Arizona Chickens

[Sill]

Alright, my tiny silkie mix is really getting beat up by the hens. The black copper marans, formerly the most boring, uninteresting bird EVER is now the biggest, most cruel bully. She's going after everyone, including the barred rocks, who have always been the bossy ones. How much time should I give these hens to work out their issues? It's been a week since the silkie mix has been reintegrated into the big coop. The marans is a great layer, but I've never been impressed by her personality and wouldn't mind replacing her.

The EE finally started laying again after her puncture injury on her foot. First egg was a little golf ball. My husband put it in the fridge, but not in a carton, and when I picked it up to put in the carton, the thin weird eggshell broke and egg everywhere. Fun to clean up. Second egg was still weird and thin and small. Hoping her eggs get back to normal soon.

Glad she is laying again. I'm sure her eggs will normalize soon.

Mine were reluctant to jump in the kiddie pool for some reason. Even when the water was just an inch deep. But they love the big, shallow water pans. I think maybe the sides of the kiddie pools are just too high and kind of intimidates them to jump down into it? I'm going to try getting one this year and cutting a few lower "entry points" that are just a couple inches high. Maybe edge it with some duct tape to make it more stable and also a little "grippy" for them to perch on.

Here are the "big" pans they sell locally for about $7 that my chickens love to wade in:

http://www.coastalfarm.com/product.cfm?pid=527&ifcn=3&page=gateway&fbx=true

They love to walk through or stand in these. Poop all over them, however. Gross. So I also have a 5-gallon waterer that they can't wade in. LOL.

I think it just takes one to learn they can do it, then even the "scary" kiddie pool is OK. Those pans look very durable. That is the one think I hate about kiddie pools, they usually only last one or two seasons.

So I asked before....no one with brahmas? My 2.5 month old chicks are already hot, in the shade, in damp dust bath areas. It can't be more than 85 degrees in the chicken area. I think it's their super feathered feet that keeps them hot. I'll start leaving out pans of water for them to stand in. Maybe I can set up a mister for them, but I've had so many irrigation disasters that it seems like one more thing that can go wrong!

I'm seriously loving that the chickens are out of the garden! The $100 on the fence to keep them out was the best money spent on chickens so far!!!!!! My tiny grass lawn is finally starting to fill in, my flower beds are looking great, my veggies are actually growing. I love it. Huge issue is still the flies. They are out of control. Those fly bags capture thousands, but man, they stink so much and the flies are horrendous and the situation is bad. It's so depressing because I can't enjoy my created patch of heaven and I feel like I'm keeping a filthy yard (it's not at all). Before it gets too hot, I'd like to have family and friends over for a bbq, but I'm too embarrassed about the fly situation--it's really that bad. They do seem limited to the garden and chicken area, at least my house and the rest of the yard aren't overrun. I'll have to order some of the fly larvae parasite stuff asap.

I wonder if citronella torches and candles would help keep flies at bay during your BBQ? I'm sure the food would attract them.
Maybe one of those mister fans that Home Depot sells? They are up on a stand and between the mist and the fan they might keep them away from the zone they are being used in. It would be worth trying a couple of things and doing a dry run with them. Have your own dinner outside while using something to ward off the flies and see if any of them work. If nothing else you could schedule your BBQ for after dark.

 

[MMSculpture]

As long as the water is not too deep. Mine don't like to get their feathers wet. You might have to show some of them that the water is safe to jump into.

ok. thanks. I might give it a try. i've had dogs - none right now - but they always loved a pool

 

[Mama Hen Chris]

ok. thanks. I might give it a try. i've had dogs - none right now - but they always loved a pool

This is my Buff Orpington Daphne. I put out this pan with water and ice in the morning during the summer and there is a line of gals waiting their turn. By the end of the day, the water is dirty. They love it so much, I have come home and found layed eggs in the water. I also have misters in their run on a timer. They all love to lay in the mist.

 

[a little chiken]

I wanted to mention to AZ folks, I have this HUGE Aloha Chicken baby boom due at the end of this month! Maybe as many as 150-175 chicks? I want to raise a huge group to replace my current breeding flock. But, 150 is a lot for even me to handle! If you might be interested in raising a batch of 15-25 chicks in exchange for returning one or two hens back to me (at 3-4 months old when the color starts to show) please send a PM. Chicks would be FREE in exchange for getting a hen or two back. Typically only one out of 10 hens really "pops" for me anyway!

I also have two really, really special breeder groups at my friend house in New River. These are extemely rare bloodlines!!!

One pen has a pair of Buff Sussex that I drove to California to get. Buff Sussex are super hard to find. These were pictured on the cover "BACKYARD POULTRY" MAGAZINE - Feb/March 2014:

http://www.naturalark.com/sussex.html

(Scroll to bottom of page to see magazine cover.) This breeder's Buff Sussex chicks are $15 each plus shipping!!!! And he has a minimum order. So it usually ends up costing about $100 just to get a handful of them. I have only one purebred Buff hen, so the pen also includes a few Speckled Sussex and a couple other hens.



I'm actually more interested in the crosses with the spotted hens, so any pure (non-spotted) Buff Sussex chicks out of the Buff hen would be all yours to keep.

Mostly interested in a good rooster from this pen, and maybe one hen? (Especially a spotty hen!)

