Arizona Chickens

[City farm]

We, Paul, my friend and I went to pick up some raw butter. It was so interesting. 1# of Raw Butter for $3.00 (1/2# for $1.50). When last I saw her at the Farm Store, where she sells her milk 2 times a week. We talked about cheese and making cottage cheese.

When I made it from pasteurized homogenized milk, I first bought it to a light rolling boil, cooled it a little then added vinegar. With Raw Milk it is still alive, letting it set (best at 80 degrees) with a dish cloth over it for a few days until it clabbers. Fresh, like I have you need to let set longer.

I checked my milk to see how it is doing. It has been 2 days, as you can see I had to taste it. It tastes like clotted cream with a touch of a very soft or sweet sour cream. I like it.

It will not let me post my pictures. When I get to town next I will post them. She gave me some mozzarella and Colby cheese she made from her Raw Milk. I am so excited. By the time I post next and the pics I will tell you how it tastes.

Good to hear about your new journey.. Also, I really enjoy the photos of the farm life.. The turkey in the tall grass is wonderful.. Keep us posted girl..

 

[City farm]

@desertmarcy hey Marcia, have not heard anything from the Tucson Poultry Club. Is the meeting on the 27th? Trying to drag a little chicken along this time.

Will you post photos of the fun time??

 

[City farm]

Lost a Partridge Cochin yesterday. Actually, I just found the body yesterday, looks like it had been dead for at least a week or two. I had a coop pushed up against a wall, and it apparently got wedged behind the coop and couldn't get out. So many chickens running around, I never realized I was missing one.
There are many, many ways for chickens to die, the number 1 reason is predators, 2 is diseases or sicknesses, 3 is probably chickens killed by other chickens, and it looks like coop/run layout needs to be added to the list.
I have made my run about as predator proof as humanly possible. I am learning about diseases and treatments as fast as I can. I keep an eye out for any "personality clashes" and separate any chickens that can't get along, and have enough room for any chicken to escape from a bully.
Now, I guess I need to take a look at how the run is laid out, and eliminate any "squeeze" areas that a chicken couldn't escape from by itself.

Oh that is sad.. Condolences from us..

 

[City farm]

My little gold sex link broke her toe :/ she doesn't seem to be bothered by it, I didn't notice until she was hanging out with me on the porch.
Also, is the Tucson Poultry Club the one that has the show in November at the pima fair grounds? I'd love to go to a meeting if I'm allowed to

At first glance it looks as though she has added toes...

 

[pipemum]

I had a black bantam frizzle go the same way. Took us over a week to find her. At the moment we are missing a Peking duck with a little top hat/afro. Her name is flop and she has been missing for about 3 weeks now. I'm almost certain a predator got to her, I'm just confused over the lack of feathers anywhere! It's like she just vanished out if thin air....

I had coyotes attacks on a broody coop that, twice, I failed to make iron-tight. Both times the coop was full of juvenile birds, and both times after the attack...not a friggin thing left. No feathers, no blood. The first time, outside of my yard, I managed to find a couple of piles of white feathers. After the second attack, I didn't find anything anywhere.

I do hope you find Flop alive, or at least get some closure.

 

[pipemum]

Yep that's me he's such an @$$. My girls make noise when they lay eggs and while I'm out there they talk to me (a lot!) and another one of my neighbors comes over just to listen to them talk. Meanwhile there is a chihuahua next to me (directly behind him) who barks constantly if she can set one of my chickens or if there is another dog barking or if a human is anywhere around. And another neighbor has 5 dogs that never shut up and there is a hound dog that howls all day, etc, etc...you getmy point yet I'm the one he complains about and gets the cops called on me. It's likehe's got personal vendetta or something.
He's really gonna hate life though because a friend of mine who happens to live on the other side of him has decided to get chickens AND turkeys lol!

You really should bring your wife up here it is so much nicer. Slower pace, usually nicer, more open people. And it's not so dang hot! Let me know when you come up we can hang out at Trail Riders (that restaurant in front of Bashas) and talk chicken.

My parents have been their new place in Eagar all summer. I found a really nice place for sale that I can afford up there, but hahahahaha, jobs there are hard to find.

