Arizona Chickens

[azchickens14]

I finally got my blue/green egg!! My EE Leia who had been in and out of the vet's office a couple months back for having a large fluid filled cyst that kept refilling completely recovered and ended up being the second of my new flock to start laying. As some of you remember I got a cream colored egg from my last EE, Eleanor, so this time when I had to restart my flock I got an EE, an OE, and an Ameraucana to guarantee myself some sort of colored egg. Leia finally gave me my colored egg. I'm beyond happy. In other news our little silkie the ended up being a roo has been awesome to the girls. He's been wooing them with gifts and is very sweet in his attempts to mount them. Since most of them aren't laying or squatting yet he just gives up and moves on and isn't pushy or mean with them. It's very cute.

Yay!!congratulations! I love the blue eggs I'm glad to hear she is feeling better!

 

[azchickens14]

Back a month or 3, I got some more black copper Marans from @desertmarcy. One of the pullets has started laying, today is her second egg. Still small, but nice color.......

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The cockerels have excellent color too!

Beautiful egg color!! I would love to add a few to my flock some day.

 

[HisKoolGurl]

Does anyone here make their own fodder? If so, where do you buy your barley?

Also, what is everyones watering system? I'm just refilling a bowl every day but it gets moldy and I need a new method.

 

[desertrocks]

Does anyone here make their own fodder? If so, where do you buy your barley?

Also, what is everyones watering system? I'm just refilling a bowl every day but it gets moldy and I need a new method. 

I plan on trying fodder in the fall with wheat, haven't chosen a seed source as of yet.
I use both double fount and hanging nipple watering buckets in both of my pens. They tend to stand in the fount waterers so I clear them a couple times a day. The water in the buckets keeps far better but as daytime temps are still in the triple digits, I make sure they have multiple sources. I also use galvanized how feed pans that are the size of oil drain pans. I put an inch or 2 of water in them around noon and dump them each evening. They stand in the water to dissipate heat by cooling their feet and drink the water.

 

[Twinklin]

Does anyone here make their own fodder? If so, where do you buy your barley?

Also, what is everyones watering system? I'm just refilling a bowl every day but it gets moldy and I need a new method.

I use a bucket hung from the top of the run with a nipple on the bottom of it. I have a hole in the lid to feed the hose through and the hose is on a splitter so it stays there all the time so I just turn the hose on and it fills without me having to drag a hose around or carry a heavy bucket. On hot days I fill a shallow pan with ice water too.

 

[generaldsherman]

I have fertile quail eggs if you want to practice with them. I can always take back the chicks if you don't want them.

Here they are! I picked up some eggs from Trader Joe's just for kicks. (They can't be worse than the shipped eggs that got cooked in my mailbox)

 

[FeatherPugs]

I finally got my blue/green egg!! My EE Leia who had been in and out of the vet's office a couple months back for having a large fluid filled cyst that kept refilling completely recovered and ended up being the second of my new flock to start laying. As some of you remember I got a cream colored egg from my last EE, Eleanor, so this time when I had to restart my flock I got an EE, an OE, and an Ameraucana to guarantee myself some sort of colored egg. Leia finally gave me my colored egg. I'm beyond happy. In other news our little silkie the ended up being a roo has been awesome to the girls. He's been wooing them with gifts and is very sweet in his attempts to mount them. Since most of them aren't laying or squatting yet he just gives up and moves on and isn't pushy or mean with them. It's very cute.

Great color on that egg!!! My blue/green egg layers are starting to get older so my eggs are sparse now. I will replenish in the spring with some new pullets.

 

[FeatherPugs]

I plan on trying fodder in the fall with wheat, haven't chosen a seed source as of yet.
I use both double fount and hanging nipple watering buckets in both of my pens. They tend to stand in the fount waterers so I clear them a couple times a day. The water in the buckets keeps far better but as daytime temps are still in the triple digits, I make sure they have multiple sources. I also use galvanized how feed pans that are the size of oil drain pans. I put an inch or 2 of water in them around noon and dump them each evening. They stand in the water to dissipate heat by cooling their feet and drink the water.

Don't the pans get hot? It seems metal would get really warm. I just use the WalMart oil drain pans - $1.98 I think these days but they work just fine for standing in and its a riot to watch a girlie finish laying her egg and run for one of the pans, steps in and drinks at the same time. Hopefully someone will chime in with where they get their fodder seed - wheat or barley, whatever. My girls are really craving greens again - I think its a molting kind of thing!!

 

[desertrocks]

Don't the pans get hot?  It seems metal would get really warm.   I just use the WalMart oil drain pans - $1.98 I think these days but they work just fine for standing in and its a riot to watch a girlie finish laying her egg and run for one of the pans, steps in and drinks at the same time.   Hopefully someone will chime in with where they get their fodder seed - wheat or barley, whatever.  My girls are really craving greens again - I think its a molting kind of thing!!

Actually no because they are in the shade. I am lucky enough to have people that bring me fresh greens every week so mine get them regularly. Spinach, kale, baby arugula, lettuce, they seem to like it all including most fresh herbs except parsley. The Red Sex Link loves the pans and likes to have one all to herself.

 

[HisKoolGurl]

Where can you get those metal pans?