Arizona Chickens

[Beckyhsinglsc]

For those of you getting ready to overseed your lawn so your birds can keep grazing through the winter here are some helpful tips.
http://mrwisegrass.com/1483?utm_sou...campaign=Sept.+11,+2014+blog&utm_medium=email

And remember to get seeds that haven't been coated if your chickens will be free-ranging.

 

[aviddamy]

My husband isn't handy. He'd rather have someone else do it, so I end up building anything I want made myself. And honestly, I'm smart but I'm not super skilled with tools. I have to build a chicken coop. This thing is going to be a mess when I'm done, but it will be done. I'm modifying an old metal shed. I've removed two of the sides and I'm going to make two sides into light frames with chicken wire then I'll put them back where the old walls were. Should be easy except for finding the old screw holes and making holes into the frames that match. I'm thinking hold it up in place and use a pencil to mark the holes, then I'll drill into the frames and then use the nuts and bolts that were on the original frame....yeah a mess. LOL,

The only scrap I have laying around are doors(one is a screen door I'll probably use on the coop), 4 or 5 2x4s, some metal poles from a trampoline, and metal sheeting from the shed. So, soon I'll be making a trip to buy some lumber and chicken wire. I found some there that is 4ft x 150ft for $62. That's not horrible.

 

[Sill]

It's not necessarily as easy on the pocketbook as you might think. By the time mine was done I had spent almost as much money as I would have building a regular, permanent structure. I bought 2"x6" lumber for the base and used reclaimed lumber and plywood for the rest of the framing. Bought three cattle panels and a bunch of 1/2" mesh hardware cloth to enclose the space. Hardware cloth is not cheap. I used fender washers to button the hardware cloth onto the wood framing, which was another expense. (The zip ties I used only lasted a few months before they started breaking.) And my cattle panels cost $40 each - we didn't have a Tractor Supply here when I built my coop.

The biggest expense I did not figure on was the tarps for the roof. The first tarp cost $40 and lasted less than four months. I finished the coop in February or early March and the tarp had deteriorated so much it blew apart in the first monsoon of the season. The coop has averaged 2-3 tarps/year, so there is an ongoing expense of about $100/year to keep the thing tarped.

If I had it to do over again I would just build a regular coop/run. It might cost a little more to start but it wouldn't have the ongoing re-tarping issue. It would be cheaper in the long run. And it would look a whole lot better. The hoop coop is not the most attractive thing in my yard. But it's what I've got.

Oh, yeah - the hoop coop is MUCH hotter inside than my regular coop/run. That tarp holds in a lot of the heat. Even though the ends are vented and the sides are staked out away from the coop, it feels much hotter when I walk into the hoop coop than it does when I walk into my other coops. It's not as hot at chicken level because the sides are open along the bottom. But it is much more uncomfortable for me.

Just some things to think about before you jump into construction...

If you use zip ties outdoors make sure you get the kind that are UV resistant or they won't last a summer. Even so the UV resistant type will only last a couple of years at best in our heat.

For those of you getting ready to overseed your lawn so your birds can keep grazing through the winter here are some helpful tips.
http://mrwisegrass.com/1483?utm_sou...campaign=Sept.+11,+2014+blog&utm_medium=email

Thank you!

 

[a little chiken]

@CityFarm Here is Bo and Quatie the Alpacas and Katie (Christian my oldest sons) new puppy

 

[Bobby Basham]

My husband isn't handy. He'd rather have someone else do it, so I end up building anything I want made myself. And honestly, I'm smart but I'm not super skilled with tools. I have to build a chicken coop. This thing is going to be a mess when I'm done, but it will be done. I'm modifying an old metal shed. I've removed two of the sides and I'm going to make two sides into light frames with chicken wire then I'll put them back where the old walls were. Should be easy except for finding the old screw holes and making holes into the frames that match. I'm thinking hold it up in place and use a pencil to mark the holes, then I'll drill into the frames and then use the nuts and bolts that were on the original frame....yeah a mess. LOL,

The only scrap I have laying around are doors(one is a screen door I'll probably use on the coop), 4 or 5 2x4s, some metal poles from a trampoline, and metal sheeting from the shed. So, soon I'll be making a trip to buy some lumber and chicken wire. I found some there that is 4ft x 150ft for $62. That's not horrible.

Aviddamy,

Girl, it won't be a mess because there are alot of folks here who can talk/walk you through your construction and tweak it to what works for you. Many have been there, done that, recyling used materials and such. You are not alone in your endeavor inspite of uncooperative/un-sympathetic spouses or partners. Folks here will come to aid you.

