Arizona Chickens

[Lpsouth1978]

We got 30 chicks almost 2 weeks ago and are currently keeping them in the house. I am hoping all you Arizona chicken keepers can help me out a bit. At what age do you think the chicks can be moved outside? As I'm sure you can imagine, 30 chicks get stinky fast, and they will soon be able to jump out of the large brooder pen we have them in. The coop is open air with PLENTY of ventilation, but outside temps are @ 95-100+ for foreseeable future. The coop and run are well shaded, no direct sunlight gets into the coop, and there is a misting system installed around the perimeter of the coop. The misters turn on several times a day and help to keep the area cool.

I am worried that the chicks won't be able to cope with the high temps despite the efforts we have made to keep the are cool. What do you all suggest?

 

[BlueBaby]

We got 30 chicks almost 2 weeks ago and are currently keeping them in the house. I am hoping all you Arizona chicken keepers can help me out a bit. At what age do you think the chicks can be moved outside? As I'm sure you can imagine, 30 chicks get stinky fast, and they will soon be able to jump out of the large brooder pen we have them in. The coop is open air with PLENTY of ventilation, but outside temps are @ 95-100+ for foreseeable future. The coop and run are well shaded, no direct sunlight gets into the coop, and there is a misting system installed around the perimeter of the coop. The misters turn on several times a day and help to keep the area cool.

I am worried that the chicks won't be able to cope with the high temps despite the efforts we have made to keep the are cool. What do you all suggest?

With these summer Temps now, the sooner you get them outside and used to the Temps out there the better. It will be better then taking them from your house that may have the inside temp of 70 or 80, and then throwing them out in Temps that are 110. Make sure that the waterer never runs dry to help keep them hydrated.

 

[Happy Novogens]

One of my hens just caught a snake and ate it like a noodle!!! Hope that's ok. It was about pencil thickness but about 18" long!
The others were chasing her but she held on and kept slurping it up.

 

[BlueBaby]

One of my hens just caught a snake and ate it like a noodle!!! Hope that's ok. It was about pencil thickness but about 18" long!
The others were chasing her but she held on and kept slurping it up.

That's kind of long. I hope that she doesn't end up with an impacted crop from swallowing the whole snake. Do you happen to know what type of snake that it was?

 

[Happy Novogens]

That's what was going through my mind as she was running around. No way could I have caught her. She's acting normal at the moment. What should I lookout for?

Couldn't tell what kind of snake.

 

[BlueBaby]

That's what was going through my mind as she was running around. No way could I have caught her. She's acting normal at the moment. What should I lookout for?

If she starts acting like she's trying to adjust her crop. You could also grab her off the roosting bar after she goes to roost for the night so that you can check on her crop.

 

[Happy Novogens]

If she starts acting like she's trying to adjust her crop. You could also grab her off the roosting bar after she goes to roost for the night so that you can check on her crop.

What do I look for?

 

[BlueBaby]

What do I look for?

See if it's hard or soft. Then check it again in the morning to see if it has emptied out any. Have you ever seen the skeleton of a snake before? There are tons of bones going down the whole length of it from head to tail.

 

[Happy Novogens]

See if it's hard or soft. Then check it again in the morning to see if it has emptied out any. Have you ever seen the skeleton of a snake before? There are tons of bones going down the whole length of it from head to tail.

Gotcha. I can do that.

We've eaten rattlesnake, so yeah.

I tried to catch on video (where I got photo). It isn't real clear but my son (biology professor) guesses it might be a patch-nosed snake.

 

[BlueBaby]

Gotcha. I can do that.

We've eaten rattlesnake, so yeah.

I tried to catch on video (where I got photo). It isn't real clear but my son (biology professor) guesses it might be a patch-nosed snake.

If you have any problem with it, ask over in the emergency er section. Maybe someone else has had it happen to them before and can tell you how they handled it. Good luck with your hen.