Arizona Chickens

[Mama Hen Chris]

Ya! Sure, chickens are not pets........

. What do you think 1900 farmer would think of us? Dogs were once outside only animal. They are such pets, loved and cared for, eat 100% better then typical chickens of 100 yrs ago.... 50 years ago....

I think my grandparents would have thought I was nuts. I lived right across from their pasture. My grandparents had a huge farm and my grandfather was a butcher. We drank milk warm from the cow and had fresh beef, chicken and whatever else he butchered.

We do baby our animals don't we? Still too chilly to put the little ones out but the big girls outside have no problem with this weather. Good thing my kids are grown and out of the house. Our other spare bedroom we just started to grow fodder last Saturday.









Taken yesterday (Friday)

 

[desertmarcy]

I think my grandparents would have thought I was nuts. I lived right across from their pasture. My grandparents had a huge farm and my grandfather was a butcher. We drank milk warm from the cow and had fresh beef, chicken and whatever else he butchered.

We do baby our animals don't we? Still too chilly to put the little ones out but the big girls outside have no problem with this weather. Good thing my kids are grown and out of the house. Our other spare bedroom we just started to grow fodder last Saturday.









Taken yesterday (Friday)

Really nice set up.

 

[countrygirl74]

Brrrrr here too! It was about 10! Supposed to drop to 5 sometime over the weekend. Lots of extra straw for the chickens, ducks, and dogs - and nice warm oatmeal breakfasts - spoiled pets.

 

[MagicChicken]

Quote:
Brooder is basically a 4' x 4' plywood box with a plywood lid that lifts up for access to the inside. It sits directly on the ground. No floor. I'll be putting in a layer of sand and then a layer of bedding material. It's about 28" high in front and 32" high in back. It has an access door on the back that is screened with hardware cloth for ventilation and has a plywood outer "storm" door if it needs to be enclosed. The brooder has no insulation. I don't have sand or bedding in it yet. I've got a wireless max/min thermometer under the heat lamp. It's currently reading 95 degrees at chick level - and I have had the ventilation door OPEN since 8:00 this morning. It didn't go below 85 degrees under the heat lamp last night, when it got down to 19 here. I'm using a 250 watt indoor/outdoor infrared heat lamp. That bulb is way too hot for normal use in this setup but I'm encouraged that it would keep chicks toasty in these extreme-for-here temperatures. There is plenty of room for them to move away from the heat lamp if necessary.

My 50 watt Sweeter Heater arrived yesterday. I'm thinking that will be the primary heat source. I can supplement with the heat lamp on cold nights - maybe on a thermostat. I'm also considering a second screened area in the front for more cross-ventilation and light. Will post pics once I've finished tweaking the design. I "borrowed" the basic plan from someone who's not on this forum.

Now I'm shopping for lower-wattage heat bulbs. Don't want the little beasts to fry when the temps go back to normal. Not sure when they are going to arrive. Sometime between now and the end of February...

 

[maryhysong]

Brooder is basically a 4' x 4' plywood box with a plywood lid that lifts up for access to the inside. It sits directly on the ground. No floor. I'll be putting in a layer of sand and then a layer of bedding material. It's about 28" high in front and 32" high in back. It has an access door on the back that is screened with hardware cloth for ventilation and has a plywood outer "storm" door if it needs to be enclosed. The brooder has no insulation. I don't have sand or bedding in it yet. I've got a wireless max/min thermometer under the heat lamp. It's currently reading 95 degrees at chick level - and I have had the ventilation door OPEN since 8:00 this morning. It didn't go below 85 degrees under the heat lamp last night, when it got down to 19 here. I'm using a 250 watt indoor/outdoor infrared heat lamp. That bulb is way too hot for normal use in this setup but I'm encouraged that it would keep chicks toasty in these extreme-for-here temperatures. There is plenty of room for them to move away from the heat lamp if necessary.

