Arizona Chickens

[Diannastarr]

That's the exact reason why I sold my practically new Harley Davidson Lowrider when moving here from Pennsylvania.

I might be a light cocoa-bean brown (LOL), but I'm still white-knuckled driving around here.

i feel that same way , and exactly why love my suburban for that same reason , more metal up front, to protect me...!

 

[nicollee]

Thanks, I'll give them a try when I get enough courage to drive to Tucson. I'm new here and when I drove in the traffic on the freeway was horrendous, and it was the middle of the night. Is it usually that bad through the tunnel?

Just a little confused.... are you in Phoenix? or close to Tucson...
The I-10 tunnel is downtown central, so "yes" it "usually" is that crowded.....

 

[igorsMistress]

Just a little confused.... are you in Phoenix? or close to Tucson...
The I-10 tunnel is downtown central, so "yes" it "usually" is that crowded.....

I remember driving through that tunnel at 8 PM on a Saturday night and it was empty. My how things change! Scary as can be in there now, I hate it.
@RainForestBird I agree. People

 

[Diannastarr]

I compare the I10 going through Tucson to the I5 going through Seattle. Especially that gawdawful tunnel. I think that people are aggressive everywhere, especially around big cities. I thought it would be different here in the Southwest, but apparently not.

EXACTLY...!!! thats why i love living in Bisbee no traffic to speak of, its a kool town lots to do and near to some bigger cities ,driving to Benson so good no traffic hardly or going the back roads to Wilcox no traffic and with the advantage of living between Douglas & sierra vista both about 30 minutes away , its not bad so i have avoided going to Tucson for 30 years now and not thinking of changing that any time soon ...lol.. HA

 

[igorsMistress]

Hey guys, I need some suggestions. This is the side yard where we have our coop. As you can see I have some rocks to move out. I'm also removing the bushes to a different area in my yard.
I want to put in a grass frame where the shaded area is but I'm not sure what to put over the dirt in the rest of the yard. The whole area is about 20x20 and it gets pretty muddy and slippery when wet.
What would you suggest? Hay, straw? I haven't had a good experience with it but I wasn't the one who did the job. I also want to keep dust down in there.

 

[SonoranChick]

View attachment 1203589 View attachment 1203590 View attachment 1203591

Hey guys, I need some suggestions. This is the side yard where we have our coop. As you can see I have some rocks to move out. I'm also removing the bushes to a different area in my yard.
I want to put in a grass frame where the shaded area is but I'm not sure what to put over the dirt in the rest of the yard. The whole area is about 20x20 and it gets pretty muddy and slippery when wet.
What would you suggest? Hay, straw? I haven't had a good experience with it but I wasn't the one who did the job. I also want to keep dust down in there.

Have you considered sand? I know you want to avoid dust, but the larger grain sand from the wash seems to be just right for us. It's only a little dusty when I clean the poop with the the rake. I have really enjoyed it as ground cover for the chickens. I have about 4 inches of sand over the dirt. I also have hay in the run...I have mixed feelings on it. The chickens LOVE it. I'm afraid of what it's going to be like when we get a good rain, and I also find it hard to clean. Deep bedding method is a decent idea but again, if it rains...

 

[SonoranChick]

EXACTLY...!!! thats why i love living in Bisbee no traffic to speak of, its a kool town lots to do and near to some bigger cities ,driving to Benson so good no traffic hardly or going the back roads to Wilcox no traffic and with the advantage of living between Douglas & sierra vista both about 30 minutes away , its not bad so i have avoided going to Tucson for 30 years now and not thinking of changing that any time soon ...lol.. HA

I LOVE Bisbee! That little artsy town has a special place in my heart & always will. I am jealous that you live there I have to go to Tucson at least once a week for groceries and I loathe it, especially this time of year. There is traffic, and construction and PEOPLE everywhere. Is it terrible that I like my chickens more than most of the public at large?

 

[BlueBaby]

yes your are right about that , exactly...!!! but at this point im more concerned with the heat tolerance of the birds , so if color must be sacrificed , then i guess that will happen ,i can add color at any point , but color is not important to me as long as a heat resistant bird can be accomplished, color is more important for showing and that's never been my goal . i want my birds to live a good productive healthy long life, in this hot clime no-matter what color they may end up being . thats why im looking into more heat tolerant breeds , firstly i want an NN roo as light a color i can get , like a NN splash would be good x over a white leg horn hen, but better yet im thinking that an astra white hen ,would bring me closer to my goal in the long run , so if you could tell me what you didn't like about the AW's..? you hatched, since im thinking at least the AW have some aussie blood in them which will give them a much better temperament and make great layers of many ex large light brown eggs , what did you think of the pare of AW's you had...? let me know thanks

The 2 AW's that I hatched out ended up both being boys, and they were mean and they weren't even grown yet! They were picking on my Australorp's (even the adult one's), and they killed one of the blue Australorp chicks that was one of their hatch-mates, and started eating it. I sent them to the pond at Tom's, and I will never bring in the AW's again!

 

[igorsMistress]

I'm using deep litter in my coop and love it, but this area is way too large and I have concern about giving the tree all that nutrition. It's only a few years old and it averages 3 feet per year I think. It doesn't need help.

Sand might be my best option, I dunno. Do you get much dust when you clean? I am dubious about straw and hay based on past experience after a lot of rain.

 

[Diannastarr]

The 2 AW's that I hatched out ended up both being boys, and they were mean and they weren't even grown yet! They were picking on my Australorp's (even the adult one's), and they killed one of the blue Australorp chicks that was one of their hatch-mates, and started eating it. I sent them to the pond at Tom's, and I will never bring in the AW's again!

GOLLY not good at all, my goodness GEEE, so sorry you lost your aussie chick