Arizona Chickens

[Arizonachicken]

Poor Lacey. Tough to tell with all her fluff what's going on. I think we all think what if. She was a beauty for sure. I forgot to say Happy 1st Birthday to Dominic!!!! I forget which day it was.

Awwww...thanks for remembering! Dominic is 1 TODAY!

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Quote: Not sure about that; you need to ask Speckled Hen. The black one is definitely not a rock. The barred one looks like one. I have lots more barred rocks than I need or want. Any takers? They come from very good lines.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Hey there ya all,
Our new baby girls love the ice chips.. They are keeping cool
out here in Tempe...

Virtually all my birds are running free in the yard--open to seeking the cooler, shadier spaces. Hoping all the raptors are enjoying cooler mountain temperatures up north (or anywhere else), and that none of them decide to take up swimming.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Thank you for the kind words!

Anyone know this guy? http://phoenix.craigslist.org/wvl/grd/3147297572.html

I do. Definitely top of the line. Post was probably by "the guy's" mother. He's a young 4-H kid; Very polite young man who LOVES his chickens. And they should be everything the ad says and more.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Quote: I have a friend in NE Tucson (about where the Rincons and Catalinas meet). Her pen has electric fencing. I cannot imagine that the soil is moist, but I suppose anything is possible. FWIW, you can find fossilized palm trees in Antarctica.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Ok I'm to a breaking point with raising chickens. I now have 3 hens with bumble foot and who knows if the others have it. This is becoming more than I can handle.

First, do THEY have an issue with it (limping, acting as if it is painful, excessive swelling, etc.) or is it simply a scab? MOST of the time bumblefoot (scab with no other symptoms) can be completely ignored and it will never develop into anything worth any treatment at all. If there are no other symptoms, LEAVE IT ALONE. At best you will irritate the bird. At worst, you will CAUSE an infection to spread and become invasive/dangerous.

 

[City farm]

Anyone have advice for exterminators that are chicken friendly?  We need to keep the house protected from scorpions and spiders but not hurt the chickens or poision their bug snacks.  There is about 20 feet between the house and where the chicken run starts and will increase to 50-60 feet once we get the new coop built.

I think Diatematious earth schould work.. It is food grade and safe
for your flock, pets & humans...

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

I cleaned ou the permanent run last night and brought the 3 bigt girls in with the 11 wk olds. The big girls bullied the olthers off the roost, so they slept huddled on the ground in the corner. This morning I opened the door so they could all free range together. The big girls took off (they free range daily), but the little girls are still in the run. Also, the big girls are pecking at the little girls if they come close. Is there anyway to make the transition easier for all of them? I've heard if you spray them with vinegar water they'll like each other more since they have the same smell. Any thoughts?

Most birds, including chickens, have a very poor sense of smell. Spraying them with water, vinegar or not, will have about the same affect as spraying a cat that is misbehaving, but maybe a bit less. It would be the spray, not the vinegar, that was the deterrent.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Quote: But works quite slowly. Better as a preventative when there IS no problem. As a treatment to an existing problem it is not very effective.

 

[parentwarrior]

Anyone have advice for exterminators that are chicken friendly? We need to keep the house protected from scorpions and spiders but not hurt the chickens or poision their bug snacks. There is about 20 feet between the house and where the chicken run starts and will increase to 50-60 feet once we get the new coop built.

I will check on it. I own a home inspection business and work with 2 pest control and termite companies. I can find out what they suggest.
Kris