Arizona Chickens

[springvalley123]

Play sand would be just fine, but my birds just dust bathe in the dirt in the yard. I had some decomposed granite delivered for a flagstone patio, and have lots left, they like that too. Sand from the creek is free here. We go to the fire station and get free sand bags of sand for the monsoon season. Buying sand in AZ is probably not necessary!

I might go to the wash, but I'm a little scared about meeting up with a rattlesnake or scorpions! I do have the fire station's cell phone number so maybe I could try that option...

 

[AngBantamLuv]

River sand? Dustbath sand--

I need to make a dustbath for our new place (been meaning to do this for a few months). I don't recall what type I bought at the old place.

Where do you get the sand and what type?

I can't find river sand, and the washed general purpose sand says it has crystalline silica in it--is that a problem?
Lowe's has play sand, but wouldn't that compact in the birds' crops?

I got the medium construction sand.. silica is sand.. they are required to let you know the dust can cause cancer.. i just wash it off really good and it leaves the gravely sand behind and away goes the dust.

 

[cavemanrich]

I might go to the wash, but I'm a little scared about meeting up with a rattlesnake or scorpions!

Rattie is probably more scared of you than you are of him.. Only time they strike, is if they are surprised. Scorpions,,,,,,, well, my son encountered one inside home in his shower, when he lived in Fountain Hills. No idea how scorpion got in there.
On the subject of sand,,,,,,, I have construction (concrete) grade sand in section of my run area. Never seen my hens dusting in it. They do scratch in there occasionally. For dust baths, they prefer my fire pit, (ashes) or my large planters when nothing growing in them early spring. You can just get a bag of potting soil,, (the cheap stuff, not the enhanced with fertilizer)..
If you want to introduce the chickens into that container, just throw a handful of scratch into that container,

 

[Coffee N Chickens]

Happy Easter, Everybody!!!

Yesterday I candled the eggs. It doesn't look like any will be hatching. Most of them looked clearish, and the few with spots have not grown. Even the little swimmer was not moving and didn't grow. This was my second attempt at hatching eggs, and both ended in failure. First the swap meet eggs, then ones from my flock. They are due to hatch a week from today.

Yesterday I took a trip to TSC to look for a better humidity gauge and see what kinds of incubators they have. They didn't have any gauges that would fit inside an incubator. There was a product for washing eggs, but on the label it says to refrigerate the eggs after they're washed. So does this mean it would affect the ability of the eggs to hatch, if that makes any sense?

I got to dye some chicken eggs from the flock for the first time. They turned out OK, but for some reason the color didn't take evenly. I washed them off with Dawn dish soap first, to try to help the dye take better.

The chickens dig through the straw to reach sand for their sand baths. They made one extra deep hole and a few days ago all four of them were trying to use it at the same time. LOL, they looked like a big pile of feathers. I'm guessing that any sand will do, no need to buy any. Come on over and bring your shovel, there's plenty here.

So far I haven's seen any scorpions out here, but there are plenty of tarantulas. I hope the chickens don't decide those big hairy spiders are interesting. Lots of snakes, and some of them are pretty big.

Happy Easter!

 

[springvalley123]

Rattie is probably more scared of you than you are of him.. Only time they strike, is if they are surprised. Scorpions,,,,,,, well, my son encountered one inside home in his shower, when he lived in Fountain Hills. No idea how scorpion got in there.
On the subject of sand,,,,,,, I have construction (concrete) grade sand in section of my run area. Never seen my hens dusting in it. They do scratch in there occasionally. For dust baths, they prefer my fire pit, (ashes) or my large planters when nothing growing in them early spring. You can just get a bag of potting soil,, (the cheap stuff, not the enhanced with fertilizer)..
If you want to introduce the chickens into that container, just throw a handful of scratch into that container,

That's exactly it, I was worried about surprising a rattler! I decided to order some to pick up construction sand and play sand curbside at Lowe's--about the wood ash---I built the run over a previous fire pit area. There aren't a lot of remnants of that ash now of course.

 

[springvalley123]

Happy Easter, Everybody!!!

Yesterday I candled the eggs. It doesn't look like any will be hatching. Most of them looked clearish, and the few with spots have not grown. Even the little swimmer was not moving and didn't grow. This was my second attempt at hatching eggs, and both ended in failure. First the swap meet eggs, then ones from my flock. They are due to hatch a week from today.

Yesterday I took a trip to TSC to look for a better humidity gauge and see what kinds of incubators they have. They didn't have any gauges that would fit inside an incubator. There was a product for washing eggs, but on the label it says to refrigerate the eggs after they're washed. So does this mean it would affect the ability of the eggs to hatch, if that makes any sense?

