Arizona Chickens

[BlueBaby]

Thank you so much! I was actually looking for eggs so that's perfect.

Cool! Let us know if you get some and start your hatch. Remember that when the egg's arrive to let them sit in an egg carton with the pointy side of the egg down for 24 hour's to help the air-cell's settle from the trip. Have you hatched egg's before?

 

[BlueBaby]

Wow! I seen the mailman coming so I walked out to the mailbox. He told me that those vulture's that I seen down at the end of the street was snacking on a snake that someone must have run over. At least that's one less snake that will find it's way to my coop.

 

[CaroleW]

True. Before I realized what he was I'd wanted to use him to develop a heat tolerant predator savvy strain, but I cant have roosters, and Phoenix aren't the best layers. This one's pretty calm but I wouldn't want that type of bird--they'd probably want to roost in the neighbor's trees. If I catch him pulling the legbar's crest again, it'll be easier to process him.

Have you looked into the livestock conservancy listing for the Phoenix breed (on "watch" list) - maybe there's someone there with a hen that needs a roo - also look on FB to see if the breed has a group.

livestockconservancy.org/heritage-breeds/heritage-breeds-list/#Chickens

 

[Stacaroni]

Cool! Let us know if you get some and start your hatch. Remember that when the egg's arrive to let them sit in an egg carton with the pointy side of the egg down for 24 hour's to help the air-cell's settle from the trip. Have you hatched egg's before?

I have not! It may be a while yet. I don't have an incubator or anything.

 

[BlueBaby]

I have not! It may be a while yet. I don't have an incubator or anything.

I don't know how far from me that you live, but I do have a couple of extra one's over here that I'm not using anymore since I got my NR360. I'd be willing to sell my extra one's for cheap, complete with the box and instruction's.

 

[Stacaroni]

I don't know how far from me that you live, but I do have a couple of extra one's over here that I'm not using anymore since I got my NR360. I'd be willing to sell my extra one's for cheap, complete with the box and instruction's.

Ooooooh! That would be awesome. I'm near Prescott Valley.

Edit to add - My husband makes regular trips between here and Tucson so I could have him do a pick up.

 

[EmmaDonovan]

Can I get some feedback from my fellow desert dwellers?

This is our latest coop design. It's not at all what we had hoped for and I'm disappointed it's been reduced to this but the increase in lumber costs killed our other ideas. We already have most of the components including the metal frame and enough wood to build a coop door and a little shelter/platform inside the coop. It's not fancy but our priorities are that it be predator-proof and keeps the hens happy.

The coop is 119 sq. ft. for 6-8 hens. Excuse my lack of Sketchup skills, ya'll know Sketchup and I are mortal enemies.

That hat-rack-looking thing in the back is actually a big mesquite branch, for roosting. I couldn't figure out how to draw branches so that's how it came out. It's big and thick and we can securely attach it to the sides of the coop. We smoothed out the branches and removed all thorns and rough spots.

The blue cylinder is a waterer, the yellow/gold one is a feeder. The two gray boxes on the ground are plastic 18L storage tubs with a opening cut in one side and ventilation holes around the top. Those will be our nest boxes. I've heard chickens like them.

In addition to the wooden platform we have a ladder, a swing, treat balls, some big rocks, etc., to make the coop interesting. It'll have a predator skirt, too.

The white/gray panels on the top and sides of the coop are actually just tarps but super-tough ones we call boat tarps. I know they won't last forever but they're a start and easily replaced when necessary. The gray side panel that goes all the way to the ground is a tarp for shade for the west side which gets intense sun. We also have four 16" ground anchors to keep the coop from being blown away by a micro burst.

Speaking of micro bursts, we've had several. We also get hard sideways rains during the monsoons. Those can go on for a while. Fortunately the coop will have good drainage where it sits.

Is this going to be enough shelter during the monsoons? The hens can always run under the platform. I've seen open-plan desert coop designs without a hen house before, but I don't know if they get extreme weather.

 

[BlueBaby]

Ooooooh! That would be awesome. I'm near Prescott Valley.

Edit to add - My husband makes regular trips between here and Tucson so I could have him do a pick up.

That would work! I have 2 of them. One is a Little Giant #9200 styrofoam still air one, and I also have the working turner for it. That one can hold 42 egg's in it. The other one is a Kenonnic digital one and the turner in it work's.

 

[Stacaroni]

That would work! I have 2 of them. One is a Little Giant #9200 styrofoam still air one, and I also have the working turner for it. That one can hold 42 egg's in it. The other one is a Kenonnic digital one and the turner in it work's.

I shall message you!

 

[BlueBaby]

Can I get some feedback from my fellow desert dwellers?

This is our latest coop design. It's not at all what we had hoped for and I'm disappointed it's been reduced to this but the increase in lumber costs killed our other ideas. We already have most of the components including the metal frame and enough wood to build a coop door and a little shelter/platform inside the coop. It's not fancy but our priorities are that it be predator-proof and keeps the hens happy.

The coop is 119 sq. ft. for 6-8 hens. Excuse my lack of Sketchup skills, ya'll know Sketchup and I are mortal enemies.

That hat-rack-looking thing in the back is actually a big mesquite branch, for roosting. I couldn't figure out how to draw branches so that's how it came out. It's big and thick and we can securely attach it to the sides of the coop. We smoothed out the branches and removed all thorns and rough spots.

The blue cylinder is a waterer, the yellow/gold one is a feeder. The two gray boxes on the ground are plastic 18L storage tubs with a opening cut in one side and ventilation holes around the top. Those will be our nest boxes. I've heard chickens like them.

In addition to the wooden platform we have a ladder, a swing, treat balls, some big rocks, etc., to make the coop interesting. It'll have a predator skirt, too.

The white/gray panels on the top and sides of the coop are actually just tarps but super-tough ones we call boat tarps. I know they won't last forever but they're a start and easily replaced when necessary. The gray side panel that goes all the way to the ground is a tarp for shade for the west side which gets intense sun. We also have four 16" ground anchors to keep the coop from being blown away by a micro burst.

Speaking of micro bursts, we've had several. We also get hard sideways rains during the monsoons. Those can go on for a while. Fortunately the coop will have good drainage where it sits.

Is this going to be enough shelter during the monsoons? The hens can always run under the platform. I've seen open-plan desert coop designs without a hen house before, but I don't know if they get extreme weather.

Many people have the open air coop and run combination's because it can get so hot here. Mine don't sleep in the coop when it's hot. They prefer to sleep on top of the 2 extra large collapsible wire dog crates that I have in the run. I have board's laying on top of the crates. I use one of the crates for my chick grow-out pen, and the other one for if I have to break a broody or if a rooster need's a time out.