Arizona Chickens

[BlueBaby]

@Michelle Guynn Do your silkies drink coffee too?

 

[Geranium]

I can't remember who it was that mentioned maybe the mosquito's coming out after the last rain and it starting to drop in the temps a bit, but I found this on plant's that can help repel them away from your chickens:

https://www.chickenheavenonearth.co...s-keep-them-away-from-your-chickens--you.html

Nice! Just beware that the plant often labeled as citronella or the mosquito plant is actually just a type of geranium and doesn't repel mosquitoes. I'd love to grow lavender - it's so pretty.

 

[cactusrota]

Nice! Just beware that the plant often labeled as citronella or the mosquito plant is actually just a type of geranium and doesn't repel mosquitoes. I'd love to grow lavender - it's so pretty.

I used to work at a nursery/greenhouse up in WA that sold Scented Geraniums that were basically a prettier version of citronella. But they are hard to find around here.

 

[DesertChic]

Anyone else's hens start molting yet? I've got about 4, maybe 5 who are. It's really cut back on egg production, but that's ok. They look so pathetic with their bald patches and new feathers sprouting out My dad and stepmom are coming from Iowa to visit next week, and I can't wait to show off the coop. Too bad my girls will be sporting such funny looking feathers, but oh well! I also was wondering, not that I have roosters, but do they molt too?

Start molting? No...Mine are in full-scale, a feather pillow factory exploded in my backyard molt. Every night I have at least half a dozen hens that run out to me so I can pick them up and put them on roosts since they don't even have enough feathers to fly up there on their own. I've got one normally gorgeous Silver Grey Dorking rooster who looks like he lost a fight with a paper shredder, and about 1/4 of the eggs I collect every day are laid on the ground rather than in nesting boxes, which are too high up for them to reach. All of my mature roosters are completely devoid of their gorgeous tail feathers and all look ridiculously rumpless. And my full feathered hens now look like they're trying to emulate my Naked Necks since most of them are missing neck feathers.

My neighbor drove by the house and asked, "What's wrong with all of your chickens?"

I responded with, "They've been plucking themselves in anticipation of fall butchering season."

He looked at me rather dumbfounded. "You trained them to do that?"

 

[BlueBaby]

Start molting? No...Mine are in full-scale, a feather pillow factory exploded in my backyard molt. Every night I have at least half a dozen hens that run out to me so I can pick them up and put them on roosts since they don't even have enough feathers to fly up there on their own. I've got one normally gorgeous Silver Grey Dorking rooster who looks like he lost a fight with a paper shredder, and about 1/4 of the eggs I collect every day are laid on the ground rather than in nesting boxes, which are too high up for them to reach. All of my mature roosters are completely devoid of their gorgeous tail feathers and all look ridiculously rumpless. And my full feathered hens now look like they're trying to emulate my Naked Necks since most of them are missing neck feathers.

My neighbor drove by the house and asked, "What's wrong with all of your chickens?"

I responded with, "They've been plucking themselves in anticipation of fall butchering season."

He looked at me rather dumbfounded. "You trained them to do that?"

Training chickens to molt to prep themselves for butchering? Yes, there are some that don't have a clue about what chickens are, unless they are on a dinner plate.

 

[cactusrota]

Start molting? No...Mine are in full-scale, a feather pillow factory exploded in my backyard molt. Every night I have at least half a dozen hens that run out to me so I can pick them up and put them on roosts since they don't even have enough feathers to fly up there on their own. I've got one normally gorgeous Silver Grey Dorking rooster who looks like he lost a fight with a paper shredder, and about 1/4 of the eggs I collect every day are laid on the ground rather than in nesting boxes, which are too high up for them to reach. All of my mature roosters are completely devoid of their gorgeous tail feathers and all look ridiculously rumpless. And my full feathered hens now look like they're trying to emulate my Naked Necks since most of them are missing neck feathers.

My neighbor drove by the house and asked, "What's wrong with all of your chickens?"

I responded with, "They've been plucking themselves in anticipation of fall butchering season."

He looked at me rather dumbfounded. "You trained them to do that?"

LOL!! That's funny as $***...... All mine are in different stages of molt, some are nearly finished and just working on their tail feathers now, some are still working on body feathers and look like little porcupines, and others are just kicking into gear and blowing feathers all over the place. The wind blows alot of it away, but the inside of the coop looks like someone had a pillow fight. And most of my girls stopped laying. They're only putting out like 1/3 of the number of eggs that they normally do. Temps are supposed to start on a downward spiral now after this last rain, and there's a chance of more the first week of October. I'm hoping they'll finish up this messy molt business and get back to egg laying with the cooler days ahead.

 

[Geranium]

I took the chicks outside for a little bit and now Candice is acting hurt. Everyone else is acting normal but she's hunkered down and doesn't want to move and is complaining loudly. She's usually one of the most active chicks. She's moving both legs and I can't see or feel anything obviously wrong. What happened?? What do I do???

 

[Geranium]

She's also pooping what looks like almost straight water. She was fine an hour ago.

 

[Geranium]

Googling and searching around BYC - maybe she got overheated? It was 93 out. They had lots of shade and water but still. She's walking around in the brooder and eating now.

 

[Geranium]

Off to mix up some electrolyte water...