Arizona Chickens

[City farm]

We love Tempe feed and tack.. I do believe there is a Mesa feed barn on b
Brodway & Mesa drive.. Not exactly sure.. They never seem to have to many breeds.. So I went to Pratt's in Glendale,
not to fond of the baby chicks.. A great selection, just make sure you have antibiotic on hand for the sick ones.. This is the 2nd time
we have received sick chicks from them.. A real bummer for someone just starting out with no knowledge.. I can not image my child's face when
they find it dead.. Glad I had some antibiotic on hand..

Would you mind going into detail? How did you know they were sick and what antibiotic to use? Did you give them to a broody or are you keeping them separate? How do you know they won't infect your flock? Sorry for all the questions! How are they doing now?? And what did you end up getting? Maybe I should just call you.

So stupid of me to not have held them & checked them out.. They guy was busy with like 3 other things talking to me in between each different thing.
They were getting ready to close & training another newbie. I asked for the best person to talk to about chickens.. I waited an extra 10 minutes for them.
We got welsumers, and jungle fowl.. 2 different chicks were in one bin. So they all looked different. I wanted to make sure he picked them out. As soon
as he got them he put them in the bag.. The patron is not allowed to go in after any of the chicks.. Ok, so I did hand him one little guy that had MAD
Pasty butt. The poor little thing was work'n hard to get it off. So when he told the newbie help to go get a wet wash cloth, I reached in after the little guy
& handed it to him.. He was trying to just pull it off.. Poor the little guy.. When I was looking in at them they seemed ok.. But as soon as I got them home
the welsumers were gasping for AIR.. Agh, I was so upset!!! I heard the snapping and when they stood their wings were out and low.. Upper respitory..
That was Saturday.. So if I did not have the medicine most feed stores are not open Sunday.. They would of not made it.. I did call them on Monday,
next time we talk I will tell you what was said..
So I had duramycin-10.. Added just a small pinch to their water. I did not think they would of made it threw the night.. But they were still alive and they
are getting better.. The jungle fowl were in a totally different area. They were fine and put those 2 under our Moma hen Cheryl.. She took them just fine..
I have kept an eye on them 3-5x or more a day.. I just wanted to add because the ones that hatched from our flock could be all boys, & the ones
from the mail did not progress, well maybe one.. We will know by friday..so I wanted to take a chance with a couple of extra chicks.. The 2 welsumers I
did separate.. I will put them under moma cheryl maybe Friday or sat.. The jungle fowl are suppose to be really smart.. They are better for a total
free range area.. Preditor proff.. We will see?? I do have them completely separated in the run.. I built a tractor for the backyard but use it in the run just
for a separation.. Since Cheryl can not see to good & is the lowest she might not protect the little ones?? All other broody's I just let them work it out..
It could be a bad idea that I have them separate ..

 

[City farm]

I found more cat poo in our front yard garden this weekend. I have now decided to add to the number of pot to grow from.. Durring the summer in the smaller pots I might do seasonal flowers.. Has anyone tried that? Happy spring to you too.. e

I do seasonal flowers. Small pots can be tricky, they heat up a lot in summer so locate them where they get morning sun and afternoon shade if possible. Portulacas or moss rose are stunning all summer long, I don't even plant anything else during summer anymore for color.

Yes do post photos..

"Inside" part of coop under patio. Lattice, wardware wire and shade cloth make up the outside wall for maximum ventilation and shade. There is a large tree on the other side of the outer wall for more shade. "Outside" part of the coop with the run on the right behind the gate to keep the dogs and tortoise away from the chickens. You can see the green netting over the run near the top of the gate. Looking down the run from just inside the gate the coop is on the left, pallet composters back right, chicken sand box left of the other gate. The run is about 16X 35 feet and is the entire side yard. Green netting is visible. Closer view of south end of run. My DH wanted this end of the run cover removable so he used welded wire and pvc supports which are easier to take down for temporary access, or so he says. View from the other side shows where the netting is attached to the house with small loops and agro line. Netting and agro line are from American Nettings. They had the best selection and prices on UV resistant nettings. We didn't want to have to replace netting every year from UV degradation. . The girls getting used to their new run. Prior to this day they only had a small 6x6 covered area so this took a bit of getting used to. It took a couple of hours before they were brave enough to venture into the length of the run, and run they did! For the first time they actually did get to run and it was great fun to watch them with their new freedom. Now with the large covered run they get to free range more and they are as safe as we could make them. The predators can pick on the neighbors' chickens and leave mine alone.

Hey guys, What's the best feed store in the Tempe / Phoenix/ Scottsdale area? Our local Scottsdale Livestock has a few chicken things but it's not their specialty. Thanks!

Tempe Feed and Tack on University between Mill and Priest. They don't carry chicks but have a good variety of feeders, waterers, and have non-gmo, conventional and organic feeds for most species of animals. Their employees are always helpful and the owners will special order items if you need something they don't have.

What a great area... Looks like a orange tree by the walk way? YES to Tempe feed and tack.. They are awesome.. When we did our first hatch they posted up chicks for sale.. I think I only asked $2. But really gave most of them away..

 

[primaknits]

Ended up going to Amado for a new plastic waterer for the ladies, ended up with 3 peeps and more baby food! ha! My daughter picked out one Rhode Island Red, one Red Sex link and one Gold laced Wyandotte. Wife gave me the look...I told her it was my daughters deal. *snicker
The wind picked up on Sunday, something fierce. Blew everything, everywhere. Now the pergola is coming loose and some boards are cracked. Going full carpenter here on the days off. Other than that, the kids are out of school (spring break), and we are Roasting a full chicken (Beer Can Chicken) and enjoying some great Hefe-weissbier. Yup, springs here, all is well. So glad all of you are doing great.

