Arizona Chickens

[BlueBaby]

Do you think you'd have six girls?

Ok, and I put more egg's in there a bit ago.

 

[EmmaDonovan]

Thank you! I confirmed it with my roommate: we will buy 6 girls if you hatch them.

She kept saying, "Oh boy!" and I said, "No, they'll be all girls!"

 

[BlueBaby]

Thank you! I confirmed it with my roommate: we will buy 6 girls if you hatch them.

She kept saying, "Oh boy!" and I said, "No, they'll be all girls!"

I have 45 egg's in there now, so I know that some pullet's are on the way. They will be due to hatch on March 7th.

 

[springvalley123]

Does anyone here use a rat-proof treadle feeder? It looks like they're typically made out of metal including the treadle which seems like it would be get too hot for chickens to step on in summer.

Has anyone converted a metal treadle to be useable in summer by covering it with wood or felt or something along those lines?

I used to have one. It didn't get too hot for two reasons: I lived north of the valley, so the record high was about 114, and the usual high was not much over a hundred, and it cooled off significantly before roost time, unlike in the valley. also, I had it under shade. I never had any luck teaching adults to use it, but the roughly 6-8 week olds learned quickly. I had to start by putting a rock on the treadle to keep it open. It was the grandpas feeder, all metal.

 

[EmmaDonovan]

Rhode Island Reds vs. Black Australorps: which would you pick?

In addition to BlueBaby's Bielefelders we're getting chicks from Inspire Farms: Easter Eggers and White Leghorns, and we're trying to decide on one more breed.

I understand Rhode Island Reds and Black Australorps are both good layers. I've cared for friend's flocks that have included Black Australorps, I'm amazed black chickens can handle our high temps! But I don't have a preference for either breed.

 

[cavemanrich]

Rhode Island Reds and Black Australorps

Flip a coin... I like them equally

 

[BlueBaby]

Rhode Island Reds vs. Black Australorps: which would you pick?

In addition to BlueBaby's Bielefelders we're getting chicks from Inspire Farms: Easter Eggers and White Leghorns, and we're trying to decide on one more breed.

I understand Rhode Island Reds and Black Australorps are both good layers. I've cared for friend's flocks that have included Black Australorps, I'm amazed black chickens can handle our high temps! But I don't have a preference for either breed.

The size of your coop and run will determine how many that you will be able to fit in it comfortably. If they are too crowded, there could be more fighting amongst them. The Bielefelder's are a large chicken breed, so if you plan to add more to the same coop pick out some that will be near to the same size as them.

A neighbor that had chickens before, had some White Leghorns and they were the ones that had the hardest time in the desert heat.

Edited to add that Black Australorps are a broody breed. That's the breed that I first started out with.

 

[EmmaDonovan]

We're building a simple hoop coop with enclosed run, total approx. 200 sq ft. We're still trying figure out what the allowed dimensions and placement of the coop are. We keep getting told different things over the phone. I'm going to drive to the planning office next week to try to get a printout or something in writing. We don't want to run "afowl" of any codes or laws.

We had to give up on our earlier coop design because of the stolen parts box. We called the Amazon seller to see if we could buy a replacement. They turned out to be a trucking company and had no idea how to replace the box. We tried contacting the manufacturer in China and they never responded. So, we have a $250 box of new, shiny, useless poles.

 

[BlueBaby]

We're building a simple hoop coop with enclosed run, total approx. 200 sq ft. We're still trying figure out what the allowed dimensions and placement of the coop are. We keep getting told different things over the phone. I'm going to drive to the planning office next week to try to get a printout or something in writing. We don't want to run "afowl" of any codes or laws.

We had to give up on our earlier coop design because of the stolen parts box. We called the Amazon seller to see if we could buy a replacement. They turned out to be a trucking company and had no idea how to replace the box. We tried contacting the manufacturer in China and they never responded. So, we have a $250 box of new, shiny, useless poles.

Is it possible to reinforce your hoop coop with those poles? That way they won't go to waste.

 

[EmmaDonovan]

I've been thinking about that. They're just smooth poles that click together, like old vacuum cleaner extensions, if you know what those are.