Arizona Chickens

[CheerfulHeart2]

Quote:
Do a search on "fart" or "wind" egg and you will see some stuff on the forum. When pullets first start laying their eggs are small, but not small like your thumb. As I understand it though, sometimes chickens will lay what is called a "fart" or "wind" egg and that these are usually eggs without yolks.

 

[Tonopah Pati]

Wow, that is really some thing.

I never heard the term before LOL!

 

[Tonopah Pati]

I have never heard that term before. So funny.

My DH is building a tower with blades. He will use the wind. He is making me a hot water source. He tried solar last winter. Wind is the least $$$. He started out with beer cans cut in half, painted black. mounted in a frame. It worked pretty well in Flagstaff. He has different kinds of stuff he has been working with. He made parabola troth's, had them track the sun. We got hot water pretty fast. That was pretty neat. Then he had a Wind driven vertical thing with lots of blade, set at an angle. Attached at either end with bike wheels. That thing spun so fast he couldn't clock it. Here is a pic of lastest.

 

[Brenda Schonig]

Well today was exciting. Hubby woke up this moerning and wanted to go check out all the Feed supply stores and get ideas for building me another coop! Yeah! Martin...we did sneak out and look out the gals you rehomed for us. We were just looking over the fence when your son came out and let us come in to see them. It was fun for all of us to see how big and beautiful they have become. I could tell Wynonna the (Wyndot) and Speckles the Sussex. We were not sure about the Ameracuna, and the Barred Rock...but definitely saw Red the RIR. I hope we were not a bother. We were in and out quickly.

Phil is drawing out plans and thanks to what he saw at Martin's he knows they need an open coop in Arizona and not a totally enclosed one. Phew...one disagreement adverted! LOL.

We just had a huge storm go through here. Some of my Christmas trees, out front were blown into the pond. It threw the GFI thank goodness or we would be having a KOI fry tonight LOL not really!

So Phil said he will start on the new coop after the New Year...Looks like we will be getting chicks again soon.

Brenda

 

[rufus]

We also had a doozie of a rain. The people next door were re roofing, and they sent someone out to buy those blue tarps. By the time he got back, it was all over.

I only got three eggs today. But then I noticed that someone had been in the back yard. The alley gate which I usually have closed and latched and barred was undone totally. And a lawn chair was moved over to the other wall where it looked like someone had gone over it.

Then I remembered I heard a sound earlier that sounded like the wheel barrow being moved. A couple of hens lay under there, so I paid no attention to it. I guess dinner is on me tonight for someone.

My oldest son is paranoid about our neighborhood. He installed flood lights that are really obnoxious. They light the place up like a used car lot. I guess you are not safe anywhere anymore.

Rufus

 

[LarryPQ]

Were at 32 St and Cactus...so Mahroni, if you are on 36th street, I waved at you on my way to work. If you are on the avenue side, just know I was thinking of you.

We have yet to have our house robbed, but we have had people take stuff out of the yard/truck/garage. The dogs prevent a lot of that---but ever since I put my garden in, I have seen signs someone jumps in there at night & harvests. They'll go over the wall in the garden, which is fenced off from the dogs. I am of the mind set if they have to steal vegatables to eat---so be it. I'd rather they ask, since there have been a few times where whatever came over the wall crushed what was growing below them. Last week I had to stake my purple brussels sprouts because they had been knocked over.

Once they knocked over a bajillion pounds of tomato plants....which then crushed all the stuff the plants landed on. A few times I thought the culprit was maybe the neighbor's turkey or even the coyote, but neither would bother to pull carrots.

I kind of wish it was a neighborhood kid, because I could have fun with that. Motion sensor flood lights and alarms...maybe a spotlight with blinking signage.

ANYWHOO---I have a ailing chick. I thought maybe it was sour crop, but last night her crop was empty and I never smelled any icky burps from her. I was hoping it was something simple, like she ate some hay. Unfortunately, when I cleaned her crate last night, she seemed EXTRA light and bony. Last night she showed no interest in scrambled eggs and yogurt---her old favorite. Her poos are runny, but they are plain old green and white. No worms or blood or anything wierd. She is eating and drinking--not much eating, but some--and she mostly sleeps. I scrambled an egg for her again this morning, so here's hoping it catches her eye and perks her up.

