Arizona Chickens

[desertmarcy]

I had my first non-domestic predator attack last night. All the birdies were in their coop, locked in, last night when I came out this morning, they were all out, except Annapurna, my new Brahma, who was locked in Mr. Darcy's old XL wire dog crate because of a boo-boo. The aviary netting was ripped and down, but none of the fences were breached. It must've been an aerial predator, or one who jumped in via the Mesquite tree. I don't know how the coop door opened. It can be sticky and maybe when the predator was in the pen outside the coop, they panicked? The door is not warped or broken. There are feathers everywhere in the pen and blood on a 6" x 3' area of the fencing. One of my new hens, the EE, is gone. I don't even see feathers of her color. Pepito Feo, the mixed runner I just got, is tramatized. He will barely raise his head. I looked him all over and couldn't find a feather out of place. I put him in the nesting box part of the coop in the shavings to be comfy. He can move a little; he is just so weak.

I am so depressed. I feel like I've let them down. And worst of all, I don't have the means (money, tools, material, or skills) to put a roof on the pen.

Alright. I have to pull it together to finish a paper on Gothic heros.

So sorry

It is always hard to lose birds. Everything loves to eat chickens (and turkeys and any other fowl). That is why I use chain link and welded wire on all my pens. Expensive but my birds are safe. I learned how to put up chain link by reading but mostly by trial and error

I got better at it over time. Scour Freecycle and Craigslist, yard sales. Sometimes you can find cheap used materials. One time, I got a metal storage shed that someone didn't want for free. It was all taken apart and on the ground. It was a rickety thing and I don't know how anybody could keep it standing in our winds. I just salvaged the panels for roofing and shade and the supports all found uses as well. However to get that sort of deal does require a pickup truck to haul it home in.

 

[desertmarcy]

I didn't know that hatchery birds are only good for such a short time. Thats a bummer. I expected to get at least 3-4 good years. Instead, I got one good year then fizzle. No eggs at all yesterday. So in 5 days I got 4 eggs out of 8 hens. Everything I've looked into doesn't seem to help. They are healthy happy birds, just not producing. Thanks for the response!

Where would be a good place to get new birds from? You?

I didn't know that either until I got into Standard Bred birds. Show people have told me that the hatcheries have bred leghorn into their breeds for production birds. It might have been a while back, but the genes are there. That's part of the reason the hatchery birds don't really look like the Standard Bred birds. Some of them will lay longer but the ones I have had really petered out by 2 years. I really think all chicken breeds, regardless of where they came from, are going to slow down with age though. I have several different breeds and the ones that produced the best for me in the heat of the summer were the Marans. Of course I know that since almost all the eggs I was collecting were dark brown! Some birds are also more sensitive to the shorter daylength. Last winter I put my chickens on a light cycle and it made a huge difference. I figure, they get a long break here by not laying in the summer heat, so they better lay in the winter. Who can afford to keep chickens that just lay in the spring?

As far as getting new birds if you want to replace yours, decide what your goals are. If you just want eggs, the hatchery production birds will lay up a storm for the first year or so. If you want to support local breeders, buy local. If you want birds that have nice temperament, show breeders don't put up with mean roosters. The hatcheries don't pay any mind to temperament. Standard Bred chickens tend to get larger and mature later. My Rhode Island Reds and Barred Plymouth Rocks, for instance, I don't expect eggs until they are about 8 months old. My Marans lay earlier.
I only sell chicks as straight run also. But I do sell older sexed pullets that are in lay or about to be, they are just more expensive because of the feed. I just went through my Barred Rocks for the first time to see which to cull out and have quite a few started pullets. I also have Marans pullets. I'm in the process of medicating chickens right now so not selling any until the course of treatment is over, about a week.

 

[MaddBaggins]

I didn't know that either until I got into Standard Bred birds. Show people have told me that the hatcheries have bred leghorn into their breeds for production birds. It might have been a while back, but the genes are there. That's part of the reason the hatchery birds don't really look like the Standard Bred birds. Some of them will lay longer but the ones I have had really petered out by 2 years. I really think all chicken breeds, regardless of where they came from, are going to slow down with age though. I have several different breeds and the ones that produced the best for me in the heat of the summer were the Marans. Of course I know that since almost all the eggs I was collecting were dark brown! Some birds are also more sensitive to the shorter daylength. Last winter I put my chickens on a light cycle and it made a huge difference. I figure, they get a long break here by not laying in the summer heat, so they better lay in the winter. Who can afford to keep chickens that just lay in the spring?

As far as getting new birds if you want to replace yours, decide what your goals are. If you just want eggs, the hatchery production birds will lay up a storm for the first year or so. If you want to support local breeders, buy local. If you want birds that have nice temperament, show breeders don't put up with mean roosters. The hatcheries don't pay any mind to temperament. Standard Bred chickens tend to get larger and mature later. My Rhode Island Reds and Barred Plymouth Rocks, for instance, I don't expect eggs until they are about 8 months old. My Marans lay earlier.
I only sell chicks as straight run also. But I do sell older sexed pullets that are in lay or about to be, they are just more expensive because of the feed. I just went through my Barred Rocks for the first time to see which to cull out and have quite a few started pullets. I also have Marans pullets. I'm in the process of medicating chickens right now so not selling any until the course of treatment is over, about a week.

Ok, cool. I hadn't planned on getting new birds every other year, but maybe thats the way to go. We want egg production, but we also get a kick out of having them around. They are funny critters. I have a nice bonus coming up, that would be a good time to get some of your sexed birds. I prefer to support local when I can.

