Arizona Chickens

[aviddamy]

Well, my chicken that gave me my first egg, has laid 3 in 4 days at 17 weeks old. The first two were tiny. The egg from today was a large brown egg. I am excited! I wasn't expecting to get other eggs so quickly. My daughter saw her in the nesting box today and she was making a lot of noise. Such a cool experience.

 

[City farm]

Here are the 3 that have hatched so far from @moms3cuties barnyard mix.
The leghorn mix has feathered feet.. The other two are Black Copper Marans mix.. One more on its way..

 

[desertmarcy]

I meant shade on the NORTH side for summer sun protection. If the covered north-south enclosure depth is sufficient (usually 8' or more) and the roof height is under 7' there should be some shade inside even at noon in mid winter. If you've got a shallow enclosure or a lot of birds packed into the space so there isn't room for them all in the shade, you may need to add sun protection on the south side too. My 6' deep breeding pens do need some south side shade in the winter. The 10' deep shaded coop/run has shade in the back all year round. The north sides of both are solid walls with large hardware-cloth screened vent windows at the top.

The shade on the north thing became obvious to me when I was working in different office buildings. Uncovered parking spaces that had a solid wall on the north side were comfy in the hot mid-late afternoon. Uncovered parking spaces with a solid wall on the south side were blasted all day long. Didn't take me long to figure out where to park.

Well that is a new one on me, I always parked in a parking garage at work so didn't notice this. I did notice the west side was hotter in the afternoon of course. I do not have to put anything on the north side of my pens, I guess the way they are configured, with other structures, shade trees or whatever, the north side is not a problem here.

 

[moms3cuties]

@desertmarcy I need to buy a Black Copper Marans rooster from you so I don't end up with the weird barnyard mix,, lol!

....the kids has enjoyed trying to hatch a couple barnyard mixes which, are to replace are black Australorps, who are about good for nothing, don't Lay eggs till 8+ months OR older, eat and Poop and squawk loudly when you try to pick them up! I've heard others who have lost them it in the summer as well. There's supposed to be hot climate hardy, but that's what a pet club employee told me.

....on a better note I think I might be interested in some of those Java chickens who I've read are a endangered breed? and I'd like to explore the Jersey Giants as well as another option.

@desertmarcy I want to buy a true Amerucana pullet from you. What do you have available currently?
Chicks, pullets, or point of lay hens, or an Old hen? What are the prices?

 

[Beckyhsinglsc]

....the kids has enjoyed trying to hatch a couple barnyard mixes which, are to replace are black Australorps, who are about good for nothing, don't Lay eggs till 8+ months OR older, eat and Poop and squawk loudly when you try to pick them up!

I've heard others who have lost them it in the summer as well. There's supposed to be hot climate hardy, but that's what a pet club employee told me.

I love my Black Australorps! Penguin is a great layer, full of friendly personality and is a great chick mama. Mine came from Ideal. I don't think Pet Club orders from Ideal.

 

[Sill]

Hi!
I have a problem. I have a 12 ft by 12 ft cage with no hen house (just a little dog house like thing), with 11 hens and I have 4 more that are about ready to go outside with the older ones. I just got a $50 gift card to Home Depot, and I am debating between building a regular hen house, or should I extend my cage.
PLEASE GIVE ME YOUR OPINION!!!!!!

Yes on the extending. You really don't need a regular hen house here because of the heat. Just plenty of deep shade and ventilation. You can always use 5 gallon buckets on their sides or totes for nesting. Hit the thrift stores and find stuff you think would work for roosting or shelter.

Wow! Thanks! But so far I have failed miserably at growing fruit trees around here. Our earth is so rocky and sterile...and I just don't have a green thumb. All of my gardening takes raised beds filled with compost and a lot of effort. Trees are a bit too much of a challenge for me.

