Arizona Chickens

[nurseshelly]

Does anyone here keep bantams? How do they do in the heat compared to standards?

Banty EE eggs look so cute!

Hey TT,
I have Serama Bantams, and they do not have any problems in the heat. They pant just a little, and probably don't need a mister, but we have one anyway.

 

[nurseshelly]

I've been missing from BYC since June, and I'm way over 1,000 posts behind on the AZ thread ... holy cow I'll never get caught up!!!

 

[nurseshelly]

i just had to "do the deed" and put down a duckling

mama duck as of this morning had hatched out 4 ducklings, but when i went to check on them one duckling was just laying there half dead with it's entire foot gone and bleeding. it was still in the nest with her so i can only assume she did it. the fireman is at class so that left me to put the poor little thing out of its misery. omg, talk about water works! i took the other 3 babies from her and set up a brooder in the garage, made a hysterical phone call to laree and she will come get my ducklings this afternoon before i have a breakdown. crappy monday.

I'm so sorry

 

[nurseshelly]

Awe, they are adorable!!! Didn't you have cute poodle puppies last year too? Apricot color?

Photo to share. Cute expression caught on one of the Standard Poodle puppies we still have available. We have 2 black boys and 2 cream boys left. They are 10 weeks old.

 

[parentwarrior]

I have a question. I have a coop, 4x4 not including the nest boxes, inside an enclosed run. I just have an always open door for them to go in and out of the coop the size of a large dog door. Is it ok to have that large opening come the cold winter nights? Will they still be able to keep warm enough? Do I need to do anything different? The opening opens towards a block wall fence about a foot away or so. It is protected because the whole coop is in the corner with a block wall on two sides. In the summer they sleep on top of the coop but I blocked that off so they would sleep inside where it is warmer now that winter is coming.

 

[pimachickens]

Hello everyone! I can't believe I found an AZ thread! Lucky day! I'm sorry about the duckling. I hope the rest of your week is especially great. I live near AJ, and don't have chicken's YET. I am building a coop; so far I've torn out a bush! I'm not looking forward to digging in the hard clay-like ground. If anyone has pullets of any breed in AJ, please PM me! I am very interested! Fertilized eggs, too. Keep the good tips coming! So far I've learned...

1. Chickens like yogurt and watermelon
2. Putting herbs in the nest boxes keeps bugs away
3. Chickens will eat pretty much anything, including their own raw eggs. (Not good)
4. There are a few more breeds of chickens than I thought. (Like 1,000,000,000,000,000,000 more)
5. Chickens die a lot

Thanks!
Rezia

Welcome, Rezia!

You are off to a great start. A few more tips (things I learned the hard way) to add to your list...

Make every part of your coop accessible. They will lay in the farthest from the door, smallest to crawl into, most inaccessible place you could have ever imagined. Luckily, I had small children I could stuff under to retrieve eggs, but as they have aged (the children, not the chickens), they have become less compliant.

Socialize them from an early age (the chickens, not the children). They don't need to be lap chickens, if you aren't so inclined, but you should be able to pick them up for examination without having to chase them around the yard for an hour and a half, and having the shrieking scaring the beejezus out of the chickens, the children, the neighbors, and yourself.

Get the number of chickens you think you will ultimately want all at once. Chicken math will eventually come into play, but it can be delayed if you know what your needs are and go with it from the start. If you think you need 6 layers for your family needs, don't start with 3 "just to see how it goes", with the intention of adding 3 more later. Chicken introductions can be very difficult and very stressful (for both you and the chickens), not to mention the biosecurity risks that come with continually introducing newcomers. If you know what you want, just go for it.

Good luck, and keep us updated.

 

[pimachickens]

I've been missing from BYC since June, and I'm way over 1,000 posts behind on the AZ thread ... holy cow I'll never get caught up!!!

Welcome back!

 

[Rezia]

Welcome, Rezia!

You are off to a great start. A few more tips (things I learned the hard way) to add to your list...

Make every part of your coop accessible. They will lay in the farthest from the door, smallest to crawl into, most inaccessible place you could have ever imagined. Luckily, I had small children I could stuff under to retrieve eggs, but as they have aged (the children, not the chickens), they have become less compliant.

Socialize them from an early age (the chickens, not the children). They don't need to be lap chickens, if you aren't so inclined, but you should be able to pick them up for examination without having to chase them around the yard for an hour and a half, and having the shrieking scaring the beejezus out of the chickens, the children, the neighbors, and yourself.

Get the number of chickens you think you will ultimately want all at once. Chicken math will eventually come into play, but it can be delayed if you know what your needs are and go with it from the start. If you think you need 6 layers for your family needs, don't start with 3 "just to see how it goes", with the intention of adding 3 more later. Chicken introductions can be very difficult and very stressful (for both you and the chickens), not to mention the biosecurity risks that come with continually introducing newcomers. If you know what you want, just go for it.

Good luck, and keep us updated.

Thanks pimachickens! I'll definitely keep you guys updated on coop construction, hatching, and growing up! Maybe I should make a thread with pics of updates! I'm thinking I want at least 8 chickens, and a maximum of 20. What number do you think I should go with? I will be hatching the eggs, so how many eggs will I have to hatch to get at least 8 pullets?

Rezia

 

[Fuzzybird]

Yes nurseshelly, we had poos last year. This is our last litter. The parents are retired and spayed now. We have 2 black boys and two cream or boys left. Going cheap if you know anyone interested. Glad to see you back.

 

[nurseshelly]

Yes nurseshelly, we had poos last year. This is our last litter. The parents are retired and spayed now. We have 2 black boys and two cream or boys left. Going cheap if you know anyone interested. Glad to see you back.

Awwww I wish I could get one! My house is too small to have more than the two dogs we have (our 95# lab is almost too big for our house, our other dog is a chihuahua so she fits really well). If our house and yard was bigger, I would get one in a heartbeat. Someday we really want a poodle, we've been talking about it for a while as our someday dog LOL.