Arizona Chickens

[pipemum]

Does anyone have any experience buying chickens from FFA or 4H kids?
I was naive and went to the Maricopa county fair for the small stock auction on Friday thinking I would just bid on and actually win a few pullets or hens to bring home. Boy was I shocked to see them go for well over $100 and some up to $500! So much fun to see those kids projects go for so much, but NO WAY am I paying $500 for a chicken!

Anyway, I'm interested in buying a few of the "losers" who didn't make the grade for the auction. It seemed the kids really take good care of them, most of the hens at the fair were quite friendly. Anyone know how I would go about doing this? Do you contact the FFA leader? Someone at the fair mentioned just going there when they release the animals and talking to the kids outside the show barn.

Hahah, yes, I was a bidder at the Pima County Fair last year. Well, I was registered and all ready to go, until the chickens started to go for hundreds of dollars. I did not realize it was a fundraiser. I'm glad the program gets support. But shocking when one expects to get a few chicks for $20! I have no idea how to get a 'loser' chicken, but contacting a local leader is a start. The ones in our area are listed online.

 

[pipemum]

I wanted to mention to AZ folks, I have this HUGE Aloha Chicken baby boom due at the end of this month! Maybe as many as 150-175 chicks? I want to raise a huge group to replace my current breeding flock. But, 150 is a lot for even me to handle! If you might be interested in raising a batch of 15-25 chicks in exchange for returning one or two hens back to me (at 3-4 months old when the color starts to show) please send a PM. Chicks would be FREE in exchange for getting a hen or two back. Typically only one out of 10 hens really "pops" for me anyway!

Now that I have some, if the girls keep laying for a couple more weeks, I am interested in seeing if any good BYC'ers out there would be interested in raising a very small group of chicks from either pen? I would like to raise these chicks apart from the others, so I can keep track of the bloodlines. I'm going to have a hard time doing that if I've got a huge group of 100 chicks growing out here! LOL.

Hens have not been laying that great, so would not be a lot of chicks. Perfect project for someone who can only handle raising 3-8 chicks at a time.

PM me if you want some fun and UNIQUE chicks to raise!

I'd be interested in raising a few chicks, but not until August or so. I'll be going out of town too much this summer to raise chicks. If that's an option, it'd be perfect. I'm looking to expand my flock by a couple birds in fall and I've been coveting something speckled.

 

[alohachickens]

I'd be interested in raising a few chicks, but not until August or so. I'll be going out of town too much this summer to raise chicks. If that's an option, it'd be perfect. I'm looking to expand my flock by a couple birds in fall and I've been coveting something speckled.

It would be fine with me as long as the girls are actually laying in July! Ha ha ha. You know how the heat can shut them down . . .

 

[pipemum]

Alright, my tiny silkie mix is really getting beat up by the hens. The black copper marans, formerly the most boring, uninteresting bird EVER is now the biggest, most cruel bully. She's going after everyone, including the barred rocks, who have always been the bossy ones. How much time should I give these hens to work out their issues? It's been a week since the silkie mix has been reintegrated into the big coop. The marans is a great layer, but I've never been impressed by her personality and wouldn't mind replacing her.

The EE finally started laying again after her puncture injury on her foot. First egg was a little golf ball. My husband put it in the fridge, but not in a carton, and when I picked it up to put in the carton, the thin weird eggshell broke and egg everywhere. Fun to clean up. Second egg was still weird and thin and small. Hoping her eggs get back to normal soon.

 

[pipemum]

It would be fine with me as long as the girls are actually laying in July! Ha ha ha. You know how the heat can shut them down . . .

Okay, great. Anytime throughout fall/winter will work as well.

 

[alohachickens]

As long as the water is not too deep. Mine don't like to get their feathers wet. You might have to show some of them that the water is safe to jump into.

Mine were reluctant to jump in the kiddie pool for some reason. Even when the water was just an inch deep. But they love the big, shallow water pans. I think maybe the sides of the kiddie pools are just too high and kind of intimidates them to jump down into it? I'm going to try getting one this year and cutting a few lower "entry points" that are just a couple inches high. Maybe edge it with some duct tape to make it more stable and also a little "grippy" for them to perch on.

