Arizona Chickens

[Gallo del Cielo]

Waving hello! This thread moves FAST. I'm not surprised at the amount of Tuconians on here. All of the poultry books in every library in Tucson,are checked out. The guy at Bookmans says they fly off of the shelves there too. I guess backyard barnyards are becoming the rage now. Speaking of which, what are the most common predators in the city? I'm on the East Side. I'm thinking my biggest worry is the neighbor's free-wheeling cat, or my own dogs.

One more question, does DE keep the black widows away? I have a real problem with them around here. I haven't built my coop yet.I don't plan to get my chickens until October. I'll probably get the coop set up in late September. Anyway, I want to get the black widows under control before then.

The worst predators are dogs, but you also have to be concerned with coyotes, bobcats, hawks, owls, raccoons and skunks. While there are exceptions, domesticated cats are generally only a problem with smaller birds. We have a lot of cats in the neighborhood that routinely venture into our yard, but I don't worry too much about them getting the chickens. DE won't do much for your black widows, it would be difficult to get it on them in their retreats. However, the chickens will handle them quite fine. We used to have a lot of black widows but the chickens decimated them.

 

[Gallo del Cielo]

Wow = lotsa options...

I don't think it was the heat - she didn't have heat related symptoms and after I found her I put her under the water-ers

She was outside the coop for the night & when I found her in the AM she was twitching/shaking like Parkinson's disease.

I didn't check the body as she died during the next evening & I found her in the morning.

I thought it was flopsy but a more advanced stage of the vitamin deficiency.

In retrospect it very well seems like it could have been a neuro-toxin.

My guess is scorpion sting too.

 

[Mikey D]

Well I guess it's official then!

 

[In2Ice]

Quote:
x2

 

[pdx2phx]

Quote: Well I guess it's official then!

Mikey you might want to take a cruise around your yard/coop/run area at night with a black light and look for 'em (they glow in black lights). I get so mad when I see 'em hanging out next to my sleeping ladies!

I recommend long handled needle-nosed pliers and good squishing shoes!!! DH and I do this regularly....high romance...fun for a date night!

You might also want to get some childrens benadryl (if you don't already have some)

And sorry about your poor girl...

 

[pdx2phx]

This is Dale.




Dale tends to have a rather disapproving, rather disdainful look.....



Baby chick stink-eye??

 

[Novaleigh]

HAHAHA!!! Unimpressed chick is unimpressed

This is Dale.




Dale tends to have a rather disapproving, rather disdainful look.....



Baby chick stink-eye??

 

[pimachickens]

DH and I do this regularly....high romance...fun for a date night!

 

[Gallo del Cielo]

Quote: X2!!!

Dale: I left my shell for THIS?

 

[Tanichca]

This is Dale.




Dale tends to have a rather disapproving, rather disdainful look.....



Baby chick stink-eye??

Chicks who should have their own internet meme, volume 2. He's adorable!