Arizona Chickens

[LadyKotaDoria]

[VIDEO]

Today is my last day. Got only an hour at most in fishing. A lightning storm kept me away. Then I had to start paking up. Caught 2 nice fish. Lunch for to morrow. If I can I hope to have time to fish one more time. I just can't seem to get enough of it. The two I caught this morning were just lucky, I had 12 peaches of bait on me. I wanted 2 and that is what I got.

 

[chicksurreal]

Here's my new mommy - she won't let me very close to her right now - so I'm thinking there's more going on under there!! Its a sweet photo with her little head tilted like it is looking at her little chicks.

Awww! That is so sweet. Congratulations on the chicks!

 

[Bobby Basham]

I would like to use sand as a base layer, and would like to throw some type of bedding on top of that, like straw, chips, shavings etc. just to mix it up abit. In any case, I just don't want sand alone...how boring. Need more to keep the gals entertained and scratching around.

Anyhoo, I forgot to mention in my plans. In case the rain gets absolutely rediculous and the ground can't absorb all that water, I'm drilling holes around the run and planter boxes, screened from the inside, to relieve the excess water. The boxes are directly attached to the run, so no exposed holes to give any small preditors an apportunity. Any excess water in the run (highly unlikely) as large as it is, would filter into the planter boxes and in turn, run out into the yard.

Here I am, doodling again, and came up with this (which was always in the back of my mind) just a few minutes ago.


Looking at my basic diagram again, I just realized (DUH) that I've actually created three 8x8 modules, with an additional 8x8 partially open module for Chicken TV. I would not drill holes along the entrance and front of that small planter box,maybe the back side of it.



I may lay down some boards to create a simple flat deck, or plant some sod. The extra green section in the TV area is an extra planter box to grow some chicken treats.

Okay, I strayed again. The main concern is about dealing with possible flooding and other water issues. --BB

 

[AZChiknGoddess]

....
That is a beautiful egg!!... almost like an Americana. Do they lay everyday? they must not be a common breed, or are they?

I understand that they are very good layers. They are also auto sexing. The eggs are much more of a blue tone than the Ameracauna.

 

[Sill]

@City farm hopefully this processing class is coming quick. I've got an itchy Hatchet finger right now. A couple of these roosters are begging for it. Too much testosterone.

That's how I feel when I get too many extra quail roos. They are not as loud as chicken roosters but they can still drive you crazy and they will crow in the wee hours of the night. Once that starts up its time for freezer camp.

Anything that kills the bird quickly and humanely works. If I used a hatchet I'd probably chop off my fingers before I managed to get the bird's head off. I usually hang the bird by its feet instead. Then slit the jugular and bleed it out. After scalding the carcass I hang it back up in the same spot to pluck it. Works for me, but I'm usually only doing one or two birds at a time. If I had to process a lot of birds I would probably use cones. Or learn to use a hatchet.

I'd be afraid of cutting off my own body parts. Since I'm usually processing birds by myself I need a safe way to do it and a hatchet ain't it.

 

[MrsFitzDarcy]

I knew I asked the right person. Thank you.

I would consider taking in a horse but as far as purchasing one, there are other things higher on the priority list. I want to put a motor in my boat too but they kinda fall into the same category for me right now. I could however and am willing to take on a retiree who enjoys trails and maybe hunting. I have the space and I have a horse trailer.

I'm gonna post an ad now. Thanks for the advice.

Please dont take in a horse without expert advice. You might spend more fixing and maintaining than you could ever afford to purchase one for. There are plenty of nice free horses out there. Important things for you to keep costs down would be a horse with really good hooves, is a fairly easy keeper, and is sensible. If you are serious I'd be glad to look around for you. Things not to skimp on ... the saddle for your butt and his back .... good quality hay and grain ... a good farrier. PM me if you want to start lookimg in earnest.

 

[moms3cuties]

I understand that they are very good layers. They are also auto sexing. The eggs are much more of a blue tone than the Ameracauna.

....okay okay, now I want one of those LLC, or is it CCL chicken pullets, , lol

.....maybe I'm starting to get old timers because my birthday is coming up

 

[Sill]

We use to have a feral cat that visited our yard. I went out one time to see the cat trapped in the garden and the chickens circling. The cat was terrified of the chickens! I haven't seen it since.

Funny! I can just imagine those chickens terrifying the cat.

Anyone else feeling puny? I've had tummy issues (diarrhea) for 5 days now and I'm getting spells of vertigo. No other symptoms ...

