Arizona Chickens

[BlueBaby]

Grr! here are my midnight majesty pullets (I sold the last 4 I wanted to sell) panting away with their wings out, and it's 76 degrees outside and in the roosts! Oh, and the barred one should be a cockerel, but just not acting like it yet. He/she has been growing though, very slowly, and is not the smallest but now is the biggest of the group.... They're all integrated with the adults so must be getting ready to lay. Two of them have brighter combs now. But cornish X wouldn't be panting in these temperatures!

Already? What are they going to do when our summer temps arrive?

 

[springvalley123]

Already? What are they going to do when our summer temps arrive?

If they don't acclimate, freezer camp? hate to think of that, they're about to start laying. But we'll get highs close to 100, though the temp starts to drop before roost time unlike black canyon and phx.

 

[Parront]

If they don't acclimate, freezer camp? hate to think of that, they're about to start laying. But we'll get highs close to 100, though the temp starts to drop before roost time unlike black canyon and phx.

You are a little warmer than we are, it was mid 60's today here. You might like a setup like I have, all wire. Think more like "Birdcage" than coop. I have a tarp roof which I had to sweep snow off of -- next winter a solid roof is happening. But you do not get as much snow. I tarp 1/2 the sides to keep wind out. All wire on the sides, I use electric net fence to keep out the big predators. I can move it to fresh ground in the summer, sure makes clean up easy.

 

[springvalley123]

You are a little warmer than we are, it was mid 60's today here. You might like a setup like I have, all wire. Think more like "Birdcage" than coop. I have a tarp roof which I had to sweep snow off of -- next winter a solid roof is happening. But you do not get as much snow. I tarp 1/2 the sides to keep wind out. All wire on the sides, I use electric net fence to keep out the big predators. I can move it to fresh ground in the summer, sure makes clean up easy.

Very nice! As mine is set up, I can take a panel off the east side of the roost, and take off part or all of the south side panels at least. The roost makes up part of the perimeter so I can't quite do what you have. But I've been thinking about the top frame like you have, it'd have been a lot easier to get the 4, then 8, inches of snow off of than my flat/level shade cloth.

 

[Parront]

Very nice! As mine is set up, I can take a panel off the east side of the roost, and take off part or all of the south side panels at least. The roost makes up part of the perimeter so I can't quite do what you have. But I've been thinking about the top frame like you have, it'd have been a lot easier to get the 4, then 8, inches of snow off of than my flat/level shade cloth.

This is made of chain link fence top-rail from Home Depot. The roost is in the back, where it is tarped. The front is always open. They were fine in it when it got down to 8 here this winter. There is always shade some where and usually sun on the front side. They were sun-bathing when it was in the 20's. The only wall that is always covered with tarp faces West. I let them roam the yard most days for a couple of hours, but 100 sq feet is enough for them to stay inside when the snow was 2 feet! I had chickens years ago, pre-internet, and the wood coop I built them was empty, they would not roost there, even at night in the winter they were perching in the attached run. I lived in Riverside CA, where it is almost as hot as Phoenix. This go-round, I left out the coop! I did not know about electric fence back then, either.
I would take off at least one of the panels permanently and see how your pretty girls like it!

 

[springvalley123]

This is made of chain link fence top-rail from Home Depot. The roost is in the back, where it is tarped. The front is always open. They were fine in it when it got down to 8 here this winter. There is always shade some where and usually sun on the front side. They were sun-bathing when it was in the 20's. The only wall that is always covered with tarp faces West. I let them roam the yard most days for a couple of hours, but 100 sq feet is enough for them to stay inside when the snow was 2 feet! I had chickens years ago, pre-internet, and the wood coop I built them was empty, they would not roost there, even at night in the winter they were perching in the attached run. I lived in Riverside CA, where it is almost as hot as Phoenix. This go-round, I left out the coop! I did not know about electric fence back then, either.
I would take off at least one of the panels permanently and see how your pretty girls like it!

