My neighbor wants some, and I know the lady across the street want some, but her husband is against any more animals! (I am betting on her in that one). There are some hens on Craig's List, but not many and expensive. So I am not worried about them, I just thought that the people on here are the best to let know. I also ordered Brown Leghorn and White Rock for the keepers. I like the way Leghorns produce the eggs, and I wanted to see what size the Rocks get to.
I was planning to have a large coop, 8x24. But this winter the tree fell on it, and it is now the equipment storage. 2 smaller coops, one for summer and one for winter and/or ducks. I have been looking forward to getting some chicks, but with all the coyotes here, I decided to try the hatchery chicks first, before any special ones. My neighbor keeps hers with an electric fence wire around the outside, and she still lost a couple this winter to a dog.
) is changing color... I thought she would be black, but she is getting some interesting tan color on her feathers. Im more confidently thinking bantam cochin. What color do you think she might end up?
1 & 3) I have some new chicks now about 6 weeks old - moved them outside when they got most of their feathers and lost most of their fluff (around 3 1/2 weeks old). I still had the brooder heat plate on them outside at nite since temps were not always above 70 at that time.
Hi there! Welcome to BYC and raising chickens. I only give my flock electrolytes on the hottest days and even then only a couple days a week. They always have plain water available as well. The sooner you can get them outside the better. My chicks are out at 2 or 3 days old. Deep shade and a puddle from the hose in the hot part of the day is great to help them cool off. If it's 110+ I'll also put some ice cubes in the puddles. I never gave my chicks medicated feed. Exposing them to the dirt outside will build their natural immunity so I would treat if they had issues but not feed medicated. As for an open air coop, I highly recommend it, large enough to walk inside also. I have shade screens on the front of mine for summer and even in the worst storms my flock has stayed dry. Doesn't do much for dust, but then again neither would a closed coop. Build bigger than you think you need. Good luck with your new flock!Hi everyone! We are new to raising chicks and I had a few questions! We are in Phoenix and we have 3 chicks that are around 10 days old, all female (Barred Rock, Buff Orpington, White Leghorn) I feel a lot of the information I'm finding is different for here than other areas of the US.
1. I was told to keep them on Electrolytes for the first 2 months of their life but I'm seeing a lot through research they shouldn't have them for more than 10 days at a time, what is the norm for Arizona? They are inside right now except for 30 min in the early am in shade and 30 min before the sun goes down in the shade.
2. What is everyone's experience with medicated food? Should it/could it be done now? Vaccinate? Or should I treat if coccidiosis happens?
3. Should we be taking them out more during the day (shaded) since the temps have dropped a little so they can get used to the heat gradually? We plan on moving them outside at 5-6 weeks, probably 6 weeks, one of the babes is slow growing but is still thriving!
4. Last one! How does everyone do their coops? We were going to do a traditional coop with extra windows but I'm seeing a lot of open-air styles recommended for here. We live in Central Phoenix and I'm worried about monsoons with an open-air coop especially since we live across from a dirt baseball field.
Thank you everyone in advance and sorry for all the questions! I've only been to The Stock Shop and I haven't felt confident in any advice I've gotten from there except an employee correcting another that they should 100% not be outside at 2 days old