I also have rare "Cinnamon Sussex" rooster over small Aloha hens! These chickens are rare because they care the DUN gene, which is usually only found in Seramas and Polish.



Here is the breeder's web site that I got the eggs from:

http://cinnamonsussex.blogspot.com/

He typically sells the hatching eggs for $50 to $60 per dozen. This is a really RARE color to find in other breeds. If you are into Ameraucanas or Black Orps or other breeds, you could use these Dun crosses to add this rare Dun color to your flock! I have two chicks hatched with the Dun color already, which is why I'm now willing to share in exchange for getting a hen or two back.



I have an incubator full of eggs from these two pens. 42 eggs from these pens in development! I've had a hard time getting these eggs (turns out the hens were EGG EATERS) so this is the first time I've had a full 'bator of these eggs since these pens were set up last September! (Finally!) So excited to see what hatches.

Now that I have some, if the girls keep laying for a couple more weeks, I am interested in seeing if any good BYC'ers out there would be interested in raising a very small group of chicks from either pen? I would like to raise these chicks apart from the others, so I can keep track of the bloodlines. I'm going to have a hard time doing that if I've got a huge group of 100 chicks growing out here! LOL.

Hens have not been laying that great, so would not be a lot of chicks. Perfect project for someone who can only handle raising 3-8 chicks at a time.

PM me if you want some fun and UNIQUE chicks to raise!

Aloha I am in Tucson but I am willing to add a new coop and raise some for you if you want. I would love to keep what you don't want back. I so love unusual breeds. I have mostly ameraucana and turken/ameraucana mix, and silkies and crested. I know very odd mix but we love them. Let me know if you want me to help out.

 

[Arizona Son]

Aloha I am in Tucson but I am willing to add a new coop and raise some for you if you want. I would love to keep what you don't want back. I so love unusual breeds. I have mostly ameraucana and turken/ameraucana mix, and silkies and crested. I know very odd mix but we love them. Let me know if you want me to help out.

I am just north of Tucson, and would also be interested in raising a batch of chicks, especially the ones fathered by that Cinamon Sussex roo! Would love to be able to keep a few of those for my own backyard menagerie. I am not restricted in how many chickens I can have here, so I could realistically take a much bigger batch of chicks than 8 or 10. Whatever works best for Aloha Chickens, I guess. Not sure about how to get them down here to Pima County, but between "a little chiken" and myself, it may be worth a drive down here from PHX? I could meet you/somebody right off I-10 at exit 242.

 

[Sill]

Lunar eclipse now in progress...

 

[LadyKotaDoria]

Just wanted to drop in to say hello. I have been pretty absent these last weeks. It may be a few more days before I get back to a routine. When I feed my girls or give them snacks, even though, I am only down sized by 2, it feels like more. I am looking forward to spending more time with them. My 4 little peeps are no longer peeps but baby chicks, adventurous and are doing will.

I am so going to mess my girls, but I fell it is for the best. It would be too stressful to ask full grown hens and pullets to adjust to life on the road. Starting with all chicks, then selecting the 3 most calm and best adjust pullets to keep is best. I am a little nerves about having to learn to edit video, something very new. I will make it part of my travel adventure.

 

[Macboat]

This is my Buff Orpington Daphne. I put out this pan with water and ice in the morning during the summer and there is a line of gals waiting their turn. By the end of the day, the water is dirty. They love it so much, I have come home and found layed eggs in the water. I also have misters in their run on a timer. They all love to lay in the mist.

Cute! I recently installed a mister for my chickens, would like to know how others set their timers? When do you turn it on, for how long every day?

 

[Mama Hen Chris]

Cute! I recently installed a mister for my chickens, would like to know how others set their timers? When do you turn it on, for how long every day?

Ours run from 1-3 pm.There is shade cloth on the the run as well.

This year I purchased a Brite Tap waterer and 5 gallon cooler (I bought from Lowe's) for the girls. This will keep their water cooler and dirt free. I will see how that works in the heat. So far the water stays cold during the day. I purchased mine at the Western Ranchman for $33. My girls took to it right away. I noticed that the water does stay cleaner and no mold grew inside. I keep a regular 3 gallon plastic waterer out as well and it started molding in the heat we just recently had.



http://www.chickenwaterer.com/BriteTap-Automatic-Chicken-Waterer-p/bt100.htm
shipping is $6.85 to Scottsdale

 

[Macboat]

Ours run from 1-3 pm.There is shade cloth on the the run as well.

This year I purchased a Brite Tap waterer and 5 gallon cooler (I bought from Lowe's) for the girls. This will keep their water cooler and dirt free. I will see how that works in the heat. So far the water stays cold during the day. I purchased mine at the Western Ranchman for $33. My girls took to it right away. I noticed that the water does stay cleaner and no mold grew inside. I keep a regular 3 gallon plastic waterer out as well and it started molding in the heat we just recently had.



http://www.chickenwaterer.com/BriteTap-Automatic-Chicken-Waterer-p/bt100.htm
shipping is $6.85 to Scottsdale

I have horizontal nipples installed on a milk jar, simple but works really well. However use a cooler is great idea to keep it cool., I may look into it soon.

My coop/run is located in a place that always half shaded so they have shades all the time. I am preparing to get ready for Real brutal heat that's coming....