Arizona Chickens

[stevensonm]

What wattage of heating lamp do you use for ur Chicks, and does it jsut go in a regular drop light? Thats what it looked liek at the feed store.

thx
Shaun

 

[mahalo4]

Just wanted to give an FYI We put eggs up for auction for the first time for BYC'ers I would not charge for local pick up!! Here are some of Our babies!!

 

[Smiles-N-Sunshine]

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Shaun, I've been using a 75 watt incandescent "long life" bulb with good results. (The brooder is a 50 gallon Rubbermaid bin.) I used to use dollar-store-quality lamps, but now I have an actual brooder light (ceramic base) from Lowe's that I think is worth the extra money.

Bryan

 

[LarryPQ]

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You are welcome? I gave eggs?

I should probably start writing that stuff down.

 

[turkeybreeder]

if anyone is interested in auburn pair

or mottled chocolate pair turkeys
or a royal palm pair also

 

[ArizonaDesertChicks]

Quote:
it was nice meeting you and your husband yesterday really nice people thank you
i was really happy to have found a broody chicken just in time i received the eggs i ordered
i got to visit my little niece she was really happy we went to visit them
the broody chicken was scared for two hours fix her a nestand we put her some food and water
she was happy eating and drinking water then she setted on the eggs how many eggs
do you usually give her to hatch i gave her 15 eggs to hatch

I'm glad she stayed broody - she started less than a week ago, so she should stay broody for the entire time (as long as other hens aren't there to pick at her).

As for the number of eggs to put under her; I've never given her eggs to hatch. I have broken her broodiness the last 3 times. You want to make sure you can fully cover her eggs, so that they can all be kept warm. 10-12 should be no problem, depending on the size of the eggs - if you want to try 15, just go out and make sure they all seem totally covered by her.

 

[ArizonaDesertChicks]

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Is it? You are paying for the convienence of getting pre-vaccinated chicks, and since Mareks rarely kills before 14 weeks, you are saving tons of money by getting them vaccinated. A 16-week non-laying pullet costs about $15.

So say you bought 20 unvaccinated chicks, they get Marek's, and you are SUPER lucky and only 2 die before point-of-lay. You could have saved $10, have an uninfected flock, and not have to deal with semi-retarded chickens for the rest of their lives.

Just to clarify; Vaccinating for Marek's disease does not prevent your chickens from getting Mareks - it only prevents the symptoms from Marek's. Vaccinating your chicks does not mean they will not be uninfected or carriers. But...even though, vaccinating to prevent a loss or two from the symptoms is probably still a good idea.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

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Or rabbits. I stopped selling junior rabbits to newbies around Easter, but offer a rental service (which no one seems interested in) so I'd get the animal back after the novelty wore off.

Smart idea, sadly maybe ahead of it's time.

My niece's sister is a teacher in Austin Tx. Someone there has a company that rents out classroom animals, so that over the course of a year, a class can experience several different classroom pets. And there is no worrying about finding a home for "Hoppy" or "Slither" during breaks.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

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I just checked with Mesa Feed Barn where I purchased my chicks 4 weeks ago and didn't even think to ask if they were vaccinated.

Ok, I find out they're not so now I need to get busy. Is there a good tutorial on vaccinating? I've seen a lot of little bits of info but haven't found enough that I feel comfortable yet. Besides Mareks, what do we need to give them?

Thanks!

Erin

A lot of folks do not vaccinate at all. Or only vaccinate if they begin seeing a problem. Vaccines I would consider include coryza, fowl pox and coccidiosis. Most of the coryza vaccines also include infectious bronchitis. If there was a vaccine for fowl cholera (pasteurella), I would vaccinate for that, but there is not.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

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Most feed stores carry shavings, and usually at a far better price than the pet stores. Tell us where you live and we can recommend feed stores.

Do not put chicks with hens that they are not already raising--they are likely to kill them.

You need medicated starter for the chicks, and a good layer ration for the hens. Arizona Feeds is pretty much garbage; just about any brand is better.

The hens will be fine with the current temperatures. The chicks will need heat for at least a couple of weeks. The rule is that they need 95 degrees the first week, 90 degrees the second, and 5 degrees less each week until the temeprature needed matches the ambient temperature. I have some outside on the porch that get heat at night, but not during the day (unless chilly or windy). My youngest are inside in the storage and laundry rooms, which stay pretty warm. They get little added heat. Basically, if they are chirping frantically, they are uncomfortable, and it is likely that they are cold, hungry or thirsty. If they are constantly lethargically sprawled, they are too hot.


Higley Feed and Adens Hay Oasis are the only ones I can think of near (more or less) you. Both carry OH Kruse, and I heard that Higley was going to start carrying King. King is new to Arizona, EXCELLENT quality feed used by most exhibition breeders in California and other NW states. I asked Sharon at The Feed Barn to consider carrying it. I use Manna Pro, and am happy with it, but would definitely like to use as least some of the King Brand products. But I won't change feed stores over it.