Arizona Chickens

[a2ms4chickens]

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Depending on where you are at in Tucson, you will want to make sure that your setup is like fort knox in order to keep the predators out. I have had coyotes come in my backyard and scope out my chickens while they were sleeping. I also have owls in my trees that are just waiting to snatch one up. Luckily, mine are in a totally enclosed area. You will also want lots of shade.

The best feed for your laying hens is layer feed 16% protein as it has everything your hens need. My coworkers keep my chickens happy with all of their veggie and fruit scraps.

I think that pretty much covers it. The chickens don't really need very much, just lots of shade and water for the summer.

Hope this helps!

Angie

 

[azmotogirl]

Hey gang.... went to Pratt's yesterday to check it out. I had heard it mentioned here in a few posts and was curious. They had a great selection of birds (not chickens) and lots of bunnies. Saw pigs and goats. Only saw a handful of bantam chicks that were adorable. I have never seen anything so small! As for the regular chicks..... they had quite a few that were several weeks old. I was disappointed in the conditions of the pullets. While they had quite a few to choose from, the housing (brooder) they were in was filthy and smelled up the entire store! Many of the pullets were in horrible condition with 1/3 to 1/2 of their feathers missing. When I mentioned something to the employees about the conditions I was told "that's what happens when they loose their baby feathers and get their adult feathers". It was horrible. I'm sure they were pulling out feathers because they had so many in such a small space. They had very little room to move. I hope what I saw yesterday was not the norm for Pratt's. After what I saw I think I will continue to get my chicks and feed from my side of town out at Houg Ranch.

Hope everyone enjoyed the cooler temps today. No rain here in our area yet but the overcast conditions today were a nice change of pace.

 

[NoSkiveez]

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That s sad. I don't think I've ever had a chick "loose" feathers. Sounds more like pecking probably from overcrowding and stress.

 

[AZKat]

LMS-The problem with trying to feed chickens a totally 'natural' diet is that chickens evolved in the jungles of South Asia. That means that they need a lot more protein, greens, grains and basically a lot more everything than their going to get in a dirt yard in Arizona, especially if you want a goodly number of eggs. If you'd rather feed whole grains, there are a number of recipes online, this is one that has gotten good reviews on BYC http://www.greenerpasturesfarm.com/ChickenFeedRecipe.html
But, the bottom line is that you're going to need to give them some kind of food that has lots of protein in it. The thing that seems to work best is to give them a high protein commercial chicken feed, I like Purina Flock Raiser, which is doesn't have added calcium because I have chicks and a rooster, and provide extra grains and seeds, bugs, greens and fruit as a treat.

Still no rain here.

The broody is still sitting strong, on Monday or Tuesday I'm going to candle the eggs and see what is going on. I'm hoping that the high humidity that we've been having for the last few days will help the eggs hatch.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

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This was more than neighborhood non-cooperation. We've lived here for 11.5 years without this kind of problem. I reset the gates correctly 3 times and someone changes them back, almost as soon as I set them correctly. I am thinking a kid playing pranks or ???. There were three of us who got no water, but the gate overflowed each time and finally SRP turned water off to the entire neighborhood, meaning 4 or 5 more homes got no water.

Utterly lame. Right now one of the gates in my neighbor hood is broken and we're coordinating the repair, but in the house we are trying to get the neighborhood pays some one to irrigate and to do the maintenance. It's going to caost more but I think it's totally going to be worth it.

I have a name I can recommend for repair--he does excellent work and is realtively inexpensive. Our association has used him for years, as have a number of folks (including me) for repair to our individual lines.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

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The Feed Barn (2020 W. Adobe in Phoenix--a couple of blocks N of Deer Valley) has chicks and various other birds and animals (geese, ducks, rabbits, goats, etc.); not as many as at Pratts, but the conditions are better. Aden's Hay Oasis (on Williams Field just W of Power Rd) usually has chicks, but I've never seen adult birds or other species.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

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Gates to a canal or irrigation pipe system;
This is one type used for open irrigation ditches:

This is the more common type in my neighborhood; in fact, this is the one I mentioned in my post. In the photo you are looking east. My yard is to the front & right of the photo (on the other side of the wall). The square box is an irrigation standbox. This particular one has 2 gates controlled by the wheels you see. In the photo both are closed; if one was open, you would see about 18" of a very coarsely square-threaded "bolt" protruding from the top of the wheel. The 12" diameter irrigation pipe is about 3' underground.

And here is my yard valve. The top level of concrete is level with the yard.

 

[Mahonri]

Back in town.

We got DRENCHED. On Thursday at about 2PM the heavens opened and we were just soaked to the skin, even with rain ponchos on.

Fun time with my boys and many youth from our church.

Had some two footed predators while I was away. 8 hens have disappeared including two really beautiful blue wheatens that were laying. Guess I can't post online my comings and goings anymore.

 

[NoSkiveez]

Quote:
Gates to a canal or irrigation pipe system;
This is one type used for open irrigation ditches:
http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:...FB0v2Q&t=1&usg=__xCyHabeUHLxJs3yH9TQ0EXiQ3co=

This is the more common type in my neighborhood; in fact, this is the one I mentioned in my post. In the photo you are looking east. My yard is to the front & right of the photo (on the other side of the wall). The square box is an irrigation standbox. This particular one has 2 gates controlled by the wheels you see. In the photo both are closed; if one was open, you would see about 18" of a very coarsely square-threaded "bolt" protruding from the top of the wheel. The 12" diameter irrigation pipe is about 3' underground.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/20590_irrigation_standbox-2_gates.jpg


And here is my yard valve. The top level of concrete is level with the yard.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/20590_irrigation_12in_yard_valve.jpg

I have the first irrigation system. But I have an advantages, its the only water source for the crops around my house, so the crop leader waters my orange treees for me. So awesome. Had it not been for them everything would be dead, but they have a downside of drowning hazards for kids (and we have 3 small kids) and they attract mosquitos. Every now and then we'll hear an odd noise and find a drunk has managed to wreck into the canal.

 

[NoSkiveez]

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Are you kidding? And my husband thought I was a nutcase for putting a lock and moving an alarm sensor to the door of the big coop!

Hopefully a neighbor saw something. Trespassors really irk me. Our house was empty for 7 years while we lived in Tempe. Our phone lines we cut, so it wouldn't send a break in signal to ADT, our house was COMPLETELY ransacked, bathrooms used, we had a bed here and it was slept in, smoking in our house, our AC units stolen, our front door stolen and someone had the nerve to have sex in our bathroom and leave the condom on the floor. It took a month to clean it up to a liveable point and I've had people brave enough to attempt to see what's in my shed while I'm here and standing at the window watching them, but the sounds of one being chambered is universal in all languages.