Arizona Chickens

[Handmadens]

My backyard is only 100 ft wide so that is the main problem right there. Even in the front yard it wouldn't be enough space

 

[udubchick]

The pest control company is coming Tuesday! Thanks for the referal!

 

[pdx2phx]

Excellent! Did you happen to check if it was male or female? Lactating?

Gallo, I looked a the squirrel 24 hours later (eew

) and am pretty sure it's a male.

DH says he has seen another smaller one around, but not for a little while. Do you think the male could have been out foraging for the female and a litter? Is this the time of year for that or is it more likely that he is solitary this time of year?

 

[Gallo del Cielo]

Quote:
That's good that it was a male. That means it's somewhat less likely that the burrow has a female in there. Male squirrels spend their mating seasons seeking out females and defending territory--they don't share in the parental duties. Females can be solitary, or live in loose aggregations with other females and a male defending access to the territory. Females will still have juveniles in the burrows for at least another few weeks but lactation should be coming to an end. Females also generally keep males out of the burrow after giving birth to avoid infanticide (unrelated males can kill the offspring to send the female back into reproductive readiness). In one interesting article that I read last night they noted that in the wild one of their food preferences is wild turkey juveniles.


Quote:

 

[pdx2phx]

Quote:
That's good that it was a male. That means it's somewhat less likely that the burrow has a female in there. Male squirrels spend their mating seasons seeking out females and defending territory--they don't share in the parental duties. Females can be solitary, or live in loose aggregations with other females and a male defending access to the territory. Females will still have juveniles in the burrows for at least another few weeks but lactation should be coming to an end. Females also generally keep males out of the burrow after giving birth to avoid infanticide (unrelated males can kill the offspring to send the female back into reproductive readiness). In one interesting article that I read last night they noted that in the wild one of their food preferences is wild turkey juveniles.


Quote:
Wow! That article is an eye opener....and good information for other folks here in this thread!
Thank you so much for your insight into this whole sad event.....hopefully no one else loses young ones to one of these nasty critters.

 

[MagicChicken]

That's good that it was a male. That means it's somewhat less likely that the burrow has a female in there. Male squirrels spend their mating seasons seeking out females and defending territory--they don't share in the parental duties. Females can be solitary, or live in loose aggregations with other females and a male defending access to the territory. Females will still have juveniles in the burrows for at least another few weeks but lactation should be coming to an end. Females also generally keep males out of the burrow after giving birth to avoid infanticide (unrelated males can kill the offspring to send the female back into reproductive readiness). In one interesting article that I read last night they noted that in the wild one of their food preferences is wild turkey juveniles.

Rock squirrels prey on wild turkeys! Who'd have thunk it? Thanks for the article link, Gallo. It was clearly drawn from research in higher elevations/latitudes. Not many oak trees or wild turkeys in my scorched-earth-desert neighborhood, but we sure have a bunch of rock squirrels. They've arrived in large numbers over the last couple of years. Little buggers do a number on my vegetable garden. I still like them. But I'm going to have to keep a much closer eye on them now. Especially on that lactating female who keeps looking through my sliding glass door like she wants to move in. Hmmm... maybe she sees my cockatiels as lunch... that is a disturbing thought!

 

[Di Gibbs]

OMG! I had no idea...thanks for all the information!

Hugs,
Di

 

[Fuzzybird]

I am so glad we don't have any of those big rock squirrels in our area. What a surprise to find out that a squirrel hunts for meat! I didn't even know they would eat insects! Kind of spooky in a way!
We only have those little squirrels we call Squish Me's for they always play chicken with the cars coming along the road. Those dumb things also drown in our horse's water troff.

 

[Puffycheeks]

Are the chicken keeping issues located within Maricopa County??? I am fairly certain that Maricopa County Animal Control has NO jurisdiction over chickens at all!

The only laws they enforce are rabies control and loose dogs. I think only the Zoning Department can make that decision and it has to be in written form, officially from them. Any other way would just be "here say". I would be carefull with the rooster though as that may be a noise disturbance ordinance issue.

sorry. But, even then you would still have to be warned in written form. I think we are still in America. Hope everything works out for you. And, if I am wrong, Someone, please let me know, I am not opposed to well intentioned/friendly corrections!!! LOL

 

[Puffycheeks]

ALSO, Just wondering, who decides what is an enclousure and what is a coop?