Arizona Chickens

[Gallo del Cielo]

Gallo: The apricot is a Katy and the plum is a Santa Rosa. Both are on peach rootstock, the apricot is on Myro 29C and the plum is on Nemaguard. We got some fun varieties for the pomegranates, so we have that to look forward to as well. When I was there picking up my trees, there was a student from ASU who was doing some kind of a study on urban fruit trees, I signed up for it, mostly because I'm curious to see the final product. She said she'd be sending out a questionairre in 6 months to collect data on how the trees were doing, as well as where they were planted, and how often they were watered.

Oh neat! I would be VERY interested in that. I planted a Santa Rosa just about year ago. It probably did the best for growth of all the fruit trees I planted last year, but yet didn't produce fruit. I suspect it will this year though. I'd really like to find space for a Katy. Kevs-chickadees said something last year to the effect that there was always space to plant a dwarf peach, so I found space for a Dwarf Bonanza (? I think that's what it was). It was a tiny tree but produced a surprising number of the very best peaches I'd ever eaten. Maybe I can find space for the apricot.

 

[Fuzzybird]

Baby setting? I could do that, not the granny type, but I can. I'm great with animals, pet setting would be better. Love all animals, with the exception of monkeys, Aps and chimps are ok. Snakes, lizards, fish..... I have no problem handling any animal. Even attack geese. A goose brook a tooth with that karate chop wing.

By the way my car isn't totaled. I haven't seen a body shop yet.

I was going to say pet sitting but sometimes it is hard to find people that need it. People always out there that need kids looked after. Go for it.
I said To bad the car wasn't totaled. You could get a new car out of it.

 

[countrygirl74]

I love that Serama chick story!

DH just surprised me...he said he'd love to have a goat or two! I just don't think we have the proper space and when I told him that he can't just put them in the back yard like a dog, he wasn't so excited anymore.

. *sigh* someday....

My husband wants pygmy goats - I was sooo surprised. He grew up in Mesa and never had any "farm" animals so he is having way too much fun with all this new activity at our house. We got chickens and ducks fairly recently and it's all pretty new to him - now wants to add by getting goats. Unfortunately, we don't have the space either... someday we hope to move and have more property.

 

[Demosthine]

Europe does vaccinate against influenza.

"
The Commission is encouraging EU countries to promote seasonal flu vaccination for people at risk of becoming severely ill when catching flu. Following a proposal by the Commission, the Health Ministers of the EU countries adopted on 22 December 2009 a  recommendation on seasonal flu vaccination recommending that EU countries try and get 75% of the 'at risk' groups, including elderly and healthcare workers, vaccinated against seasonal flu by 2015."

From http://ec.europa.eu/health-eu/europe_for_patients/flu_vaccination/index_en.htm

Thank you for providing the reference. The keg in that quote is "75% of at risk groups." They advocate for the vaccination of infants 6 months to two years, healthcare workers, the elder (I believe I read over 65yo) and the immunocompromised. The Rotel not advocate for the mass vaccination of healthy children and adults.

Depending on where I am at work tonight, I'll try to expand on the sources. What part did you want references for? It would probably be best to start a thread in the Ramblings section, since it'll end up a huge discussion.

 

[LadyKotaDoria]

Baby setting? I could do that, not the granny type, but I can. I'm great with animals, pet setting would be better. Love all animals, with the exception of monkeys, Aps and chimps are ok. Snakes, lizards, fish..... I have no problem handling any animal. Even attack geese. A goose brook a tooth with that karate chop wing.


By the way my car isn't totaled. I haven't seen a body shop yet.

I was going to say pet sitting but sometimes it is hard to find people that need it. People always out there that need kids looked after. Go for it.
I said To bad the car wasn't totaled. You could get a new car out of it.

My dad left me the money for a new car, I spent a lot of time looking. Finally, I made up my mind, I went into two Honda Delerships, told them I wonted an Accord, white, tan interior, loaded, manual transmission, and I will pay $XX,500.00 (it was less then I could find anyplace on line, and less the sticker). One salesperson found my car. Black they could find, white very few were made. They found one with pinstripe and tinted windows, it had 495 miles. {At 500 it has to be sold as used.} I t old them they replace the windows, they could leave the pinstripe, up grade the rims and tires, and I will take it as used, I told them that was to much for used. They didn't come down..... I want what I want! Not going to settle for less. I can live for a year on that money.

 

[countrygirl74]

Thank you for providing the reference. The keg in that quote is "75% of at risk groups." They advocate for the vaccination of infants 6 months to two years, healthcare workers, the elder (I believe I read over 65yo) and the immunocompromised. The Rotel not advocate for the mass vaccination of healthy children and adults.

Depending on where I am at work tonight, I'll try to expand on the sources. What part did you want references for? It would probably be best to start a thread in the Ramblings section, since it'll end up a huge discussion.

