Arizona Chickens

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At some point we want to put a strip of grass in our run, but will stick with sand in the coops. We DO really need to get a bigger gate / barrier for the run. Right now it's just a baby gate from the shed to the fence (a super long special order one). The chickens could all easily jump it (four 3 months old, one 6 month old, one 10 month old), but haven't figured out they can yet. It's our side yard, so all that would happen is they might eat some plants and run around the part of the back yard they aren't supposed to be in. Still should do it soon. Also it will complete the visual barrier so no neighbors behind us can see the coop or the chickens when they are in the run. Right now the shed pretty much blocks the view of the coop.
 
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Look for cracks when you candle!

Will do, thanks! And I'm sorry to hear about Ferb
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Poor li'l fishy!
 
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this is a good question if a hatchery chicken can be a good show chicken
feed stores sell hatchery chickens i did see at the maricopa county fair
show that people took hatchery birds

The youth birds were judged very leniently at the county fair. By and large, the birds that won their division (level above breed) were not hatchery birds; there were some divisions that did not have winners due to lack of quality. State fair will not be as lenient. That said, there were a few outstanding birds at the county fair.

It does not cost significantly more to get a halfway decent bird from a breeder (most, not all breeds).
 
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Good idea about the box--I will have to try that! A number of my brooders have wire bottoms (including hte one made from a rabbit hutch. I usually put in shelf (the kind that is not solid) or drawer lining (from IKEA) to cover part of the wire floor. Seems like lately the chicks on shavings have ended up taking baths in their drinking water when they tump it over
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with wire bottoms that doesn't happen. I do put shavings in the tray under the wire.
 
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Well, there are a few things you can look for such as correct number of toes, correct comb shape, vaulted skull in crested breeds, beard in bearded breeds. But for things like how perfect the markings are for ____ variety, cannnot tell for a very long time. Best thing is to look at the parents and see what characteristics are in their genetic background.
 
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Ha Ha.

Actually, the females have saddle feathers too -- the roos have long stringy saddle feathers, while the hens have rounded saddle feathers.

Well, not really. They are not called saddle feathers on hens. https://www.backyardchickens.com/LC-anatomy.html shows labeled diagrams of both a hen and a cock.

Really? hm... I have seen countless posts regarding the hens as having rounded saddle feathers and hackle feathers, while the males have pointed saddle and hackle feathers. For example:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=169925

That diagram you linked to doesn't list hackle feathers on the hen either - is it because she doesn't have any hackle feathers are did the artist just not mention the hackle or saddle feathers on the female?

I tried searching for definitions and couldn't come up with much - did find this:

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/5922348/how_do_i_tell_if_my_hen_is_a_rooster.html?cat=53

"While hens typically sport rounded tails and saddle feathers, roosters tend towards finer, sharper feather definition."
 

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