Arizona Chickens

[MagicChicken]

Quote:
Totally agree about the nipping and pecking at your feet. It is not good. In my flock it is the first sign of a soon-to-be aggressive rooster. I have never been able to rehabilitate those birds, even with an older cock around to put them in their place. I've also noticed that the hens are not fond of the aggressive roosters. Like DesertChic I have always wound up culling those bad boys. They make great stew.

As for extra eggs, I periodically give them to my neighbors (for putting up with the rooster noise). And I feed some back to the hens. Haven't tried donating to the local food bank yet but I'm definitely going to consider it. First I have to convince the pullets to lay in the boxes, not the run. I don't give away eggs that were laid in the dirt. If the eggs laid in the run aren't too cruddy I'll wash them off and eat them the next day. If they are cruddy I wash them off and feed them back to the chickens.

 

[Chickens9Dogs4]

Hello:3. I am from Douglas. I'm only 16 and I have little experience with the chicken business, I am learning a lot. I actually won $1000 from national FFA to start my own organic egg business and all has been perfect. I bought my very first 9 chicks in February, and they recently laid their first eggs. But I think someone might be stealing my eggs. It makes me sad :'(. I have been dealing with some heat issues but I am trying my best. I hope to learn more

 

[desertrocks]

MagicChicken....works for me if they don't spit. I'm probably confusing them with something else. Either way, I'm not wanting to chance them excreting cause I'm trying to catch them or my pups are then my pups going & licking where the toad was or drinking water they were in. I can't buy that some of the toxin wouldn't wash/come off. My dane is my service animal & my chiweenie will work as his backup when he's not able to work (not physical task, but alert) so I'm overly cautious when it come to my pups.

I believe there is a desert toad or lizard that squirts blood or some such thing out of its eyes, maybe that is it.

 

[bunsnpupsnchick]

In my experience, the nipping + pecking at your feet is a sign of their attempt at declaring dominance over you, and since he's also being aggressive with the other cockerel you may have a long-term problem child on your hands. The only way I've managed to correct the behavior was by housing those self-impressed little cockerels with bigger, older cockerels/roosters who put them in their place. It's a bit brutal to witness, but once they work out the pecking order the younger boys are typically better behaved with me, especially if I "rescue them" from the more dominant bird. But, when I haven't had the older birds to help me train the younger ones, I've always wound up having to cull those boys when they got older and those little pecks turned into painful attacks.

Whenever I get overrun with pullet eggs I donate them to local food banks. They rarely get donations of protein foods and are always thrilled with the donations. In lieu of that, you can always hard boil the extras and feed them back to you birds for an additional protein source. Dogs like boiled eggs too.

Thanks..I do feed the pups eggs. I have to watch the 2 little dogs' weight so they can't have a ton. The dane....I think he'd gladly live on eggs & anything else than his food. I didn't think of feeding them to the birds. I'll have to see about that.

I don't need another problem boy. My older roo (Fancy Pants--was suppose to be a girl!) does come at my legs. If I catch the look in his eye & tell him no, he doesn't. So, we're getting better. Surprisingly, he hasn't made a move against the little ones, but they haven't against him either. I think the older ones being higher ranked than them is already there. Plus, I'm suspicious that until the girls are ready to lay that Fancy Pants won't have an interest. I've put up with him so far because he's great with the hens....gives up a treat from his beak to them, calls them to food, etc. So I know that he'll defend if by a chance a predator did enter the yard. Hopeful too since he's about 1.5yrs old that with the additional hens (hence 14 2month olds) that he'd chill out a bit! I know he favors heavily the sex-link. It is in the back of my mind that he might need a different home or put down.

 

[bunsnpupsnchick]

Hello:3. I am from Douglas. I'm only 16 and I have little experience with the chicken business, I am learning a lot. I actually won $1000 from national FFA to start my own organic egg business and all has been perfect. I bought my very first 9 chicks in February, and they recently laid their first eggs. But I think someone might be stealing my eggs. It makes me sad :'(. I have been dealing with some heat issues but I am trying my best. I hope to learn more

HI. Welcome. Stealing them? Do you have dogs or any other animals that could be getting to the nest boxes? Maybe they're being laid someplace you haven't found?

 

[Bobby Basham]

Folks,

I haven't used it yet, but I bought an electric hand-held (like a weed whacker) SunJoe rototiller that's "supposed" to cut about 6 inches wide and 6 inches deep, and weighs less than 10 pounds. Yeah, still sitting brand new in the box for the last 18 months (like everything else I buy...LOL), but hope to use it while I'm on vacation all month. I'm not going to look for the receipt, but it may have been +- $100 bucks. It's reportedly good for small gardening projects, tilling those small veggie/flower beds.

