Arizona Chickens

[LadyKotaDoria]

That's an absolute shame about your rooster.  I find that more difficult to understand, the sudden death, as opposed to sending one to Camp Freezer.  There is an ultimate cause and benefit from the latter.


On a few positive notes, the Black Copper Maran chicks are getting bigger by the day and are significantly more heavy at this stage than the Barred Rocks are the Production Red were.  I hadn't thought about there being a weight difference like that between breeds.  Two are already roosting on the sides of their container and pooping on my floor.

I also just put up an ad on Craig's List to sell some of my mealworms.  The colony completely took off and I have too many to be giving my girls.  I listed them at $5.00 for a quarter pound, which is quite a lot of worms, actually. I still barely put a dent in the colony.


And we just started getting some rain up here.  The temperature had a sudden drop about a half hour ago and the wind kicked up.  My wife had some hail down at 99th Avenue and Greenway road.  Looking to be a good night!

It's raining here at 107th.& Olive. About to bring out some. Freshly back squash to the girls. They are under the coop. They really seem to like it there.

 

[Mahonri]

I'm officially a desert rat. Got ready to go up the mountain, went outside and it was sprinkling and the temp was below 49.

I went back inside. I'll regret doing this in August when its 115 outside. I put some eggs on to boil... my dinner tonight.

 

[notinoz2007]

Well, today we culled our first roos. We had to kill 5 of them. It was tough, but we did it and I feel a sense of accomplishment for that. I now have 5 bags of meat in my fridge.
I definitely would recommend having someone experienced with you for the first time. We tried to do the first one and didn't realize how much pressure you really need to make sure you get a good cut on the jugular and so that was a little traumatic, especially because it was on the one rooster we had raised from a little yellow baby chick. It doesn't feel very good when you don't get it right and you have to keep cutting and try to get it so you can put the poor thing out of its misery. Once we realized how to get it right, with help from an experienced person there with us, the other 4 went more smoothly - not necessarily easier to do, but death was quick instead of traumatic. I did cry a couple times and my husband had to walk away a couple times before the next kill as it was starting to get to him. I have to give him the credit. I only helped kill one and after that all I did was the plucking and help dress. The positive thing about it is they had a wonderfully, spoiled life and now they are feeding us. It was the right thing to do as we had more roosters than hens. Now, although I still feel the sadness of the day, I feel a sense of relief that we are done and they are gone.
For those of you that cull regularly, does it get easier or is it always difficult? I'm not really looking forward to doing it again but it's all still fresh in my mind right now... it does give you a whole new appreciation for your food.
I love that it's snowing so beautifully now and making everything pretty - a nice end to the difficult day.

I have to give you tremendous credit, the first time i attempted i gave up and sold them. i have since processed 5 or 6 times. your skill will get better, your method easier. mentally, i dont think its any easier the 10th time than the first, i think everyone should experience it at least once tho so they can realize that prepackaged boneless skinless chicken breast from the store used to breath.
i definitely agree, have a super sharp knife. It is better when you know they arent suffering. i had to run to the neighbors last time for a filet knife because mine was so dull.

 

[Arizonachicken]

That's an absolute shame about your rooster.  I find that more difficult to understand, the sudden death, as opposed to sending one to Camp Freezer.  There is an ultimate cause and benefit from the latter.


On a few positive notes, the Black Copper Maran chicks are getting bigger by the day and are significantly more heavy at this stage than the Barred Rocks are the Production Red were.  I hadn't thought about there being a weight difference like that between breeds.  Two are already roosting on the sides of their container and pooping on my floor.

I also just put up an ad on Craig's List to sell some of my mealworms.  The colony completely took off and I have too many to be giving my girls.  I listed them at $5.00 for a quarter pound, which is quite a lot of worms, actually. I still barely put a dent in the colony.


And we just started getting some rain up here.  The temperature had a sudden drop about a half hour ago and the wind kicked up.  My wife had some hail down at 99th Avenue and Greenway road.  Looking to be a good night!

I'd buy some if you weren't so far away. Ever come to the East Valley?

 

[notinoz2007]

Quote:
x2!!! do they come with an instruction manual? i bought the aquarium and lid. have the potatoes. what else do i need?? mealworms!!

 

[Demosthine]

I'd buy some if you weren't so far away. Ever come to the East Valley?

