Arizona Chickens

[USAmma]

Does anyone know where in Chandler I can get some high protein game bird feed for my quail? I have to travel all the way to Mesa Feed right now. They need either 24-30% protein.

 

[alohachickens]

Maybe we can meet up and go meet them together?




I think May 10th is great maybe Arizona Son and I can meet somewhere and go meet your friends to get the chicks. I do not have a restriction on amounts either as I live out of town on property. I am excited to help you in this project and excited to add something new to my crazy flock. lol

It would help me out even more than getting one single hen back, to have another breeder flock(s) that I could get hatching eggs from. The more breeder flocks, the more "safe houses" not to mention, more genetic diversity.

If you guys have the room and ability to keep a rooster, it would work out even better if you were able to keep the best few hens and one good rooster (you could sell the rest) and give me hatching eggs back when I visit Tucson. I go to shows down there periodically. The next one that I'd know of would be October, which would be perfect, as May chicks would probably have started laying right around then. You could send me photos of the hens and I can tell you which ones are best for the project. (Though it's pretty easy to figure out, trying to breed really big chickens with yellow legs and lots of spots. LOL.)

We can figure out what would work better as the time nears. Either way, I'm always looking for "safe homes" for some of my project chickens. I really freak out in the summer when I leave town. One day where the petsitter forgets to water and that's it. I guess that's why when I leave town sometimes I've gone so far as to buy a kiddie pool and leave it full of water! Okay, it's totally gross by the time I get back a couple weeks later, but technically, they WOULD survive drinking even dirty rank water, I guess . . .

Now I went and bought two 5-gallon waterers, so when I leave now there's 10 gallons PLUS several of the 3-gallon "wading dish" pans full of water. As far as I'm concerned you can never have enough water for animals in Phoenix!!!

 

[alohachickens]

I said in an earlier post that my Brahma was panting when it hit 95 but this is how I found her in the yard today

Apparently she has found her own way to stay cool. Notice my BO is looking at her like she's a weird chicken for digging a hole in the dirt to lay in, lol!
With that kind of creativity I have a feeling she'll be just fine this summer!

You can totally work this to your advantage!

I used to have chickens trying to dig holes all over my yard. Then I pulled out this dead tree, and all the chickens started using the hole like this, digging down in there until just the heads were visible. So I found if you fill it with water in the evening (right as they go to roost) by morning the water has been absorbed by all the surrounding soil. Then the next afternoon when it's hot, they are all attracted magically to the damp, cool hole. They expanded mine until it fits about 3-4 chickens at a time and they all wait in line for the "chicken spa".

Now I will prepare it just for them by filling it with water, then dumping Omni Planting Mix in the hole the next day. I also add some of the Poultry Dust layered in the Omni. They just LOVE the fluffy Omni seed cover, for some reason? So they all take turns and dust bathe and I don't have to handle them or the Poultry dust. Before this, I'd have to go out there at night and try to dust them while they were sleeping, but I never could do a really good job. When they burrow in the Spa they really work the Omni/Poultry Dust combo deep into their plumage.

And by giving them one really attractive spot to dig in, they are less likely to riot and start digging "new" potholes in unwanted places. LOL!

 

[Macboat]

Does anyone know where in Chandler I can get some high protein game bird feed for my quail? I have to travel all the way to Mesa Feed right now. They need either 24-30% protein.

You may call or check out shoppers supply? I think I have seen them. Decent store with good price.

Shoppers Supply

2880 S Alma School Rd
Chandler, AZ 85286

 

[Macboat]

Looks like something I will need in my travels. When I am moving my girls will have water. I will have to make one up soon.

Hello LadyKotaDoria, I highly recommend the horizontal nipple I am using, I mounted it on a milk jar, extremely easy, took about 5 minutes including take out drill and put it away. Also, with only a few chickens, 1 gallon jar is good enough for 2-3 days. The nipple is spring loaded so no mess at all. The milk jar is low maintenance and easy to hang/mount to your coup, if it breaks no big deal make another one.

I have extra 1 can give it to you if you are interested. I also have vertical (gravity loaded) ones that I never used and won't need (about 5-6) but I don't recommend them since they will leak if the pressure is not enough, especially when you travel.

BTW, my chicks learned to use it in no time when they were days old. I just pressed the nozzle get some water in the tiny trough and they saw it started to drink from it ever since...

 

[Gallo del Cielo]

Looks like something I will need in my travels. When I am moving my girls will have water. I will have to make one up soon.

