Arizona Chickens

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WhiskeyTheRedd said:
Hey guys :)) Im looking into heat management for my babies. Im getting 8 next week. The coop and run have been redesigned and am rebuilding them this week. (somehow the pen was upturned and it caught their coop with such force that it flipped it over and killed at least one. Then with them free, My two Bully breed doggos got the rest.💔) So with that,i have a bunch of questions on how people take care of the birds when its in the high triple digits
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My go to is mud puddles that will be nice places to bathe, ice blocks in a couple of kiddie pools, cubes melt fast so blocks are better. Don’t put water in there, it’ll just make the ice melt faster. Also deep shade, cool treats, and electrolytes on the regular.
 
WhiskeyTheRedd said:
Hey guys :)) Im looking into heat management for my babies. Im getting 8 next week. The coop and run have been redesigned and am rebuilding them this week. (somehow the pen was upturned and it caught their coop with such force that it flipped it over and killed at least one. Then with them free, My two Bully breed doggos got the rest.💔) So with that,i have a bunch of questions on how people take care of the birds when its in the high triple digits
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We use tarps on top for shade and in the run there are also lots of places the chickens can go under for shade. We also use fans, cobra misters (don't use them in the shape of a snake as that can frighten the chickens), ice in the waterers, ice in tubs and trays to wade and sit in, frozen water bottles to lay against, frozen treats like peas and berries to pick at, plus we add electrolytes to the water.

I bought a bunch of plastic 10"x13"x5" trays. I fill them with water and keep stacks of them in our chest freezer. We set them out around the run and swap them for new ones throughout the day as they melt. The chickens stand on the ice, then in the cool water as it melts, and they also drink the cool water.

We also have cameras in the coop and run to keep an eye on everyone while we're indoors. We keep "hospital" cages in the house where it's cool. If any of the chickens look like they're really struggling in the heat we can bring them indoors where they can recover. The hospital cages are just 18 gallon storage tubs with pine shavings, water with electrolytes, and cool food (pellet mash or something similar). We cut the lid and replace most of it with hardware cloth so we can aim a fan into the box if need be.

It's stressful keeping an vigilant eye on the chickens and managing all the hot weather stuff all day, every day, month after month. Sometimes despite your best efforts chickens die in the extreme heat. Do not blame yourself. We live in an extreme and often brutal environment and there's only so much you can do. Just do your best.
 
Caught another squirrel in the Squirrelinator. Four down, probably a few dozen to go. Wish we could trap the males. It was a male! Roommate took care of it this afternoon and didn't tell me it had been a male until she got back from work tonight.

For anyone who has dogs: you can encourage them to drink cool water in hot weather by adding a teaspoon of bone broth (or chicken or beef broth) to their water bowl.

Looks like it's going to stay relatively cool ("non-hot?") for about a week, woohoo! 🥳
 
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This report has been circulating on social media. I'm assuming it's true. Be careful out there!

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BenisonsChickns said:
Rats!!!
Well I went to let the dog out back this evening and saw something running through the garden, big ol 🐀 rat….. I have some mouse traps but doubt that’ll work anyone have ideas on good trapping techniques?
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Pack rats? Cotton rats? Rats are tough because they are smart and learn quickly. They'll avoid bait or traps if there's a dead rat in or near it.

Having said that, large snap traps work. Don't touch the traps, wear gloves. Set them out for a few days with bait but don't set the trap so they get used to the trap as a food source. After a few days set the traps. KFC is excellent bait. Remove any dead rats quickly (wear gloves).

I know some people have had success putting realistic looking rubber snakes around their property although it seems like rats would figure out pretty quickly that they're fake (also remember where you put them so you don't give yourself a heart attack)!

Rats love to nest in prickly pear so check those if you have any on your property.

Do you know what their food sources are in your yard? They can eat almost anything but check for sources you might be contributing like dirty grills, pet food, chicken food, dropped fruit from trees, etc. Make sure your trash can lids and recycling lids fit tightly.
 
EmmaDonovan said:
Pack rats? Cotton rats? Rats are tough because they are smart and learn quickly. They'll avoid bait or traps if there's a dead rat in or near it.

Having said that, large snap traps work. Don't touch the traps, wear gloves. Set them out for a few days with bait but don't set the trap so they get used to the trap as a food source. After a few days set the traps. KFC is excellent bait. Remove any dead rats quickly (wear gloves).

I know some people have had success putting realistic looking rubber snakes around their property although it seems like rats would figure out pretty quickly that they're fake (also remember where you put them so you don't give yourself a heart attack)!

Rats love to nest in prickly pear so check those if you have any on your property.

Do you know what their food sources are in your yard? They can eat almost anything but check for sources you might be contributing like dirty grills, pet food, chicken food, dropped fruit from trees, etc. Make sure your trash can lids and recycling lids fit tightly.
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Not sure what type of rat it is, I believe it or they are living under my tool shed, and their food source is the compost pile, I ordered a 5gal bucket trap to see if I can catch them that way….. if that doesn’t work I’ll try those big snap traps
 

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