I agree.. this can easily end up being a BIG discussion. I did a TON of research when I started having children so that I could make an informed decision on whether or not to fully, partially, or not vaccinate my babies. I ended up deciding not to at all. However, that doesn't mean that I am ALWAYS against vaccination or that I would NEVER do it. It would have to be for a very good reason though - like living in a third world country and/or in a situation that I felt my child was definitely at more risk from the disease than the vaccination itself. As someone mentioned in another post, diet has a lot to do with disease so that is something we watch closely. I have only had to pick up meds from a pharmacy once in my entire life and my kids are all teenagers now. They have only been to the doctor for routine physicals, with the exception of one of my sons who was diagnosed with Crohn's disease - thus the HUGE change in our diet and nutrition. Now you can't tell that he has Crohn's at all. No meds, nothing... just a change in diet. I have come to believe that diet and nutrition are usually the culprit for most issues in people's health. I have never, and never will, take a flu shot. Just last week, a few of my friends caught a really bad flu that put them out of work for days - all of them had the flu shot well before this. Everyone I know who hasn't taken the flu shot - no flu or very mild illness. Our family... no flu for past couple years. Yes, I know this isn't scientific research, just my observations. I don't see how it can even work with all the different strains out there. I just happen to think there are much better ways to keep people from getting the flu or recovering quickly from the flu. I believe there are times when it may be necessary for vaccinations but we are not in a time or situation that I feel it is necessary for my family. I am not posting all the "scientific" info for it all as I don't have it readily available right now because I already did all the research years ago. So... that's my ramblings. Some people may need vaccination intervention, others may not. I'm just glad for the freedom to choose.

On a chicken note - no vaccinations or meds with them either. We try to raise them as naturally as possible but are thankful meds are there if needed.

AND.... I am loving this 55 degree weather and Arizona sunshine! Tomorrow I plan to hang out with the ducks and let them swim in their pool. It's a nice break from 0 at night and 25-30 degree days!!

 

[Mama Hen Chris]

Nice! I found that my chickens didn't really like it much past the sprouting stage. After a few months I'm still trying, hoping that they'll develop a taste for the greens, but still little interest. They go absolutely crazy for it just after the sprouting stage though (somewhere between yours on the middle rack-right and top right). I mix BOSS and wheat and if it goes past a week, they spend their time picking out the BOSS. I guess it occupies their time, but I'm still hopeful. I see that Pastrymama has gotten to you too with the ducks.

It was just a matter of time. I'm still resisting.

Going to try sprouting barley. See if they like it better. I am sure my girls would love the BOSS. I should try that. Had hubby take the whole thing out of the spare room and into the garage as it smelled horrible. Was giving me a headache.

The little duckies will be going back to pastrymama. I have no room for them. Just giving broody something to occupy her time. You know you really want duckies G. I know where you can get 2 or 6 in the next month!!

 

[AZKat]

Oh neat! I would be VERY interested in that. I planted a Santa Rosa just about year ago. It probably did the best for growth of all the fruit trees I planted last year, but yet didn't produce fruit. I suspect it will this year though. I'd really like to find space for a Katy. Kevs-chickadees said something last year to the effect that there was always space to plant a dwarf peach, so I found space for a Dwarf Bonanza (? I think that's what it was). It was a tiny tree but produced a surprising number of the very best peaches I'd ever eaten. Maybe I can find space for the apricot.

For what its worth, I've always heard that you shouldn't let a fruit tree set fruit the first year, even if it does bloom. I hope you can find room for the apricot, one of the nice things about them is that they don't have much of a canopy, so space isn't as much of an issue. I also have a dwarf peach, I can't remember if its a Desert Gold or a Bonanza, but it produced excellent peaches last year. We had a dwarf Desert Gold when I was a kid. It produced a few peaches the second year, and then the third year we got a bushel of fruit off of it.

I'm very happy about our new fruit trees, but honestly, what I'm most excited about is the possibility of getting cherry trees. We have room for two more fruit trees in the back yard, and I want to try cherries. They'll be fairly close to the mulberry tree, but in this case that is a good thing, since all the reports from 'early adopters' of these new varieties is that they can't take full sun.

 

[Mahonri]

My brother and his family always get their flu shots, Our family never does.

I don't think we get any more sick than they do.

I do vaccinate my birds for Mareks.

I need to plant some more fruit trees. I used to have a huge peach tree that really produced and the bugs got to it. Same thing with my 3 varieties of apple and the Asian pear. I am down to one grapefruit tree and a stupid ornamental orange.

I suppose I should be planting now. My cousin's son out in Queen Creek just planted an ORCHARD.

 

[Gallo del Cielo]

Yeah, it's probably better not to let them fruit the first year. Of the dozen or so trees I planted last year most of them had just a few flowers on them, followed by fruit, which I let go. I was mostly interested in whether we had enough chill hours for them to set fruit. These trees were also not really in their first year; they already had one to two years past the bare-root stage before I planted them. I also agree that the cherries do not like full sun. They do much better in the shade or at best, early morning sun. I lost one of my two, mostly to an overwatering failure while on vacation and I moved the replacement around before placing it in the ground to find the best spot.