Arizona Chickens

[southerndesert]

Here are Tracy's new little ones (on Thursday anyway) sure is a cute batch! Pastrymama check out the little almost pure white one, looks like one of the Doms donated to the gene pool....

All are healthy and doing what they should be doing at this age....

 

[tball chicky]

Quote:
So you use deep litter for the run as well as the coop? I hadn't thought of that...I think where I am it would all just blow away. I spread a layer of straw in their run so they have something to scratch at though.

Yes, I do, but look at my page. The coop and run aren't very big because I let them out all day anyway and the coop part is open to the run. The coop is basically just more run with a little more shelter. I hang a shower curtain between the two during really cold weather. Pretty simple. With deep litter I only do about 5 minutes a day chicken chores (besides the once or twice a year that I remove shavings)

Cute coop! The wind would definitely blow all that litter away

I have the same kind of set up - where one is just an extension of the other. I do put shavings in the coop portion, but have to use straw in the run. For some reason it doesn't blow away as easily.

 

[Mama Hen Chris]

Quote:
Thanks Sonorian! I made the bottoms of the nest boxes hinge downwards for cleaning (see picts to follow) - great minds think alike. First time I'm hearing about curtains, not sure if your messing w/me...

And of course you must thoroughly wash, starch and iron them weekly.

(I assumed you were already thinking of curtains

Also, do I need a piece hanging down from the top of the entrance to the nest boxes?

I assume the idea is to make the hens feel safe and claustrophobic.
​

Curtains!! For sure!!! My girls like more privacy on the bottom nest boxes. But no washing starching and ironing weekly though. Maybe once a month, they do collect dust.

 

[tball chicky]

Quote:
So you use deep litter for the run as well as the coop? I hadn't thought of that...I think where I am it would all just blow away. I spread a layer of straw in their run so they have something to scratch at though.

i tried deep litter and failed miserably! i seriously have no clue what i was doing wrong and had "the chicken man"(CB from VPA) himself come out. i think it just doesn't work for me. i clean out the coops monthly at least. i have dirt in my run and a big tub of sand for their dusting pleasure. just bought an alfalfa bale and toss in a bit into the run for them to eat and scratch at. allergic to straw!!!!

I tried it in my little banty coop and it works pretty well, but it's more enclosed than the big coop. I still clean the banty coop once a month anyway. The big coop just didn't seem to work out as well with the deep litter (probably cause I had crazy roosters that went even crazier). I have dirt in the run with straw thrown over it, they dig themselves little holes for rolling in - hubby thought that was insanely funny the first time he saw a chicken rolling around in the dirt

I also give them some alfalfa to scratch around & enjoy.

I handle the straw ok - but not HAY...I am sooo allergic to bermuda...and johnson...and timothy. Glad to know I'm not the only chicken person that allergic to the farm

 

[tball chicky]

So, at the risk of seeming completely helpless

...what do I do with all this stuff in order to make this mini-fridge into an incubator???

 

[tball chicky]

Quote:
And of course you must thoroughly wash, starch and iron them weekly.

(I assumed you were already thinking of curtains

Also, do I need a piece hanging down from the top of the entrance to the nest boxes?

I assume the idea is to make the hens feel safe and claustrophobic.
​

Curtains!! For sure!!! My girls like more privacy on the bottom nest boxes. But no washing starching and ironing weekly though. Maybe once a month, they do collect dust.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/66234_img_1375.jpg

Love it! My chickens might actually lay some eggs if I made their coop pretty like yours

 

[tball chicky]

Quote:
I'm so jealous you have peafowl! I could neuter your goats for you but I've only done baby lambs, we never used anesthesia on the little babies. But, $600? Holy smokes! I usually paid 75-100$ for a colt to get gelded!

Here are my pretty girls...

 

[Mikey D]

Quote:
I brought back buggy bag #2 to B-B today. Just got a refund & went to superstition Feed & got a bag of Purina un-medicated. The label on the bag says not to feed it to chickens if it is infested with bugs. The lady behind the counter said it would be OK. I told her I'm going with the manufacturer's recommendation.

I'm thinking the bugs are going to convert the good stuff in the feed to bug poo. Depleted nutrients & bug poo. Just my not so humble opinion.

 

[Mikey D]

Quote:
Very cute! Mine are in the very ugly phase...

 

[tball chicky]

How do I "safely" remove the compressor thing from a little frig? Anyone...? Any ideas...?