Arizona Chickens

[MaddBaggins]

Button doesn't look any better yet, but it's only been 24 hours of supplements.
I told my daughter, while the girls were free ranging, that I'll give Button a few more days to see some improvement. She asked "and then what?". I told her then I'll take care of it. She got sad, but she understands.

 

[notinoz2007]

Button doesn't look any better yet, but it's only been 24 hours of supplements.
I told my daughter, while the girls were free ranging, that I'll give Button a few more days to see some improvement. She asked "and then what?". I told her then I'll take care of it. She got sad, but she understands.

kids take things extremely well sometimes. very black and white. when we first got chickens and there were roosters we decided to process and i explained the reasons why to my kids. most days after "the talk" they would tell the roosters to eat more so their legs got bigger. one day my daughter told me that one looked "positively delicious"
i thought they were kinda morbid actually but they do understand where their food comes from at least.

 

[AZKat]

Kev: I should have mentioned that I have an irrigated lot, and also recycle the gray water from our washer. The downside to mulberries is that they are water-hogs, and you need to water them well if they are going to grow. I also mulch around the base with dirty straw from the coop, and I think that the nitrogen has helped as well.

 

[notinoz2007]

i'm sorry to hear about button. i really hope she improves.
i have had to cull a few myself and its never fun, especially when they have names. we had one little pullet that grew up just fine then we noticed she started to drag one leg. never figured out what happened but the others were stepping all over her. she was miserable.we did what we could but in the end it was quick.

 

[notinoz2007]

Kev: I should have mentioned that I have an irrigated lot, and also recycle the gray water from our washer. The downside to mulberries is that they are water-hogs, and you need to water them well if they are going to grow. I also mulch around the base with dirty straw from the coop, and I think that the nitrogen has helped as well.

did you set up your own gray water system? i really want to do that for my house but my washing machine is on the complete opposite side of the house as the yard that needs water. i love the idea - maybe at my next place, lol

 

[Mama Hen Chris]

Thanks! Happy birthday to Cooper too. Will you get to see him today? Did you bake him a cake?

I am baking him a 3D train cake and 4 dozen cupcakes (thanks to pastrymama for the cake pan) I will see him Sunday. His party will be at the train park. I will post pics of the cake. (and Cooper too)

 

[Mama Hen Chris]

My Orpington girls:

Daphne


Daisy


Dolly


My Blue Barred Rock (from beehappy4ever) still nameless

 

[alohachickens]

I have a weird question. Talked to a guy that I met via Craigslist, who bought a few chicks from me about a week ago. He said he had a few of the newborn chicks die off since he bought them, and was a bit upset, because he says he has chickens that are nine years old and he has NEVER lost a chick, or had a sick chicken in his flock. Says he has a ton of chickens on his property, and some are nine years old.

Do note that these chicks that I sold him were grabbed pretty much direct out of the brooder, and were less than 24 hours old, so I didn't have time to raise them for a few days before they went to their new home and scan for any weakness in the babies. He said oddly that only the pale colored ones died and the darker ones were fine . . . bizarre! I wish I'd had a chance to "vet" them for a few days before they went to new homes, but since hatcheries shove them in a box and ship them across country, I figured they would be OK?

But that's beside the point, I'm still baffled because he says he's never lost a chick or adult, never ever ever and he says he owns tons of chickens and buys them all the time! A friend of mine told me that illness can be carried by wild birds, and by mosquitoes, so you can't really ever isolate your coop totally. He said that was crap, and he'd never heard of illness spreading unless it was directly from another sick chicken making contact with a healthy one, so he just quarantines them for a couple of months before introducing them to his main flock, and says because of that he has never lost a single chicken to illness in years.

So my question is: Have any of you long-term chicken owning folks been fortunate enough to NEVER have a sick chicken or a dead chicken?

I can see that if you bought vaccinated chicks from ONE hatchery years ago, and never ever ever ever brought in another chick since then. But this person did say he had bought other chickens off of Craigslist, plus hatcheries, and introduced them to his flock. Is he just the luckiest chicken owner on earth? Or have others of you had chickens for many years, bought from various sources, and never had a single one turn up sick or dead? Totally curious . . . . and completely jealous. LOL!

If you have had a BIG flock for several years and have never had a sick or dead chicken, pipe up! I really want to know your secrets!

Is quarantine the 100% cure??? Does that mean never a sick or dead chicken ever again?

 

[LadyKotaDoria]

We set up our first super/bee hive this evening. It did not go as planned.. . . . S didn't think it thru. Actually I think he got nerves. He had loose shorts, and T shirt. Places for bees to go and panic in. I could see the realization move across his face. Then he forgot to remove the plug in the queen chamber. He is coming back just before sun rise to take care of that waring better clothing and maybe gloves. After the hive is established he should not need gloves.

I got stung for the first time in my life. One was just above my eye. I told S to spray it with smoke. He asked where?... I said my forehead,. . . He said where? I said quick my forehead. He said where, let me look. By then she was in my hair and started buzzing. S said OH, there she is I see your hair moving, but I can't see it. . . . . I said, hur AAAAA.. . . ITS STINGING to late. I pushed my fingers into my hair trying to go under the bee to remove it. It can't sting again. S looked for the stinger and removed it.
well, now I know, I'm not allergic to bee stings.

I need to get my own hive, so if my bees sworn I might be able to set them up. Then I will not have to tarry to capture the one under my shed. 2 hives will be quite enough. Honey for 2 households. Royal Jelly, and bee pollen, how wonderful.

 

[City farm]

No baby for me yet...but look what other surprise we had today!

Wow! can't wait to have that soon, very soon.. So beautiful

Can't wait to hear about your bundle of joy..