Arizona Chickens

[WendyGrama]

I feel like I am feeding the ants as much as the chickens, they love the scratch I throw out and the fire ants the veggie & fruit rinds!

I will just keep it up. The DE doesn't seem to affect the harvester ants, they just find a way around it, come up a few feet away or move it out of their way... I think I have half a dozen deep, deep nests. Someone told me to mix the DE with powder sugar, didn't work, they treated it the same as DE.

Chickens seem fine though. Thanx for your input

 

[Mikey D]

Next...

When a chicken is described as "flighty" is that referring to being skittish or their ability to fly?

I know that sounds like a dumb question but on reading the breeds page (over & over & over) I see many breeds referred to as calm, docile and flighty all at the same time.

Thanks for enlightening the dim...

 

[Tracydr]

Quote:
I think it has to do with skittishness. Some of those charts seem to be a compilation of several different people's input and plenty of conflicting descriptions in the temperament category.

 

[southerndesert]

Quote:
We use AMDRO, they take it home and it wipes out the whole colony. We set up a couple spots that are chicken/chick proof near the coops and pens and when we see ants (not often anymore) we put out some bait and within a couple hours they have it all hauled home. Use liberally and ants disappear in a couple days.

AMDRO

Edit cause my spelling is bad

 

[mclevinson]

Quote:
Skittishness. My Americauna pullets are a little skittish but like to sit on my lap, the speckled sussex are a more skittish and very standoffish. The silkies and Sizzle are not flighty at all.

 

[mclevinson]

Quote:
We use AMDRO, they take it home and it wipes out the whole colony. We set up a couple spots that are chicken/chick proof near the coops and pens and when we see ants (not often anymore) we put out some bait and within a couple hours they have it all hauled home. Use liberally and ants disappear in a couple days.

AMDRO

Edit cause my spelling is bad

After I got my pullets cooped last Saturday I sprinkled Amdro too, and they took every bit of the bait in short order. No more ants, posthaste.

 

[LarryPQ]

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It is because they can't see you coming.

 

[mclevinson]

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It is because they can't see you coming.

True dat. Whatever it takes. Poor Tempest has real depth perception problems.

 

[pastrymama]

Lareeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
Hope Chatterbox has a great first day of kinder today! Finally, get one of those boys outta here! Bring a tissue

 

[CaroleW]

Quote:
Aw, it sounds like maybe he wasn't feeding them very well before you got them?

There is some feather eating with my 4 hens. When one of them digs a wallow and throws shavings over her back, another hen will try to scratch it and pick stuff out of it. They get plenty of protein, they're just weird.
When I first got them they were a pecking, feather plucking/eating mess, and mean to one another. Having more space and better feed took care of that.

Yes sounds like mine- they were in with about 30 birds in a smaller space than I have for just the 4 (soon to be for all 7 once integrated into one flock) so they had nothing else to do but work on their survival of the fastest skills and peck each other down. And they didn't have any backyard time in the grass like now. They were more like farm chickens instead of pet chickens. I am raising them as pets with jobs but I'm not naming them (just "indian names"(no offense to native americans intended) like tail feather and big red) in case they become stew in a few years (no offense to vegan or animal rights enthusiasts intended).