Ha! It would be my husband that would give me "the look". I had been staying clear of Amado feed because there was an employee who has always been grumpy and rude to us, but I heard that he no longer works there so we will probably make a visit sometime soon. What breeds did they have when you went? That windy day was insane. My husband wanted to do outdoor work and he just gave up on it. Speaking of Hefe-weissbier, is that bought or brewed? My husband home brews and we feed the spent grain to our chickens. I used to give some of it to a friend who had goats because we had so much, but she has since moved to Sahuarita.

CHICK ORDER ARRIVING TOMORROW!!

*runs around like a chicken with its head cut off*

YAY!!! Can't wait to get an update!


I have had my new chicks from Meyer for 2 weeks now. I need to take some pictures again sometime today. I forgot how quickly they grow! I am going to have a credit for the 2 chicks I lost with Meyer. I still need to call them back and decide what I want to do. Not sure if I just want them to credit the money back to me, or get more chicks a bit later in the year. More chicks always seems like the right answer but we still need to build an addition onto our current coop for the 15 chicks I have in my garage. I've been hoping to get a good price on a used shed off of the Tucson craigslist but most of them are sold very quickly or are way too big for us to get back down to Rio Rico. I can always have my husband build something as he is very handy, but I was just hoping to save him a bit of work this time around.

 

[rockmissjess]

So at 7:18 this morning i got a text message from my mail lady "penny" as she said you have baby chicks here would you like to come get them? so i responded yes ill be there soon...she said please come to the back carrier door when u get here... hurry hopped outta bed opened my kids room door "get dressed they are here!" so we jumped in the car went to the carrier back door (as we were told) and got them hurried them into the warm car and brought them home... when we opened the box i was very happy to find 5 "HEALTHY" chicks.. all present and accounted for! What a GREAT pleasent experiance!! i will post the video of it shortly... in the chickensforbackyards.com experiance thread

 

[Demosthine]

Just out of curiosity I checked all the feed stores, Lowes, Home Depot and any other suppliers of watering supplies and there's not one of these stores up here that carries any kind of nipple waterers. They all told me it's because they don't do well in our winter freezing temperatures, pipes all freeze. Only in the valley where it's warm all the time.

While true to a certain extent that pipes freeze in the colder weather, there are ample ways to eliminate this problem. Remember, most big box stores like that cater to the stupid and uninformed, so the little bit of creativity is beyond them. It saves them the hassle of unnecessary returns.

You can...
- Use the five-gallon bucket method and place a smaller electric heater inside to keep it above freezing. Any submersible heater will work. Pet bowl heater, aquarium heater, coffee cup heater if you have a smaller bucket, etc. There are some solar varieties that claim to work at anything above about 18*.
- They make a wrap-on pipe heating tape that you simple plug in and wrap around the pipe candy-cane style. They are reasonably expensive at about $10 per foot. You can wrap both the bucket or pipes in this stuff. Amazon has a few varieties and they claim to work above -50*.
- Ensure the bucket is painted black and in a very sunny area. It should warm considerably during the day and not freeze overnight. If you have an extended freeze, this may not work, but for a majority of Arizona, I would think it would suffice.
- Put a small circulating pump inside. Moving water like that is much, much less likely to freeze.

 

[primaknits]

Here are my 15 at about 2 weeks of age. I bought the white/brown/rare assortments from Meyer (along with a splash maran, copper maran, and a blue ameracauna males but I also had 3 deaths in the first couple days and wasn't sure of what breeds passed) and have some ideas as to what some of the breeds are.


Splash Maran



Buff Laced Polish



White Cochin



Ameracauna? It has puffy cheeks and black legs.


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? This one has darker legs than the other ones pictured above or below.


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[pipemum]

prima, the reddish ones with bright yellow legs are Rhode Island reds. No ideas on the others! Should be an interesting mix of chickens and eggs!

 

[rockmissjess]

Of all my new chicks the barred rock is the one who is always coming to investigate on jump in my hand.. how cute!!!

 

[rockmissjess]

Here are my 15 at about 2 weeks of age. I bought the white/brown/rare assortments from Meyer (along with a splash maran, copper maran, and a blue ameracauna males but I also had 3 deaths in the first couple days and wasn't sure of what breeds passed) and have some ideas as to what some of the breeds are.


?


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? This one has darker legs than the other ones pictured above or below.


?


?

That orange red one is just gorgeous!

 

[pollo disco]

Ha! It would be my husband that would give me "the look". I had been staying clear of Amado feed because there was an employee who has always been grumpy and rude to us, but I heard that he no longer works there so we will probably make a visit sometime soon. What breeds did they have when you went? That windy day was insane. My husband wanted to do outdoor work and he just gave up on it. Speaking of Hefe-weissbier, is that bought or brewed? My husband home brews and we feed the spent grain to our chickens. I used to give some of it to a friend who had goats because we had so much, but she has since moved to Sahuarita.

YAY!!! Can't wait to get an update!

Well, I kinda don't like the one owner. Kinda sarcastic and not very helpful. I would use another feed store, but none close. Ace Hardware in Nogales said they might start carrying chicken and hobby farm stuff. So we will see. I guess Amado used Privett Hatchery? Rhode Island Reds, Barred Rocks, Wyandottes, and Red Sex Links. But this was an early bunch, I bet closer to Easter, many more will be coming. It would be nice to actually get some people close to me together when buying supplies and chicks, but no avail.... As for the beer, never had a chance for some home brew. Sounds good. Have to try it sometime.