 

[MagicChicken]

I had my first non-domestic predator attack last night. All the birdies were in their coop, locked in, last night when I came out this morning, they were all out, except Annapurna, my new Brahma, who was locked in Mr. Darcy's old XL wire dog crate because of a boo-boo. The aviary netting was ripped and down, but none of the fences were breached. It must've been an aerial predator, or one who jumped in via the Mesquite tree. I don't know how the coop door opened. It can be sticky and maybe when the predator was in the pen outside the coop, they panicked? The door is not warped or broken. There are feathers everywhere in the pen and blood on a 6" x 3' area of the fencing. One of my new hens, the EE, is gone. I don't even see feathers of her color. Pepito Feo, the mixed runner I just got, is tramatized. He will barely raise his head. I looked him all over and couldn't find a feather out of place. I put him in the nesting box part of the coop in the shavings to be comfy. He can move a little; he is just so weak.

I am so depressed. I feel like I've let them down. And worst of all, I don't have the means (money, tools, material, or skills) to put a roof on the pen.

Alright. I have to pull it together to finish a paper on Gothic heros.

It's always traumatic when the birds have been attacked.

A secure latch on the coop door would help. I use those hasps designed for padlocks, and "lock" them with a caribiner. No keys or combinations required, one-handed opening, and it would take a raccoon a while to figure it out. If the attack was at night with the birds in the coop, it probably wasn't an aerial predator. My guess would be raccoon or bobcat. Or coyote.

Dogs and coyotes can easily jump fences. My neighbor's dog goes over his 4' high fence without even running for it. So if your fencing isn't very high, it could also have been a dog or coyote that jumped the fence and crashed through the aviary netting at the top. More likely a coyote because a dog would probably have killed most of the birds and left them there.

Hope Pepito Feo recovers. Good luck.

 

[aviddamy]

Yep, I'm addicted. They are just too cute. The loud one you hear in the video is the one that was weak when I got them. He only stops making that noise, if I pick him up. Now, to get to wrapping that pool in chicken wire to protect them from the dogs/cat.

 

[moms3cuties]

Does anyone want some large "firesticks" cuttings? They are a euphorbia and here they are green in summer and fire colored in winter, especially new growth. I trimmed my over 6 foot landscape plants and have four kitchen garbage bags full for free, just come get them. They are expensive to buy so I hate to throw out what I trim off.

I'll take one or half a bag if there's enough! =D

 

[moms3cuties]

Yep, I'm addicted. They are just too cute. The loud one you hear in the video is the one that was weak when I got them. He only stops making that noise, if I pick him up. Now, to get to wrapping that pool in chicken wire to protect them from the dogs/cat.

 

[moms3cuties]

I didn't know that either until I got into Standard Bred birds. Show people have told me that the hatcheries have bred leghorn into their breeds for production birds. It might have been a while back, but the genes are there. That's part of the reason the hatchery birds don't really look like the Standard Bred birds. Some of them will lay longer but the ones I have had really petered out by 2 years. I really think all chicken breeds, regardless of where they came from, are going to slow down with age though. I have several different breeds and the ones that produced the best for me in the heat of the summer were the Marans. Of course I know that since almost all the eggs I was collecting were dark brown! Some birds are also more sensitive to the shorter daylength. Last winter I put my chickens on a light cycle and it made a huge difference. I figure, they get a long break here by not laying in the summer heat, so they better lay in the winter. Who can afford to keep chickens that just lay in the spring?

As far as getting new birds if you want to replace yours, decide what your goals are. If you just want eggs, the hatchery production birds will lay up a storm for the first year or so. If you want to support local breeders, buy local. If you want birds that have nice temperament, show breeders don't put up with mean roosters. The hatcheries don't pay any mind to temperament. Standard Bred chickens tend to get larger and mature later. My Rhode Island Reds and Barred Plymouth Rocks, for instance, I don't expect eggs until they are about 8 months old. My Marans lay earlier.
I only sell chicks as straight run also. But I do sell older sexed pullets that are in lay or about to be, they are just more expensive because of the feed. I just went through my Barred Rocks for the first time to see which to cull out and have quite a few started pullets. I also have Marans pullets. I'm in the process of medicating chickens right now so not selling any until the course of treatment is over, about a week.

Hi! Desertmarcy, what kind of Maran pullets do you have? Are they Black Copper Marans or cuckoo Marans?

 

[desertmarcy]

Hi! Desertmarcy, what kind of Maran pullets do you have? Are they Black Copper Marans or cuckoo Marans?

I have Black Copper and Blue Copper Marans.

 

[moms3cuties]

did ya all hear about the flea plague in Northern Arizona?? Near Flagstaff..
This bacterial disease is treatable if caught early.. It can effect cats, dogs & humans.. The dog's don't show symptoms but will be a carrier of these parasites..

Ick! !!

Hi Gallo! Wow your dog sure is a beauty....certainly looks familiar although I am quite jealous of her chicken manners! My boy is just plain rude to the chickens...thinks he rules the roost! He definitely enjoys a raw egg on top of his dry food for breakfast every once and a while though. Thanks for sharing your cute pic!

In case anyone missed it, I have the seed box and am heading back to the Valley next week. You don't want to miss out on getting your hands on this thing. Seeds collected and gathered from AZBYC members over the last couple years, passed around throughout this great state of ours. A gardener's dream!

I will be in Chandler area on the 1st, then up to Scottsdale Rd/101 on the 2nd. I can meet up with anyone along the way, wherever you are. If you want it please let me know here or send me a PM. If I don't hear from anyone I will drop off with @City farm
 on Wednesday afternoon.

Yes. ..I might be able to meet you on the second. I'll PM you later! =D

I'm still trying to figure out this whole "reply" deal.
But the ch-rampoline thing....

. Gosh @K9dave .... your very funny!