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^ Any reply with a Top Gun reference is tops in my book. The hot weather and wind makes for interesting days indeed. As for watering, I have been using my galvanized backyard chicken pail (Amazon) with 1 gallon filled everyday. I use 2 - 1qt. plastic waterers with ice water and acv added. The ladies usually just lay down during mid day under the coop in the run. Taking dirt baths and drinking water. By late afternoon, they are up and looking for treats as well as singing and clucking. My only male in the bunch (Rio Grande Turkey Tom) which is named Gravy is usually the first to spot me in the yard and start singing and struting. I have limited scratch feeding while it is sooooo hot. And I cut the feed in the troughs to less than half full. Just wasted feed. I came home yesterday to find giant red ants all over the run making off with the feed. Interesting enough, the birds do not eat the ants! WTH is with that? They love spiders and crickets/grasshoppers. But the ants were left alone. So I dusted the edges of the run with DE and then followed the ants back through the desert to the mound and Ortho'd the whole thing. Looks good today. No ants seen moving around. Anyone know when these chicks from Easter should start laying? Anxious and waiting...
cool.png
 
pollo disco said:
^ Any reply with a Top Gun reference is tops in my book. The hot weather and wind makes for interesting days indeed. As for watering, I have been using my galvanized backyard chicken pail (Amazon) with 1 gallon filled everyday. I use 2 - 1qt. plastic waterers with ice water and acv added. The ladies usually just lay down during mid day under the coop in the run. Taking dirt baths and drinking water. By late afternoon, they are up and looking for treats as well as singing and clucking. My only male in the bunch (Rio Grande Turkey Tom) which is named Gravy is usually the first to spot me in the yard and start singing and struting. I have limited scratch feeding while it is sooooo hot. And I cut the feed in the troughs to less than half full. Just wasted feed. I came home yesterday to find giant red ants all over the run making off with the feed. Interesting enough, the birds do not eat the ants! WTH is with that? They love spiders and crickets/grasshoppers. But the ants were left alone. So I dusted the edges of the run with DE and then followed the ants back through the desert to the mound and Ortho'd the whole thing. Looks good today. No ants seen moving around. Anyone know when these chicks from Easter should start laying? Anxious and waiting...
cool.png
Click to expand...

From my limited understanding, most chickens won't eat ants because of the formic acid. Depending on the breed of ants, they will either spray or inject the formic acid, which is supposedly strongly disliked by chickens. I know there are a lot of people that have complained about this since I joined the Forum. At the same time, some of the replies were quite the opposite. I haven't had any major problems with ants, so I have no idea how my flock reacts to them. Maybe mine are just taking care of the problem before I know about it... ;-) Now, I have read that you can train the ants to eat them and they ultimately enjoy them. You "hand feed" them to your girls like treats. I have no idea how long or how often, but it's supposed to work. Oh, and once they find the area under the ant hill, I guess they destroy it trying to get all the goodies inside.
 
BY Chicken Lady said:
Thats cool, I would have never thought of trying that. 20 out of 36 is nothing to sneeze at, I think its pretty good considering all those eggs have been through. I gotta go find that thread.
Click to expand...


Just remember if you try it to check the Julian dates on the carton, as anything over a week is no good to even try.
 
I was wondering of the Formic acid deal myself. Makes sense. Thanks! As for other predators here in the border area, my neighbors dogs take care of that problem. Big dogs that enjoy my kids and chickens! My own little guards here at the casa.
 
I'm selling off or butchering my hatchery Barred Rocks and Delawares. I need to make room for my heritage birds. If anybody is interested in these, PM me. The Barred Rocks came from hatching eggs, the seller said their breeders were Cackle Hatchery stock. I have 7 hens that were all laying this spring and some are still laying, although not as much in this heat. They lay large to extra large eggs. They are 2 years 4 months old. All are in good feather except one, which has a bare spot on her back from breeding. The Delawares were from hatching eggs also, and are the same age as the Barred Rocks. I don't know their origin, but they are mostly white and don't have nice Delaware markings, but they are excellent foragers and lay large eggs as well. These are the birds I take out of the pen for hunt and destroy missions for roaches under the feed bins. I have 3 of these left. I might keep one Delaware, haven't decided yet. All these birds have been raised on organic feed, so will make nice organic stewing hens if no one wants older layers. PM me about that, too, I will sell them processed as well as live. Although, I don't know about your particular situation, these birds have already proven themselves to be able to take the Arizona heat here.
Here are some photos I just took.


 

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