Arizona Chickens

[igorsMistress]

Hurt like splinters and such from wood chips? Darn, I thought wood chips would be an awesome thing for chickens to peck around in. We can usually get them for free, too.

Caliche isn't always in one thick slab layer, like a house foundation. It can concentrate into large lumps. Easy for squirrels to burrow around. We will free feed our hens and we don't want to feed the squirrel population, too. They're a huge problem here. I suspect they've tunneled under the house, too, but that's for the homeowner to deal with.

It depends on the chips. If you get a chip drop or something similar then yes, they can get bumblefoot from those. If you use composted mulch then it was never an issue for me, but that can end up being expensive.

 

[igorsMistress]

What do you all use to fill in the little spaces between wood (like in a hen house) that will expand and contract with 25F-115F temps? Something like this?

We're also trying to find a decent price for hemp litter, filling a 6'x6' roost area about 8-10" deep. Any suggestions on where to get it? I haven't been able to find anything local and shipping costs from outside the state are really high.

We didn’t use anything between the cracks. Expanding and contracting and heat will just make a mess of the filler and you’ll have to clean it up and re do it regularly. Makes more maintenance which takes time and money. Measure twice, cut once and make sure you use screws to hold everything together and that will limit those issues. Nails don’t hold up like screws do. Also, be sure you put a coat of paint on and add that as a regular maintenance item each year; it’s about $10 for barn paint and a gallon is enough to do my coop which is walk in and 8x12. This helps keep moisture from the wood and prevents warping.

 

[BlueBaby]

What do you all use to fill in the little spaces between wood (like in a hen house) that will expand and contract with 25F-115F temps? Something like this?

We're also trying to find a decent price for hemp litter, filling a 6'x6' roost area about 8-10" deep. Any suggestions on where to get it? I haven't been able to find anything local and shipping costs from outside the state are really high.

They have some of the hemp bedding on Amazon, and if you have Amazon Prime they ship it for free.

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=hemp+bed...mp+bedding,aps,617&ref=nb_sb_ss_ts-doa-p_3_12

 

[BlueBaby]

Well 14 duck hatching egg's arrived here this morning and have been unpacked. They are now resting from the trip with the post office. I will have my experience of hatching duck egg's soon. Good thing that this breed is sexable at hatch.

 

[springvalley123]

Well 14 duck hatching egg's arrived here this morning and have been unpacked. They are now resting from the trip with the post office. I will have my experience of hatching duck egg's soon. Good thing that this breed is sexable at hatch.

Careful or you'll soon have a duckling addiction!

 

[EmmaDonovan]

Thanks to everyone for answering my weird questions. I have another one.

We go into the mountains frequently to hike/picnic/camp. Is there any reason not to bag some of the forest detritus and bring it back home to distribute in the coop run, to give the hens something different to pick through? Would it have anything in it that could harm them?

All we have here is just desert sand and that can't be very interesting to pick through day after day. It's 162 sq. ft. of same-same.

 

[igorsMistress]

Thanks to everyone for answering my weird questions. I have another one.

We go into the mountains frequently to hike/picnic/camp. Is there any reason not to bag some of the forest detritus and bring it back home to distribute in the coop run, to give the hens something different to pick through? Would it have anything in it that could harm them?

All we have here is just desert sand and that can't be very interesting to pick through day after day. It's 162 sq. ft. of same-same.

I would think you’d have to haul quite a bit to really make a difference. It literally takes seconds for chickens to destroy a pile of anything. Could you create a compost pile in a small bin in a corner for them? Safe yard clippings, fruit and veg scraps, egg shells, and a little dirt are all you’d need. Maybe a bit of straw for brown materials. It would invite bugs into the space over time and your flock would enjoy it. Mexican Bird of Paradise and mesquite are safe yard items and my flock enjoyed the green parts quite a bit.
Another thought is a grass frame. It prevents the flock from destroying the grass completely but still gives them access to grass that they can nip off.

 

[BlueBaby]

Careful or you'll soon have a duckling addiction!

Not hardly, but I will have the experience of it though.

 

[cavemanrich]

And then next move..

Spoiler: https://leitesculinaria.com/5543/recipes-spit-roasted-duck-with-orange-and-rosemary.html

https://leitesculinaria.com/5543/recipes-spit-roasted-duck-with-orange-and-rosemary.html

 

[Coffee N Chickens]

We're going to need duckling pictures. You know that, right?

As far as bedding, what about pine needles? I have friends in the Flagstaff area from when I lived there who would LOVE for anybody to pick up and haul off huge bags of pine needles.