Arizona Chickens

[Sonoran Silkies]

Quote: I would never give chicks to a broody hen who has not been setting for at least 2.5 weeks. Even experienced and good mama hens are nto ready for babies yet. Imagine if at 3 months along in a pregnancy you gave birth to a full-term newborn.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

I've searched BYC and the web and I just can't seem to find any good reviews on leg bands, so I thought I'd ask my AZ brothers and sisters. Does anyone here use them? I want to use them just so I can start telling some of my girls from each other and then to separate the ages. Thanks in advance!

use the bandettes. Easy to apply and remove, numbered so that you can tell identical birds apart. Available in man colours.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Quote: Full body photo of the bird in question, standing on its own would help. They don;t look the same when being help--you can't see body type.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Quote: She didn't have time to transition to mama-hood.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Ok!! Here are pics of our new to us girls. These were the girls we were chick sitting and the owner then gave them to us because she could not keep them at her house per her landlord.



I was told Ruby (up above) is a Production Red. Approximately 16+ weeks old. Is Production Red
just a general term for not being able to tell if it's a RIR or another "red"/"brown" chicken? Is she just
a Production Red or could she be named a more specific breed?


This is Yami (means darkness). I was told she is a Australorp. She is mainly black all over but on her back she is
developing/growing these beautiful green iridescent feathers.


Of course this one is Oreo and I was told she is a Barred Rock, Kinda obvious.



And last but not least this is Snickers. I was told she is a Black Sex Link. Her feet are dark
kinda "thicker" than the other chickens. Not sure if that's a normal trait for a Black Sex Link pullet.

The two that chest bump the most are Snickers and Yami. Any help on the confirmation of their
breeds would be greatly appreciated. I think someone did tell me we are looking at egg layers around 7mos or so.
So that means we are over half way to egg laying.

I also wanted to pick some byc brains about how to get the old girls sharing a new coop with the new girls? At some point we want to consolidate the chickens into one coop. Can anyone share what works and what doesn't? So far the new chickens have a coop and the OG's have their own coop. I do let them free range in the back yard together at the same time and their coops are less than 4ft from each other when they are cooped up. So each set of girls are aware they exist. My two RIR's are the only one's who chase the younger ones around but that's only because personal space is being invaded. Will they ever be able to co-exist in the same coop?

Looking forward to 8 egg layers in our near future. Thanks in advance for any input on any of these questions. BYC peeps are the best!!!


Now back to reading previous posts and adding these pics to my profile.

The only one whose gender I feel certain of is Snickers, your black sex-link pullet. Ruby is a production red; no, there is not a more definitive breed.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Quote: A Rhode Island Red is MUCH darker; think of bing cherries--that dark a red.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Quote: No; grower is fine for all life stages.

 

[Beckyhsinglsc]

Quote: A Rhode Island Red is MUCH darker; think of bing cherries--that dark a red.
I have had all of these breeds and you have exactly what you think you have:
1 Production Red pullet
1 Black Australorp pullet
1 Barred Rock pullet
1 Black sex link pullet

Lots of eggs heading your way! With these breeds it should be closer to 22-24 weeks than 7 months. Watch for squatting and for their combs to suddenly grow bigger and turn red.

Also, sounds like you are on the right track with the integration. It takes awhile. I have found that if you let them out before dusk and let them find their way back to the coop by themselves they will eventually all end up in the better coop when they are ready. PRs have always been the biggest bullies to newcomers in my flocks.

 

[Arizonachicken]

I would never give chicks to a broody hen who has not been setting for at least 2.5 weeks.   Even experienced and good mama hens are nto ready for babies yet.  Imagine if at 3 months along in a pregnancy you gave birth to a full-term newborn.

That would be AWESOME!

I usually let my broodies sit for the full time. It usually takes me that long to find chicks! Even then I had a hen reject the chicks. The same hen went broody recently and hatched out 9 chicks and she was a good mama. Go figure.

 

[Arizonachicken]

use the bandettes.  Easy to apply and remove, numbered so that you can tell identical birds apart. Available in man colours.

But I wanted pink ones.