Arizona Chickens

[Demosthine]

Quote:
The ash from oleander is not poisonous if it's burned properly and completely. However, the fumes resulting from the burning process are toxic and can cause respiratory problems, especially in an enclosed environment, therefore it is never recommended that it be burned.

There is a large debate going as to whether it is more environmentally friendly to burn excess waste, to compost it or to send it to the landfill. Burning the waste causes ash particles to become airborn, however, those particles are healthy for the environment once the land and become part of the ecosystem. It also causes the production of carbon dioxide (CO2), which is a major concern for the environmental community, because it aids in the alleged global warming. Composting also produces carbon dioxide, but if the pile becomes anaerobic as it does in the landfill, it also produces methane, which is far worse than carbon dioxide. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has implemented a large-scale, albeit voluntary, Landfill Methane Outreach Program to help fund the capture of these gases for productive use.

That's part of the reason I'm working on collecting the material to build a rocket stove. It has the highest combustion efficienty known to man and operates at extreme temperatures. Properly designed, the output is pure carbon dioxide (which plants require, so it shouldn't be that bad for the planet if we'd stop chopping down all the forests) and condensation. I want to build one on my back porch for winter heating and possibly cooking. Small twigs are the primary fuels.

 

[desertmarcy]

Thanks for all the comments about West vs. East in Tucson!

Besides wanting space and chickens, I like the idea of being able to do our own thing. We both ride road bikes, so I'd like to be able to ride out of my place on pavement, without being chased by dogs, and be able to ride not more than a couple of miles to get groceries~ I'll be retired by then, and he'll have to find work. He fixes computers as a mobile business. He wants to find a good gun club too, being a former Marine.

I make and sell jewelry online on Etsy, and we both are gamers, so we'd need fast internet.

I want to garden too! So I wouldn't like to be told I can't water my vegies, or wash my car, if that happens.

Sounds like West might be more our sort of place. I can't imagine driving an hour just to get to the freeway! Mt. Lemmon is more mountain than I can ride, but it sounds beautiful and I'd want to try. Really, an hour from one side to the other? Yikes!

It is not really all that far, it is all the traffic lights and traffic and ****speeding**** cameras that slow down progress, and with no east-west freeway, it can take time. Some days/times of day it is better, like early Sunday morning. If you want more rural area to raise animals but ALSO want paved roads, you will have to look harder. Where I live is all dirt. Around 0.5 to 0.6 mile to get to the pavement. A lot of the areas west of the Tucson Mts. (direction of the Desert Museum) are dirt as well.

 

[desertmarcy]

Ok, so I have a bit of a quandary. Someone on the ABF page mentioned wood ash isn't good for them to eat, but I seem to recall an article or two saying it's safe and has similar affects to DE. But now I can't find it.

I go back to my regular rules with chickens. They know more about their needs than we do. Ash contains a large amount of minerals, especially calcium carbonate. Minerals do not burn the same way the organic material does. They require higher temperatures, which is why bones and teeth remain after a body is burned.

I do want to stress, though, that we are talking about good, clean wood. Adding contaminates like newspaper and such changes things significantly!

Some of my hens dig amazingly big pits in my rocky soil. I filled the pits with wood ashes. They ate a lot of it, apparently, because the next couple of days, all the poop was very gray, almost black! Maybe because the ash was something new, they ate it, I don't know. But I didn't notice any harmful affects from it on any of the birds.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Quote: Oh. well, I suppose the question is what it was the ash of. I'd recommend avoiding ash from oleanders or other toxic plants/wood, but as long as the wood is not an issue when unburned, its ash shouldn't be, either.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

It could be the fact that SOOM woods contains by products that remain in some form in the ash that is toxic to chickens. I will have to look that up and see if there is anything on different trees that are toxic, such as Oleander
"Nerium
Nerium oleander is an evergreen shrub or small tree in the dogbane family Apocynaceae, toxic in all its parts. It is the only species currently classified in the genus Nerium. Wikipedia"

oleander smoke is toxic.

The yellow oleanders are also a nerium species, I think. No, equally toxic, but thevetia, not nerium. They are closely related.

 

[bcluff]

Hey everyone! So I thought i would give you all an update!! So ive started my junior year and boy has it been busy! My birds at home are doing pretty good in the heat! Luckily I havent lost one yet! But as for my flock of icelandics for the school project all i can say is its no good. We lost one to the heat. 4 to a hawk and 3 from getting out and becoming dehydrated. That leaves one. So heres my next thing! We are looking for two things. We want to either find someone who is hatching and buy eggs or get an incubator from someone who has one and hatch some ourselves! If you apply for either one of those let me know!! Thanks!

 

[redrocketrooster]

Hey everyone! So I thought i would give you all an update!! So ive started my junior year and boy has it been busy! My birds at home are doing pretty good in the heat! Luckily I havent lost one yet! But as for my flock of icelandics for the school project all i can say is its no good. We lost one to the heat. 4 to a hawk and 3 from getting out and becoming dehydrated. That leaves one. So heres my next thing! We are looking for two things. We want to either find someone who is hatching and buy eggs or get an incubator from someone who has one and hatch some ourselves! If you apply for either one of those let me know!! Thanks!

Im hatching again this month. Marans, orphintons,ameraucanas, silkies and surprises courtesy of Garys Farm.
Eggs will arrive monday. If you manage to makeit down here let me know.

 

[Sallyintucson]

I'm in Tucson. I have four pullets that are rapidly reaching egg laying age. I stopped using the waterer and just put out a large rubber dish (like you use for large livestock) filled with water along with some ice cubes. My birds are in and out of it all day. I had to teach them to get in the water. Just pick one up and set her feet in the water. She'll be all stressed for a minute or two and then Ahhhh..... they realize it's cooling them off. They enjoy frozen fruit and vegtables (half of a corn on the cob is a real treat) along with their regular feed. I've noticed that legumes (split peas, orange legumes but NO BEANS OR RICE) don't seem to overheat them as do grains. They get a yellow treat ball that get's half stuffed w/ legumes and dried fruit towards the end of the day when it's starting to cool off. It's a kick to watch!

 

[Sallyintucson]

Perhaps you should put wire over your chicken pen to keep the hawks away. That's my plan, anyway (though I confess I've been putting it off because of the heat) If you live in AZ you should know better about the water. Tisk Tisk.

 

[Sallyintucson]

I'm in Tucson. I have four pullets that are rapidly reaching egg laying age. I stopped using the waterer and just put out a large rubber dish (like you use for large livestock) filled with water along with some ice cubes. My birds are in and out of it all day. I had to teach them to get in the water. Just pick one up and set her feet in the water. She'll be all stressed for a minute or two and then Ahhhh..... they realize it's cooling them off. They enjoy frozen fruit and vegtables (half of a corn on the cob is a real treat) along with their regular feed. I've noticed that legumes (split peas, orange legumes but NO BEANS OR RICE) don't seem to overheat them as do grains. They get a yellow treat ball that get's half stuffed w/ legumes and dried fruit towards the end of the day when it's starting to cool off. It's a kick to watch!