Arizona Chickens

[AZBootsie]

Raincoats and umbrellas wouldn't have helped my poor Marans today......they needed little glitzy life vests.

And yes, I also was out in the COLD rain putting up plywood and tarps!! Gave up when my fingers got numb though. I grabbed Rocky (the roo) with his 3 ladies, and tossed them into the big dry coop with my pullets.....no introductions.....just opened the door and dumped 4 soaking wet strangers in. The little girls are 14 weeks old, so hoping for the best. Rocky was thrilled. He jumped up on the higest roost and crowed nonstop. The Marans hens were wet, cranky and bossy.

Just keeping my fingers crossed that I still have 17 intact chickens tomorrow morning.

Last time I looked my pullets were hiding in the nesting boxes with Rocky, while the Hens were hogging all the food. Guess, I had better run out and make sure everyone has a roosting spot. I am going to worry all night.

Think we are in for snow tomorrow??

 

[LarryPQ]

Weelllp--- it is cold and rainy out. My desert chickens don't know what to do-- some of them were SOAKING wet, and apparently had no idea going in the coop would be a good idea. When I got home, I found my little MFDU roo dead: he wasn't wet, so maybe the cold?

RIP, Snowshoes.

Since my house tends to get 10 degrees lower than the rest of the valley, I caved and put up a heat lamp under the pop-up. Right over where the turkeys and the stupid chicks roost. Maybe it will dry them off.

Unfortunately, that means I need to go buy another heat lamp, since my big one one was sitting out in the rain, the little one is missing, and we have chicks due in a day or so

 

[AZBootsie]

Oh no, I am sorry. He was a beautiful rooster.

 

[Bob's Henhouse]

Larree, sorry to hear about your roo.

Must be going around. I've lost 3 juvies in 2 days. I'm guessing they are getting smothered, even with 2 heat lamps in the brooder house. So, like it or not I moved 15 of them into the big coop tonight. Hoping they adjust. Everyone was out in the rain today, so I'm also hoping they go into the coop and dry off and warm up instead of staying out in the AZ room all night, wet and cold. I may have to go encourage them in a little while.

 

[Gallo del Cielo]

Sorry to hear about your losses LareePQG and Bob's Henhouse. He was a beauty Laree.

 

[mclevinson]

Quote:
Me too. This is a wierd winter.

 

[5pinkarrows]

Laree, I'm so sorry! He was a cutie and so perfectly named.

Bob, you too. That is so hard! I am convinced that chickens are the dumbest animals in the world. For some reason, ours like to roost on top of the houses. We even built a taller house with roosting posts, and they went on top of that one, too. I am really worried about them. We went out their earlier and only the silkie hen was in the house. The other 6 were on top, soaking wet. We put them inside the house, and 5 came back out. I really don't know what else we can do for them.

 

[mclevinson]

You peeps are such a wealth of information. I just decided that I'm going to install some snaps or hooks on the broad open side of my pen so I can put up canvas when it rains or when it's breezy and I still need to run the lawn sprinklers. Half the coop floor is soaking from this rain, if I had put the shavings in it'd be just a mess.

 

[Tanichca]

Lost power for abotu an hour, but now its back. The family is coming in from tucson to wait out the rain on our mountaintop, instead of in the barrio vejejo (vee-yay-hoe)(sp?).

 

[Nuclear Chickens]

My chickens stood out in the rain today just looking around like "What is this stuff?" Went out and put fresh dry shavings in the hutch. They stood at the door looking in. I am wondering if I will find Chickensicles in the morning.