Arizona Chickens

[MaddBaggins]

On the subject of grass, I do not approve of the waste of so much water on something completely unnecessary. I'm offended at how much water goes to golf courses and fake lakes and grass around office buildings.
The first thing I did when I bought my house was shave off the grass in the front yard and plant cactus and rocks. My backyard is dirt and some low water use desert plants.
Not trying to start an argument, it's just my opinion that maintaining green grass has no place in this environment.

 

[Billiam]

The first thing I did when I bought my house was shave off the grass in the front yard and plant cactus and rocks.

How big have your rocks grown?

 

[GreatWhiteAfro]

My coop is so much quieter now that my RSL is gone! I must have lucked out with my EE's cause they are quiet, and my sweet BA's, I can't wait for them to start laying. The RSL I rehomed today started laying today, I found a small odd shaped egg with a thin shell where she lays in the run. Ohh well, no more noisey bird!!!!!!!

 

[MaddBaggins]

How big have your rocks grown?

They're pretty slow growing. Extremely low water use, so the growth rate is to be expected.

 

[cbnovick]

Hey AZ chicken keepers!

I had no idea this thread was on BYC. I live in downtown PHX. My 4 chicks are just now 3 months old. They've been outside for about 6 weeks. I'm worried sick about this heat.
I've been putting out frozen milk bottles for them for several weeks, every day. We put a box fan out for them a couple days ago as well. Their run is well shaded and only gets sun for about an hour. There are oleanders they have access to, but I haven't noticed them eating it. When they first moved outside they tried to eat some dropped flowers, but they spit them back out quickly. This kinda gave me some re-assurance.
Today my white leghorn has been VERY lethargic. She could hardly keep her eyes open and wasn't active like the other girls. I moved her inside around 11 AM. I went to Western Ranchman to get some advise/meds. I came home with only a couple packets of electrolytes and a book on chicken health. I finally got her to eat some mash with yogurt. She won't touch a slice of water mellon or drink water. I put some electrolytes in the water for everyone. The girls outside seem to be doing OK. The lady at the feed store cautioned me about moving her inside. She said that going back and forth between temperatures isn't good. I just had a strong feeling that she wasn't going to make it out there all day. Should I move her back tonight? keep her in the house tomorrow (118 degrees has me very concerned).

Any advise?

Perhaps you could dunk her just up to her head in a bucket of cool water if she looks like she's getting heat exhaustion and place her back into her shaded coop and check on her to see if she's stabilizing. You will notice that chickens will really slow down some in big heat...and they won't eat much sometimes since that raises body temp.

 

[kacklinkelly]

Hey all,
Remember the person who had her chickens "rescued" while she was on vacation? Well, she's still on vacation so I thought I should update you for her.
The landlady had her chickens. She had stolen them! Unbelievable!
She finally turned them over after threats of media and law enforcement involvement. The chickens are with a friend until she returns.

UNBELIEVABLE!

i need to make some money!! Do any of you guys have ideas?? My chickens seem to eat my money.And lets just say that my 16 year old boy salary cannot handle it

I have supported many efforts that some young people in my neighborhood knocked on my door about. One offered to pick weeds in an effort to make money for a certain type of
cell phone he wanted. I have paid for someone to wash my vehicle. I even buy the candy off the kids that are selling it for who knows what reason. I think if you come up with a
plan that works for you and let people you know hear about how you want to independently handle the expense, you will likely be supported. Also, bringing along a few pix of your
chicks and maybe a dozen eggs or so might help as well. (only if you are allowed to have chickens in your area though - otherwise you may end up with the problem in the post above)


On the same note as Demo- One other thing that I do to recycle/reuse is that I use shredded paper for nesting material. Just make sure there are no staples or anything other than paper going in. It's all I use.

 

[kacklinkelly]

Hey AZ chicken keepers!

