Arizona Chickens

[FeatherPugs]

I have a dirt floor and poop boards. When I was really feeling sick and bending was not too much in my abilities I was so very glad to have higher boards to clean. Its easy, peasy. I also use PDZ - unfortunately I can't find it in Casa Grande so I order it. The PDZ soaks up the urine, etc., etc. plus if needed it will also clear any smells. PDZ is a zeolite that does not hurt chickens. I rake my coop floor periodically - I don't in general let it get real dirty. Winter there is more straw/nest bedding on the floor and almost none in the summer. Plus my girls only lay eggs and roost in the coop in general. I probably is removing webs and such as that more often than I rake!!

 

[igorsMistress]

I don't have a bare floor but the poop boards with pdz do help dry the poop so I also find that flies aren't so bad in there. I dump the poop into a compost tumbler every week.

I'm with @FeatherPugs If I'm sore and tired it's sure nice to have the mess at waist level so I don't have to bend over.

 

[meetthebubus]

My buff orps are heavy and HATE jumping high, they really can barely do it, so the roosts are 1 1/2 ft to 2 ft high at most, so a poop board would just make me bend over anyhow lol

Plus for any of those extra messy poops.. the ground is best to get rid of it
It kind of reminds me of a no stick Teflon pan, my dirt just comes right off no sticking lol

 

[meetthebubus]

Hope this isn't too sad a topic... How often do you all think about your past chickens/ pets?

I miss Mohawkie....and still feel frustrated a bit about Rosa's passing

And well every so often I think about little chica the ee pullet that was sick when we got her, how she would of fit into the dynamic of the 19...

Is it just me? .....

 

[BlueBaby]

I don't use poop boards, because they don't even roost in the coop. They insist on roosting out in the enclosed run on top of the wire dog crates. I did put some boards up on top of those through, because I figured that it would be better than them being up there on the bare wire. They don't like hubbies roosting bars that he made for them, nor the nesting boxes that he made.

 

[Michelle Guynn]

I haven’t lost a chicken yet except a baby I bought when I got Gus. It died after 4 days of love and I cried and think of it often. I also look at the pictures I took. I can only imagine what I will be like when I loose one of my current babies.

 

[SonoranChick]

Hope this isn't too sad a topic... How often do you all think about your past chickens/ pets?

I miss Mohawkie....and still feel frustrated a bit about Rosa's passing

And well every so often I think about little chica the ee pullet that was sick when we got her, how she would of fit into the dynamic of the 19...

Is it just me? .....

Luckily I haven't lost any of my chickens yet. I am very thankful considering how sick Momo was a while back, and the incident with the mastiff this week. When I thought we might lose Momo I honestly cried over it one night...could have just been pregnancy hormones, but I swear I love that little chicken so much! I'm SO happy she pulled through! I had taken in two babies from the feed store that the owner gave me back in March, but sadly they didn't live more than a few hours once I got them home. They couldn't walk or anything so we kind of knew they might not make it, but it was still really sad. And I always miss my old dog, Cofi. She passed away about 2 years ago from cancer. She was such a good soul. I keep a little wind chime with her picture in it out by the coop so she can keep an eye on the chickens for me. It's such a shame that they can't live longer, they really are family members.

 

[Michelle Guynn]

I think of my cocker spaniel Tizzy everyday. She loved me as much as I did her. She was only 2 when I lost her to leukemia. I have her picture and two of her favorite toys on the mantle.

 

[DesertChic]

@DesertChic this is great info. I'm leaning more toward pine shavings on top of the dirt. As far as maintenance goes- how often do you turn your shavings, and how often do you add more shavings on top?

I never have to turn it because the chickens do that for me. I just shovel it out when it starts to look too dirty, dump it in the compost bin, and replace it with clean shavings. And like I said, I replace it 2-4 times per year depending upon the weather and the number of birds in each coop (which determines just how poopy it all gets). One thing is certain....if you can smell ammonia then you need to change out the litter. I try to make sure I NEVER smell the ammonia, because if I can smell it, then I know the chickens are breathing it in and that's just not healthy for them.

 

[DesertChic]

Hope this isn't too sad a topic... How often do you all think about your past chickens/ pets?

I miss Mohawkie....and still feel frustrated a bit about Rosa's passing

And well every so often I think about little chica the ee pullet that was sick when we got her, how she would of fit into the dynamic of the 19...

Is it just me? .....

Having as many chickens as I do (over 80 right now) helps to minimize the feelings of loss long-term. That said, I have a few birds that I'm super attached to, and when they pass it will be like losing a part of my family. And as with any pet, the longer they're with you and the more love you share, the harder it is when they pass.