Hope you are feeling better!

Who is going to city chickens free film screening?

When and where is this?

Any particular reason you want to do it so late? It's cooler earlier ya know?

I don't have a stock pot. I do have a turkey fryer and can't remember if the cylinder is full. I'll have to check.

I have a couple of large stock pots I could bring.

Trying to read and catch up on all the reading, but I keep losing my Wi-FI connection, so I thought I better post then read. I hope no bad news, with all the rain at home. Phoenix is not equipped to handle rain like that. I know that when I was doing civil grafting we designed to handle 100 and 500 year rain. But not all at once. Is the drought over? The reservoirs filling up? Must be, I hope. But ground water there is no hope of filling up. That takes years.

I am in Montauk State Park in Southern MO. Trout fishing. It has been the time of my life. The case of hypothermia the first day. Had to buy wadders. Yesterday and today I started to caught fish. I never really did much trout fishing. Setting the hook is more difficult be course of there soft mouths. Once I learned the timing and how to properly set a hook I didn't do to bad. The limit is 4. I caught 3 yesterday, 1 still lively when I filmed it. The last 4 are today's. In the film I showed what I was warring for trout dishing in 40 degree water. Not a good idea, when it is cold out as well, for sure. You can see the smarter fisherman have not only wadders but more cloths. I am so glade I bought wadders, I couldn't really focuses on fishing. My girls have been enjoying fish as well. They have been very freaky the last couple of days.

I have meet a couple of people that have pet chickens. One woman said heather of her chickens lay anymore they are so old. She once had more, but desired that she did not want all the work, but she is attached to them. Another woman told me she had 3 Bantam chickens at home, then looked at her husband and said that they are going to have to fix something up so they can take them with them next time. Her husband did not look at all excited about taking chickens camping.

OOPPS LOST MY YOUTUBE CHANEL AND ALL MY VIDIOS! Need to figure it out. Will post it ASAP

Lucky you getting those fresh trout to eat.

 

[Sill]

All this rain we are having this year is making pen cleaning a real chore. Just have to do it so much more often. Speaking of deep litter and materials for the pens: I never thought I'd have to worry about flies breeding in the chicken pens, because they will scratch around and eat any larvae they find, right? Well this summer I had a horrible fly bloom. The litter and poop under the roost in one pen had a very hard crust on it but it was wet underneath and there were larvae there. I turned it over and as soon as the chickens saw them, they were all over it. But they weren't scratching up the hard crust. Weird. They were kind of young pullets, so maybe not as strong at scratching yet.

I have been using sand in the pens more and like it but I have to buy it and it is expensive and heavy to move. Where my pens are located is heavy clay and rock, doesn't drain well at all. And I have this "thing" about not getting rocks in my compost, so try to pick them out when raking the pens. I think I spend just as much time picking out rocks as I do raking. There is an endless supply of rocks.

I find the bigger rocks are actually easier to pick out of finished compost than to try to pick them out of raw materiel. Smaller than a pebble are a little harder. If you get something to sieve your finished compost it will take the rocks and pieces of wood that need longer to break down. Makes life a little easier.

I thought you guys would like to see one of the eggs we got from Pam Padilla. This is a CCL egg.

That egg is just

Do they always lay eggs this large? That is one of the things I've not liked about some EE and Ameraunas is their eggs always seem to be on the smaller size.

The eggs you gave me are still under my broody. I'm assuming she knows what to do by nature and they're progressing. No way of knowing is there? I only put a portion of the eggs under her. I still have the others but don't have a turner and fell behind on turning 3 times daily. Are they no longer food for hatching now or?
Jealous
Speaking of horses, thought if ask our local equestrian expert.

i just moved and we are so close to the San Tan Mountain Range that I can't stand it. ONE of the ways that I would like to enjoy it is on horse back. Problem is I don't own a horse nor do I want to buy one until a little later in life. Everybody around here has horses and I know that all of them don't get the exercise they require. Think an ad in the paper would find someone wanting their horses exercised for free? I would consider myself a 6 out of 10 Rider. I rode bareback as a youngster and lived my teen years on a 300+ acre ranch to reference my qualifications.

I'm sure you will find people that would love for you to exercise their horses for them. Your qualifications rock!

 

[AZChiknGoddess]

....okay okay, now I want one of those LLC, or is it CCL chicken pullets, , lol

.....maybe I'm starting to get old timers because my birthday is coming up

Pam Padilla in Goodyear sells the hatching eggs for 4.00 each. She has a lot of them.