I had no idea this thread was on BYC. I live in downtown PHX. My 4 chicks are just now 3 months old. They've been outside for about 6 weeks. I'm worried sick about this heat.
I've been putting out frozen milk bottles for them for several weeks, every day. We put a box fan out for them a couple days ago as well. Their run is well shaded and only gets sun for about an hour. There are oleanders they have access to, but I haven't noticed them eating it. When they first moved outside they tried to eat some dropped flowers, but they spit them back out quickly. This kinda gave me some re-assurance.
Today my white leghorn has been VERY lethargic. She could hardly keep her eyes open and wasn't active like the other girls. I moved her inside around 11 AM. I went to Western Ranchman to get some advise/meds. I came home with only a couple packets of electrolytes and a book on chicken health. I finally got her to eat some mash with yogurt. She won't touch a slice of water mellon or drink water. I put some electrolytes in the water for everyone. The girls outside seem to be doing OK. The lady at the feed store cautioned me about moving her inside. She said that going back and forth between temperatures isn't good. I just had a strong feeling that she wasn't going to make it out there all day. Should I move her back tonight? keep her in the house tomorrow (118 degrees has me very concerned).

Any advise?

I apologize in advance if I sound callused. Some people buy extra chicks to account for the possible roo. I buy an extra chick or two to account for loss. It's just been my experience.
There are some birds that are not as robust as the rest. As challenging as it may be. I enjoy our chickens to no end. However, I am practical in my raising of them. I do not want
them to be reliant on artificial means of managing our weather extremes. I suppose it comes from having a husband that used to work construction. He found it ironic that he was out working in triple digit weather while our pets were laying in an air conditioned home. Helps me keep some perspective when the crazy chicken lady part of me wants to take over

. (I made Christmas hats for my chickens after seeing someone else's photos and thought it was a great idea) As always, each one of us does what we think is best so it's all up to you. p.s. when one of my chicks was showing signs of distress, someone told me that cilantro is a natural detoxifier (sp?). I got some and offered it to the chicks for a while. Didn't help the sick one, but my others love it. I give it to them every once in a while as an added boost. Wishing the best to your little one.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Quote: LOL! Can't legally shoot in city limits, though.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Quote: The lighter one looks a lot like desert mallow to me, but I really cannot tell without seeing a closeup.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Hey AZ chicken keepers!

I had no idea this thread was on BYC. I live in downtown PHX. My 4 chicks are just now 3 months old. They've been outside for about 6 weeks. I'm worried sick about this heat.
I've been putting out frozen milk bottles for them for several weeks, every day. We put a box fan out for them a couple days ago as well. Their run is well shaded and only gets sun for about an hour. There are oleanders they have access to, but I haven't noticed them eating it. When they first moved outside they tried to eat some dropped flowers, but they spit them back out quickly. This kinda gave me some re-assurance.
Today my white leghorn has been VERY lethargic. She could hardly keep her eyes open and wasn't active like the other girls. I moved her inside around 11 AM. I went to Western Ranchman to get some advise/meds. I came home with only a couple packets of electrolytes and a book on chicken health. I finally got her to eat some mash with yogurt. She won't touch a slice of water mellon or drink water. I put some electrolytes in the water for everyone. The girls outside seem to be doing OK. The lady at the feed store cautioned me about moving her inside. She said that going back and forth between temperatures isn't good. I just had a strong feeling that she wasn't going to make it out there all day. Should I move her back tonight? keep her in the house tomorrow (118 degrees has me very concerned).

Any advise?

If she is already having issues, keep her inside. Yes, extreme change isn;t really good, but 118 is also very much NOT good. In my experience chickens dislike the taste of electrolytes intended for them, and they will avoid drinking the water to which they have been added. Gatorade works just equally well, and they will actually drink it. There are a lot of things that can cause lethargy, b ut the heat is certainly one. Since you only have 4 birds, I would recommend that you bring them ALL inside where it is cooler for the next few days.