Arizona Chickens

[southerndesert]

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Ditto with us 14 hours light with timer year round though in summer there is a few months we really don't need the lights. As mentioned Mikey get a heat lamp for keeping the young ones warm if they want it. We hang one in a corner of the enclosure so they can use it if they want at night when it cools off.

24 hours light will cause some unwanted issues in the long run....

 

[pastrymama]

tracy
he quieted down after crowing his little heart out for a few hours. then the twins came home from school and saw him and thought he was just the cutest thing ever. then he crowed! the look on the girls' faces was just priceless. they were scared to go back in the garage. my friend will be here today to pick him up, hopefully early. at least the neighbors are getting a new roof today so all the hammering will hopefully drown out the screachy crowing!

 

[LarryPQ]

Yo! NOEL!

I have to go back to work soon. Hang out day next week? I have a coupon for Summerwinds Nursery....

 

[Tracydr]

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Do the commercial chicken farmers leave the lights on 24/7 or is that just a rumor? I would think short term wouldn't be all that bad but hey I can sleep through anything!

So what do we do for heat if we do not use an incandescent light?

Tracy - are you serious about limiting food to 12 hours?

***Edited for emphasis***

Very serious about the feed. The chicks should be ok without light but if you're worried, just leave the light on, take the food away. You could use a red light at night, which is supposed to simulate dark better. I just put the two week younger chicks out a week ago when it was much cooler and didn't use any heat lamp. Mixed them in with the bigger chicks. The first couple of nights I checked on them and they weren't yet cuddling with the bigger chicks, it was chilly out and they looked a little chilly so I stuck a heat lamp on them when I checked them. After the first two chillier nights, it hasn't been chilly and they've been fine, I've checked them and they were fine. Remember, your chicks are bigger and heavier than these chicks, two weeks young, actually even more, since this was last week.

 

[tball chicky]

OK, so building an incubator...in theory - great, in actuality - not great. HAHA - I got this far at least

Guess it's time to just buy one...?

 

[Tracydr]

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I'm so glad he quieted down! I felt really bad leaving him with you, screeching like that. If I'd known your friend wasn't coming until today, I would have rescheduled with you.
I can tell you my red rooster is being much quieter and it's incredibly quiet here now. So much that I almost miss him. Not quite but almost.

 

[Mama Hen Chris]

These are great....better than shavings in the nest box. Less mess on the floor.
I clean the floor every day but wanted to see how the floor looked at a week out.

http://www.eggcartons.com/13-x-13-Excelsior-Nesting-Pads/productinfo/EP1313/

6 days after putting these in their boxes ( pic taken this am):

Close up of the nesting material:

 

[The Critter Place]

Mama Hen Chris,
I am so in love with that hen house! How sweet! Those are some spoiled birds. lol!

The nesting material looks a little like cooler pads. How neat, they do look nice and tidy!

 

[Mikey D]

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Don't stop! Don't stop!

What do you need help on?

 

[Mikey D]

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ARRGGGGG! Excelsior was the only question I got wrong on my college woodworking final!

Anyway, Swamp cooler pads are made of excelsior & can be had locally if you need. Great idea!