Arizona Chickens

[moms3cuties]

I have lots of family that are waiting for my girls to start laying better again. We eat a lot of eggs so that might be a while. I still have molting hens too. My easter eggers are molting. It's odd I thought they would wait until next year to molt, because they are only a year old, but they are dropping feathers everywhere. 

my hatchery Easter Eggers did the same thing last year and now that they are two years old, they're doing it again, but not quite as hard. Last year I thought something had beat them up with this hard of a molt is they had. They were almost just perfect for culling because they pretty much they barely had head feathers and tail feathers and the rest of them was just skin, those poor things!

 

Mine are enjoying the cooler temps too...but I'm missing my eggs. I still get about 8 per day, but with so many birds molting there's been a definite drop-off. The family and friends who usually get all of my extra eggs may have to resort to *ghasp* grocery store eggs. :/

Store bought eggs???

we're averaging anywhere from four to six eggs a day at best with the molting and some of the girls that have not come in to lay.

That's approximately at least 10 that are supposed to be layers. Currently two are Broody and last month I had four of them Broody, good grief!!


...... I've finally made it to Marana, I'm heading up towards North Tucson to pick up a big box of apples today!

I have only one that is laying currently, my olive egger.  She's laying every other day.  When I find a juicy grub or insect in the yard I give it to her as her paycheck.

Yum on the apples!  What variety are you getting?

FUJI's!! Want a few?!

Here's a cell phone pic of the mountain as I was leaving Marana just North of Tucson. ...... Just Beautiful. .....

 

[City farm]

We got our first batch of 6 (one didn't make it ) on June 14th and of course the heat had already started. I started reading up on taking care of chickens and came across this site, LOVE IT! I finally joined a couple of days ago, lol. Anyway, this past summer I did use frozen water jugs, frozen water bottles (in their drinking water) and a box fan. My poor girls and guy were always hanging around or on the frozen jugs. I also hosed their run down every morning early afternoon. They come running when they see the hose, lol. I was having to change the frozen water bottles in their drinking water so often I started freezing plastic gallon ice cream buckets more than 3/4 full. They seemed to last enough that I only had to do it once a day. To make sure they were frozen solid, I had a couple to rotate so one could freeze for at least 24 hrs. One shelf in my upright freezer is for my chickens. Their run is built around 2 trees (mesquite and palo verde) and we have shade screen on top and on one side. I'd spray them down and use them like cooler pads. We also have a sheet of plywood wired at an angle to give them more shade. They made it through with flying colors!!!

Your flock sounds spoiled.. What is your elevation . I know I could look it up but I'm just to lazy this evening.. What breeds do you have??

 

[City farm]

The girls are loving the cooler days and nights!  Even my 5 year olds gave up an egg or two.  One is my olive egger and I've been missing those amazing green eggs.  I do still have some in molt but that too shall pass.  Enjoy!  

Oh yes I so miss them as well!! I miss hearing about ranger?? Have you seen or heard anything..

 

[City farm]

I have lots of family that are waiting for my girls to start laying better again. We eat a lot of eggs so that might be a while. I still have molting hens too. My easter eggers are molting. It's odd I thought they would wait until next year to molt, because they are only a year old, but they are dropping feathers everywhere. 

The EE's I had did not lay as much as I had hoped.. Our duck's lay way more than the chicken's... I ONLY THINK of colecting those feather and making a pillow..

 

[City farm]

we're averaging anywhere from four to six eggs a day at best with the molting and some of the girls that have not come in to lay.
That's approximately at least 10 that are supposed to be layers. Currently two are Broody and last month I had four of them Broody, good grief!!

...... I've finally made it to Marana, I'm heading up towards North Tucson to pick up a big box of apples today!

That would translate to 10 freeloaders!
Should have let me know you were in the area, sounds like a good excuse for not going to work tonight!

Your funny..

 

[City farm]

 
The girls are loving the cooler days and nights!  Even my 5 year olds gave up an egg or two.  One is my olive egger and I've been missing those amazing green eggs.  I do still have some in molt but that too shall pass.  Enjoy!  

Mine are enjoying the cooler temps too...but I'm missing my eggs. I still get about 8 per day, but with so many birds molting there's been a definite drop-off. The family and friends who usually get all of my extra eggs may have to resort to *ghasp* grocery store eggs. :/

There must be someone close to you that would give you some egg's??? I did hear the store egg's are on sale now.. Yuck..

 

[Sill]

my hatchery Easter Eggers did the same thing last year and now that they are two years old, they're doing it again, but not quite as hard. Last year I thought something had beat them up with this hard of a molt is they had. They were almost just perfect for culling because they pretty much they barely had head feathers and tail feathers and the rest of them was just skin, those poor things!
FUJI's!!

Want a few?!

Here's a cell phone pic of the mountain as I was leaving Marana just North of Tucson. ...... Just Beautiful. .....

Yes if I can get over there!

 

[aviddamy]

The EE's I had did not lay as much as I had hoped.. Our duck's lay way more than the chicken's... I ONLY THINK of colecting those feather and making a pillow..

That would be so much work haha! So into the compost they go. My EEs are hatchery stock but they are characters. They lay sporadically but I love those green eggs. One of them lays almost a blue color.

 

[FeatherPugs]

Oh yes I so miss them as well!! I miss hearing about ranger?? Have you seen or heard anything..

Nothing at all about Ranger - boo!! BUT we were driving some of the back roads the other day and noticed a tall large cage being built!! Unfortunately this isn't one of those know-no-stranger farmers but we'll travel that way more often just to look. If he is there then he will be well taken care of - their stock is good looking.

 

[FeatherPugs]

That would be so much work haha! So into the compost they go. My EEs are hatchery stock but they are characters. They lay sporadically but I love those green eggs. One of them lays almost a blue color.

My EE girls are older now too - so what was every other day is now more like every third or fourth day. I will need to get a few more as I love those colored eggs!!
Most of my EEs or the leghorn mixes didn't molt hard this year but the Austrolorps - whoa! I finally just got out a broom and dust pan to sweep up the feathers - worked out pretty darn good too. One of the places they like to sit I thought I had lost one of those black lovelies but it was just a pile of feathers from molt!! We love to watch how the new feathers come in!