Here are the "big" pans they sell locally for about $7 that my chickens love to wade in:

http://www.coastalfarm.com/product.cfm?pid=527&ifcn=3&page=gateway&fbx=true

They love to walk through or stand in these. Poop all over them, however. Gross. So I also have a 5-gallon waterer that they can't wade in. LOL.

 

[pipemum]

So I asked before....no one with brahmas? My 2.5 month old chicks are already hot, in the shade, in damp dust bath areas. It can't be more than 85 degrees in the chicken area. I think it's their super feathered feet that keeps them hot. I'll start leaving out pans of water for them to stand in. Maybe I can set up a mister for them, but I've had so many irrigation disasters that it seems like one more thing that can go wrong!

I'm seriously loving that the chickens are out of the garden! The $100 on the fence to keep them out was the best money spent on chickens so far!!!!!! My tiny grass lawn is finally starting to fill in, my flower beds are looking great, my veggies are actually growing. I love it. Huge issue is still the flies. They are out of control. Those fly bags capture thousands, but man, they stink so much and the flies are horrendous and the situation is bad. It's so depressing because I can't enjoy my created patch of heaven and I feel like I'm keeping a filthy yard (it's not at all). Before it gets too hot, I'd like to have family and friends over for a bbq, but I'm too embarrassed about the fly situation--it's really that bad. They do seem limited to the garden and chicken area, at least my house and the rest of the yard aren't overrun. I'll have to order some of the fly larvae parasite stuff asap.

 

[pipemum]

Mine were reluctant to jump in the kiddie pool for some reason. Even when the water was just an inch deep. But they love the big, shallow water pans. I think maybe the sides of the kiddie pools are just too high and kind of intimidates them to jump down into it? I'm going to try getting one this year and cutting a few lower "entry points" that are just a couple inches high. Maybe edge it with some duct tape to make it more stable and also a little "grippy" for them to perch on.

Here are the "big" pans they sell locally for about $7 that my chickens love to wade in:

http://www.coastalfarm.com/product.cfm?pid=527&ifcn=3&page=gateway&fbx=true

They love to walk through or stand in these. Poop all over them, however. Gross. So I also have a 5-gallon waterer that they can't wade in. LOL.

Omg, yes, so gross. I use an old toilet tank cover that they can step in to cool off. It gets DISGUSTING by the end of the day.

 

[City farm]

Our broody hen let's the other girls come lay eggs everyday.. Our rate of hatch must go down drastically.. She is only a bantam. So at this point she has 11 eggs under her..

 

[MagicChicken]

So I asked before....no one with brahmas? My 2.5 month old chicks are already hot, in the shade, in damp dust bath areas. It can't be more than 85 degrees in the chicken area. I think it's their super feathered feet that keeps them hot. I'll start leaving out pans of water for them to stand in. Maybe I can set up a mister for them, but I've had so many irrigation disasters that it seems like one more thing that can go wrong!

I'm seriously loving that the chickens are out of the garden! The $100 on the fence to keep them out was the best money spent on chickens so far!!!!!! My tiny grass lawn is finally starting to fill in, my flower beds are looking great, my veggies are actually growing. I love it. Huge issue is still the flies. They are out of control. Those fly bags capture thousands, but man, they stink so much and the flies are horrendous and the situation is bad. It's so depressing because I can't enjoy my created patch of heaven and I feel like I'm keeping a filthy yard (it's not at all). Before it gets too hot, I'd like to have family and friends over for a bbq, but I'm too embarrassed about the fly situation--it's really that bad. They do seem limited to the garden and chicken area, at least my house and the rest of the yard aren't overrun. I'll have to order some of the fly larvae parasite stuff asap.

Pipemum, I think you're in the Tucson area. Arbico Organics has a retail outlet in Oro Valley if you want those fly eliminators (the predatory wasps) right away. You don't have to wait for shipping: http://www.arbico-organics.com/category/contactus