Arizona Chickens

[ChuskaMtns]

 probably should have put that. I am open to see what people have, I need a standard or large breed. no cochins or bantams.

I have an Olive Egger, a Marans x Orp, a English Blue Laced Gold Orpington (Old Orchard) and a gorgeous English Blue Orpington(Fancy Chick). I also have several cockerals: Chocolate Orpingtons and also Fancy Chick English Buff Columbian Orpingtons. PM me if you're interested.

 

[ChuskaMtns]

Ducks will eat ants. I've also had decent luck killing ant hills off by covering the entrances with DE.It can take a few weeks, and the ants will sometimes move the entrance, so you have to be vigilant. If they are getting into the feed, I'd treat the run and area around the feeder as
d well.

I haven't had luck with DE but have with pouring boiling hot water down the holes. The ants seem to be especially bad this year. My poor dog stuck his nose on an ant hill and was bit, his muzzle swelled up. Had to give him benadryl for a few days. I think I don't have the patience to let the DE work or maybe I'm using the wrong type, I use the food grade.

 

[AZKat]

Food grade is the right stuff. DE doesn't poison the ants, it starves the colony by killing of the workers and making it hard for them to lay down scent trails, so it can take awhile to work.

 

[ChuskaMtns]

@Sill I think you were the one that posted about the boiling water trick for the ants last summer. I've been using it ever since and it's cut down the ant population significantly. Thanks! Now I need tips on how to get rid of all the pesty doves! They seem to wait for me to fill the treadle feeders now.

 

[Sill]

@Sill I think you were the one that posted about the boiling water trick for the ants last summer. I've been using it ever since and it's cut down the ant population significantly. Thanks! Now I need tips on how to get rid of all the pesty doves! They seem to wait for me to fill the treadle feeders now.

Yeah that was me, always trying to get rid of pests the cheap and non-toxic way.

For the doves, not a clue. Let me know what you come up with!

 

[City farm]

Okay, I know this is off-topic but, is there any kind of poultry that eats ants? I've got A LOT of large black ants as well as those not-son-wonderful fire ants all over my back yard...and my chickens don't eat any of them. In fact, the ants have been carrying off the spilled feed while the chickens are still eating it. I've got some Horned Toads in my yard, but the ants are just too abundant for them to keep up with. 

The warm weather bring them out.. We did use corn meal as a natural way to get rid of them.. It is time to toss out more, cause they Are back..

 

[City farm]

[@=/u/252618/Sill]@Sill[/@] I think you were the one that posted about the boiling water trick for the ants last summer. I've been using it ever since and it's cut down the ant population significantly. Thanks! Now I need tips on how to get rid of all the pesty doves! They seem to wait for me to fill the treadle feeders now.

Yeah that was me, always trying to get rid of pests the cheap and non-toxic way.

For the doves, not a clue.  Let me know what you come up with!

For wild Birds, have your kid's do a prank.. Go drop off a ton of bird seed a couple of blocks away..

 

[MrsFitzDarcy]

I too feel your pain on your loss! My Rooster Fearless, one of my first 4 chickens got nailed by a scorpion before he killed it and fed it to his girls. Sadly, he passed on after about a half hour, in my arms. That was Sunday, today my gold laced wyandotte Copper was dead when I came home from work.... No idea if it was a scorpion too, but we really don't have that many in our yard. Pest control hubby does a sweep at least twice a week with the black light.

Had someone told me a month ago I would be having a rooster shortage, I would have laughed in their faces... UGH. SO, I am ISO an adult rooster (breeding age, not too old) for my girls. I am in east mesa. Let me know if anyone has any roosters....

edited to add: I have read/heard that benadryl might help if caught fast enough.

H! I have a pure BBS Ameraucana cockerel, about 5 months old, that you can have. I also will have a couple SQ/BQ bantam black Wyandottes. (I'm pretty sure I know which ones are cockerels, but not 100%.) I am in Oro Valley, northwest of Tucson.

 

[dofnup]

@houdiniduck I have a Dark Brahma rooster I need to rehome!! I am also in Mesa, Gilbert & University area, I can deliver him to you if you want him. He is 4 months old and is barely beginning to crow. Send me a PM or email me at dofnup at gmail.

Crossing my fingers for a win-win situation

 

[lacymorgan]

Hi all been crazy busy trying to get my paddocks built and ready for summer heat. I tried some frozen peas and watermelon and the chicks/chickens loved them. Bought a flat garden hose and suspended it then set it on a timer to mist the paddocks seems to be helping quite a bit. On a side note if anyone is interested I have a 3 week old Cream Crested Roo from the Jill Reese line. A white maran roo about 3 months old and possilby a black copper one same age. Can't tell on the cochins yet. Trying to thin out some of the babies now that they are starting to get big enough to tell what they are.