Arizona Chickens

[EKC Farms in the desert]

I found the one I bought from a hatchery in August. There is enough for 100 baby chicks. PM me if you interested. Will sell cheap.

 

[Angelray]

Yes, pipemum I wondered if that was what you were referring to when explaining it to Roostereggs. It surrounds 3 sides of the base of my tiki bar, I live in the hottest part of the state and it has been in place since my daughter's 21st birthday party in 2002. It is a little threadbare towards the bottom but has held up in our brutal conditions quite well. I tried to find some better pictures of it, but the one I took from inside the bar shows it very well. You are right is is relatively inexpensive at Lowe's. I can't wait to hear the chicken hater saga!
My chicks are growing up for sure! They even put themselves to bed with only a bit of prodding from us. They are all very happy and healthy and they get along great. So much fun to have!
Pastrymama, I sure wish I could take some of those layers off your hands, but I simply don't have the room to accommodate them. I hope someone comes through for you.
I am ready to switch my girls' feed from starter to ???? Is there something they eat before they go on layer feed at around 18 weeks? Something with less protein than chick starter?
You all that have been waiting for eggs, ugh! I hope that doesn't happen to me and my Pratt's birds. I can't imagine only 6 eggs in 6 months. I don't have nearly that much patience.
Twinklin, did you ever find hidden eggs in the yard when your other two took the day off without notice? How are Eleanor's eggs looking now? Hopefully everyone is back on schedule now.

They will go straight to laying feed. I started with crumbles because their small beaks don't like pellets, but now that mine are all over 4 month and pretty big I switched to pellets (they waste less). We kept ours on the chick starter until the first hen laid her first egg, then everyone got switched. We didn't eat her eggs for about 9 days to allow the medication from chick starter to pass. We just fed those eggs back to the chickens!

 

[Twinklin]

Twinklin, did you ever find hidden eggs in the yard when your other two took the day off without notice? How are Eleanor's eggs looking now? Hopefully everyone is back on schedule now.

I didn't come across any eggs from the day all 3 were on strike. I'll be doing yard work this weekend though and may find one but I'm pretty sure they just didn't lay, my 2 brown layers have never missed the nest box, not even their first eggs so it would be really strange for them to decide to squat in the bushes or something. The following day all 3 laid. Ely's eggs are coming every other day right now, She's laid 4 I think. Her 1st was the one in the grass, the 3rd was on the floor in the coop and all the rest have been in the nest box. Hopefully she's figured it all out now. Her eggs are almost cartoonish in how perfect they are shaped. Nice and round on one end and almost pointed on the other. Still very good size for pullet eggs and I'm really starting to love the off white color (pictures don't really do the color justice).

 

[City farm]

I went out to check on the pips.. 2 look good almost out, 1 looks like the air sack was

in the wrong spot.. This was the only egg from flower.. The olive layer.. I pulled back

part of it to see of it moved, none.. I put the chick back in just in case.. This is only

the 2nd time we have hatched from a hen..

How long untill I could help by pulling the shell back?

This may sound harsh, but I would not help the chick at all.  If it cannot get out on its own there is a reason, and if you help it and the chick survives you are very likely to have a weak chicken.  The best way to breed healthy birds is to keep only the strong, healthy ones.  If you coddle the weak ones and keep breeding from them your birds will, over time, become weaker and more sickly.  This goes for backyard flocks of mutts as well as for standard-bred birds.

No not harsh at all... I agree totally with you.. I just want her to have at least one chick for a week or so.. That way she will
transition back into the flock.. I did help the one out of the three.. The other two did not make it. The one that was chirping
last night had a smashed head. So yes I do agree survival of the fittest...I do not want to go buy chicks..
Plus we are not keeping any of them..

 

[desertmarcy]

Just in case not everybody knows, the Tucson Poultry, Pigeon and Fancy Fowl Club will hold it's 43rd Annual Winter Show November 23-24 at the Pima County Fairgrounds, Thurber Hall. Show is free and open to the public. There will be about 1000 or more birds entered, and birds for sale.

Doors open at 6:00 AM on Saturday, judging begins at 9:00 am. There will be lots of activities going on all day, lots of raffles and lunch available to buy. In addition, the Rosecomb Bantam Federation will hold their National Meet on Saturday and there will be an American Game Fowl Show as well, so expect a lot of birds to see.

Doors open at 7:00 AM on Sunday. Junior Show at 8:00 AM, Serama Show at 8:00 AM. Awards Ceremonty at 10:00 AM and Grand Raffle at 11:00 AM. Grand Raffle is a 4' X 6' wire cage made of aviary wire and wood frame with door & latch. The cage can be taken apart and transported. This was built by the Boyer family; they built one for last year's raffle and it was VERY nice.

Hope to see you there!

 

[kpgoldstar]

DesertMarcy can you let us know when your piece is available online and post a link. I don't get that channel out West and would love to see it.

 

[kpgoldstar]

I didn't come across any eggs from the day all 3 were on strike. I'll be doing yard work this weekend though and may find one but I'm pretty sure they just didn't lay, my 2 brown layers have never missed the nest box, not even their first eggs so it would be really strange for them to decide to squat in the bushes or something. The following day all 3 laid. Ely's eggs are coming every other day right now, She's laid 4 I think. Her 1st was the one in the grass, the 3rd was on the floor in the coop and all the rest have been in the nest box. Hopefully she's figured it all out now. Her eggs are almost cartoonish in how perfect they are shaped. Nice and round on one end and almost pointed on the other. Still very good size for pullet eggs and I'm really starting to love the off white color (pictures don't really do the color justice).

Such pretty eggs!

 

[kpgoldstar]

They will go straight to laying feed. I started with crumbles because their small beaks don't like pellets, but now that mine are all over 4 month and pretty big I switched to pellets (they waste less). We kept ours on the chick starter until the first hen laid her first egg, then everyone got switched. We didn't eat her eggs for about 9 days to allow the medication from chick starter to pass. We just fed those eggs back to the chickens!

I do fermented feed so whether they are pellets or crumbles it doesn't really matter. My starter feed says up to 8 weeks so I thought there was a transition between starter and laying. I also use unmedicated feed so I won't have a waiting period if I keep them on it until I start seeing eggs.

 

[Twinklin]

My sweet timid little Phillie has decided to become the boundary breaking little trouble maker. Up until now my 2-3ft fences have kept the girls off the patio and out of the garden. Phillie realized she can jump them and has proceeded to destroy some of my younger plants. So this weekend I need to go out and get more fencing to put individual cages around all the little plants and start the seeds over again for some of them, some stuff it's too late to get started and I'll have to wait until Feb. My broccoli does well over the winter so it should be ok restarting it but I'm pretty sure the melons are a lost cause at this time of year. I am trying to salvage the ones that still had roots attached after she dug them up but I learned my lesson for next year.

 

[Rezia]

Is anyone's coop going to be in the Tour de Coop tomorrow? I'm volunteering at one of the coops displayed