First timer chicken "farmers" loving it in Flagstaff, Arizona

[4-H chicken mom]

Hi and from Ohio, So glad you joined. Congrats and have fun.

 

[happierfacts]

Tucson is better than Phoenix and certainly is prettier but Flagstaff has both beat. BYC is great!

 

[bruceh]

welcome to byc from pa

 

[Ehirning]

Welcome Angie. I'm a newbie from flagstaff too!

 

[Harnbone]

HI Angie. I just joined in a little while back, too. (also in Flagstaff). I'm trying to get a head start on increasing flock now for the spring. I've 12 girls and want 4-6 more. Love your coop! I also built my own coop. The girls love it but it is definitely a way different design than yours! Luckily they are generous and hardy and don't seem to mind my available resource creation. Anyway, I wanted to say hi and ask that if you come across any resources for buying hens in our area, please let me know. I picked up a couple really nice ones (Delaware and Blue Andalusian) last summer at the County Fair (they had been abandoned and the 4H lady just gave them to me.) I'm looking not really for exotics, but outside the readily available: Blue Lace Red Wyandotte, Coronation Sussex, Black Copper Marans, Salmon Favarolles. I don't want or need 15+new chicks so the big hatcheries are kind of out...I could get what I want as started pullets but they'd come at a huge premium. Best of luck and let me know how your girls are handling the snow. I've added some suet to their diet as a treat and they seem happier with the added calories of fat.
harnbone de Equestrian Estates

 

[sourland]

Angie, pictures of your grown up girls.

 

[happierfacts]

Sad news a few weeks ago. Our choice to allow free-ranging on our property lead to the death of 5 of our beloved chickens including our handsome rooster. They had a fabulous but all to brief life. Domestic dogs on the loose had fun at their expense.

Here's a tribute video I put together on them.

On the good side, two girls survived the attack, one RR with a significant portion of feathers removed from her back (but no real wounds) and a EE who seems completely clueless of the massacre.

 

[happierfacts]

Harbone,
Nice to know of another Flagstaff chicken lover. As you may notice from my reply to Flock Master, we lost all but two of our flock a few weeks ago. My poor RR had been quite traumatized with much of her feathers removed on her back from the dog attack -- it's been about 3+ weeks and her feathers are coming in nicely, she's less skittish and has nice vitality (not really keen on being held or loved on as she was before the attack though which makes me sad). Both the RR and the EE have buddied-up to stay warm in the coop and really enjoy the fun treats of mealy-worms, chopped walnuts, coconut, flaxseed etc I've been bringing them regularly. I've not allowed any free-ranging since the attack; I have heavily supervised some outtings and they are so happy to be out they don't even seem to notice the snow. We need to modify our setup now to give them a fenced in pasture - but that has to wait until spring when we can get at the base of the fence to reinforce from digging predators. We also will want to get more chickens and would LOVE to find another brown leghorn rooster to replace our magnificent one lost in the dog attack. I'm not real informed of sources of hens in Flagstaff (Olsen's is where I got my chicks in the spring). Maybe we could go in on a hatchery purchase (I also know a couple other people in Flagstaff with chickens who might want some). I don't think I'll be ready to work with new chicks until late February or March though. You can contact me directly at [email protected] and I'll give you may phone number (I live in Doney Park).
Angie

 

[Harnbone]

Angie,
So sorry to hear about your girls. I lost all my flock a couple years ago the same way. I'll e mail you soon. New Years Eve at a neighbors I spoke about going in on +/- 25 chicks. I think we could find you a br Leghorn.
harnbone

 

[chickenhill12]

Hey Angie, I'm from Flagstaff too, 2nd year of raising chickens! Can we connect?