Arizona Chickens

[igorsMistress]

@Bobby Basham I always leave water in the coop. There could be any reason why I might be late letting the girls out and it's just too hot here to risk.

I let the girls out shortly after dawn and lock up at dusk or shortly after.

My flock doesn't have a run, just the coop and yard.

 

[Bobby Basham]

@Bobby Basham I always leave water in the coop. There could be any reason why I might be late letting the girls out and it's just too hot here to risk.

I let the girls out shortly after dawn and lock up at dusk or shortly after.

My flock doesn't have a run, just the coop and yard.

Since we don't observe daylight saving time, it's amazing how early the sun comes up. Heck, I went to bed about three hours ago and already up.

Well, it's not quite dawn yet.

 

[igorsMistress]

Since we don't observe daylight saving time, it's amazing how early the sun comes up. Heck, I went to bed about three hours ago and already up.

Well, it's not quite dawn yet.

Yea, makes for long days in summer too.

I try to wait a little past dawn, let the predators get up/go to bed. If it's too dark the girls stay on the roost until they feel like leaving. Usually they're hollering at me to hurry up and open the door!

 

[SonoranChick]

Mine have a little opening in the coop so they can come and go as they please. I am an early bird and like to go visit them as the sun is coming up. Some are already laying or out in the run, others are slow to wake and kind of like to sleep in When I first moved them out to the coop at 6 weeks, there was a little door on the opening because the run was not completed yet. When that was the case, I had their food and water in the coop with them. Now I have their food and water out in the run, and also one water fount in the coop.

 

[DesertChic]

Question: For those of you who lock your chickens up at night BUT always keep the food and water outside, what time do you let them out in the morning? Their sleeping patterns are not like ours.

I always allow my chickens to have access to water inside their pens. In the winter it keeps the waters from freezing and denying them of hydration, and in the summer it keeps them from dehydrating. They don't need food 24/7 once they've matured, but water is essential.

The time of morning my birds are released varies with the season. I never use an alarm clock and haven't for decades, even while I was still part of the rat race. I nearly always wake up 1/2 - 1 hour before sunrise. During the winter I release my flocks and feed them around 8 AM, allowing myself as long as an hour past that if it's especially cold or the weather is bad. (Sometimes I cook up oatmeal or scramble eggs for them on cold days.) In the summer my birds are usually free and feeding by 7 AM at the latest, oftentimes earlier than that since I'm more active in the summer mornings than the rest of the day.

I should add that most of my coops have their own enclosed runs that the birds have access too at all times. Only one of my pens doesn't have a run...though that may change.

 

[MagicChicken]

I already have a 12 x 20 ft heavy-duty tarp that I bought over a year ago. My run is 16 x 16 ft, and the tarp will cover all but the 4 x 8 observation deck and 4 x 8 ft area directly behind that spool of hardware cloth. The coop will be in the upper left hand corner, under the tarp when in use. I have several dozen eye-bolts to batten down the tarp, or can roll it back during the winter so the chickens can soak up some sunshine. It will also come in handy for those heavy monsoon rains.

When not in use, the hardware cloth will still be in place.
View attachment 1284281

Make sure you keep a spare tarp around. Monsoon winds can wreak havoc with them. I have to replace the tarp on two of my coops every few months. If the sun doesn't rot them, the wind eventually pulls the grommets out and shreds them. I haven't found a tarp - heavy duty, sun resistant, or not - that holds up for long here. You may have better luck.

 

[DesertChic]

Make sure you keep a spare tarp around. Monsoon winds can wreak havoc with them. I have to replace the tarp on two of my coops every few months. If the sun doesn't rot them, the wind eventually pulls the grommets out and shreds them. I haven't found a tarp - heavy duty, sun resistant, or not - that holds up for long here. You may have better luck.

I've had the same luck as you. I'm actually planning on building more permanent covers over some of my runs simply because I go through so many tarps. It's gotten pretty expensive.

 

[SonoranChick]

Update on the boiled egg challenge...we got some eggs out of the fridge and allowed them to get to room temperature. Using a strainer (corinder? Whatever they're called) and a low level of water, we steamed the eggs with the lid on the pot for 20 mins. Then we took the eggs out of the heat and put them into ice water for a while. We then put them back in the fridge over night. This morning I am happy to report that the egg practically slid right out of the shell! It peeled just like the store eggs. Although they were steamed, they cook and taste like a boiled egg. Thank you to everyone for all of the suggestions, I kind of took everyone's advice, plus some from the Internet, and it was a big success.
Now to get a good pickled egg recipe...

 

[meetthebubus]

When did every one move their chick's out of the brooder?

 

[SonoranChick]

Mine were two weeks when they moved to a larger brooder (but still indoors), and 6 weeks when they moved to the great outdoors in the coop.