My 50 watt Sweeter Heater arrived yesterday. I'm thinking that will be the primary heat source. I can supplement with the heat lamp on cold nights - maybe on a thermostat. I'm also considering a second screened area in the front for more cross-ventilation and light. Will post pics once I've finished tweaking the design. I "borrowed" the basic plan from someone who's not on this forum.

Now I'm shopping for lower-wattage heat bulbs. Don't want the little beasts to fry when the temps go back to normal. Not sure when they are going to arrive. Sometime between now and the end of February...

This sounds somewhat like what I have in mind for the future, but would be set inside a hoop coop, covered with plastic in winter, to keep off rain and wind. But I'm thinking of dividing into two sections. One area closed in with the heat lamp, with one side not going all the way to bottom, just open across the bottom, then the next section would have their food and water and could have a door so when they are bigger could open that and they could go out into the coop area at least in the day time. And I have an old long skinny window that I'm thinking of using for one side so I could see in to check on them without having to open up the top

 

[LadyKotaDoria]

Brrrrr here too! It was about 10! Supposed to drop to 5 sometime over the weekend. Lots of extra straw for the chickens, ducks, and dogs - and nice warm oatmeal breakfasts - spoiled pets.

Mine will have oatmeal tomorrow morning, this morning they had left over (still warm) grits, with cheese, white corn meal, spirinkled with flax seed, rye brain, sesame seeds, with squash on the side. We are so tearable....... They are so happy

 

[MagicChicken]

Quote:
This brooder did fine outside in the rain on Thursday. Didn't leak at all. The top is a 4' x 4' piece of 15/32" plywood with some 2x4's underneath to hold the top against the inside edge of the frame and keep the top from warping too much. There are no seams in the top to leak. And all the plywood seams on the sides are against framing materials, so nothing leaked into the inside of the brooder around the sides even though I haven't caulked the seams yet. This brooder would work well in a hoop coop, but moving it in and out would be "interesting"!

I put a chick-sized pop door in it. Figured I'd attach an enclosed run later.

If you angle the heat lamp it throws a gradient of heat so the chicks can choose a comfortable temperature. It doesn't heat the space so much as it heats what's in the beam of the lamp. That's why the temp maintains so well under the heat lamp even though the storm door is open. But I would hesitate to use this heat lamp in a smaller space. The birds wouldn't have room to get away from the heat if they needed to. If they were being raised by a broody they'd be running around in the cold, and would pop under her as needed to warm up. I'm hoping the Sweeter Heater will function as an artificial hen and the heat lamp will warm the path to the water and food when it's really cold out. We'll see.

 

[City farm]

Gallo del Cielo has been helping me build my coop! He was over this morning working on the roof. Here are a few progress pics: It is 12' long, 5'7 wide, and just over 6' tall. The beams add an additional 8" of height. The inspiration is the Bluegrass Coop When it is complete we will have to throw a Tucson Coop Party with Gallo as the guest of honor.

very nice... . PARTY? Oh yeah that's what we're talking about... Good reason to have one...

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Quote: She hatched last New Years so she is just over a year old. Didn't start laying until she was 9 months. First few months of eggs were wonderful. Small, hard shelled and VERY DARK. Then as the eggs started getting bigger, they were fewer and farther in between and now SOFT.
Give her some Nekton MSA. You will have to order it online or get it at a bird store. Regular pet stores and feed stores won't have it, but it works wonders.

 

[City farm]

a few pics... My 10 year old daughter went for a hike with me up the mountain this afternoon.... She's into "Pink" My egg skelter. Wish my marans would lay decent eggs. She has a problem with soft shells. (Eggs with the staples... pancake syrup, butter, jam, peanut butter and the shakers) My Blue Wheaten Ameraucana, "Geoffrey III". He is a real looker and a big boy, but he hasn't started crowing, nor have I seen him get jiggy with any of the hens yet. He hatched at Easter from a very blue egg. My polish juvies with a Dellie, a BSL, PWLH and a RIR. Wish I could tell which ones are roos.

Yes he is gorgeous roo..