Hi Everyone,
I will be new to chickens. I have been doing research, reading books and dropping in here for the last year...yes, I have been waiting THAT long! We are closing on a house at the end of the month which is on half an acre in Mesa, AZ and the first thing I want to do is bring home some chicks.
I already have coop plans and am purchasing materials to get it made.
My questions are:
1. I am considering Brahma, Ameraucana, Delaware, Naked Neck, & Buff Orpinton's. I am looking for good layers that are heat hardy and will be docile and calm with my 5 children....am I headed in the right direction?
2. I would much rather buy from a breeder than a hatchery and was looking for recommendations in the phoenix area (I would be willing to travel 1+ hours).
Anything else I should know?
Thanks!!!
Welcome to the Forum!
I can't vouch for any of those breeds except the Ameraucana in terms of heat heartiness. My four Ameraucanas appear to be panting more often than any of my other breeds, except maybe my turkeys. They are still fairly young and aren't even laying yet, so I think it's a bad sign. From reading so far, it appears that particular breed is not as heat-friendly as many of the others, although several on this thread keep them successfully. No idea on the others. Every one of my breeds have been extremely docile and friendly, especially if you have food. Truth be told, the flock is my 16-month old daughters. She has to check on them several times a day and is always with me for feeding and closing the coop. For about the last year, they have gathered around her when she sits in the yard and they'll come up to greet her. The only problem we had was when she had a grape in her hand and our Birchen wanted it. My baby ended up with a scrape down the length of her finger with the beak. There were no problems, though and both were amiable immediately afterwards.
I can tell you my Barred Rocks are hatchery and you can tell. They are still very excellent layers, only slacking off in this heat, but I still get four or five a week out of each of them. My Birchen Marans is breeder quality and definitely shows it. She is larger and much more beautiful. She is a very consistent layer as well, laying 13 eggs every two weeks during all but the hottest of weather so far. Both these breeds have been very heat tolerant and haven't been in distress. My Black Copper Marans and New Hampshires are not laying yet, but they are breeder quality and also significantly larger and more regal. I would not trade those for the world.
You can check with DesertMarcy for the Black Copper Marans. She's in Tucson, but they were an excellent quality and worth the drive! I would get ahold of CbNovick and find out where she got her New Hampshires. I don't think she was breeding them for sale, but we got some of her extras. They are gorgeous, too.
To minimize the heat and related losses, I personally have come to think that having a grassy yard is the single best solution. Even during the hottest of our weeks, my clan was still out free-ranging. They cool themselves through their feet, so if the grass is 20*-30* cooler than the ambient air, it is hugely beneficial to them. Grass does not have to be expensive. Once it's a developed lawn, it really doesn't take much care. I generally water mine every week or two, closer to two, and mow once or twice a week depending on it's growth. My water bill went up about $15 to $20 when I started consistently watering the lawn. Other than that, I haven't done anything extra. They love the bugs they find in it and they eat the grass, too. I actually just ordered a
Chicken Forage Blend of organic grass that will be put down for winter. The seller said they live in Tennessee and have friends in New Mexico. Both locations have grown well year round, so hopefully it will here, too. It's a much more rounded nutritious blend, having nearly a dozen different blends. Something to think about if you have to start your yard from scratch.
You can get organic feed at a discounted price from
Phoenix Organic Feed. They have a large selection and it seems to be between $5 and $10 less per bag than buying at the commercial feed shops. I find mine eat less of this fermented than they did the old fermented feed, so it was a bonus that way, too. They order every two months and it's delivered the beginning of the following months. Delivery is on your side of town, too.
Hope all that helps!
now, as far as breeders go. cant help you there.
Mr. Rogers passed away years ago, I think its Big Bird