Here's a smaller waterer that I use in the day tractor where they hang out while free ranging. I also use it for chicks. I melted a hole large enough for two widths of 12 gauge wire to loop through the lid, bending back the tag ends to hold onto the lid. Hanging it this way makes it so it's always level, which might be helpful on winding roads.

 

[a little chiken]

It would help me out even more than getting one single hen back, to have another breeder flock(s) that I could get hatching eggs from. The more breeder flocks, the more "safe houses" not to mention, more genetic diversity.

If you guys have the room and ability to keep a rooster, it would work out even better if you were able to keep the best few hens and one good rooster (you could sell the rest) and give me hatching eggs back when I visit Tucson. I go to shows down there periodically. The next one that I'd know of would be October, which would be perfect, as May chicks would probably have started laying right around then. You could send me photos of the hens and I can tell you which ones are best for the project. (Though it's pretty easy to figure out, trying to breed really big chickens with yellow legs and lots of spots. LOL.)

We can figure out what would work better as the time nears. Either way, I'm always looking for "safe homes" for some of my project chickens. I really freak out in the summer when I leave town. One day where the petsitter forgets to water and that's it. I guess that's why when I leave town sometimes I've gone so far as to buy a kiddie pool and leave it full of water! Okay, it's totally gross by the time I get back a couple weeks later, but technically, they WOULD survive drinking even dirty rank water, I guess . . .

Now I went and bought two 5-gallon waterers, so when I leave now there's 10 gallons PLUS several of the 3-gallon "wading dish" pans full of water. As far as I'm concerned you can never have enough water for animals in Phoenix!!!

I am going to build a separate coop for them. I already asked my amazing husband. he laughed and said ok so yes I can keep a rooster and reasonably 15 hens with the size of my coops. I like big coops since I cannot free range them. I am so excited to try this new breed.

Thank you!!!

as for water, I love my gravity fed 5 gallon bucket with cups. so clean and really easy to use. If you have a few of them when you have to leave the only thing the sitter will have to do is fill the bucket. I also leave out pans of water when it gets hot. They sometimes drink the dirty water but my chickens prefer to drink from the cups. I will be installing cups in all my coops this summer.

 

[mom-to-5]

You can totally work this to your advantage!  

I used to have chickens trying to dig holes all over my yard.  Then I pulled out this dead tree, and all the chickens started using the hole like this, digging down in there until just the heads were visible.  So I found if you fill it with water in the evening (right as they go to roost) by morning the water has been absorbed by all the surrounding soil.  Then the next afternoon when it's hot, they are all attracted magically to the damp, cool hole.  They expanded mine until it fits about 3-4 chickens at a time and they all wait in line for the "chicken spa".

Now I will prepare it just for them by filling it with water, then dumping Omni Planting Mix in the hole the next day.  I also add some of the Poultry Dust layered in the Omni.  They just LOVE the fluffy Omni seed cover, for some reason?  So they all take turns and dust bathe and I don't have to handle them or the Poultry dust.  Before this, I'd have to go out there at night and try to dust them while they were sleeping, but I never could do a really good job.  When they burrow in the Spa they really work the Omni/Poultry Dust combo deep into their plumage.  

And by giving them one really attractive spot to dig in, they are less likely to riot and start digging "new" potholes in unwanted places.  LOL!

Wow, I'll have to do that, fill it with water in the evening for a cool "spa" during the day.
Thank you for sharing!

 

[kacklinkelly]

Hello LadyKotaDoria, I highly recommend the horizontal nipple I am using, I mounted it on a milk jar, extremely easy, took about 5 minutes including take out drill and put it away. Also, with only a few chickens, 1 gallon jar is good enough for 2-3 days. The nipple is spring loaded so no mess at all. The milk jar is low maintenance and easy to hang/mount to your coup, if it breaks no big deal make another one.

I have extra 1 can give it to you if you are interested. I also have vertical (gravity loaded) ones that I never used and won't need (about 5-6) but I don't recommend them since they will leak if the pressure is not enough, especially when you travel.

BTW, my chicks learned to use it in no time when they were days old. I just pressed the nozzle get some water in the tiny trough and they saw it started to drink from it ever since...

I really like this simple fix. Where did you get the red piece. It looks like a nipple/cup combo.

 

[MandyFitch]

So how do you teach fully grown chickens to drink from the cups? I have the regular hanging can waterer and I just had one of these installed, connected to a hose that is mostly underground so the water comes out refreshingly cool. But I cannot get the ladies to drink from it! What do I do?