Arizona Chickens

[City farm]

On some sad news, we just lost our original Easter egger, a girl/hen named butter who was a cream color, found this morning. She just died on the ground underneath the tree that she perched from, so the kids are a bit sad.

she is the cream hen in the middle with the little bit of brown on her stomach.

One question regarding a Broody with baby chicks. Should you let her raise them or at three weeks or so should you take the chicks from her so they can be handled and more tame? Does anybody know the answer to this question? Suggestions?

Condolences from us..
For us, we go out at night and will take a few inside to love on.. Remember rolling them in your hand's?? Do that sometimes.. Our mostly broody, brat, Cheryl & Clair. Allows us to go right up to them anytime.. I just put F.F. Feed in my hand's & they come up with the mom to eat.. They will jump up into my hand for the food.. Precious.. Acctaully Cheryl is trying to go broody AGAIN!! I am putting my foot down & saying NO!!! No more chicks..

 

[City farm]

HI all my blue copper chicks are supposed to start hatching today so very excited Had one early hatch yesterday that died in the shell it was pipping at the narrow end.  I am also looking for cream legbar pullets if you have any 

Eggciting!! Post photos..??
Although sad when you loose them..

 

[City farm]

I personally like climbing rose's.. Our flock will eat the flower's.. I pick them right before they are ready to die off.. Plus they can handle the heat..

Grape vine, or something that is edible for your flock..hibiscus might work as well??

What about honeysuckle - grows quick.  My girls ignore it and I end up cutting it back regularly.

Ooooo, good idea... Plus it smells great..

 

[City farm]

My hens would not let my Tombstone rose grow at all.  I even surrounding the thing with a hardware cloth cage, and they would fly into cage and get stuck, just to eat the leaves. Same thing with a grape I tried.   I am successfully growing a vine that they don't seem to bother it at all, but I'm having a heck of a time remembering the name.  It's like a trumpet vine...but not.  Ah, cross beauty vine?  Yeah.  I don't even have a cage around the vine but for the base to protect the roots from chicken scratching. 

I will have to look that up?? Does it die off durring the winter?
We also have one, & like you the name alludes me.. It has red berries once a year, which the girl's love.. It also, has thorns.. I will think of it..

 

[City farm]

Speaking of reptiles, look who my sister found in her goat pen! She is carrying the Gila on a pitch fork she uses for mucking out the pens, just to give you an idea of size. She is in excellent condition and the largest my sister has seen so far. We think she is gravid. She was relocated to the wash behind the pens. Their home territory can be very large so she is probably still "home". My sister is hoping to eventually have baby gilas to eat the mice on her property, and is planning to reinforce the goat pen with 1/2x1/2 wire to keep the mom and any babies out.

Oh how awesome.. Thanks for sharing..

 

[City farm]

Honey is a mommy! She has three chicks with two more to hatch. The other two are internally pipped. I snuck a quick candle when I made sure she had her babies for the night. She is doing a great job. We tried to move her out of the coop and she refused, so we gave up and let her stay and she is doing good protecting the chicks from the others!

Yeah moving them when they are so young is not a good idea.. Unless you have a crazy chicken, the others will stay away.. She will start to let them come out around 1 week.. Or so.. We have a small saucer wth water & food near by them.. Up on a block.. How adorable.. I love mommy photo's.. Keep them coming..

 

[City farm]

Hi everyone! I just recently joined BYC after getting three baby chicks about a week ago. I live in Phoenix, and am really excited and hoping for the best with my chickens!

What breed's & hope you can post photo's??

 

[City farm]

Went and got all the materials to build the run extension. I'll probably get some done on it tomorrow and then will work on it throughout the next week. We also got some new security things to help ease my mind about another predator attack. We got some new motion activated lights which will help me see what's going on out there. I also got some brackets so I'll be able to drop a 2x4 across the main shed doors to prevent anything from prying them open in addition to the normal door latch. I'm scared to death something will happen again, even though I keep trying to tell myself all my old security worked just fine and nothing would have happened if I hadn't left the door wide open. 

I think you are one of the best chicken owners on here.. You give them treat's, name them, make special clothes for them, & I am sure you talk to them..
What is funny about that last statement is; when new people move in next store, as a joke when I know they are out & can hear me, I say thing's to the flock like.. Now Clair stop being stingy and share the treats!! Or Clark Kent Jr. Leave Cheryl alone.. It is so hard not to laugh.. Them when we have them over I ask them if they hear me talking to them.. It pretty funny.. You're a great mom!!

 

[City farm]

My hens would not let my Tombstone rose grow at all.  I even surrounding the thing with a hardware cloth cage, and they would fly into cage and get stuck, just to eat the leaves. Same thing with a grape I tried.   I am successfully growing a vine that they don't seem to bother it at all, but I'm having a heck of a time remembering the name.  It's like a trumpet vine...but not.  Ah, cross beauty vine?  Yeah.  I don't even have a cage around the vine but for the base to protect the roots from chicken scratching. 

I will have to look that up?? Does it die off durring the winter?
We also have one, & like you the name alludes me.. It has red berries once a year, which the girl's love.. It also, has thorns.. I will think of it..

pyracantha, the chickens live the berries.

 

[girlchick]

I candled my CCL eggs tonight (day 9) and there are 9 for sure developing, 1 maybe, and 2 iffy. They all went back in the bator for now. Excited! I love hatching chicks.