I plan to take off the east and south this summer. But, I had to add the south as a cold high-wind storm was coming on this past winter. I'm considering replacing the top with something like you have, but would have to add the two kennel panels to the corner where my roost is, to support the frame for the top. Mine is also a thinner kennel--it's the 1.25 inch pre-assembled from Lowe's. I had to do the whole thing myself with help just for a few minutes at a time so I couldn't use the usual 1.38/thicker kennel kits. I almost want to have a gazebo built to serve as the roof, then if I ever stop keeping chickens, it'd be a nice gazebo for the yard (with solid roof).??

 

[Parront]

I will be driving down to Phoenix this Wed, does anyone want some duck eggs to hatch? from my mix of ducks, 4 males & 4 females. 2 males are checking into camp freezer this afternoon. I am thinking of hatching some, but I have 21 right now and I have not purchased an incubator yet. I will be at a Dr office and waiting while my neighbor gets treatment. 4040 Camelback Rd.
Some photos of the parents. (Now you know who is going to camp-white male is #1 on my list, # 2 is the Golden Cascade male in pic #2). Rouen pair is staying. The Rouen drake is beautiful. There is a Buff pair, too. But these guys run all together right now, eggs could be anything!
Ducks: Buff, Ancona, Khaki Runner, and Rouen.
Drakes: Golden Cascade, White Campbell, Buff & Rouen.
Last photo - eggs. All the ones I have eaten look fertile to me! I am getting 2 green and 1 white every day. I am sure that the Runner and The Buff are both laying - one green and one white each morning in their pen, the other green one could be either the Ancona or the Rouen duck.
If you are close by this area, I could drop them off. Make me an offer!

 

[Parront]

I plan to take off the east and south this summer. But, I had to add the south as a cold high-wind storm was coming on this past winter. I'm considering replacing the top with something like you have, but would have to add the two kennel panels to the corner where my roost is, to support the frame for the top. Mine is also a thinner kennel--it's the 1.25 inch pre-assembled from Lowe's. I had to do the whole thing myself with help just for a few minutes at a time so I couldn't use the usual 1.38/thicker kennel kits. I almost want to have a gazebo built to serve as the roof, then if I ever stop keeping chickens, it'd be a nice gazebo for the yard (with solid roof).??

I have a gazebo like that, it has a flat shade cloth roof, and it held up under the snow this winter and last. It came with the house. It is home built and used huge wood. Chickens can't have it -- we are using it!
The side facing our house is not tarped, faces east. It is up close to the house for the winter, I like it there because I can see them first thing in the morning when I turn the light on. You are welcome to come over and see it if you want. It is a pain to put photos that explain it. Birds seem fine with it, heat is worse than cold. Even here in Prescott, it is over 100 for days in summer.

 

[springvalley123]

I have a gazebo like that, it has a flat shade cloth roof, and it held up under the snow this winter and last. It came with the house. It is home built and used huge wood. Chickens can't have it -- we are using it!
The side facing our house is not tarped, faces east. It is up close to the house for the winter, I like it there because I can see them first thing in the morning when I turn the light on. You are welcome to come over and see it if you want. It is a pain to put photos that explain it. Birds seem fine with it, heat is worse than cold. Even here in Prescott, it is over 100 for days in summer.

I'll PM you and we can set something up, I so appreciate that!

 

[BlueBaby]

I will be driving down to Phoenix this Wed, does anyone want some duck eggs to hatch? from my mix of ducks, 4 males & 4 females. 2 males are checking into camp freezer this afternoon. I am thinking of hatching some, but I have 21 right now and I have not purchased an incubator yet. I will be at a Dr office and waiting while my neighbor gets treatment. 4040 Camelback Rd.
Some photos of the parents. (Now you know who is going to camp-white male is #1 on my list, # 2 is the Golden Cascade male in pic #2). Rouen pair is staying. The Rouen drake is beautiful. There is a Buff pair, too. But these guys run all together right now, eggs could be anything!
Ducks: Buff, Ancona, Khaki Runner, and Rouen.
Drakes: Golden Cascade, White Campbell, Buff & Rouen.
Last photo - eggs. All the ones I have eaten look fertile to me! I am getting 2 green and 1 white every day. I am sure that the Runner and The Buff are both laying - one green and one white each morning in their pen, the other green one could be either the Ancona or the Rouen duck.
If you are close by this area, I could drop them off. Make me an offer!

Those egg's would be tempting to me if they were the NN's or Aloha's.