Arizona Chickens

[K9Dave]

I eat all of my extra cockerels, and any hens that prove to be egg eaters, excessive feather pickers, or have just passed their laying prime without winning my heart to the point of being deemed "pets". When I first wanted chickens it was all about the eggs but my concerns over the quality of our mechanized food in this country finally helped me decide to eat our own poultry as well. I've no regrets. Learning to cull them was challenging to say the least, but the flavor and quality of homegrown chickens simply can't be beat. 

My next endeavor = caponizing. 

I did some Capons with another member here. Was kinda hard and risky too. I'm sure the odds get better as you do more. It was weird being the surgeon on a live, awake bird.

turkeys are delicious fresh from the backyard. Much better than frozen. I am tempted to get some and try doing them with chickens too. I used to do only the turkeys to prevent blackhead. Seeing a lot of people doing both here in Arizona. What color Turkeys?

I can make a frozen turkey taste amazing with a Brine for a few days. Can't imagine how good a homegrown bird would be. I think I'm in. Dang bird math.

 

[Lamaremybabies]

I raise quail for eggs and meat. Those bantie boys have way more meat!  They are easy to dispatch, then quickly skin them, remove insides and backbone to butterfly the carcass and put them on the grill with your favorite sauces or rubs. 

What a cutie!  And not spoiled a bit!

Yes to Western Ranchman, very healthy chicks.  The Stock Shop is also good. 

Yes cockerels are usually white or off white depending on the parent stock.  Red and Gold sex links are the same.  I've had both and they were great hens.  Lots of eggs, relatively quiet, friendly too.

I ended up eating the drakes after they were trying to mount my chickens.  I don't have the space to house them separate from the hens.  The Muscovy girls I have get along with the chickens just fine and learned that when the chickens are scratching the dirt they can watch and catch bugs that way since they don't scratch the dirt like chickens do.

Yeah. She likes to jump up on my arm and perch.

 

[Banaynaychicken]

I am in Scottsdale and wanting to buy a coop and baby chicks, probably 12. I am worried about the summer months because we travel so I will need to rely on friends to help take care of our chickens. I want to get them young and we have a casita they can stay in until ready to go into the coop. I have been looking at coops to buy, anyone have a great one they love? Also a good place in the Phoenix area to buy the chicks?

I reccomend building it yourself. It is cheaper, and you can build a way bigger coop for less than you can buy a small factory made one.

as for chickens, I reccomend a local ACE Hardware, or feed store.

 

[Banaynaychicken]

Quote:

Iv'e got a total emotional link to these guys, though my aunt would gladly cook them if she I didn't.
there is aguy who lives down the street who wants a rooster

but his hens are all easter eggers, and he wants an easter egger rooster.

 

[cyborg]

This is her. Her waddle isn't super noticeable unless you're holding her in person but it's there if you really look at the picture also it doesn't look at red in the pic.

(Btw her name is Rosemary)


This is her sister. She's a lot darker than Rosemary. (Her name is Clara)

Also idk why but the picture is blurry but when I took it it wasn't. BYC does that to all my pics

sex links (golden or red) are a cross between either a New Hampshire or Rhode Island Red rooster, and a Leghorn hen. The reason this is done is that you can tell the sex by the color of the chick (females yellow, males white). The ones sold by TSC are all females. They also lay early and prodigiously, they are regular egg machines of XL brown eggs, so be ready.

BTW: those are both females.

 

[cyborg]

If there is anyone out there that has an Pure Blood Ameraucana rooster for sale..... I would really like one. (Preferably blue or splash. NO BLACK)

I have a pure Ameraucana blue you can have for free if you come pick him up.

 

[AgaveGal]

The one on Scottsdale Road north of the 101 is Scottsdale Livestock. They're very nice and friendly. I shop there all the time. As far as a good coop, if you don't want something custom built, but want a kit you can order and put together... the best one I've found is Urban Coop Company. Most of the kits are cheaply made (a lot of time overseas) and they just didn't last for me. Urban Coop is in Texas and stands behind their products.

Which coop do you have? I have the Backyard Coop with the run extension.

 

[abclair]

We had built our own before I found Urban Coop. But if I buy another one, that's what I'll get. I met the Twinings a few weeks ago.

 

[Lamaremybabies]

sex links (golden or red) are a cross between either a New Hampshire or Rhode Island Red rooster, and a Leghorn hen. The reason this is done is that you can tell the sex by the color of the chick (females yellow, males white). The ones sold by TSC are all females. They also lay early and prodigiously, they are regular egg machines of XL brown eggs, so be ready.

BTW: those are both females.

Yay! That's great to hear. I think my dad is more excited about the eggs then me. I just like them.

 

[Lamaremybabies]

Three of my GSL learned how to get on the couch.