Arizona Chickens

[wolfwalker]

Are you in your new place yet? How did the move go?

closing is 1/7 for this farm. and we have not found a place to move yet as it is hard to do everything virtually I have a couple of video walkthroughs today, hopefully in the next few days we find something.

 

[springvalley123]

I added 11.5 feet of 4" ventilation along the tops of the north and south sides. That ventilation space has doors that can be opened or closed as needed.

That provides 3.8 sq ft add'l ventilation.

Keep in mind the top of the henhouse is removeable so we can slide it open for additional ventilation.

My experience building roosts, taking the top off will dramatically affect whether the birds will feel the open area is still secure enough for them to roost in. I know the coop roof is not very far below the tarp/cover of the pen, but it could make a difference & stress out the birds, especially if sometimes it's closed and sometimes it's open. One time I added a piece of hardware cloth just above a roost area that was already covered with 2/4 wire, and the birds freaked out and wouldn't go near it for days.

 

[EmmaDonovan]

Oh, that's a good point. I hadn't thought of that. Hm.

 

[BlueBaby]

Hello everyone! Boat Race weekend is over, and I am bushed from just sitting there all day in the open air watching them. The 5 new pullet's that hatched are doing good. They are in the brooder in the spare room. I'm still not sure about the single cockerel that hatched out though, because he still has a bubble on his butt where the should have been absorbing that yolk. I'll see how he's doing tomorrow. I hope that I don't have to cull him.

 

[Geckolady]

Awww, poor little guy! You did pretty good, getting only one cockerel out of the group.

 

[BlueBaby]

I just got notice that my NN/Bielefelder hatching egg's that I ordered were dropped off at the originating post office. I was sent the tracking number on them.

 

[EmmaDonovan]

Is there anything that shouldn't be used as footing in a run? For example something that's unhealthy or toxic or causes maintenance problems, etc.?

The dirt in our yard is just the typical compacted Sonoran desert dirt like in the photo below, without plants. We need to cover the hardware cloth in the bottom of the run with something.

 

[BlueBaby]

Is there anything that shouldn't be used as footing in a run? For example something that's unhealthy or toxic or causes maintenance problems, etc.?

The dirt in our yard is just the typical compacted Sonoran desert dirt like in the photo below, without plants. We need to cover the hardware cloth in the bottom of the run with something.

I just have the ground that's out there for mine.

 

[Geckolady]

I just have the ground that's out there for mine.

There's concrete under my larger coop, and desert dirt under the other one.

I just finished watching a video where somebody made a small chicken coop out of old tires. It doesn't seem like it would stand up to much in the way of predators, but the guy deserves credit for inventiveness.

 

[BlueBaby]

There's concrete under my larger coop, and desert dirt under the other one.

I just finished watching a video where somebody made a small chicken coop out of old tires. It doesn't seem like it would stand up to much in the way of predators, but the guy deserves credit for inventiveness.

That coop made from tires might work if it were as a chick grow-out pen inside of a protected coop and run. Otherwise I agree that it wouldn't be protected very well if there were any predator's that would easily be able to have access to it.