Arizona Chickens

[pdx2phx]

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I'm so temped to add these to the chicks we're getting next week.
Can you tell me more about them? They'll be small, right? Can they live with the big girls? Do you have any idea what they'll look like?

They should be small, Flo their mom is a blue silkie, and their dad Elvis is a class B serama rooster. They are small enough that I'm grinding their food, just like the baby seramas. They hatched at the end of last week. They are the fuzziest chicks I've ever had! The blue one does not photograph well, but is about the cutest chick I've ever seen in person

Super fluffy! The blue one looks like it will have muffs and a beard, but no crest so far, and a few feathers on it's legs. The white/yellow one has lots of feathers on it's legs, but doesn't look like it will have muffs/beard/crest.

They would be fine with full size as long as you wait until about 12 weeks to integrate. I have my silkie and my serama all out together. The seramas have their "own" coop, but everyone is in and out of each other's coop.

We weren't really planning on incubating any of Flo's eggs, since we don't have a silkie roo. But then our seramas were broody, they quit being broody, and then my DH thought Flo's eggs were two serama eggs and put them in the incubator while I was at work. I decided to go ahead and continue to incubate, since it was a few days before I saw them and they were already developing.

Nurseshelley, I PM'ed you about your wee ones....

 

[azpenguin]

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Go get some cat litter. Not the clumping stuff, just the cheap stuff. Spread it liberally and let it sit for an hour or so. Then scoop (don't sweep! You don't want to spread it around!) it up into sturdy trash bags or boxes, and take it to the garbage bin outside. After that, use Dawn dish soap liberally to start cleaning up the rest.

 

[Mikey D]

I asked this in the raising chicks section but I'm not sure I got an answer.

I understand that chicks in the brooder don't need a 24 hr on light cycle, only to keep proper temp, but will 24 hr on mess up their daily rhythm / cycle?

Would a red head lamp on a dimmer be better than a white light?

 

[kevs-chickadees]

I've always just used a regular old bulb that I stole out of a ceiling fan or something. Mine have all turned out fine, as long as you ignore the twitch every now and then.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

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A few simple, relatively inexpensive ideas.

1) get a drop pen and line with either chicken wire, cage wire or plastic hardware cloth. You can also wire underneath it. This is a drop pen:
http://www.randallburkey.com/images/14019.gif They cost about $25-$30 at feed stores, and easily fold for storage. Openings are too big for chicks, though.

2) get a roll of cage wire from Lowes and fashion a round pen. you can cover the top with just about anything. Wire underneath if you like. For the round pen, simply unroll the wire and form it into a circle of adequate size. About 10' forms a nice sized circle for 4 birds. Slightly over lap the edges, then use zip ties to fasten together at top bottom and a few places in the middle. The 1x1 cage wire is a good size for this--small enough openings that only the smallest bantams will escape and large enough that you can use plant stakes through openings across from each other for roosts, or in the top for a semi-permanent roof.

3) get wire grid shelving units and wire tie together to form a pen. You need to find the kind that have very small openings, not the ones that are about 1.5 inches. At least for chicks..

Those are great ideas! I'll have to call Mesa Feed to see if they carry the drop pens. Thanks so much!

I know that Ray's does. The Feed Barn has them, too.

 

[AZBootsie]

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Go get some cat litter. Not the clumping stuff, just the cheap stuff. Spread it liberally and let it sit for an hour or so. Then scoop (don't sweep! You don't want to spread it around!) it up into sturdy trash bags or boxes, and take it to the garbage bin outside. After that, use Dawn dish soap liberally to start cleaning up the rest.

simple green also works well for degreasing.

 

[AZBootsie]

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Red lights are suppost to be better because they discourage pecking. Honestly, I never noticed a difference. The whole light bulb thing always made me nervous though. I worried if I had to leave the house and at night. I bought the eco brooder and love it. Whatever you decide, do oriented your chicks to the darkness. One of my batches had 24 hour light and really freaked out when I moved them to the coop. They were terrified of the dark to the point of piling and smashing 1 to death.

edit:
Eco brooder doesn't sound right....eco something. Anyway it is the electric hen from brinsea. Little pricey....I think it was around $60. To me worth the peace of mind. The fear of a house fire was making me crazy.

 

[Lyongirl]

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Ohh if someone else hasn't gotten it yet we shop there

.

 

[tightwad]

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Ohh if someone else hasn't gotten it yet we shop there

.

Sorry, someone else pm'd me last night about it.

Be on the lookout though for the Money Mailer coupons in a red, white, and blue envelope. That's where I found it.

 

[dofnup]

Speaking of Pet Club ... has anyone found any adverse effects of their store brand chicken feed? I had been getting Layena from them and the last time I went they informed me they no longer carried it, but that their store brand was "exactly the same". I was skeptical (I tend to be a brand groupie) but my chickens were on their last crumble so I got it anyway.

My hens haven't been laying too well, however this is probably due to the heat and not the feed ... but still, thought I'd check with you guys just in case