Arizona Chickens

[K9Dave]

Let us know how it goes. .

Orientation was from 6:30-8 and they do it every month. It was nice and the a integer Manager (Kate) is very nice. She said that they're putting together the commitee for the tour de coops. I have a little one-on-one Tuesday to talk about what want to do as far as volunteering.

 

[Sill]

Question...what do y'all do with your pens during monsoon? Rake out your bedding? Leave it? Throw down sand or gravel?
My pen is gonna be a muddy, slippery mess and I'm NOT looking forward to going in there once the rains start.
Its a new pen, so I actually don't know how bad its gonna be. But I have visions of me slipping and breaking something. Again
Too old for that!

I like wood chips for the outdoor run, it keeps the mud from getting slippery. If you know a landscaper that has a chipping machine they will usually just give the stuff away so they don't have to take it to the dump.

Hope you get tomatoes. Hens LOVE green tomatoes LOL. Sounds like a great set up though. Another treat for your girls.. get mulberry tree berries. The berries are very nutritious and hens love them.

X2 on the mulberries. I had a tree at my last house. I need to plant one at my current home, can't beat mulberries for humans or animals. The only drawbacks are the wild birds love them too so plant them in a covered run or use netting, and the berries can stain if the trees are planted too close to sidewalks, patios etc. Look for dwarf or weeping varieties!

Thanks for the wb. I have shade cloth on the upper part of the gazebo, on the west and south and part of the east sides. Poplar trees on the west. I know the cooler won't cool the whole pen, but decided it would at least give them a cool spot to stand around and cool down some. Thinking about climbing roses, maybe?? Might be too hot for them tho'. I do have that bouganvilla that is waiting for me to move off the deck and into the ground. It's really pretty, but is it chicken safe? Have to research that.

It's never too hot for bougies! Chicken safe, pretty color, and shade in the heat. Great plant. Depending on how cold your winters are you might get die back after frosts but they can be covered. I cover mine if it's going to be a good freeze.

@a little chicken,
VPA;Valley permacultur alliance.they host a lot of fun interesting and different classes. Go online to check them out. One of them is Tour de coop. you sign up, go into people's homes that have chickens and their wonderful coops.

most of the people that have planted the moringa tree, have done in the ground and had success. I didn't pot and had no success. @Sill said she has success from a pot to ground. .

The moringas do better in the ground, the potted ones have more stunted growth. But the potted trees can be moved around in winter to take advantage of the sun and will give nutritious foliage longer in the cold.

 

[Sill]

One of my red sex-links is definitely broody! How do you get your broody hens off being broody in the heat? I'm not sure what to do with her since the coop is hotter than the run during the afternoons. Maybe just pen her in part of the run so she can still reach the cool earth? Should I return her to the coop at night? This is my first broody hen, sex-links are not known for going broody.

 

[Macboat]

So my only laying hen Pepper the sliver laced wyandotte has been weird, nothing major, little things...

* One night she didn't go back to coop, instead just standing there like a moron.
* Quite often, she open her mouth like gagged, with some sound like being gagged.
* One day I found her egg on the floor of the coop, not nesting box.
* Today the egg is broken, nesting box wet and messy, the remaining of the egg (shell and stuff) on the floor of the coop.

I know the weather is cruel, I have shades, clean cool water all day, mister on 1 hour from noon to 1am. Her egg production hasn't dropped yet, lay almost everyday, got 23 (including the broken one) since May 1st till today the 27th. By the way, she is still young, laid her first egg on March 31st. Laid 22 eggs in month of April.

So, what wrong with her? Should I be worried?

So, I asked the above question two weeks ago on 27th, and she totally stopped laying since. Is it normal? should I get worried????

 

[a little chiken]

One of my red sex-links is definitely broody! How do you get your broody hens off being broody in the heat? I'm not sure what to do with her since the coop is hotter than the run during the afternoons. Maybe just pen her in part of the run so she can still reach the cool earth? Should I return her to the coop at night? This is my first broody hen, sex-links are not known for going broody.

Sill I currently have 4 broody hens and 1 hen with 4 chicks. They are all doing fine in the heat. I gave them a waterer right next to their nest boxes so they have water. can you cool down your coop by wetting it down once a day?

 

[a little chiken]

So, I asked the above question two weeks ago on 27th, and she totally stopped laying since. Is it normal? should I get worried????

have you checked to see if she is egg bound?
a lot of my hens have stopped laying and my other half went broody so she might have stopped due to heat. someone with more experience will have a better answer I am sure.

 

[Sill]

Sill I currently have 4 broody hens and 1 hen with 4 chicks. They are all doing fine in the heat. I gave them a waterer right next to their nest boxes so they have water. can you cool down your coop by wetting it down once a day?

I'll move water closer to her. I'm misting the nest boxes where she is setting a couple of times a day. I don't want to get the rest of the coop wet, with the deep litter it would be gross. I'll see if she will tolerate me misting her, she's pretty cranky right now.

 

[Macboat]

have you checked to see if she is egg bound?
a lot of my hens have stopped laying and my other half went broody so she might have stopped due to heat. someone with more experience will have a better answer I am sure.

No, I haven't. Don't know how... start researching now.....

****done*****

No, I don't think she is egg bound, she showed no symptoms that mentioned in the articles.

 

[moms3cuties]

We call them "Shepinois". I worked a dog for Goodyear or Avondale, can't remember. He was a Shepinois and was like a Chihuahua in steroids. Very nasty dog when on patrol, but the handler said he was just a snuggle little bear when his 2 year old tugged at his ears and such. He had a ton of problems with him such as biting handler during a competition and biting him in the Cheif of Polices office too I think. His name was Boris. He was a Baaaaad little doggy.

Handler sent him onto a suspect in a new neighborhood under construction. Saw the dog in plain view, released the dog. The guy dips around a corner and the dog follows handler in trail. Handler gets around the corner to find Boris pulling a guy out from under his truck by his boots. He was working on his truck on a creeper. Lol. No harm done, the dog only got the boot heel.

I've been chomped on a few times. Mostly my fault. But my rules of critters are pretty clear. If you bite me for a good reason, we are even. If you bite somebody else in defense of me or my kids, you probably get a cheeseburger and a cookie. I will walk thru fire for you, if you walk thru fire for me. If you bite somebody for no reason, I will probably euthanize. If you bite one of my kids and draw blood, I will absolutely euthanize. That being said I only euthanized three bad dogs. A chow, a pit, and a chihuaha. My service dog once bit a cop. Not hard enough though. Never knew anybody so deserving of a bite. She got a cheeseburger, a cookie, and an apology. I sure did love that dog.
Btw, I'm not anti cop. (Law enforcement family). I'm anti jerk

Lol! Good Posts!

 

[moms3cuties]

I wish we had big enough water containers to collect all that rain water. For later use on our trees.

yes I'd love to be able to catch the rainwater to but I don't have big enough containers either, so City Farm your Not alone.

City Farm, I tried using 55 gal trash cans to catch rain water off my roof. They were overflowing in no time at all. I think I will invest in a water tote. SO MUCH water sheets off my roof I hyperventilate thinking about the waste. Lol.

...your a Lucky one! Maybe some day I can too!