I got to dye some chicken eggs from the flock for the first time. They turned out OK, but for some reason the color didn't take evenly. I washed them off with Dawn dish soap first, to try to help the dye take better.

The chickens dig through the straw to reach sand for their sand baths. They made one extra deep hole and a few days ago all four of them were trying to use it at the same time. LOL, they looked like a big pile of feathers. I'm guessing that any sand will do, no need to buy any. Come on over and bring your shovel, there's plenty here.

So far I haven's seen any scorpions out here, but there are plenty of tarantulas. I hope the chickens don't decide those big hairy spiders are interesting. Lots of snakes, and some of them are pretty big.

Happy Easter!

Ick! I hate snakes! When I had ducks, there was a tarantula. A few tried to wolf down the tarantula, and the third duck to try, succeeded! For the egg washer, I'd guess it's for people who sell eggs to eat, since you'd want the bloom to be fully intact for hatching, not that I've ever tried to hatch eggs though.

 

[Parront]

They will dig down and find those remaining ashes! This crater can hold almost the whole flock!

That's exactly it, I was worried about surprising a rattler! I decided to order some to pick up construction sand and play sand curbside at Lowe's--about the wood ash---I built the run over a previous fire pit area. There aren't a lot of remnants of that ash now of cours

 

[BlueBaby]

Happy Easter, Everybody!!!

Yesterday I candled the eggs. It doesn't look like any will be hatching. Most of them looked clearish, and the few with spots have not grown. Even the little swimmer was not moving and didn't grow. This was my second attempt at hatching eggs, and both ended in failure. First the swap meet eggs, then ones from my flock. They are due to hatch a week from today.

Yesterday I took a trip to TSC to look for a better humidity gauge and see what kinds of incubators they have. They didn't have any gauges that would fit inside an incubator. There was a product for washing eggs, but on the label it says to refrigerate the eggs after they're washed. So does this mean it would affect the ability of the eggs to hatch, if that makes any sense?

I got to dye some chicken eggs from the flock for the first time. They turned out OK, but for some reason the color didn't take evenly. I washed them off with Dawn dish soap first, to try to help the dye take better.

The chickens dig through the straw to reach sand for their sand baths. They made one extra deep hole and a few days ago all four of them were trying to use it at the same time. LOL, they looked like a big pile of feathers. I'm guessing that any sand will do, no need to buy any. Come on over and bring your shovel, there's plenty here.

So far I haven's seen any scorpions out here, but there are plenty of tarantulas. I hope the chickens don't decide those big hairy spiders are interesting. Lots of snakes, and some of them are pretty big.

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter to you also! This is the one that I have for my incubator. It run's on a battery, so you don't have to worry about having to plug another cord in.

https://incubatorwarehouse.com/incu...nYCHsCRGv_yUhTLRTTFfE5klvZUiD4rxoC0KwQAvD_BwE

 

[AngBantamLuv]

Happy Easter, Everybody!!!

Yesterday I candled the eggs. It doesn't look like any will be hatching. Most of them looked clearish, and the few with spots have not grown. Even the little swimmer was not moving and didn't grow. This was my second attempt at hatching eggs, and both ended in failure. First the swap meet eggs, then ones from my flock. They are due to hatch a week from today.

Yesterday I took a trip to TSC to look for a better humidity gauge and see what kinds of incubators they have. They didn't have any gauges that would fit inside an incubator. There was a product for washing eggs, but on the label it says to refrigerate the eggs after they're washed. So does this mean it would affect the ability of the eggs to hatch, if that makes any sense?

I got to dye some chicken eggs from the flock for the first time. They turned out OK, but for some reason the color didn't take evenly. I washed them off with Dawn dish soap first, to try to help the dye take better.

The chickens dig through the straw to reach sand for their sand baths. They made one extra deep hole and a few days ago all four of them were trying to use it at the same time. LOL, they looked like a big pile of feathers. I'm guessing that any sand will do, no need to buy any. Come on over and bring your shovel, there's plenty here.

So far I haven's seen any scorpions out here, but there are plenty of tarantulas. I hope the chickens don't decide those big hairy spiders are interesting. Lots of snakes, and some of them are pretty big.

Happy Easter!

I haven't seen tarantulas.. but i have seen tarantula wasps, so they must be close by! now they are going to show up in my yard.

 

[BlueBaby]

I haven't seen tarantulas.. but i have seen tarantula wasps, so they must be close by! now they are going to show up in my yard.

You've got plenty of places for them to hide in all of those plant's.