Arizona Chickens

[ejcrist]

Hello from the West valley!!! I would love to know if I have any neighbors on BYC!

I'm a chickie mama to be,,, expecting a mixed flock of new chicks next week. Got the brooder almost ready!!

I've already gotten so much great info from this site,, so helpful...

I'm realizing that raising chickens in the desert is quite different than back in the Midwest!!

I'm going to build a "hoop-coop". Will try n post pics as I go.

Happy New Year

Welcome aboard - glad to have ya. A hoop coop should work fine but just remember to extend the hardware cloth out at least 1 1/2' in a skirt around your coop. I don't know where about you're located but the coyotes are everywhere. I see more coyotes when I'm traveling through the cities in the valley than I do when I'm home in the county. I live up north just above Phoenix BTW. Good luck and hope to see pictures when your birds come in.

 

[ejcrist]

I have 2 chicks out of 6 eggs starting to hatch out now. I can see their egg tooth though little holes in the shells, and every now and then hearing the peep-peeps.

You're making me jealous. I'm trying to finish the runs for the multi/breeding coop I built so I can get to work on the breeding pens I need before I get started hatching the second batch. The weather just hasn't cooperated - I think it's a conspiracy. I had off 4 days and so far could only work one (last Friday); got totally rained out/flooded Saturday and yesterday. Hopefully I'll get some work in today if it ain't too muddy. That first hatching experiment we did was the coolest thing we ever did related to chickenin' and we can't wait to start the next batch. Good luck!

 

[BlueBaby]

You're making me jealous. I'm trying to finish the runs for the multi/breeding coop I built so I can get to work on the breeding pens I need before I get started hatching the second batch. The weather just hasn't cooperated - I think it's a conspiracy. I had off 4 days and so far could only work one (last Friday); got totally rained out/flooded Saturday and yesterday. Hopefully I'll get some work in today if it ain't too muddy. That first hatching experiment we did was the coolest thing we ever did related to chickenin' and we can't wait to start the next batch. Good luck!

Oh, you'll get it done, and have your own hatch going before you know it.

The first 2 chicks that hatched are already in the brooder, and one of them is being very talkative. Both of them are the Blue Australorps. The 3rd one hasn't come all the way out of the shell yet, but from what I can see, it's going to be a Splash Australorp.

 

[bunsnpupsnchick]

Hello from the West valley!!! I would love to know if I have any neighbors on BYC!

I'm a chickie mama to be,,, expecting a mixed flock of new chicks next week. Got the brooder almost ready!!
I've already gotten so much great info from this site,, so helpful...

I'm realizing that raising chickens in the desert is quite different than back in the Midwest!!

I'm going to build a "hoop-coop". Will try n post pics as I go.

Happy New Year

Far east valley here. San tan valley. Hi. People here are really nice!

 

[bunsnpupsnchick]

So this amuses me.... but do you think I'm being mean to my dog????

Nope. I do similar, but can't ever get the evidence! Great that yours will let you.

 

[theback40]

Good evening, and thank you for such a warm welcome!!! i live in Glendale.

Thank you for the advice about extending the hardware cloth, i remember reading something about that n plan to do just that. a friend a few blocks away has lost fowl to coyotes. we live near the AZ canal; it's the coyote freeway. i also know neighbors who have dealt w raccoons, so predator-proofing will be paramount!!

i need to tell my couple of friends who have chickens about BYC... i'm enjoying the pics and all the useful info!!!!

 

[ejcrist]

Good evening, and thank you for such a warm welcome!!! i live in Glendale.

Thank you for the advice about extending the hardware cloth, i remember reading something about that n plan to do just that. a friend a few blocks away has lost fowl to coyotes. we live near the AZ canal; it's the coyote freeway. i also know neighbors who have dealt w raccoons, so predator-proofing will be paramount!!

i need to tell my couple of friends who have chickens about BYC... i'm enjoying the pics and all the useful info!!!!

Yeah, I forgot to mention the coons too - glad you brought that up. When we moved here from PA a while back I never thought there'd be coons out here in the desert. I still can't figure out how they even got here. Well, we're only about 100 yards from Skunk Creek which is dry most of the year, but I've seen many coons and track/sign around my yard so I put locks on all the entrances to my coops, runs, nest boxes, etc. I used to trap a lot of coons in PA and I'm assuming these guys out here are just as smart. Back east I found out keyed locks was the only sure thing; it wouldn't surprise me if they could figure out the combination on combination locks so I went with keyed locks. But anyway I'm not trying to scare you but they are some seriously crafty critters so I figure it's better to be safe than sorry. If coons were any bigger there wouldn't be any people.

 

[nicollee]

Nope. I do similar, but can't ever get the evidence! Great that yours will let you.

My dog is HIGHLY treat motivated.... he knows the big chickens are not to be touched.... the little ones, are a bit more tempting, but as long as he knows there are treats in it for him, he has allowed me to give chickie rides on him.....

 

[nicollee]

They grow soooo fast..
a month ago all five could sit in my hand

 

[bunsnpupsnchick]

My dog is HIGHLY treat motivated.... he knows the big chickens are not to be touched.... the little ones, are a bit more tempting, but as long as he knows there are treats in it for him, he has allowed me to give chickie rides on him..... 

Yeah, treat motivated here too. My Dane doesn't like having them on his butt, etc. My little ones have had them crawl over them right until I pull out the phone then it's done. My dogs are taught the birds are babies & off limits. So much so that they didn't fight back when a cockerel attacked my chi. Though now, inside if I say something about a bird slipped inside & it needs to go out they start chasing it. Need to revisit that for training. I know it's due to the attack & my telling the Dane to get the cockerel cause I was on the other side of the house & the bird followed my chi inside attacking him. I'm thinking it's their protecting as no move then or now to eat it or the like.