Almost never. I'd say less than a half dozen times a year, if that. Usually for special occasions. My wife's corporate day at Sun Splash, her Christmas party at Rustler's Roost, maybe one trip to Mill Mall for the Corningware Store and once for Shar's Bosch Kitchen. Yup, that's about it...

I am in Central Phoenix Wednesday through Sunday every week, though. I work downtown, if you're ever in that area and want to stop by between 0500 Hours and 1430 Hours most days.

 

[maryhysong]

We had sort of a bittersweet weekend.
Got outside yesterday morning to make a few upgrades to the coop - took the tarp roof off the flimsy flat metal support beams, added a chain link panel on top, and replaced the tarps, looks great an much more ready for the monsoons - and found that one of the roosters who is kind of a loner refused to sleep with the other the night before. We had had MEGA wind that night and had tarped the entire coop as they don't have an actual enclosed sleeping area (we are converting a kids plastic little tykes playhouse day - too late I suppose) and he curled up inside a cardboard box and died in his sleep. I would guess it was from the cold, he was always very healthy, just low man on the totem pole and a total scared spazz ball.

Then this morning, I have 7 out of 7 eggs pipping! I got 7 local barnyard mix eggs off CL for $5 to run a test hatch with regular sized eggs - only been hatching serama til now - and hadn't been able to see ANYTHING through the shells the entire incubation! I thought maybe I'd been ripped off and given unfertilized eggs, but let them sit in the bator since it isn't needed until my BLRW eggs arrive this week. And voila! All 7 pipping on day 20! I guess you gotta give up life to get some.

yay for babies! I'm collecting eggs now, so in a month hopefully I'll have some too. Sorry to hear about your roo. I lost two babies that were about 6 weeks old. They were in the house with a heat lamp but I think it go too cold a couple nights and everybody dog piled and they were smothered. I have no other ideas what might have happened to them. I will say once I had a young rabbit dead in it's pen; I autopsied him and his heart had burst. Literally it looked like it had exploded in his chest. We had a opossum hanging around the barn and I think it was scaring the rabbits and this guy just had a weak heart.

 

[LadyKotaDoria]

We had sort of a bittersweet weekend.
Got outside yesterday morning to make a few upgrades to the coop - took the tarp roof off the flimsy flat metal support beams, added a chain link panel on top, and replaced the tarps, looks great an much more ready for the monsoons - and found that one of the roosters who is kind of a loner refused to sleep with the other the night before. We had had MEGA wind that night and had tarped the entire coop as they don't have an actual enclosed sleeping area (we are converting a kids plastic little tykes playhouse day - too late I suppose) and he curled up inside a cardboard box and died in his sleep. I would guess it was from the cold, he was always very healthy, just low man on the totem pole and a total scared spazz ball.

Then this morning, I have 7 out of 7 eggs pipping! I got 7 local barnyard mix eggs off CL for $5 to run a test hatch with regular sized eggs - only been hatching serama til now - and hadn't been able to see ANYTHING through the shells the entire incubation! I thought maybe I'd been ripped off and given unfertilized eggs, but let them sit in the bator since it isn't needed until my BLRW eggs arrive this week. And voila! All 7 pipping on day 20! I guess you gotta give up life to get some.

yay for babies! I'm collecting eggs now, so in a month hopefully I'll have some too. Sorry to hear about your roo. I lost two babies that were about 6 weeks old. They were in the house with a heat lamp but I think it go too cold a couple nights and everybody dog piled and they were smothered. I have no other ideas what might have happened to them. I will say once I had a young rabbit dead in it's pen; I autopsied him and his heart had burst. Literally it looked like it had exploded in his chest. We had a opossum hanging around the barn and I think it was scaring the rabbits and this guy just had a weak heart.

This is all so tragic, I worry about my girls. All we can do is to do our best. I know you all try hard to care for your charges. I know how I felt when I lost my first chick at 5 days old.

 

[kacklinkelly]

I have a small backyard with close nieghbors. Can hens get loud? If so are there any tips to minimize it? Thanks

I invited one set of neighbors over yesterday to see our chickens. Our 3 girls have been what I thought was loud a few times.
However, our neighbors said that if I didn't tell them, they never would have known we had chickens. They were concerned about
their 2 children being too noisy for our liking

. They said they like to come over because It's like going to a petting zoo. They
are also hoping for eggs soon. They are the best neighbors!

 

[squeakyballs]