money on good ones (which is really not that much more than the cheap ones). The knock-offs from China are a real hit-and-miss for quality and you can end up with leaking problems. These push-in style or screw-in style from QC Supply are excellent, I believe they are the original Ziggity brand. There are also the intriguing horizontal nipples that have recently appeared thanks to another BYC member, but I have no idea about their quality or performance. You'll need either a bulkhead or uniseal to send the pipes to and from the reservoir. I prefer the uniseal for the cost and failure-proof service but they only work with containers with a wall that is less than 1/2" thick. The great thing about them is they work really well with curved surfaces (like a five gallon bucket) where bulkheads do not.

Gallo - with a nipple feeder attached to your water supply - how do you keep the water cool - or is that even a problem??? We are a bit hotter then Tucson in general BUT hot is hot and water from the system to the feeder is still hot - I'm just not sure of putting mine into use - now that I have it! Thoughts?

 

[Gallo del Cielo]

Gallo - with a nipple feeder attached to your water supply - how do you keep the water cool - or is that even a problem??? We are a bit hotter then Tucson in general BUT hot is hot and water from the system to the feeder is still hot - I'm just not sure of putting mine into use - now that I have it! Thoughts?

So, the nipple system in the coop is tied into the water supply via a water cooler reservoir. I can put a gallon jug inside there and it keeps it cool. In fact, the water just sitting in there tends to be a bit cooler than the water coming through the plumbing in the hottest part of summer. In the run I have a five gallon bucket with nipples on the bottom and the whole thing is covered in Reflectix insulation. That system works surprisingly well with a jug of frozen water in it. I only put ice in when it gets really hot. Most folks probably don't do a whole lot to cool their drinking water but my ladies really seem to appreciate it.

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[Gallo del Cielo]

So re-reading my post kinda sounds like they don't work great but my chickens like them just fine. Especially now that I have it in a rocky area there have been no problems.

I hope this helps!

Thank you so much for the report on the cups! I'm seriously thinking of swapping out the nipples in the coop for cups and I think I will now.

 

[rockmissjess]

So, the nipple system in the coop is tied into the water supply via a water cooler reservoir. I can put a gallon jug inside there and it keeps it cool. In fact, the water just sitting in there tends to be a bit cooler than the water coming through the plumbing in the hottest part of summer. In the run I have a five gallon bucket with nipples on the bottom and the whole thing is covered in Reflectix insulation. That system works surprisingly well with a jug of frozen water in it. I only put ice in when it gets really hot. Most folks probably don't do a whole lot to cool their drinking water but my ladies really seem to appreciate it.

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IM SERIOUSLY JEALOUS OF UR GORGEOUS GRASS ILL TRADE U!!!

 

[Gallo del Cielo]

Quote:
I figured you knew the drill, I aways feel like I have to cover that though just in case.

I can't stop thinking about Sonoran Silkies and her husband. It's really crushing, especially being in a family that climbs. I can't imagine what she's going through and I wish I could just give her a virtual hug.

I worry incessantly every time my daughter goes up on the mountain and when we go together I'm never at ease until I get back to the car or tent at the end of the day. Bad things happen and you don't even have to be outside. My daughter suffered a horrific fall during an indoor competition, plummeting 35' to the deck below. I won't ever be able to erase that image from my mind. But for some reason, we continue on. I used to be a daredevil and loved the thrill of risk, but like you, the minute my daughter was born a switch was flipped, so there seems to be something to that. I do very much like bouldering at the gym though. We've only climbed outside up on Mt. Lemmon, Cochise Stronghold, Jack's Canyon up by Clint's Well and up in CO. My daughter has climbed all over the southwest. I heard from friends that recently climbed somewhere up near you and they loved it, I'll find out exactly where it was and get back to you.

 

[Gallo del Cielo]

IM SERIOUSLY JEALOUS OF UR GORGEOUS GRASS ILL TRADE U!!!

It's just sod from Home Depot. $30 covers a good portion of the run; I put it in Nov. and stays it green until June with regular watering. I have to say though that my birds spend a good deal of their time free-ranging.