Arizona Chickens

[wolfwalker]

What does that have to do with now, a year & a half later? Are there new lock-downs?

Not saying folks won't go crazy--sometimes a whisper of rumor is all it takes--but isn't some of this like a self-fulfilling prophecy? I do hope they continue to carry my dog's food at the feed store, because she can't tolerate a lot of kinds (long trial & error to discover this). They carry it at TSC, but I too like to buy local when I can.

The feed plant in Albuquerque burned down 5 months ago.

Ransomware attacks have hit the major grain elevators and distributors slowing things down on transferring grain from the elevators to the processers .

Feed prices have continued to jump. I was paying .28/lb six months ago, .38/lb 3 months ago and as of yesterday .55/lb . with feed prices jumping weekly people are stocking up and that creates shortages.

worker shortages at distribution centers mean local feed stores have had their orders sitting on the docks for months. and right or wrong when they do get them the order has a higher cost from when it was placed.

When I, who has a hatchery, has to go to 5 or 6 stores just to get enough feed to fill my monthly order, what happens to all the small home flocks after I wipe the local stores out of certain types of feed. I try to buy a month at a time on the first of the month. This month I could only get 50% of what I need on the first.

The big box chains carry pallets load of the cheaper lower percentage feed, That I can NOT use, but only stock up 5 or 6 bags of the good stuff at a time.

all these little things add up

 

[BlueBaby]

OK, I need to try again. I just posted about how a page here was not showing up on either of my computers, and posted hoping someone would see it so they'd know I wasn't ignoring anybody. It posted back in yesterday's comments, and afterward I could see this page. Other web sites seem normal. Weird.

I see what you are talking about by checking the time of your posting's.

 

[BlueBaby]

The feed plant in Albuquerque burned down 5 months ago.

Ransomware attacks have hit the major grain elevators and distributors slowing things down on transferring grain from the elevators to the processers .

Feed prices have continued to jump. I was paying .28/lb six months ago, .38/lb 3 months ago and as of yesterday .55/lb . with feed prices jumping weekly people are stocking up and that creates shortages.

worker shortages at distribution centers mean local feed stores have had their orders sitting on the docks for months. and right or wrong when they do get them the order has a higher cost from when it was placed.

When I, who has a hatchery, has to go to 5 or 6 stores just to get enough feed to fill my monthly order, what happens to all the small home flocks after I wipe the local stores out of certain types of feed. I try to buy a month at a time on the first of the month. This month I could only get 50% of what I need on the first.

The big box chains carry pallets load of the cheaper lower percentage feed, That I can NOT use, but only stock up 5 or 6 bags of the good stuff at a time.

all these little things add up

I didn't know that about the feed plant burning down. I did know about at least a couple of the recycling places burning down. I also heard that there is a shortage on truck driver's too.

I bought my feed from TSC this time because (Chitwood's) the feed store that I had been buying from was having problems with bug's in the feed.

Did you get moved already?

 

[BlueBaby]

The post's being out of order is site-wide here. See this thread about it:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/posts-out-of-order.1496575/

 

[CaroleW]

I figured out how to get the top off. But it does have this bar on the outside that connects to a rubber stopper on the inside. When you push on the bar, the stopper moves inside so whatever is inside can come out into the pan. Am I going to need to keep pushing on it every time I want water to come out for the chickens? View attachment 2858818View attachment 2858819

I think I have one like that at Mesa. (not right here). Mine has a slot at the bottom (near the water holding lip) that I twist off the entire top and then pull up the outside vessel. So the 2 pieces look like 2 buckets - 1 is open on top, 1 is open on bottom and they slide together over that copper piece that holds it tight along with the slot that secures it to a peg on the bottom vessel.

Mine doesn't make you push anything to make water come out - it just comes out when water level dropstoo low inside the lip automatically.

 

[wolfwalker]

I didn't know that about the feed plant burning down. I did know about at least a couple of the recycling places burning down. I also heard that there is a shortage on truck driver's too.

I bought my feed from TSC this time because (Chitwood's) the feed store that I had been buying from was having problems with bug's in the feed.

Did you get moved already?

Not yet. The house goes up- for sale today. The photographer my agent uses could not get here until this morning. so when the pictures get to my agent after lunch she will post them and it will go live, everything is ready to go except pictures..

 

[springvalley123]

Not yet. The house goes up- for sale today. The photographer my agent uses could not get here until this morning. so when the pictures get to my agent after lunch she will post them and it will go live, everything is ready to go except pictures..

I hope it sells quickly and you can get your family moved into a new place/state smoothly!

 

[Hermits Garden]

Not yet. The house goes up- for sale today. The photographer my agent uses could not get here until this morning. so when the pictures get to my agent after lunch she will post them and it will go live, everything is ready to go except pictures..

Good luck! Selling a house is stressful, but at least right now sales are brisk. I don't know where in AZ you are, but friends of ours recently sold a house in Mesa for well over their asking price, and in a very short time! Here's hoping it all goes smoothly for you.

 

[CaroleW]

I made my Feed Store run today. Got everything I needed - 2 dog food, 6 bags feed and 2 bales straw. I started unloading it and realized I need to superclean an empty metal can because it had some kind of stuff that didn't look good in the very bottom. I'm waiting for it to dry. Meanwhile I had to scrounge for some blocks and boards to make a raised scaffold for temp storage for the new feed that goes in that can. It's about to rain here north of Prescott. So everything is now staged in the Pole Barn safe from sprinkles.

I remember our discussion on toxic feed some maybe due to faulty storage - so especially with the rain I check the feed to make sure I don't see or smell anything concerning. I did end up dumping the bottom of the barrel sunflower seeds out in the field because they were wet a couple weeks ago. And I have to caulk or retape the metal can handles against the weather - some tape has worn out.

 

[Hermits Garden]

Well, we got a bid for "piers" for our coop. The hubs and I have left a trail of sheds from Florida to Montana, but we always had flat, mostly-level ground to build on. Here in the mountains, our lot is level, but way not flat, so he doubted his ability to make a foundation that would be stable and solid. (He always builds toward overkill, so this shed/coop will still be going strong thirty years after we're dead.)

I am stoked, because this is (forgive the pun)...a concrete beginning! At the very least, this part will be done, and he and I can finish in early spring. But if the weather holds, and the snow only flies a little between now and late November, we might get it built!!! Scary to hope I might have chicks by next spring, but I'm hoping!