Arizona Chickens

[Gallo del Cielo]

Quote:

I've kept tilapia alive over the past two winters here in the center of Tucson. With a closed and thermostatically controlled greenhouse, you can set the temperature inside where you want during the day. Without thermostatically controlled ventilation, the temperature in my greenhouse would get so high it would kill the plants inside. I typically set it at 85 degrees, where it stays for most of the daylight hours. Inside the greenhouse I have pvc grow tubes that heat the water that flows through by two degrees, which raises the water temperature during the day. I also have a large (700 gallon) tank in the ground and one (550) above ground, along with the grow bed they make for a huge mass to hold heat, so less heat loss overnight. Typically, the water temperature ranges from 55-65 on the coldest nights/days of the winter.

 

[MagicChicken]

Quote:
I would use shadecloth to shade the roof, rather than tarps. Tarps tend to hold in the heat.

 

[Gallo del Cielo]

We just got back from spending most of the week up at Roosevelt Lake. It was spectacular! With the lake level down we were able to camp next to the water and we didn't have any other campers in sight. Going to sleep and waking up to the sounds of wildlife was so re-juvenating.

Our amazing camp site:


The view from our bed:

 

[K9Dave]

We just got back from spending most of the week up at Roosevelt Lake. It was spectacular! With the lake level down we were able to camp next to the water and we didn't have any other campers in sight. Going to sleep and waking up to the sounds of wildlife was so re-juvenating. Our amazing camp site: The view from our bed:

I'm jealous. Looks amazing. Can't wait til my boat is back in action. Thanks for sharing the pic

 

[maryhysong]

We just got back from spending most of the week up at Roosevelt Lake. It was spectacular! With the lake level down we were able to camp next to the water and we didn't have any other campers in sight. Going to sleep and waking up to the sounds of wildlife was so re-juvenating.

Our amazing camp site:


The view from our bed:

that's my neck of the woods; about 30 minutes from my house to the lake. Actually I prefer higher up along the river, you can camp right on the bank at the intake

 

[City farm]

I have 3 Ameraucanas and one that was supposed to be the same but has grown up to be buff colored. The folks at the feed store (where I got my chicks) think she might be a light colored Production Red as she lays very large eggs.
One of my other hens has gone broody, been so for a couple of weeks, and this evening I picked up 4 Production Red chicks for her. I have never had a hen raise chicks before so I hope this goes well. As soon as it gets dark and the girls go to sleep, I'll put the chicks under the broody one. (I tried while it was still light and she pecked at them.) The non-broody hens roost on a rail in the back yard so I can close up the hen house with the broody hen and the chicks.

Is she at 21 days of sitting?

 

[ChicksOfHazzard]

@AZ Turkeys one of mine has a small screw in her right now, about 1/4" screw from the automatic waterer when I had the lid off to clean it. I saw her eat it so I took her to my vet friend a few days later to see if she had passed it. Nope. And not only that, she has a few small washers and bits of wire in there too. Chickens do really like shiny things. Nothing I can do, the vet said chicken surgery isn't advised. We don't eat ours, so I'm just hoping she eventually passes it or it doesn't bother her. Fortunately it's tiny. But you'd be amazed what they'll eat. Styrofoam too if they can find some.

 

[City farm]

Hens Will Eat anything~!
One of the hens I dispatched tonight had a wood screw inside. When I first opened the abdomen, I noticed a large, hard black clump which at first I thought was a cancerous growth. I immediately thought, ut oh... this guy isn't going to be able to eat this hen.  As I completed cleaning, I noticed a hard pointed "thing" just to the left of the lower keel bone. I couldn't push or pull it out.  I split the bird, cut out what I thought might be a broken lower rib bone and pulled out a wood screw!!  The screw had poked through the lower intestine, imbedded itself through the lower keel and in the process it appeared that at least half of the indigestibles (poop) had solidified inside the hen into one big blob.

Nope don't eat this bird even though the rest of meat was fine and had no ill smells. After 40 years of processing birds, this is the first one I have removed a screw from!

Glad you posted this.. They love shinny things.. I don't wear jewelry when I go love on them.. They also love to peck at buttons..

 

[City farm]

We just got back from spending most of the week up at Roosevelt Lake. It was spectacular! With the lake level down we were able to camp next to the water and we didn't have any other campers in sight. Going to sleep and waking up to the sounds of wildlife was so re-juvenating. Our amazing camp site: The view from our bed:

Now that is what I am talking about.. Was there a lot of the weird alge at that water level?

 

[Gallo del Cielo]

@AZ Turkeys one of mine has a small screw in her right now, about 1/4" screw from the automatic waterer when I had the lid off to clean it. I saw her eat it so I took her to my vet friend a few days later to see if she had passed it. Nope. And not only that, she has a few small washers and bits of wire in there too. Chickens do really like shiny things. Nothing I can do, the vet said chicken surgery isn't advised. We don't eat ours, so I'm just hoping she eventually passes it or it doesn't bother her. Fortunately it's tiny. But you'd be amazed what they'll eat. Styrofoam too if they can find some.

Oh no, is it Boss Hogg?