Arizona Chickens

[ca]

Quote:
We got seasons! For the next 9 months it will be beautiful weather - then hot as heck for three - rinse & repeat

NINE Months? Where do you get NINE from?

You had to burst my bubble! I deliberately chose not to count months. 9 sounded sooo good!

 

[BostonBryce]

Finally got the Coop sealed and all chickens moved over into them.
Its a bit of a different design, but here it is...
its 24ft long, and 4 ft wide.
Its seperated into 3 coops, each 4x8x4 inside, with each having a 8x8x3 run.
The roof overhangs 2ft on all sides.
The "attic" area will have doors on the back side for storage area.
I have about 30 EE,Icelandics, and FBC Marans.... Oh and a single Buff Brahma in with the EE.
Will be joining the New years Day hatch this year.

Its forecasted to Snow up here in Heber, AZ the next 4 days.. So need to finish painting the exterior.
Anyway, just thought I would share.
-Boston Bryce

 

[ca]

Quote:
Thanks, Mahonri! I had a conversation with the breeder this morning and his experience is that Sulmtalers lay relatively late (7 months

). So now I have to install the camera again to find out who is producing the off-colored eggies. Maybe my Pyle Cubalaya? Still waiting on blue eggs as well.

 

[Beckyhsinglsc]

Quote:
Very cool!
What color you gonna paint it? I vote purple!

 

[Cathy and Rick]

Hi - I am brand new to chicken raising and to this site. I got me 4 baby chicks(2 barred plymouth rock and 2 rhode island red) that have lived in my bathroom in brooder until the past week or so. Now they spend their days out in a old rabbit pen (large) and then com in at night. I have covered a small area of the pen and put a heat lamp there and it gets about 65 in mornings, so they have someplace warm to go to. At night I bring them back to the brooder to sleep. They are 6 1/2 weeks old. My hubby is almost done with the coop. Can I start leaving them in the coop at night with a heat lamp? I do not want to loose my chicks, as the barred plymouth's will come right to me and are really nice pets. I wanted chckens to get real fresh eggs and didn't like buying eggs at the store after hearing how the egg production "factories" treat those poor chickens. Any help out there would be appreciated. I saw someone from Heber write in and it is cold there too.

 

[Cathy and Rick]

Sorry - I am from Prescott Valley AZ

 

[pimachickens]

Welcome Cathy and Rick! Congrats on the new chicks.

 

[Gallo del Cielo]

Cathy and Rick,

Are your birds fully feathered? Seems like they should be old enough to be outside without any extra heat source as long as they can get out of the elements. They are pretty hardy and at that age they'll just pile up together. Maybe you could use a smaller wattage bulb for a week until they acclimate more if you're concerned. What have your low temps been lately?

BostonBryce, Looks good!

I especially like the extended overhangs, it should help keep out the moisture. How is the inside ventilated?

Tracydr, Mt. Vernon is really such a lovely town! My wife is from Iowa and one of her best friends lived in Mt. Vernon for years. You're right, it's bad cold. Marquette, MI at least had the moderating force of Lake Superior to keep temperatures up. The lake effect snows were crazy, we got something like 140+ inches a year. On campus they had these wild snow removal machines with a big wall of blades on the front that would chew it up and spit it out over the edges. By the end of winter the walls of snow would be higher than most houses, it was totally like walking through snow caves. I also remember trying to find my skis outside of the science building amongst the hundreds propped up in the snow. Seems so alien now. Kinda like the opposite of AZ.

 

[Arizonachicken]

Cathy and Rick:

Welcome! I can't help you out too much, I raised mine during the summer. There are many much more experienced people here who will help you out for sure!

 

[Beckyhsinglsc]

Quote:

If the coop is enclosed I think they'll be fine with a heat lamp. They are supposed to be OK outside as soon as they are fully feathered (6-8 weeks) but I tend to baby my chickens too so I would recommend a heat lamp until they are a little bigger and can retain some more body heat. I removed the heat lamp from mine at 8 weeks about 2 weeks ago but it was only getting to 47 at night. I'm in the Phoenix area with an open-air coop.