My chickens are LOUD. Not, however, louder than any dog in the neighborhood. There's been an increase in tiny yappy dogs (guess the coyotes have had plenty of good hunting lately, no need to yard-raid?), and the yappy high pitched barks are like nails on a chalk board to me. It's never occurred to me to complain about them, other than to roll my eyes at how annoying those dogs are. Eh, plus the fact that I have illegal chickens and a dog that I know barks (deep bark, does that make it better??)....

Definitely would not find me calling someone else in.

 

[Sill]

Thanks so much for your reply.
Yes, I am sure ventilation has something to do with it. There are two 24" windows which are almost always open, so I am thinking that perhaps
a vent fan needs to be installed to keep air moving. I completely cleaned out the house, put all new pine shavings down, and the next morning when I let them out,
all the overnight droppings had blue/green growth already forming. I was so discouraged! I am thinking that maybe I need to just remove the pine shavings during monsoons and just line the house with newspaper, Then when the rain stops and things dry out in September, I can start using the shavings again. Hmmm....

Yes plenty of ventilation helps. Why is water pooling in the coop/house? Is there a way you can have water drain away from there? Gutters? I lost some parrots once when their nest box got enough water in it to grow aspergillus fungus in the shavings. Both mom and chicks died from it.

I would replace the shavings with sand, it dries quickly and you can sift droppings out so there is less to feed the fungus. Make sure your feed can't get on the ground as that will mold up fast too.

My parents have been their new place in Eagar all summer. I found a really nice place for sale that I can afford up there, but hahahahaha, jobs there are hard to find.

My chickens are LOUD. Not, however, louder than any dog in the neighborhood. There's been an increase in tiny yappy dogs (guess the coyotes have had plenty of good hunting lately, no need to yard-raid?), and the yappy high pitched barks are like nails on a chalk board to me. It's never occurred to me to complain about them, other than to roll my eyes at how annoying those dogs are. Eh, plus the fact that I have illegal chickens and a dog that I know barks (deep bark, does that make it better??)....

Definitely would not find me calling someone else in.

Yes the deep bark is better!

I won't call to complain about someone either. Live and let live.

 

[flower]

What color egg do the NN. Lay? & about how many per week?

My NN mix with blue laced red Wyandotte is three years old and lays extra large light brown eggs. Five to six each week She is from a breeder in Florida.

Another large fowl NN from a hatchery only one year old lays a smaller very light colored egg about five a week.

I also have two tiny serama/NN from TN breeder, which are five or six years old and still lay their small eggs a few each week. They are very spunky hens.

My middle size black NN from a breeder in GA lays large green eggs daily but she likes to hid them. I have found a clutch of thirty in one spot and finally stopped letter her out of the run. They she stopped laying for a few weeks and now has learned to lay them in the nest box.

So you see the breeding and age have the most influence on all birds.

 

[mnabity]

@K9Dave I tried the whole smooth things over with an 18-pk of chicken eggs AND a dozen turkey eggs AND five jars of home made jelly given to him by a mutual friend. He sent them back with a note attached that said something like 'I don't want anything other than for your chickens to shut the f**k up so I can sleep.'

@pipemum I have three yappy chihuahuas next door to me that bark constantly. It drives me nuts but I just grit my teeth and try to ignore them. But it makes me wonder why he called the cops on me yet went to her house and talked to her. And yes I will take a loud bark over a yappy bark any day. Loud dogs bark for a reason yappy dogs bark to hear themselves. Regardless what happened to the days when you went and TALKED to your neighbor if you had issues?

 

[flower]

Lost a Partridge Cochin yesterday. Actually, I just found the body yesterday, looks like it had been dead for at least a week or two. I had a coop pushed up against a wall, and it apparently got wedged behind the coop and couldn't get out. So many chickens running around, I never realized I was missing one.
There are many, many ways for chickens to die, the number 1 reason is predators, 2 is diseases or sicknesses, 3 is probably chickens killed by other chickens, and it looks like coop/run layout needs to be added to the list.
I have made my run about as predator proof as humanly possible. I am learning about diseases and treatments as fast as I can. I keep an eye out for any "personality clashes" and separate any chickens that can't get along, and have enough room for any chicken to escape from a bully.
Now, I guess I need to take a look at how the run is laid out, and eliminate any "squeeze" areas that a chicken couldn't escape from by itself.

You have posted a topic that we all encounter. I have lost a few birds this way. They get frightened when wedged in a small spot and kill themselves. Loosing birds is just part of the package. Because of their small size they can go either way lickety split.