Arizona Chickens

[chicksurreal]

I just googled Poultry World magazine & got poultryworld.org. It's $50 to subscribe for a year. Think I'll stick with The Chicken Whisperer.

Hm. I wonder if it's the same thing, Poultry World is a bi-monthly mag, so it only comes out every other month. Even if you buy it at Tractor Supply it costs $5.99 per issue. My subscription rate is $19.95 per year...

 

[AZChiknGoddess]

Hi! I'm new to BYC chicken and chickens, in general. I moved from Central Tucson to Oro Valley in January and got chicks in February. It's been an adventure!

Is there anyone else from Tucson, AZ here?

I am in Tucson. Well Picture Rocks actually. I have chickens and horses out here.

 

[carnivore]

Hi! I'm new to BYC chicken and chickens, in general. I moved from Central Tucson to Oro Valley in January and got chicks in February. It's been an adventure!

Is there anyone else from Tucson, AZ here?

Hi, and welcome to the Tucson thread!
I am kind of bi-located right now, have one house in far north Marana, and just bought another place 10 miles further west in Avra Valley. All my chickens are at my Marana house for right now, but I'm slowly getting moved!

 

[K9Dave]

Hi! I originally got two barred rock and two "ameracaunas" from the feed store. Short story: left with one PBR hen. 1 Ameracauna was a rooster. Gave him away. 1 ameracauna passed away. My elderly greyhound killed the other PBR. Then I found Marcia at Feathered Reptile in Marana. I got four pullets from her: 2 PBR, 1 RIR, 1 Blue Copper Maran. I also adopted a little leghorn hen from someone on Craigslist. She laid her first egg for me the other day. Unfortunately the RIR passed away. I've finally named them all, albeit not too creatively: Polly: the original PBR (outside pen in way back) Stubby: PBR in front Fluffy: PBR behind Agatha: Leghorn Bluey: Blue Copper Marans I know the coop isn't that big ... we are expanding this weekend.

What's the P before the BR? Drawing a blank here. I now have a very pretty barred rock, that finally interests my wife a little. She couldn't care less about the chickens really, but another member here gave me a BR and EE the other day and she has now claimed both as "her Chickens" so that's a good sign. I plan to one day build a large iron run/coop, and I was worried I'd be the only one enjoying it. What size are y'all going with? I'm inheriting an Out Building for my girls with our move at the end of the month. Is your Leghorn very flighty?

 

[K9Dave]

Mornin' everyone

 

[kevs-chickadees]

I do recommend trying the meaties! I've done a several small batches now, and nary a bad experience. Well, except that one time a coyote ate them before I could. These 4 I have now are the worst, but that's because they were already practically raised for me by the feed store. Raise them like regular chickens, and they pretty much act like regular (but VERY HUNGRY) chickens. And the fermented feed helps ton. I wish these 4 would take to it, because the squirty poop really is gross.

The flies. Ugh. I've gone through POUNDS and POUNDS of DE this summer. If it's actually helping...well, maybe my neighbors really are hiding some festering bodies because we can't even enjoy being outside due to the fly hordes. Holding out hope the the predator wasps are going to be doing some damage soon!

In fact, all the DE recommendations that goes on here at BYC and the gardening forum I'm part of....I'm just like, really? It has been so extremely ineffective for everything I've tried it for (pest control, ants and flies), I probably should stop wasting money on buying bags of it.

A good thing to keep in mind is that the fly predators are used to break the fly cycle, you pretty much have to keep a flow of them coming because the flies will always find the mess the chickens leave. I think I finally figured it out this year for my yard. I get a half batch every three weeks and I no longer put them on the ground. When I did that it was either some sort of bird or ants that got to most of them. I now leave them in their bag and hang it on a string in the shade near the chicken's run. When they hatch then they are right near where they need to be and the ants don't bother scaling up and down the string.

 

[jackiezim]

Any homes out there if they are free and I'll bring them to you if you are in the Phoenix area, or in Tucson, or anywhere in-between?
They are starting to crow.

I think I have a bcm rooster as well. He's about 16 weeks old. Looks like a he but is not crowing. Which I'm happy about because I would tHe to get rid of him my bcm pullet and he are very attached to each other. I'm thinking of trying the cockadoodledo collar.
Have you seen it. I've also heard a 3-4 inch band of Velcro would work also to stifle the crow.

 

[jackiezim]

A good thing to keep in mind is that the fly predators are used to break the fly cycle, you pretty much have to keep a flow of them coming because the flies will always find the mess the chickens leave. I think I finally figured it out this year for my yard. I get a half batch every three weeks and I no longer put them on the ground. When I did that it was either some sort of bird or ants that got to most of them. I now leave them in their bag and hang it on a string in the shade near the chicken's run. When they hatch then they are right near where they need to be and the ants don't bother scaling up and down the string. 

I do a lot of raking in and around the run. That seems to help a lot with the flies. I've also been cleaning the coop one a week this summer. Which, I know is not the preferred method but that's making a difference too.

 

[jackiezim]

What's the P before the BR? Drawing a blank here. I now have a very pretty barred rock, that finally interests my wife a little. She couldn't care less about the chickens really, but another member here gave me a BR and EE the other day and she has now claimed both as "her Chickens" so that's a good sign. I plan to one day build a large iron run/coop, and I was worried I'd be the only one enjoying it. What size are y'all going with? I'm inheriting an Out Building for my girls with our move at the end of the month. Is your Leghorn very flighty?

 

[jackiezim]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/content/type/61/id/6523348/width/200/height/400[/INDoor morning. This is my Plymouth barred rock Cloudy.[/QUOTE]

Good morning this is my Plymouth barred rock, cloudy