 

[CheerfulHeart2]

Robbery is such a sad and frustrating thing. I am so sorry for your encounters with it. I have been fortunate thus far here in AZ and am thankful for that.

Laree - It sounds like your garden does well. Do you use heritage seeds? I haven't thus far but am interested in getting them. However, you colorful items sound quite fun...and I might like some purple carrots, etc.

Laree - have you tried putting ACV (apple cidar vinegar) in her water? I have 3 science degrees and I have no idea why ACV would help, but I swear it helps my chickens do better.

Did you all see the thread on wild pigs? It took me a bit to catch on that the ones in AZ are Javelina's. My dad tells me they prosper in the borders of Tucson. Do you all ever seen any? (Yes, I wen't to grade school in Ga and I guess on rare occasion, I revert to "you all" which is very commonly used there...only it is really y'all)

ETA - Pati, thank you for the windmill pictures. I shared them with my dad. He is always interested in stuff like that. Let us know how it works out. Some dissenters out there say that windmills cost more to build and maintain than they save, but for me, I would love one. One more step towards independence! Hey, I had to laugh at the weather when I saw you DH with no shirt. How many other places is it warm enough for that in December! (Ok a few, but a lot of places are a lot colder!)

 

[LarryPQ]

Quote:
Yes to all three.

I use a ton of sources for my veggie seeds. I SASB a lot. My favorite is rareseeds.com, because I LOVELOVELOVE their catalog, and I wish with all my heart I had done what Baker Creek Seeds' owner had done. He is a year older than me, owns his own business, and is doing what he loves. Maybe a little over the top on the "food genetics" stuff, but he's not eating at my table.

I support those that go for the dream and make it happen. I also use tmseeds.com and valueseeds.com. You can get free seeds from the USDA, but it is a one time deal, and hard to navigate their site. If you go to theeasygarden.com and look for the AZ thread, you'll see some of my shtuff.

I think ACV changes the crop's PH enough it is hard for fungi to get established in the crop, as well as many types of harmful bacteria. Combine the ACV with yogurt, and you have regular chickens.

If she is eating hay, and it is impacting her crop, the ACV would only prevent sour crop to a certain degree. I am not really certain that is the issue. She never gave me any "stinky burps" or felt "mushy" around the crop. But she did "barf" a little fluid when I caught her, but for all I know, it could have been the way I picked her up. All the other chickies form her group are good. It seems like I have had a mystery illness since I started this chicken thing. No deaths yet, just an occasional sick chicken who goes all droopy and then gets better. I will probably have to expand my "cause" search to outside factors---like the feed. Even with liberal use of DE, it seems I get buggies in the chick feed rather quickly. I dunno. It would be easier if I could just blame SOMETHING---like the neighbor's stinkin' turkey.

EDITED: used to see javelinas all the time, but now I am too far in the city. I don't mind though, they can be dangerous.

And if you're from Gilbert, it is "ya'll"---one syllable---and "feld" instead of "field". I also have me some "warsh" and when ya'll get me riled, I lose my "g"s---which is funny when I whip out the big vocabulary.

 

[tofuranch]

HI all...

Anyone down in Gilbert going to be around the 26th (day after Christmas) and want to sell some hatching eggs or??? My husband is going to think that I have lost it but it would be fun to me....

Just PM me...

Happy Holidays to all...Gretchen

 

[Tonopah Pati]

That is really low for someone to steal chickens or the eggs. I have read several times, Lock your pen and coop. I have a very large dog that lives outside. He is on top of all that happens. He takes guarding his yard and Chickens quite serious. I Have a large Basset that lives in the house. Those two dogs let nothing slip by them. The Basset can smell from inside the house. She has an amazing nose.

I have 5 laying hens. I have been getting 2-4 Eggs a day. My EE Cleo, has not given me a blue egg for several weeks. I got a huge egg the other day. I thought for sure that it had a double yoke.



That is the largest Egg I have ever seen from a Chicken. Ouch!