Arizona Chickens

[Parront]

Bad Boyz the next gen, from a couple of weeks ago. Not a bad dinner for 2! He looked just like his Golden Cascade dad. ~2.5 pounds

 

[Butchers Wife]

Does anyone here hatch their own chicks, or do you get them from a hatchery or feed barn? I want to get another chick since one of mine died last night. It was really sad, I found her trapped under a small piece of plywood I had used to close off the pen at night. I think my kids had moved it and she somehow knocked it onto herself. So sad!

Sorry for your loss. Every spring I think I must have learned every hard lesson on keeping chicks alive until laying age, and still, every summer I learn a new lesson. I mostly hatch my own chicks, mostly from eggs my birds lay, sometimes from eggs I buy on Craigslist. I've heard a lot of bad things about rough handling of mail order eggs so have never tried that. I've ordered day old chicks through the mail, placed orders for special breeds months in advance of chick days at feed stores, and collect an assortment of free Roosters on Craigslist every spring that we raise for meat. Roosters will fight each other to the death beginning at 4 months old, but until then they are just really big chickens, nearly twice the size of hens of the same age, and they will clear any area of insects and weeds in no time at all. If you hatch your own be prepared for a 50/50 mix of hens and roos. Don't keep a rooster too long unless you can keep him away from your kids. They will eventually become downright vicious and they often aim for the eyes. A pity because they are so beautiful and magnificent in stature and plumage if kept long enough to reach their full glory. Usually they turn into total jerks long before then.

 

[Parront]

Sorry for your loss. Every spring I think I must have learned every hard lesson on keeping chicks alive until laying age, and still, every summer I learn a new lesson. I mostly hatch my own chicks, mostly from eggs my birds lay, sometimes from eggs I buy on Craigslist. I've heard a lot of bad things about rough handling of mail order eggs so have never tried that. I've ordered day old chicks through the mail, placed orders for special breeds months in advance of chick days at feed stores, and collect an assortment of free Roosters on Craigslist every spring that we raise for meat. Roosters will fight each other to the death beginning at 4 months old, but until then they are just really big chickens, nearly twice the size of hens of the same age, and they will clear any area of insects and weeds in no time at all. If you hatch your own be prepared for a 50/50 mix of hens and roos. Don't keep a rooster too long unless you can keep him away from your kids. They will eventually become downright vicious and they often aim for the eyes. A pity because they are so beautiful and magnificent in stature and plumage if kept long enough to reach their full glory. Usually they turn into total jerks long before then.

Welcome to the Arizona thread! That is a pretty old post, she has not been here for a while. We are happy to chat about our chickens and how to raise them here in AZ!

 

[AzChickMama]

Help! I live in Phoenix it's not abnormal to see 115+ degree days in the summer. This is our first time with chicks we hatched on our own they are 6 weeks. They are now out in their coop BUT aside from frozen treats/water we have a misting system over the coop and twice a day our yard sprinklers come on which does wet the coop. (The chicks love it) I always thought they didn't like water but they get in water bowls and sit under misters as well it's so funny! Anyway... Our run has some grass but mostly dirt and here it is horrible clay dirt that does not drain well. We don't want deep litter but want a way to help with keeping the run a little less wet. We have sand in the coop and love it. We thought about adding sand to the run but would it really be that bad if it got wet? I've also considered adding pea gravel or something similar that is not so hard on their feet but they would still be able to scratch to the dirt. Please help any suggestions? There is no way to avoid the area getting wet, if it's not I will end up with baked chickens and we don't want that route we actually love these nuggets

 

[springvalley123]

Help! I live in Phoenix it's not abnormal to see 115+ degree days in the summer. This is our first time with chicks we hatched on our own they are 6 weeks. They are now out in their coop BUT aside from frozen treats/water we have a misting system over the coop and twice a day our yard sprinklers come on which does wet the coop. (The chicks love it) I always thought they didn't like water but they get in water bowls and sit under misters as well it's so funny! Anyway... Our run has some grass but mostly dirt and here it is horrible clay dirt that does not drain well. We don't want deep litter but want a way to help with keeping the run a little less wet. We have sand in the coop and love it. We thought about adding sand to the run but would it really be that bad if it got wet? I've also considered adding pea gravel or something similar that is not so hard on their feet but they would still be able to scratch to the dirt. Please help any suggestions? There is no way to avoid the area getting wet, if it's not I will end up with baked chickens and we don't want that route we actually love these nuggets

Here's an extreme weather article that talks about heat and cold:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/aarts-extreme-weather-spiel.75893/

Here are some things I do, but I'm not in Phoenix:
I've used a mister in a couple ways: 1) buy a cheap 1/4 inch misting line complete with 6 nozzles and 12 feet of mist, but replace all but 2 nozzles with plugs to control the moisture. 2) aim a simple hose mister stand at the wall of the coop to keep the inside of the coop cool (aim it where it will cool the area but not soak the birds). 3) a bucket top misting fan with high/low settings for fan speed and misting amount, aimed at the area in front of the nesting box area.

I also use 2-liter soda bottles half-filled with water and frozen overnight. I put them in the shade and the birds sit next to them.

I also got two, 3-inch deep trays and put 4 regular clay bricks in each. Filled them half full of water so the bricks got cool from the evaporation but the tops of the bricks stayed dry. Took the birds a while to figure it out but they eventually sat on the bricks and cooled off.

Lots of people use shallow trays or cut down kiddie pools and put blocks of ice in them for the chickens to stand in also.

 

[Coffee N Chickens]

It's upposed to rain all week!

 

[Parront]

It's upposed to rain all week!

We got 1/2" yesterday!Rain dancing -- must be working

 

[BlueBaby]

I just ordered my Nurture Right 360 and it should be here on Saturday.

 

[springvalley123]

I just ordered my Nurture Right 360 and it should be here on Saturday.

I didn't realize they had a cabinet sized model!

 

[Coffee N Chickens]

I just ordered my Nurture Right 360 and it should be here on Saturday.

You'll love it! It's so much easier to use.

My three are doing great. They've decided the heating plate is a perch, but are still too young to go without it. Gabby, the dark chick, is starting to look cuckoo. The other two look yellow and shiny black (not cuckoo) and are sprouting white wingtips. Hmmm. No telling. Maybe a new variety of Leghorns on the way? (Just kidding.)