I'm just amazed at the generousity shared here in the Arizona Room. Thank God I'm single and don't have to deal with anyone, and who knows what a hot mess my projects may turn out to be. My home is My Castle, alittle unkempt at times, (well, most of the time) but I run this camp, let it be known.

Sorry for speaking out for everyone else, but the consideration and lenghts you all go through to help one another actually speaks for itself. We live in the desert and I think our feathered friends deserve more attention, and you'll find all your answers here. Thank You, Arizona Board! --BB

 

[Gallo del Cielo]

My husband isn't handy. He'd rather have someone else do it, so I end up building anything I want made myself. And honestly, I'm smart but I'm not super skilled with tools. I have to build a chicken coop. This thing is going to be a mess when I'm done, but it will be done. I'm modifying an old metal shed. I've removed two of the sides and I'm going to make two sides into light frames with chicken wire then I'll put them back where the old walls were. Should be easy except for finding the old screw holes and making holes into the frames that match. I'm thinking hold it up in place and use a pencil to mark the holes, then I'll drill into the frames and then use the nuts and bolts that were on the original frame....yeah a mess. LOL,

The only scrap I have laying around are doors(one is a screen door I'll probably use on the coop), 4 or 5 2x4s, some metal poles from a trampoline, and metal sheeting from the shed. So, soon I'll be making a trip to buy some lumber and chicken wire. I found some there that is 4ft x 150ft for $62. That's not horrible.

If you can fit it into the budget, hardware cloth would be a much safer option for your birds than chicken wire. Chicken wire is made to keep chickens inside a place but will not keep predators out. Arizona is rife with predators that can easily rip through chicken wire.

 

[Papas Chickens]

I'll dig some out for you when I get the batch for @K9Dave
.  They don't like heat so much so I might need to put some ice in with them to ship.



That is interesting, I wonder how it would work for an incubator since it has more air circulation than an inclosed guitar case.  Please post your results if you decide to try this.

Thx Sill ill be waiting patiently at the mail box lol.

 

[aviddamy]

Living in the middle of a city, with dogs in the yard, other than said dogs, hawks, owls, or maybe a random cat, what else could be after them? I'm not aware of any other predators so I'm curious as to what else there might be so that I can deal with it accordingly of course. I think I'll have more of a challenge keeping my dogs out than any other predator. I'm pretty sure I'm going to put the coop on the other side of the yard, on the other side of the fence, so the dogs can't get to it.

I hope I'm coming across okay. I'm really curious what else might be here. I've lived here years and I've never seen anything, but I know that chickens will draw them. LOL.

By the way, I live in Yuma. There aren't any larger predators here and I live in the middle of town far from the edges. There might be some in the foothills or closer to the mountains, but as bad as it is here, I can't imagine I'd ever see any.

 

[K9Dave]

I have a meat grinder attachment for my KitchenAid mixer, and it works great for not being commercial-grade equipment.  When we had ostriches, I used to grind the neck meat to get hamburg!

I'm looking to grind meat and soft bone. KitchenAid was actually a consideration for me because it does so much more. I know where a used one is that IS the commercial white KitchenAid but is not complete. There's a large hand crank one for $165 on CL. It's real old with a huge wheel. Don't know how well it would work nowadays and how much I want to crank a wheel. Lol

I use a meat grinder for pork shoulder when I make hot Italian sausage. It is an electric chinese (Sunmile brand) deal I got off amazon. It works ok for the pork shoulder, but it is important that the meat be near freezing temp because the fat is easier to handle. If the meat is too warm, the fat will gum up the blades and plates. I don't think this would be as much of an issue with chicken meat.

What about none for that one? I'll be grinding chicken and turkey necks and such.

 

[kpgoldstar]

I'm looking to grind meat and soft bone. KitchenAid was actually a consideration for me because it does so much more. I know where a used one is that IS the commercial white KitchenAid but is not complete. There's a large hand crank one for $165 on CL. It's real old with a huge wheel. Don't know how well it would work nowadays and how much I want to crank a wheel. Lol
What about none for that one? I'll be grinding chicken and turkey necks and such.

I use my kitchenaid grinder attachment for all kinds of meat. Chicken, turkey, pork, beef. We buy lots of meat in bulk, break it down and grind our own meat from the non-prime cuts. The blades are very sharp, there are 2 die sizes so we can grind coarse or more fine on a second pass. It never gets clogged no matter the temp of the meat. We don't grind neck bones though.