Arizona Chickens

[DesertChic]

My neighbor said that they do eat the scorpions, but apparently this one was stung instead. Why just throw the toads over the wall? They will come back. They have a home somewhere in your yard. You will have to somehow convince them that their home isn't such a good place to be anymore. Hubby won't let me kill them, as he said that they eat tons of bugs at night when they come out.

One of my favorite Naked Neck rooster was stung in the face by a scorpion. Luckily I just happened to witness the entire thing and got to him in time. The sting of our Bark Scorpions is just as deadly to a chicken as it is to a human, a dog, etc. Heisenberg (my NN rooster that was stung) jumped straight up in the air, ran a few steps and then sat down and began trembling. His entire body was tight as if all of his muscles had contracted simultaneously. I immediately brought him into the house and treated him with a Benadryl tablet that I'd pounded into a powder and mixed with water. It took him about two hours to recover sufficiently to return to his flock and he wasn't entirely stable on his feet until the following day.

One of my other NN hens gobbled up that scorpion in record time without being stung and was completely unaffected by it. They can eat them just fine, but don't tolerate being stung by them.

As far as the toads are concerned, if anyone figures out how to get rid of them without having to resort to killing them, I'm all ears.

 

[DesertChic]

I am in golden valley Arizona. from Washington.. Raising chickens here is hard! Between the heat and monsoons they may just be staying inside for a while!!

WELCOME!

I never tried raising chickens in any other state than here in AZ, but yes, we face challenges that people in the rest of the country don't have to endure. Your chickens will certainly need time to adapt to our heat, but they WILL adapt if handled properly. Even my Bielefelders, which are extremely intolerant of heat, have adapted sufficiently to endure hotter temperatures than they used to. But yes, it's a lot of work to keep your chickens from getting heat stroke out here. Good luck!

 

[City farm]

I am in golden valley Arizona. from Washington.. Raising chickens here is hard! Between the heat and monsoons they may just be staying inside for a while!!

Yes, agreed.. but not inside for us.. we love our duck's just as much..

They lay egg's the same as our chicken's. they are way healthier. We also use their water for the garden.

 

[City farm]

I hope everyone is having a safe holiday weekend! Here in South Phoenix, we've been finding fun yet unconventional ways to keep our Chickies cool. Could they be more spoiled? Pool time and watermelon...Happy 4th of July!

 

[City farm]

[COLOR=FF0000]Help![/COLOR]

My 4 month old polish chick is acting very strangely, and I'm a little more than freaking out. My dad came into my room thismorning and woke me up,  to tell me that "Your polish may not live much longer." I immmediately jumped out of bed to check up  on her. She was standing in the middle of the area she shares with a SL Wyandotte, and seemed to be in a trance, kind of drunk. I checked her immediately for signs of the first thing that came to my mind, Mareks. She has no goo in her eye, and the other chick is perfectly fine, so I determined Marek's was not the cause, with a sigh of relief. But when I though about it, she was acting as if she has no use in her legs, ior that she was in pain in her neck and legs. She cannot for the life of her hold her head up for more than about a minute, and falls asleep standing up with her head on the ground unless you lie her down your self.

As if there is something in her brain that is causing the issues.

I got her to eat some strawberries, and drink some water, though before that, all she could muster up from her vent was a squirty 3 drops :/ she has not been eating or drinking for a while, I could tell that. I'ts as if she can't get to it.

She is now separated in a box in our living room with a careful eye being thrown her direction every few minutes.

Does anyone know what this is/could be, and a cure/solution?

​I love this little girl, im basically on the verge of tears and will even take her to the vet if necessary. I can't imagine waking up in the mornings to not have her in my coop. 

please help....

On my phone, so i hope i did not miss how yout polish chick is doing this morning? ?

 

[bunsnpupsnchick]

My neighbor said that they do eat the scorpions, but apparently this one was stung instead. Why just throw the toads over the wall? They will come back. They have a home somewhere in your yard. You will have to somehow convince them that their home isn't such a good place to be anymore. Hubby won't let me kill them, as he said that they eat tons of bugs at night when they come out.

Mainly cause I'm clueless what else to do & have the deluded idea they'll get lost. I do fill in any holes I find around with dirt most of the way then a layer of cement/mortar (how much depends on hole depth) then dirt so grass/whatever can still grow. Don't know if it's the toads or something else, but either way that entry point is gone! I think the most I caught in one night was 4. Dumping the cooling pans each night I think is helping a bit. Nothing big enough for them to get in. I even found one in a wicking pan I had set up for my pepper plants last summer...laid her little frog babies in it! Chicks had a great time with the tadpoles when I dumped that water out.

Not sure I can convince the frogs of that...we're on septic so I'm sure that gives them some niceness underground. I have a huge mesquite that shades just about the whole yard & blocks the falcon/hawks out...so shade & safety. Plus, during the monsoon my yard floods like crazy...they like the puddles. I like to think the secret is there somewhere...other than the snake a friend suggested.

 

[bunsnpupsnchick]

DesertChic...awesome! Glad to know that if they cant kill/eat without the sting that they're good....was wondering if they got stung during the chomp if they'd have an issue. Didn't know that chicks could have benedryl. Now I have to go find out the mg per pound dosage. I have a variety of size/breeds. I'd imagine that my littler ones couldn't have the same amount as my bigger ones.

 

[Banaynaychicken]

I hope everyone is having a safe holiday weekend! Here in South Phoenix, we've been finding fun yet unconventional ways to keep our Chickies cool. Could they be more spoiled? Pool time and watermelon...Happy 4th of July!

Your buff polish looks like my buff polish.... <3 *internal crying*

 

[Banaynaychicken]

Quote: She is a little more spunky, will fight me when I try to give her her antibiotic, but is still very weak, and has issues balancing on her left side. My dad read up, and the disease is called Botulism If she sirvives through the night, she has a higher hope pf living. She also, from what i've determined after close inspection, is probably a guy.....
If Dory survives this, "he"will earn a new name. Most likely Daruis.

 

[BlueBaby]

Mainly cause I'm clueless what else to do & have the deluded idea they'll get lost. I do fill in any holes I find around with dirt most of the way then a layer of cement/mortar (how much depends on hole depth) then dirt so grass/whatever can still grow. Don't know if it's the toads or something else, but either way that entry point is gone! I think the most I caught in one night was 4. Dumping the cooling pans each night I think is helping a bit. Nothing big enough for them to get in. I even found one in a wicking pan I had set up for my pepper plants last summer...laid her little frog babies in it! Chicks had a great time with the tadpoles when I dumped that water out.

Not sure I can convince the frogs of that...we're on septic so I'm sure that gives them some niceness underground. I have a huge mesquite that shades just about the whole yard & blocks the falcon/hawks out...so shade & safety. Plus, during the monsoon my yard floods like crazy...they like the puddles. I like to think the secret is there somewhere...other than the snake a friend suggested.

Hubby said that if you really want to get rid of them... When you catch them, put them into a box, and then drive to a non residential area. Turn them loose there. They will find a new home there. That way, you aren't killing them.