You can try the largest pots you can find and put something like grape or passion fruit vines and let them grow over your chickens' run and coop. I've had a passion vine in a 5 gallon pot since August and it's done fine in the heat. I'm finally going to put the vine into the ground and I'm hoping it gets as big as the ones @Gallo del Cielo is growing.

You are so sweet! But my son is allergic to Palo Verde pollen. We've had to clear out the trees we had growing here and replace them with Mesquite trees...the one tree I have no problem growing. I've also managed to keep one Aspen alive...but I'm approaching the growth of trees with baby steps.

I'm thinking of growing sunflowers around the coop to offer a little extra shade and some seeds for the chickens. What do you think?

What about sun chokes (Jerusalem artichokes) instead of or in addition to sunflowers? I've grown them in pots and in the ground too but they do get taller if grown in the ground. They get 4-6 feet tall and are bushy. Once you plant them they come back each year by their edible rhizomes (that taste like starchy artichokes). I've got a few seed tubers if you want to try them. There are also seeds from them in the seed box. They would probably do well in raised beds too.

 

[Ebove06]

Here are the 3 that have hatched so far from @moms3cuties barnyard mix.
The leghorn mix has feathered feet.. The other two are Black Copper Marans mix.. One more on its way..

What are the Black Copper Marans crossed with? I am asking because they are just the cutest thing, and I have a black copper Maran rooster and I want to see what his off spring will look like.

 

[City farm]

Here are the 3 that have hatched so far from @moms3cuties barnyard mix.
The leghorn mix has feathered feet.. The other two are Black Copper Marans mix.. One more on its way..

What are the Black Copper Marans crossed with? I am asking because they are just the cutest thing, and I have a black copper Maran rooster and I want to see what his off spring will look like.

I think she said the roster was mixed. Then hen is a pure breed.. She might chime in..
The last egg has a pip this evening, and the other brown/ pink egg is out. I will take photo's tomorrow. Here are the egg's they came from.

So far %90 hatch rate, the only one that was no good was a leghorn..

 

[desertmarcy]

@desertmarcy I need to buy a Black Copper Marans rooster from you so I don't end up with the weird barnyard mix,, lol!

....the kids has enjoyed trying to hatch a couple barnyard mixes which, are to replace are black Australorps, who are about good for nothing, don't Lay eggs till 8+ months OR older, eat and Poop and squawk loudly when you try to pick them up!

I've heard others who have lost them it in the summer as well. There's supposed to be hot climate hardy, but that's what a pet club employee told me.

....on a better note I think I might be interested in some of those Java chickens who I've read are a endangered breed?

and I'd like to explore the Jersey Giants as well as another option.

@desertmarcy I want to buy a true Amerucana pullet from you. What do you have available currently?
Chicks, pullets, or point of lay hens, or an Old hen? What are the prices?

I don't have any Black Copper Marans males to sell right now, sorry. Breeding quality males are rarer than hen's teeth also. Most of them are junk and I won't sell them because I don't want people breeding junk Marans. So they are culled for meat. Not all Black Copper males will pass on dark egg genes to their offspring, either. You just don't know for sure until you breed him and raise up the offspring to egg-laying age. A time-consuming and costly endeavor.

I am currently hatching Ameraucanas. I have a Black male over blue or blue-splash pullets. As soon as I've hatched what I want for myself, I'll be selling chicks. If my pullets go broody too much, I'll sell them, otherwise they stay. I don't have that many. 5 pullets and 1 hen. I'm in line to possibly get Buff Ameraucanas this spring, and if I do, I will probably disperse my blue-black-splash group. I would rather work with a pure breeding variety, as much as I like the blue color.

 

[Ebove06]

I think she said the roster was mixed. Then hen is a pure breed.. She might chime in..
The last egg has a pip this evening, and the other brown/ pink egg is out. I will take photo's tomorrow. Here are the egg's they came from.

So far %90 hatch rate, the only one that was no good was a leghorn..

Oh, I can't wait till I get my eggs that are as dark as those!