Arizona Chickens

[a little chiken]

FF won't work in a hanging feeder. I use the regular dry feed in the hanging feeder, and FF in the mornings on an old plant saucer. The FF can sit out. I've used chick feed, layer feed, meat bird feed and all fermented just fine. Pellets, crumbles and mash, it doesn't matter.

So you feed both? is there any reason why you choose to feed both dry feed and FF??

 

[a little chiken]

Can you take a picture of your watering system please?

eta: I saw the pics of the coop side of the waterer. Would it be too much trouble to show the bucket side as well? Thanks

Pipemum is right about the ff in a gravity feeder. I don't offer dry food at all, I only feed ff in a trough style feeder morning and afternoon. You can use any type of feed.

Here are my gravity waterer pics as requested. Hope this helps.









We will be building a shade around it to keep it from getting to hot during the hotter months.

 

[pipemum]

So you feed both? is there any reason why you choose to feed both dry feed and FF??

Primarily, I go out of town often on the weekends and like to have self-sustaining chickens for 3-days (no caretaker). I feed FF once in the morning, and they have dry food in their feeder whenever they want it. When I go out of town, they have dry food only. Secondarily, I work and can't always feed my chickens twice a day. I don't feed enough FF to last a whole day--I could change it, but like the system I have for now.

When I'm raising the cornish cross, it gets a little complicated, but I don't want them on 24-hour food and I want them only on FF, so I do have to feed them 2x a day...sometimes their second meal came at 10pm, but they didn't care as long as they got fed! Now that they are gone, I only have dual purpose meat birds and they have the same system as the layers--a trough of FF in the mornings and access to dry food all day.

The only reason I do FF at all is because I do see the benefits, even if it's not their sole source. It's especially noticeable in the cornish cross birds.

 

[Demosthine]

Yes it is a 5 gallon bucket. We bought ours as a kit and my husband installed it but you can purchase the cups and make your own. We are building 3 more coops and all of our coops will have this watering system.
I am thinking of doing fermented feed for my layers but not sure yet. I am just wondering what to use to feed them in if I do. I think it will stick to the sides of my hanging feeder but I am not sure. I also free feed my chickens their lay mash and their crushed egg shell. I am not sure if fermented feed can sit out or not. I have not found answers to these questions yet.

Like someone else mentioned, you can't use the hanging feeder for the fermented feed. It will stick to the sides and make a mess. Fermented feed can sit out all day and be perfectly fine, however, many of us find that it doesn't last long enough to be of any concern. The flocks eat is so fast, you'd think they were starving. If you read the fermented feed thread, it's like that for nearly everyone on there. It's just amazing how much they prefer it over the dry feed. In terms of feeding it, though, you can put it in any non-reactive container and it'll be fine. I've used a large 9"x13" Martha Stewart ceramic casserole dish I picked up WalMart for dirt cheap in the clearance aisle. It held enough food for my 17 chickens and 3 turkeys to be fed once daily. I usually fed them about a one-gallon bucket worth, and they free-ranged the yard the rest of the day. For the turkeys, when I was trying to keep their food separate, I secured a $1 painter's trough from Home Depot to the side of the brooder and then the rod iron fencing around my pool. It allowed me to adjust it up and down as they grew, but easily held enough for the three to gorge themselves. The chickens were smart enough to jump up and sit on the very edge of it to eat, so I ended up giving in and just feeding them all the same thing.

​

 

[a little chiken]

Primarily, I go out of town often on the weekends and like to have self-sustaining chickens for 3-days (no caretaker). I feed FF once in the morning, and they have dry food in their feeder whenever they want it. When I go out of town, they have dry food only. Secondarily, I work and can't always feed my chickens twice a day. I don't feed enough FF to last a whole day--I could change it, but like the system I have for now.

When I'm raising the cornish cross, it gets a little complicated, but I don't want them on 24-hour food and I want them only on FF, so I do have to feed them 2x a day...sometimes their second meal came at 10pm, but they didn't care as long as they got fed! Now that they are gone, I only have dual purpose meat birds and they have the same system as the layers--a trough of FF in the mornings and access to dry food all day.

The only reason I do FF at all is because I do see the benefits, even if it's not their sole source. It's especially noticeable in the cornish cross birds.

Thank you so much, good info if I decide to do cornish x. I have read the FF thread but its a bit overwhelming. I have only ever fed dry crumble and scratch mix with fresh vegetables when i have them.

Like someone else mentioned, you can't use the hanging feeder for the fermented feed. It will stick to the sides and make a mess. Fermented feed can sit out all day and be perfectly fine, however, many of us find that it doesn't last long enough to be of any concern. The flocks eat is so fast, you'd think they were starving. If you read the fermented feed thread, it's like that for nearly everyone on there. It's just amazing how much they prefer it over the dry feed. In terms of feeding it, though, you can put it in any non-reactive container and it'll be fine. I've used a large 9"x13" Martha Stewart ceramic casserole dish I picked up WalMart for dirt cheap in the clearance aisle. It held enough food for my 17 chickens and 3 turkeys to be fed once daily. I usually fed them about a one-gallon bucket worth, and they free-ranged the yard the rest of the day. For the turkeys, when I was trying to keep their food separate, I secured a $1 painter's trough from Home Depot to the side of the brooder and then the rod iron fencing around my pool. It allowed me to adjust it up and down as they grew, but easily held enough for the three to gorge themselves. The chickens were smart enough to jump up and sit on the very edge of it to eat, so I ended up giving in and just feeding them all the same thing.

​

lol Chickens are smart. They love to eat too. I appreciate all the advice and I think I am going to try the FF. Thank you all so much.

