Arizona Chickens

[Gallo del Cielo]

Quote: Gosh, the mounds of feathers is very characteristic of what hawks do. The Cooper's here will hold the bird down and pluck feathers before feeding. I can always tell a Cooper's kill of a dove by the mounds of feathers. I suppose the dog could hold the bird down and do the same though. Generally, from what I've read and seen in the Predators and Pests section, dogs attacks tend to distribute the feathers everywhere. The damage to the back looks very much like what a person here in Tucson described to me when a Cooper's got into her Seabrights. Still though, your previous experience of seeing the pooch with blood on her muzzle would make her the prime suspect. Although, without seeing it in action, it's hard to know for sure.

 

[LarryPQ]

I'm in, I'm out. See ya!

 

[squeakyballs]

NOoooooOOOOOoo Laree! Don't leave!

 

[City farm]

When a hen goes broody how many eggs can she sit on? Bantam's
Does anyone have fertile quail eggs when my hens go broody??

 

[City farm]

BYC roadtrip, everyone?

Oh yeah count me in...

 

[LadyKotaDoria]

Thought I would share a shot of the garden, we use bird netting over PVC or we get nothing here because the darn birds destroy everything. No wind resistance with the netting so 1/2 inch PVC works well for us (unglued) Not as fancy as many but gets the job done for us. Bin in back is compost bin made of plastic pallets and boy do they work well.... Chainlink fence is to keep the pigs and hoards of cottontails out....

That looks great! I wonder if there's some type of big clear plastic "tarp" that could make it kind of like a greenhouse?? I'm looking for options to extend the growing season. Any thoughts?

Check out this sight:

I have bought from them for my garden. Home Depot is quite limited and not the best price for quality. I am using HD plastic 4mil sheeting and feel it dose not let as much light thru as the agricultural grade. There is also greenhouse grade, that is quite expensive, but is gives UV and rates transparency.

 

[City farm]

I'm sorry that happened.  Were the ripped out feathers everywhere or grouped together in piles on the ground?  Do I understand correctly that this happened to four birds today and they all survived?  You can definitely rule out coyote.  They grab and run with the bird and it wouldn't survive.  I would hesitate to suggest dog, just because dogs generally don't do that kind of damage.  But the only other predator that comes to mind is hawk.  I wonder if you might see this kind of damage from a smaller Cooper's hawk.  The chickens would outweigh it which might allow them to escape before too much damage is inflicted.  Do you see any evidence of muscle ripped from the back, or is it just skin ripped off?  Did your dog have access to them today?

From what I understand hawks go in for the kill and will tear your bird apart.. Then even come back for another when it gets hungry.. They
don't take the chicken up & off like a owl would.. Dogs that do not get to leave their castle can have more behavioral problems & want to
play or taste even eat.. And go in "again" when they know they can do it "again".. They are board.. Dogs are pack animals and would travel
on a daily basis if they could.. That is my 2 cents worth.. However we are just as guilty of not walking our pack in the summer.. I do see
more behavioral problems then.. So I will let them out in our front yard to use their nose to smell other dogs that have passed by.. Another
VERY IMPORTANT think that any breed of dog needs to do daily..

 

[LadyKotaDoria]

Yes one can use plastic sheeting, but in that case there would be allot of wind resistance and the first big monsoon or dust devil would likely destroy it with the 1/2 inch PVC frame so a much sturdier frame of say 1-1/2 PVC would be better. We use the thin stuff for the netting and it is on there even though almost invisible because it will flex with the wind and the netting offers little if any wind resistance so it blows right through. Have had a dust devil take a couple lengths apart, but we just snap them back together since we do not glue them. Also the whole setup cost less than 150.00 when we did it.... The netting is amazingly strong and lasts for years even in the AZ sun.

Like having room to stand fully when moving around inside...

 

Where did you get your netting? I am looking at a 25%, white ag. Shade cloth. It is UV protected and wind reduction on plants.

 

[City farm]

Before I built our greenhouse we used panels of concrete re-mesh (found at Home Depot near the concrete) bent into hoops and covered with plastic. They worked spectacularly well for us for years. I liked them because I could lift off the plastic and reach through the 6" squares to access the plants. If I really wanted to get at it I could lift off the entire panel. We never fastened them to the ground and we never had one blow away in the wind (which we do get here too). The plastic only lasts a year before the UV damage starts to make it crumble, but it's fairly cheap. Here is one of my rows of lettuces and celery from a couple years ago. [COLOR=005CB1] [/COLOR] Another option is to use electrical metal tube (EMT) conduit bent into a hoop shape. The hoops can be slipped over rebar driven into the ground. This is probably the most commonly used method for making row covers as it they are relatively permanent (UV will cause pvc to become brittle with a few seasons' exposure). The drawback to this method is you need to buy the hoop bender. If you had a lot of space to cover, it would probably be worth it in the long run.

Gallo you never seem to amaze us.. Everything you do looks so fabulous... Billam.. So sorry that you have to go threw this.. It is stressful.. I hope they all turn out ok... I did post what vetericyn does.. It is a lot.. Our family mountain bike's down some tough terrain.. DH has had some really nasty crashes with the scars to prove it, vetericyn is like a wonder ointment.. Hope to have a fire soon... Stay posted..

 

[LadyKotaDoria]

Making one of the T-frames into a green house. Using Home Depot clear plastic for this year. Each of the beds have PVC hoops that I can cover. They are not of my design. They are Ok, I can remove them when I do not need them if I wish.