Arizona Chickens

[DM]

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HI,
So glad you joined the forum. I love the name Green acres...looking forward to your entries...this forum has a ton of good advice...almost all i know comes from the information what is written here.

 

[cluckin_crazy]

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Speaking of learning things on BYC, what in the world does DH stad for? I think I've deducted that it is used in references to husbands, but for the life of me I can't think of what it could mean!!!

 

[LarryPQ]

DH= Dear Husband most often. Also Dear Heart, but most men will write DW (dear wife) to avoid confusion. "D" anything is usually Dear followed by a relative such as S-son, D-daughter, SS-stepson.

Then you'll get the "IL"s which are the in-laws. MIL, FIL, BIL. You get it. I have a website somewhere with internet shortcuts, but my computer at work tanked bigtime and they lost all my old data. It was posted on BYC, so I iwll see if I can find it.

EDITED- I did a full clean of the coop yesterday. I wanted to deep-litter method it, but at one point we put a bale of hay in there. Big mistake. The hay stank faster, didn't dry out, and made a mess. It took me 9 wheelbarrows to get it all out...which really doesn't mean much since I made sure not to fill the barrow all the way up--so it would still be manageable. Then I dug a big-ol hole in the fallow part of the garden, put in all the stuff from the coop, and mixed in all the dirt. Once it all packed down, I covered it with a sea-grass mat, and made that area the new "walkway" in the garden. Then I scrubbed down the coop, threw in a load of sand, and a bag of pine shavings. At each stage in the process, the chickens would run into the coop to see what was new. At one point, almost all of them were digging or dust bathing. Very funny, but I am wicked sore.

The DH (just for you cluckin'

) then made me movable/collapsable mini-roosts. They are 2-3 feet wide and made of PVC pipe. I wanted to be able to move the roosts so they could be shaded in the summer, or in the sun in the winter. I also needed low roosts for the non-fliers (the silkies and sizzles). A saw horse woks great, but they are always in the way when I am working in the coop. I wated them off the ground but not in a walkway. When they are finished, I will put pics on my DIY page. Also, while at Home Depot, I was inspired to make another auto-feeder for the brooder. Silly chickies toss the food around, so I am always worried they are out and hungry.

Speaking of which, I made the chickies a egg/yogurt/oatmeal treat yesterday. I put it in a large tupperware to prevent sqabbling. Bad idea. The silkie chicks went swimming, got super-crusty, and needed a bath/blowdry.

 

[Green Acres in AZ]

Thanks Arizona Nessa for the info on treats. That link is very helpful.

I sent a reply to you earlier but don't see the post. Will have to figure out what I'm doing wrong.

Hopefully this one will show up!

 

[tofuranch]

Welcome Green Acres...you don't say what part of the state that you live in, if you are up North by me...my chickens haven't been laying as well because of the cloudy days, rain and snow that we have been having. This is another reason that chickens won't lay as well.

 

[a2ms4chickens]

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I'm in Tucson and my hens pretty much stopped laying for a few months. They all seemed to have a long and hard molt. Just a few weeks ago they decided to start up again.
It seemed like forever!

Don't worry, yours will start laying again and you'll be enjoying all those eggs!!!

Angie

 

[AZKat]

Well, I've found a new home for the two Marans, but the Delaware is still for sale, if anyone needs another pullet. I also finished a major clean out of the coop, which gives me a massive sense of accomplishment, and also leaves me feeling very tired.
My coop is a converted concrete shed, so I took everything out, raked out all of the straw, swept, hosed everything down and then put everything back in with new straw. It was a bit dusty, but now its nice and clean.

 

[cluckin_crazy]

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How old is the maran and how much is she? I know a couple people who may be interested.

 

[CheerfulHeart2]

Monhonri - how did the hatch turn out? Also, what is FBCM ?
Harry - Congrats' on keeping the chickens. Put the kids to work!
Welcome newbies!
Someone asked about temperature - I concur, they should be fine, but you can use a light if you are worried.
Egg Laying - I added light to my coop. My hens are laying again, but it could just be the molt is over. I can feel your pain though on no eggs. It can be very, very frustrating!
Laree- congrats on the babies. Good job on the hay. The chickens sure are a curious bunch....mine too.
Pati - I have loved the weather too.

Nice hearing from everyone!!!!

ETA-
cluckin - congrates on the egg
Sock puppet - good to hear from you. Nice to have you check in. Congrats on the eggs.

 

[squeakyballs]

Harry's Pollos 1G :

Update on the chicken situation:

After much conversation and a family counsel today with my wife and kids we have decided to make another attempt at raising chickens in the backyard. I am overwhelmed by the encouragement and support that many of you have provided to us. I apologize for getting the hopes up of those who expressed interest in raising our girls, please know that it was never my intent to mislead you or give you false hopes. My fingers are crossed and my hopes are high that will be a long-term endeavor, but in the end only time and effort will tell.  Thank you all, again, for your help, support, and understanding with this decision. Have a great week all!

I'm glad you are going to try to stick with it! It would suck to give up after all the effort you went through to get a coop and hens and everything else!​