 

[MandyFitch]

Could my silkie be broody?

For two days now, she's been sitting in the same spot next to the nesting box but not in it. Yesterday I thought she was sick / exhausted from being played with all weekend by a lot of sweet but chicken-happy kids. I thought it was a sign of illness that she had laid an egg outside of the nesting box and didn't even move off it.

My husband, who knows nothing about chickens, asked me if she could be broody. Duh. I guess he listens more than I realized! So I put a box with some fake eggs under her and she is happily sitting on them, occasionally adjusting them under her.

What do I do with a first time broody chicken? Will she still lay eggs? Since it's her first time, is there any chance she'll actually sit on them for three weeks? Is it too hot in Phoenix to give her some fertile eggs? If she's going to hatch some, I'd rather she do it after our trip in July. Is it ever too hot to hatch chicks?

Thank you!

 

[Gallo del Cielo]

Could my silkie be broody?

For two days now, she's been sitting in the same spot next to the nesting box but not in it. Yesterday I thought she was sick / exhausted from being played with all weekend by a lot of sweet but chicken-happy kids. I thought it was a sign of illness that she had laid an egg outside of the nesting box and didn't even move off it.

My husband, who knows nothing about chickens, asked me if she could be broody. Duh. I guess he listens more than I realized! So I put a box with some fake eggs under her and she is happily sitting on them, occasionally adjusting them under her.

What do I do with a first time broody chicken? Will she still lay eggs? Since it's her first time, is there any chance she'll actually sit on them for three weeks? Is it too hot in Phoenix to give her some fertile eggs? If she's going to hatch some, I'd rather she do it after our trip in July. Is it ever too hot to hatch chicks?

Thank you!

I just read your first sentence and burst out laughing. Silkies have a propensity towards broodiness. She probably won't lay any more eggs until she's done being broody. You can either try to break her of her broodiness, give her eggs, give her day old chicks, or do nothing. Who knows how good she'll be at it, but the birds I've had would be broody for longer than three weeks if they were allowed. Sometimes they're not so committed. I've never hatched chicks in the heat of summer, so maybe someone else will chime in. Seems like folks are always hatching though. It's too bad we can't schedule broodiness.

 

[City farm]

 
I'm in the Verde Valley.  It's nothing to hit 110* in July/August up here. 


Make sure the chickens have lots of shade and fresh water.  As Rufus stated, mist the run several times a day.  I even keep ice blocks, frozen milk jugs, or 2 liter bottles to put in the hen house and coop for them.  They'll stand on the ice block and peck at it.  You'd be suprised how much they will cool the area.  I also freeze 16 oz water bottles and make sure to keep them in their water during the day. 


Restrict their scratch.  It's a "hot feed" and increases their metabolism to digest, causing their bodies to heat up.  I also keep lots of watermelon, canteloupe, grapes, etc around for them during the summer months. 


With a little additional effort on your part, they'll make it through the heat just fine.

These are great tips. Friends have lost chickens to the summer heat. So sad. I'm about to get chickens, none yet, and all arizona advice is good as it starts to heat up.
Would they use a baby pool to cool off? Or do they not like to get wet?

Not sure if I saw when you both signed up.. So if I missed it..

 

[pipemum]

Could my silkie be broody?

For two days now, she's been sitting in the same spot next to the nesting box but not in it. Yesterday I thought she was sick / exhausted from being played with all weekend by a lot of sweet but chicken-happy kids. I thought it was a sign of illness that she had laid an egg outside of the nesting box and didn't even move off it.

My husband, who knows nothing about chickens, asked me if she could be broody. Duh. I guess he listens more than I realized! So I put a box with some fake eggs under her and she is happily sitting on them, occasionally adjusting them under her.

What do I do with a first time broody chicken? Will she still lay eggs? Since it's her first time, is there any chance she'll actually sit on them for three weeks? Is it too hot in Phoenix to give her some fertile eggs? If she's going to hatch some, I'd rather she do it after our trip in July. Is it ever too hot to hatch chicks?

Thank you!

Probably? Both of my silkie mixes went broody at less than a year old. And both raised chicks like champs. I let them sit on fake eggs for about 3 weeks and them gave them tiny chicks. Huge numbers of tiny chicks (12 and 17!!!!) and they rocked the mom thing. No idea on the rest of your questions!

 

[City farm]

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. 

Flies are unreal this year! I talked to some of my long-time neighbors and they said the flies are worse this year than they remember for the several years past. I guess they are cyclical, depending on when conditions are just right for them. I have noticed that the flies tend to congregate in any areas where the earth is damp, and also in areas of shade that are cooler. I run a lot of misters and sprinklers in my chicken yard during the summer, in order to keep heat related losses to a minimum. So the ground is usually damp or downright wet in certain areas. The chickens are kept cool, but it seems like every fly in the surrounding 50 acres is in my yard!
I too, have tried those hanging fly traps that smell like a rotting corpse. They work amazing at catching flies and taking them out of circulation, but the constant godawful smell makes enjoying your outdoor areas pretty difficult. Seems there is no easy solution. The fly predators would work great if nobody else in your neighborhood or surrounding area has any conditions/habitat for breeding more flies. I live in horse country, and have horses and cattle here on my property, and the surrounding properties have livestock as well, so it's really kind of impossible to get away from the flies. Except at night when they seem to disappear as soon as it gets dark.

Somebody needs to invent a fly trap that works great but with no odor detectable by the human nose!

So, so true!! Someone did tel me about a spray that works wonders.. However I do believe it could harm the chickens..