Arizona Chickens

[Gallo del Cielo]

Outside this morning enjoying the overcast skies and the chickens. Turned around to see a hawk trying to get into my run. Have seen this guy around lately and when the girls ere free ranging they either go to the coop or the big palo verde tree in the yard when they hear the warning. He has only tried once to actually come into the yard at the girls and really did not try to get anyone but was close to ground level that time. But today they were in the new run that has bird netting over it

score one for me. Hawk came down but then got caught in the netting and the tree and had to leave. So happy it works so well, now maybe the hawk will go somewhere else to look for food. Now I feel better about them being out in a big yard.

Do you know what kind of hawk it was? Do you have small chickens? We occasionally get Cooper's hawks in our run that are hunting doves. When the chickens are out free-ranging the doves walk in looking for food and the hawks seem to know they have them cornered. We haven't had a Coopers bother a fully grown chicken, but they certainly try to go for smaller chickens.

 

[Gallo del Cielo]

Today was the cockerels' day out. I came home this afternoon at the end of a rainstorm to find 10 soaking wet roosters having a crowing contest in the rain. Apparently they were enjoying the shower. A while later I looked out and noticed that almost all of them had developed purple edges on the backs of their comb blades. Hmmm.... It sure isn't frostbite - it got up to 109 here today. They didn't develop purple combs when it was 114 out, or after a rain on days when they've been confined to the coop/run, so I'm guessing the purple may have been due to evaporative chilling from all the running around they were doing after the rain stopped? They're chasing each other as usual and none of them look particularly stressed. Comb color is back to normal now.

Was going to post a picture, but they are not uploading for some reason.

That would have made for great video!

 

[Gallo del Cielo]

Quote:
I'm reminded of AZ BYCer rufus, from Phoenix, who said that the lights from the electronic billboards overlooking his yard were so bright, his chickens would be out free-ranging at all hours of the night and the earliest hours of the morning.

 

[AZ_HenHouse]

Do you know what kind of hawk it was? Do you have small chickens? We occasionally get Cooper's hawks in our run that are hunting doves. When the chickens are out free-ranging the doves walk in looking for food and the hawks seem to know they have them cornered. We haven't had a Coopers bother a fully grown chicken, but they certainly try to go for smaller chickens.

It was a red tail hawk. I have seen this one around a bit and normally doesn't bother my chickens but I do have 16 chicks that are 8 weeks old and someof them are bantams so they are even smaller. They were in the run when it came down. Normally it hangs in our tree and chases the pigeons and other birds, has eyed my birds and swooped low to look but doesn't try to get them. My son reminded me that he did come down once at our banty momma hen (with chicks) who promptly turned and went burserk, chased him after he landed and he left.

 

[LadyKotaDoria]

The Harris Hawks are the worst, the hunt in family groups. Parents and last years young - sometimes this years to. Usually 3 of the working togather.

 

[Arizonachicken]

Downpour in Scottsdale! Yipeeeee!

 

[Demosthine]

Alright, so this isn't chicken related, but it's Arizona related, so here goes... I was at Pratt's today texting my wife all sorts of pictures of the various stock they have there like the goats and sheep. She repeatedly said no, until I got to the rabbits. I've thought recently about adding a couple rabbits and allowing them to procreate and use it as meat. I want to free-range them, though, just like my chickens. Having never had rabbits and knowing they burrow, how damaging are they to my lawn? I do have a 2-foot wide strip of dirt/rock lining the entire fence line where the oleanders are planted, plus the 6-foot by 20-foot dirt area leading to the chicken coop.

In terms of food, they should be able to graze on the lawn and eat all of the food scraps we constantly throw outside, right? I'd prefer not really supplementing their feed. I know they are primarily herbivores, so that shouldn't be a problem. Oh, and this special pasture blend of grass I just ordered would drastically improve their diet from my current bermuda grass!

Any other thoughts from anyone who keeps them? I would post on the Arizona Backyard Farmers page, but it was deleted and I haven't been approved back in to the new group. I know more people there are rabbit people. It's been a bit more difficult to find free-range information on them, though.

 

[AZKat]

RRR: My chickens seem to like the organic feed, and didn't have any issues with switching to it. They do eat less of the organic feed, but since egg production and condition is slightly but noticeably better on the organic feed, I assume its because its higher quality and makes them feel fuller, not because they don't like it.

Also, the feed co-op is now selling human food, several types of wheat flour, as well as kamut and spelt, in 25 pound bags, as well as whole grains. The prices look pretty good, especially for organic flour. I haven't tried it yet, but I'm going to order a bag of wheat flour, and maybe spelt, this month to try it out. Based on the quality of their animal feed, I'm optimistic.

 

[countrygirl74]

Got 2 more new babies today!!! All 3 looking happy and healthy!


Chick on far right is the one who hatched Sunday - one on far left just hatched, and one still in egg...


This is the one that came out of that last egg - really pretty!


Next is a sequence - mama Cloud was a little concerned about the babies being too far from her getting their photos taken, so she called them back and one of them got scolded...

The proud daddy...



And just for fun... my cochin boy Monsoon - getting big! He still hasn't crowed that I know of.



These are for whoever was asking to see the cattle panels made into hoops for the berry vines... The vine on the one side of the hoop had died and a new one is growing there, so eventually it will all fill in... also a pic of my grapes growing up the side of the coop that I just planted this year...it's all getting there slowly but surely.

 

[Mama Hen Chris]

Alright, so this isn't chicken related, but it's Arizona related, so here goes... I was at Pratt's today texting my wife all sorts of pictures of the various stock they have there like the goats and sheep. She repeatedly said no, until I got to the rabbits. I've thought recently about adding a couple rabbits and allowing them to procreate and use it as meat. I want to free-range them, though, just like my chickens. Having never had rabbits and knowing they burrow, how damaging are they to my lawn? I do have a 2-foot wide strip of dirt/rock lining the entire fence line where the oleanders are planted, plus the 6-foot by 20-foot dirt area leading to the chicken coop.

In terms of food, they should be able to graze on the lawn and eat all of the food scraps we constantly throw outside, right? I'd prefer not really supplementing their feed. I know they are primarily herbivores, so that shouldn't be a problem. Oh, and this special pasture blend of grass I just ordered would drastically improve their diet from my current bermuda grass!

Any other thoughts from anyone who keeps them? I would post on the Arizona Backyard Farmers page, but it was deleted and I haven't been approved back in to the new group. I know more people there are rabbit people. It's been a bit more difficult to find free-range information on them, though.

It looks like it to me that you have been added back to the group.