I plan on using it in the near future, back to the drawing board, because I tend to draw and design extensively before putting my plans into action. I, too, want to have some type of water supply out to the run.

Raising chickens shouldn't be complicated, but I tend to over prepare and compensate for my future endeavor when I retire in a few months. My run is basically done, will be completely closed in with hardware cloth, including the top, no wild birds or two- or four-legged uninvited guests will have access. Built from the ground up, it's basically four 8x8 foot squares with a half portion reserved for watching Chicken TV. The wide opening in the center will be the entrance, and the space will be completely open to walk around. I will plant a small 6x6 coop in one of the sections.

I'll update you on how that little tiller works because I want to run a water supply and electric out there. --BB

Bobby Basham
Tucson, Arizona

 

[bunsnpupsnchick]

I believe there is a desert toad or lizard that squirts blood or some such thing out of its eyes, maybe that is it.

Probably...I went looking & reading lots to figure out what they were. Plus, I've had the horny toad lizard that's around here before too. Though, I think Larry (had to name it) moved on with the chicks around & taking out the prickly pear cactus.

I did get confirmation last night that the mystery holes appearing in the yard do belong to the toads. Was walking the yard & found a hole with a toad sticking out of it...under a pile of mesquite branches waiting to be dealt with no less.

 

[DesertChic]

Folks,

I haven't used it yet, but I bought an electric hand-held (like a weed whacker) SunJoe rototiller that's "supposed" to cut about 6 inches wide and 6 inches deep, and weighs less than 10 pounds. Yeah, still sitting brand new in the box for the last 18 months (like everything else I buy...LOL), but hope to use it while I'm on vacation all month. I'm not going to look for the receipt, but it may have been +- $100 bucks. It's reportedly good for small gardening projects, tilling those small veggie/flower beds.

I plan on using it in the near future, back to the drawing board, because I tend to draw and design extensively before putting my plans into action. I, too, want to have some type of water supply out to the run.

Raising chickens shouldn't be complicated, but I tend to over prepare and compensate for my future endeavor when I retire in a few months. My run is basically done, will be completely closed in with hardware cloth, including the top, no wild birds or two- or four-legged uninvited guests will have access. Built from the ground up, it's basically four 8x8 foot squares with a half portion reserved for watching Chicken TV. The wide opening in the center will be the entrance, and the space will be completely open to walk around. I will plant a small 6x6 coop in one of the sections.

I'll update you on how that little tiller works because I want to run a water supply and electric out there. --BB

Bobby Basham
Tucson, Arizona

That looks like a really nice setup! I especially love your "chicken observation deck". Very nice touch!

 

[bunsnpupsnchick]

Folks,

I haven't used it yet, but I bought an electric hand-held (like a weed whacker) SunJoe rototiller that's "supposed" to cut about 6 inches wide and 6 inches deep, and weighs less than 10 pounds. Yeah, still sitting brand new in the box for the last 18 months (like everything else I buy...LOL), but hope to use it while I'm on vacation all month. I'm not going to look for the receipt, but it may have been +- $100 bucks. It's reportedly good for small gardening projects, tilling those small veggie/flower beds.

I plan on using it in the near future, back to the drawing board, because I tend to draw and design extensively before putting my plans into action. I, too, want to have some type of water supply out to the run.

Raising chickens shouldn't be complicated, but I tend to over prepare and compensate for my future endeavor when I retire in a few months. My run is basically done, will be completely closed in with hardware cloth, including the top, no wild birds or two- or four-legged uninvited guests will have access. Built from the ground up, it's basically four 8x8 foot squares with a half portion reserved for watching Chicken TV. The wide opening in the center will be the entrance, and the space will be completely open to walk around. I will plant a small 6x6 coop in one of the sections.

I'll update you on how that little tiller works because I want to run a water supply and electric out there. --BB

Bobby Basham
Tucson, Arizona

Please do...never thought about a tiller. I have a sunjoe mower..the little one & it works great. So, I'd expect your tiller to do well. The coop looks great.

Also, how you run the electric....do you just add a circuit onto your current box just for the coop or something else? I'm thinking I'd love to be able to play with a small solar system for the yard as a whole...someday.

 

[DesertChic]

I believe there is a desert toad or lizard that squirts blood or some such thing out of its eyes, maybe that is it.

The Horned Toad (aka Horny Toad Lizard) is the only one I know of that squirts blood from its eyes, though it's rare for it to do so. We've handled many of them from baby to full-grown elder and have yet to be squirted.