Arizona Chickens

[FeatherPugs]

My first source of learning about chicken breeds was the above link http://www.feathersite.com/Poultry/BRKPoultryPage.html
and then I spent hours on BYC

http://www.feathersite.com/Poultry/ChickMixG/BRKMixed.html a fun page of feathersite and and then a link to more mixed breeds. (I love mixed breeds)

both are great places to learn and I too love mixed breeds!

 

[aliciasimon]

Question for others in Arizona - Phoenix area
I have 6 5-week old chicks in one of my bedrooms in about a 10' x 4' area. They are quite big now and I was wondering if I could put them outside. The nights are getting down to maybe 40 degrees F. Does anyone know if that's too cold for them? I've read about the 5-degrees/week rule but I don't know if that's saying they are most comfortable at 70 degrees by this time or if that's what they must have.
Thanks,
Alicia

 

[DesertChic]

Question for others in Arizona - Phoenix area
I have 6 5-week old chicks in one of my bedrooms in about a 10' x 4' area. They are quite big now and I was wondering if I could put them outside. The nights are getting down to maybe 40 degrees F. Does anyone know if that's too cold for them? I've read about the 5-degrees/week rule but I don't know if that's saying they are most comfortable at 70 degrees by this time or if that's what they must have.
Thanks,
Alicia

If you acclimate them over a few days you should have no problem placing them outside. By acclimate them I mean you may have to provide a heat source at night, decreasing the temperature a little each night, until they're completely adjusted to the ambient temperature. All of my chicks are outside by 5 weeks, and most much sooner than that.

 

[yellow duck]

I would just give them a heat source and they will be fine in out in Maricopa city and its in the 30s at night my chickens are fine

 

[flower]

both are great places to learn and I too love mixed breeds!

there are always a surprise, unique and colorful

 

[azkc]

Where did you get him? I think he is a mix. He most closely resembles a Welsummer, but they don't come blue as a standard color and souldn't have white ear lobes. I would say someone was trying to make a blue and crossed a Welsummer with something else. Or crossed a Blue Copper Marans with something else since the Marans should have slate legs, not yellow.

Thank you. I got him from a local breeder. They do breed Welsummers so that would make sense that could be part of his mix. I was getting some Cream Legbar pullets and she didn't have any cockerels their age and she said "they need a rooster" and popped him in the box. I looked at his ear lobes yesterday they have changed to more pinky red. He also has some green in his tail. I am incubating some eggs right now from one of the Cream Legbars with him as the daddy so will be interesting to see how they turn out.

 

[azkc]

Yes Welsummer was my first thought with the wrong colored feathered. A handsome mix. Welsummers chicks are striped.

http://www.feathersite.com/Poultry/CGP/Wels/BRKWelsummers.html

Thanks for the links flower. Certainly looks like that could be the case. The hybrid page has some beautiful birds in it. Very useful site by the looks of it. Will have to do some more study.

 

[aliciasimon]

Re: moving baby chicks outside:
Thanks so much. I'm so ready to move them outdoors!!!
As for a heat source, the only thing I can think of are the hothands warmers you buy at sporting goods stores. Not a fire hazard and there are some that warm for 18 hours. I'm going with that because I can't think of anything else. I'll wrap them in a towel and see how it goes.
The girls will be happy to be outside too I'm sure.
Thanks again

 

[desertmarcy]

Thank you. I got him from a local breeder. They do breed Welsummers so that would make sense that could be part of his mix. I was getting some Cream Legbar pullets and she didn't have any cockerels their age and she said "they need a rooster" and popped him in the box. I looked at his ear lobes yesterday they have changed to more pinky red. He also has some green in his tail. I am incubating some eggs right now from one of the Cream Legbars with him as the daddy so will be interesting to see how they turn out.

I wonder what the thinking was that you 'need a rooster'. Because you certainly don't need one for your hens to lay eggs. If I wasn't breeding chickens, I wouldn't bother keeping one.

 

[AgaveGal]

If you have power near your coop, you can also make a cookie tin heater (I'm getting ready to make mine). You can get instructions here on BYC (search for cookie tin heater) or on the Chicken Chick's website. Basically, you make a hole in a metal cookie tin, insert a lamp kit (either full sized or night-light sized) and bulb, and plug it in. I'm going to be setting that up this weekend and moving the chicks outside. I'll put it on a timer to turn on / off when it gets dark / light, and then move it further from the perches in the coop each night for a few nights so they can get used to the cold. Wish me luck!