Arizona Chickens

[Mahonri]

Quote:

I don't think any math makes that fall within your parameters. Selling 15 doesn't help you... Uh... you're kinda pushing your luck, aren't you?

Yeah, come July, I'll know how many roos I'm going to sell/give away and how many hens get to stay and how many I will sell as good blue egg layers.

I'll keep the very best 20 Blue Wheaten hens (hopefully I'll have that many), A couple of polish hens for eye candy and then I'm keeping about 8 marans and that will be that.

 

[gckiddhouse]

Quote:

I don't think any math makes that fall within your parameters. Selling 15 doesn't help you... Uh... you're kinda pushing your luck, aren't you?

Yeah, come July, I'll know how many roos I'm going to sell/give away and how many hens get to stay and how many I will sell as good blue egg layers.

I'll keep the very best 20 Blue Wheaten hens (hopefully I'll have that many), A couple of polish hens for eye candy and then I'm keeping about 8 marans and that will be that.

And then you'll be all done. No more hatching, or anything, right?

 

[LarryPQ]

Quote:

I don't think any math makes that fall within your parameters. Selling 15 doesn't help you... Uh... you're kinda pushing your luck, aren't you?

Your hypothesis makes a bad assumption. You are counting the chickens before they hatch.

HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE!

 

[LarryPQ]

Look at what the Easter Bunny left me for my bday!

http://cgi.ebay.com/Egg-Incubator-B...tu=UCC&otn=12&ps=63&clkid=8976799071828706546

WAY better than chocolate.

 

[LarryPQ]

Thank you! My b-day is tomorrow, I am taking the day off! The big three-zero

OLD

I don't think it holds a ton of eggs. The inside is ~10" by 9" so probably 12 eggs. I suspect I can get a second shelf in there. I like the small size, it will keep me in check. No 95 eggs

Then the DH and I are going to gut my LG incubator, and put the heating element and thermostat into my wine fidge cooler. Fun projects!


There was a binsea cabinet incubator on CL for $350. Should I forward it to your wife?

 

[gckiddhouse]

Quote:

I don't think any math makes that fall within your parameters. Selling 15 doesn't help you... Uh... you're kinda pushing your luck, aren't you?

Your hypothesis makes a bad assumption. You are counting the chickens before they hatch.

HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE!

Haven't you read my sinature line? Oh, that's right I changed it. Something about the wisdom of counting chickens before they hatch as they run around too absurdly to count accurately once they have hatched.

So you are right! Hatch away Mahonri! I sincerely hope you get multiples of 12 hatchlings!! Lots to choose your prize birds from!

Happy Easter! My redeemer lives!!

Laree - Happy Birthday! Nice gift!

We are building a spot for the broody to house the chicks that are due a week from Tuesday! Coloring eggs today, and recovering from our wonderful family gathering yesterday! Lots of fun!

Will try to get some pics of our set up for Shaun and that suspicious roo/pullet for Mahonri.

Have a wonderful day, all!!

 

[gckiddhouse]

Quote:
K. I just tured 40, so hush about the "old" thing. You aren't even close.

I found my 30s to be stressful. I am glad to be entering a new decade. I hope you enjoy your 30s more than I did!

 

[Mahonri]

Ah the 30s and the 40s. Great times, but glad they are in the past... does that make sense.... wish I would have found my wife 5 years earlier... that would mean that my youngest might be 12 instead of 7. It's not easy raising little kids in your 50s.

 

[reneepren]

Hello all. I am from Chandler AZ and thinking of getting a few hens for my shady grassy back yard. Any advice on best prebuilt coops for AZ weather? I have dogs and feral cats so needs to be secure including from diggers. Anyplace to buy coops in Phx/East Valley? Or should I order online? Not a carpenter myself. How do chickens do in the heat? How to introduce my dogs to the hens? Thx. Happy Easter!

Renee

 

[gckiddhouse]

Quote:
Hi Renee!

Welcome to the AZ thread! and to BYC!

There are premade coops being sold in the East valley all the time on Craigslist. There are two that those folks make.
http://phoenix.craigslist.org/evl/grd/1668415118.html

http://phoenix.craigslist.org/evl/grd/1668418873.html

However, you can watch this thread and we have some really CL junkies who love to post the lastest and greatest CL finds. You certaily don't have to spend a lot of money. There are wonderful free finds all the time! If you aren't in a hurry, then just wait and see what pops up...

We have a labradoodle. A bird dog! When we got chicks, he tried to take a bite of one and I decked him, real hard. He never did that again. We brought him around the chicks all the time and made sure that he behaved calmly and we held the chicks on his back and his head and stuff. When they got to be about 6 or7 weeks old, we let them out to free range with the dog on a leash. We made it real clear that he wasn't to chase them. He has always been wonderful with them. We just trained him to be okay with them. It can be done. Lots of people have dogs and chickens. If you tell your dog that the chickens are part of your "pack", and mean it, they will believe you.

As for other dogs, you will need to dig-proof your coop. There are lots of ways to do that. We have 3' rebar steaks in the ground every 4", so it is like a jail cell underneath the coop. Others use footers or just extended chicken wire or hardware cloth that lays along the ground or just under the ground so digging is difficult.

I am kind of big on tweety-bird proofing your coop as they will eat a LOT of food and raise your cost significantly!!

Happy Easter!