Arizona Chickens

[FeatherPugs]

Yes some are molting hard. What's up with that? I figured they would be done by now. No eggs from the chickens. About half the quail are laying, They seem to molt faster than chickens. The quail hens that have finished their molts are laying again as some others have begun but it's nice to be getting some eggs from them.

While I have a few molting at the same time - its my one EE mix girl - who is just a year old is molting so very hard. She generally is very affectionate when I sit in the yard but right now she wants nothing to do with me. I'm sure it hurts like the dickens! BTW - the rooster from the TJs hatch - one rooster/one pullet - is starting to feel his oats - the girls are not happy with that at all. Thinking he will be tasty!!

 

[flower]

Who's name is Bonnie? I am a Bonnie as well and I had to triple read that post. hahahahah. I was like, did I make a deal? I don't have any broodies but the duck!!!

Funny, she is not one here much since she is currently traveling in a camper and the wi fi is iffy. IWouldn't mind having ducks but my flock is too large as it is and since I am senior nothing keep me in town except the chickens which I may try to find another care taker for them. I am working on making my own type of BYC a dark skinned Naked Neck. I like the NN option and the full breed NN is a fine double purpose breed with 1/3 of the feathers of a regular LF.

Oh yes her sign is Lady Kota Dora which is a dress brand from Japan.

 

[flower]

Will you be around Tempe?

I might be there on Saturday and if Bonnie goes with me we will call.

 

[pipemum]

I don't know if any of you all will remember, but I ordered chicken watering cups last spring. Finally set them up over the summer and wow, was it nice not to have to fill a nasty waterer every day. Well, one of the cups is leaking from a valve. Within the actual cup itself, not a pvc or joint leak. I've cleaned it out, took it apart, reassembled, and still leaking--draining a 5-gal bucket in 2 days. It's pretty annoying. To fix I'll either have to buy another cup to replace it, take it off and seal the opening, or cut the pvc pipe and make it a 2 cup system instead of a 3 cup system. Anyway, I've read of others having leaking problems with their cups, and this was used lightly for about 4 months (it's in the meatie coop, which is usually empty) and already a problem, so while I raved about them before, I'm down to a 3-star rating now. Also, the emails to the guy selling them are bouncing back, which is never a good sign for a business.

 

[pipemum]

Thinking about the water situation, I was reminded of recent occurrence.

I usually have nothing but good things to say about cornish cross--I know a lot people think they are so gross and unnatural. I'm just not in that camp--the growth is unreal, but I do small sets of 8-10 at a time and fermented feed, which makes the poop so much better. They range with my laying hens and get a fair amount of exercise. I usually butcher so that the processed bird is about 4lbs, which is fairly small. This last set, I let a cockerel grow out to the ripe old age of 10 or 11 weeks, and he was the biggest bird I've done--6lbs processed. I don't think I'll do that again. He was getting awkward on his legs, and the day before I'd butchered, he'd eaten so much food and so much water that he was literally sloshing as he walked. Sloshing sounds coming from his crop! That was...just utterly gluttonous, and I felt like I did him a huge disfavor by not butchering earlier. I think I'll continue to process birds before they get that big. It was also difficult to find room for him in my freezer.

 

[MagicChicken]

I live in north Florida and while it is not the desert it does get up into the triple digits during the summer. I would recommend almost complete shade (if not complete) during the summer and putting the chicken nipples on a bucket with a toilet float as low as you can get it so that the water has to fill frequently so it stays semi cool. Then I would also recommend supplementing with fodder as this will also give them extra moisture in their food and cuts down a lot of your feed bill. It also gives them greens to eat I don't know about where you live but the grass gets pretty crunchy here in the summer. I also wet down part of their pen during the day so they can dig around in the cool dirt they really like that and come running when they see the hose.

Good suggestions. The frequent water filling may not be a good idea for everyone, though. At my place I have to run the water for a couple of minutes so it cools down to non-scalding temperatures. Part of my chicken pen water line is exposed to the sun and that water heats to near boiling temps. If I ran that water directly into the chickens' water supply it would heat up their water faster than you could blink. I use the 3 gallon vacuum water founts, fill them at night with cool water, and keep them in the shade. The chickens have never refused to use them. I don't use a nipple system because I could never figure out where to put it, the way my coops/runs are set up. During mid-summer all of the logical places for a nipple system are exposed to the sun for at least part of the day and the water would get too hot. So I've stuck with the vacuum waterers.

Wetting down part of the pen works here, too. When our summer monsoons kick in I don't wet the pens as much. I also try to move the wet spot around - it keeps any given area from getting too water-logged and it also helps the deep litter "compost" more uniformly.

 

[pipemum]

One last thing (work avoidance in action here)--I was wondering if my black copper marans (who is all black, no hint of copper, but she does have feathered feet and lays a nice dark egg) would get some copper in her feathers after this crazy molt. Nope. She is gorgeous and glossy, and her feathers are so, so soft, but still all black!

 

[City farm]

I live in north Florida and while it is not the desert it does get up into the triple digits during the summer.  I would recommend almost complete shade (if not complete) during the summer and putting the chicken nipples on a bucket with a toilet float as low as you can get it so that the water has to fill frequently  so it stays semi cool. Then I would also recommend supplementing with fodder as this will also give them extra moisture in their food and cuts down a lot of your feed bill.  It also gives them greens to eat I don't know about where you live but the grass gets pretty crunchy here in the summer.  I also wet down part of their pen during the day so they can dig around in the cool dirt they really like that and come running when they see the hose. 

Great advice.. We FF here.. Fodder would be another job.. We also have wheat grass, and boy do they love that.
What breeds do you have?

 

[ChuskaMtns]

I don't know how to do the multiple quote thing or I would have included it but was wondering if your friend sells colonies?

No, she doesn't and she lives in Wisconsin.

 

[Annalog]

 You read the whole thing? 

No, just since early May 2014.