Arizona Chickens

[SMorrison7k]

On a related note, with the heat as high as it is now, do y'all let the girls sit eggs or do you bring them in an incubate? Seems like 105+ would not be optimal for incubation, not to mention the girls sitting in the heat all day. I think we're in for a long hot summer, so want to make sure i"m planning ahead.

I have never let one brood in the summer before, but I'm about to give in. I have broken one several times and she only lasts for a few days before she starts again! Hoping it works okay in the heat.

 

[SMorrison7k]

Alright everybody....I think I have a couple hens pecking other ones. No bleeding or anything, but what started as an overly-zealous rooster seems to be turning into more. Some of my girls are now completely barebacked and some seem untouched. No signs of mites or lice. Nothing seems to be wrong health wise. But I never catch the pecking in the act! Any suggestions?

 

[cactusrota]

Hens that are "taking a break" for molting or some other reason will absolutely not let the rooster mount them. I would bet the bare backed ones are the ones that are still laying eggs in the summer heat and so are still being little whores so-to-speak.. Your flock's milage may vary, though. Some roosters will have favorites, too.

 

[FeatherPugs]

@SMorrison7k that is exactly how this one broody is - broke a few days and next thing you know she's melted into a nest! CRAZY
About your barebacked girls. First is this the roo doing it when he mates and treadles her back? I think probably so. The only way I know to save their backs is to get hen saddles. Sometimes called aprons. I've been working on a way to make them useful for use in the summer. Most mesh won't stand up to the roo's treadling.
Second thought is the heat. I know my girls become snarky when its really hot like we've had for too many days in a row. They don't peck but they are snip, snip, snip at each other. Cooler in the am and the later evening and the snarky goes away. I know I'm a mean girl when I get too dang hot for too long!!
I just put the last of my ice out! DANG that went fast. I put the bottles out earlier. Its 112 here. No fan will help with 112 degrees. The younger NN girls immediately began standing right on the ice - those babies are hot, hot, hot. This is their first summer heat and I'm sure they are thinking WTH! The big girls are hot too - added ice to their puddle.

 

[SonoranChick]

Alright everybody....I think I have a couple hens pecking other ones. No bleeding or anything, but what started as an overly-zealous rooster seems to be turning into more. Some of my girls are now completely barebacked and some seem untouched. No signs of mites or lice. Nothing seems to be wrong health wise. But I never catch the pecking in the act! Any suggestions?

A few of my girls are feather pickers, leaving some of their favorite victims bare backed. I catch the RIR and brown leghorn picking daily! I am on my second bottle of Rooster Booster no pick lotion (blue cream from the feed store, it's supposed to heal and taste terrible to deter feather picking)- it's not working very well for me. They like to come up and scratch and peck while the other one is dust bathing, even with the blue cream on. I swear some even like the taste of it! I've also upped protein because I figured that would help, but it didn't. The hens who are being pecked don't seem to even notice and don't fight back. They just get into that dust bath trance and let it happen. They have a strange dynamic, I wonder if it's because I don't have a rooster maybe.
I would try the rooster booster cream, it may help your situation. It should be about $8 for a little bottle, and a little goes a long way. It can be messy and it stains everything so be careful when using it.

 

[BlueBaby]

On a related note, with the heat as high as it is now, do y'all let the girls sit eggs or do you bring them in an incubate? Seems like 105+ would not be optimal for incubation, not to mention the girls sitting in the heat all day. I think we're in for a long hot summer, so want to make sure i"m planning ahead.

I had an insistent Splash Australorp hen go broody on me last summer about this time in the heat. She died on the nest.

 

[BlueBaby]

@SMorrison7k that is exactly how this one broody is - broke a few days and next thing you know she's melted into a nest! CRAZY
About your barebacked girls. First is this the roo doing it when he mates and treadles her back? I think probably so. The only way I know to save their backs is to get hen saddles. Sometimes called aprons. I've been working on a way to make them useful for use in the summer. Most mesh won't stand up to the roo's treadling.
Second thought is the heat. I know my girls become snarky when its really hot like we've had for too many days in a row. They don't peck but they are snip, snip, snip at each other. Cooler in the am and the later evening and the snarky goes away. I know I'm a mean girl when I get too dang hot for too long!!
I just put the last of my ice out! DANG that went fast. I put the bottles out earlier. Its 112 here. No fan will help with 112 degrees. The younger NN girls immediately began standing right on the ice - those babies are hot, hot, hot. This is their first summer heat and I'm sure they are thinking WTH! The big girls are hot too - added ice to their puddle.

Maybe you could start throwing a 2 liter bottle of frozen water into your broodies nesting box? It might work?

 

[SMorrison7k]

@SMorrison7k that is exactly how this one broody is - broke a few days and next thing you know she's melted into a nest! CRAZY
About your barebacked girls. First is this the roo doing it when he mates and treadles her back? I think probably so. The only way I know to save their backs is to get hen saddles. Sometimes called aprons. I've been working on a way to make them useful for use in the summer. Most mesh won't stand up to the roo's treadling.
Second thought is the heat. I know my girls become snarky when its really hot like we've had for too many days in a row. They don't peck but they are snip, snip, snip at each other. Cooler in the am and the later evening and the snarky goes away. I know I'm a mean girl when I get too dang hot for too long!!
I just put the last of my ice out! DANG that went fast. I put the bottles out earlier. Its 112 here. No fan will help with 112 degrees. The younger NN girls immediately began standing right on the ice - those babies are hot, hot, hot. This is their first summer heat and I'm sure they are thinking WTH! The big girls are hot too - added ice to their puddle.

Yes, when the rooster treadles...he is just sooo over the top haha. Hoping he settles down, he's still only 9 months old! I definitely have too many hens to saddle/apron them all, but maybe i should look into it for the ones getting the brunt of it.
Good point with the heat maybe spurring the girls on to act this way!

 

[SMorrison7k]

A few of my girls are feather pickers, leaving some of their favorite victims bare backed. I catch the RIR and brown leghorn picking daily! I am on my second bottle of Rooster Booster no pick lotion (blue cream from the feed store, it's supposed to heal and taste terrible to deter feather picking)- it's not working very well for me. They like to come up and scratch and peck while the other one is dust bathing, even with the blue cream on. I swear some even like the taste of it! I've also upped protein because I figured that would help, but it didn't. The hens who are being pecked don't seem to even notice and don't fight back. They just get into that dust bath trance and let it happen. They have a strange dynamic, I wonder if it's because I don't have a rooster maybe.
I would try the rooster booster cream, it may help your situation. It should be about $8 for a little bottle, and a little goes a long way. It can be messy and it stains everything so be careful when using it.

I might try that...thank you! Hopefully it starts working for you. I have a few that are just soooo bad now.

 

[SMorrison7k]

I had an insistent Splash Australorp hen go broody on me last summer about this time in the heat. She died on the nest.

That's sooo sad!