Arizona Chickens

[bunsnpupsnchick]

Yay my chicks that I got at the end of April start of May are starting to lay! Even have 1 who has taken to a nest box right away. My sultan bantam I think is laying in front of my dog door in process. I think I've possibly another girl starting too. Only issue is, until I "catch" them in the act I'm not sure how to tell who's laid what. I've polish, sultan, & crevecoeur who all should lay bantam or a small egg. I've caught 1 & have a decent idea about her timing & egg. I think my sultan is due to the resemblance to my other sultan's egg. Just wondering how anyone tells if a hen is or isn't laying with hens who lay the "same" egg. I know for some the time of day & location can help. For non-daily layers once there's a pattern that helps. Thoughts? Thanks

 

[nicollee]

those chickens are BEAUtiful.
What kind are they?

 

[BlueBaby]

those chickens are BEAUtiful.
What kind are they?

To whom were you asking your question?

 

[Bobby Basham]

I don't wanna give them too much Soul Music, because they may become too savvy and turn into little Backyard Heffas with attitudes...LOL! There is another passionate side to BobbyB....Classical. My hands hurt so much right now from work, handling thick files and moving boxes, but hope to get back into it someday. In the meantime, I have hundreds, I mean hundreds of Classical albums and boxed sets. --BB




Yeah, when my hands heal...




I also like all those British bands from the 60's and 70's, and really like some Doobie Brothers and all our wonderful girl groups from that era. Motown wasn't the only game in town with stuff going on down in Philly, New Jersey, Atlanta, Spector Records etc. What I don't have on LP, 8-track, Cassette or 45's, it's somewhere here on CD sets. I can handle anything except RAPP music. They've even brought that mess up into the churches now, and I have to grit my teeth and bear with it to get my paycheck. --BB

Bobby Basham
Tucson, Arizona

 

[nicollee]

Here's my trio from Kurt's line that I am so proud of:

Precious in the back on left side Flash the roo
Zhane in the front on left side

 

[BlueBaby]

They are the SOP Australorps. Yes, they can come in other colors besides just the blacks. Flash and Precious are the Splash Australorps, and Zhane is a Blue Australorp. I also have a couple more of the younger blue pullets and a younger black pullet not shown in the picture. I recently got the younger ones, so I am still integrating them into the flock.

Update:
Flash is now fertilizing eggs. I currently have some in my incubator that are showing as fertile. Flash is my only roo. He bred with my older black Australorps, so all of this batch of eggs will be hatching out as the blues.

 

[nicollee]

Update:
Flash is now fertilizing eggs. I currently have some in my incubator that are showing as fertile. Flash is my only roo. He bred with my older black Australorps, so all of this batch of eggs will be hatching out as the blues.

 

[BlueBaby]

No, I will not keep all of the chicks from this hatch. The chicks will be due on the 14th of Oct. You can im me here if you might be interested in getting some of them.

 

[Sill]

So far I've only made refrigerator pickles, but they don't last long. One of our closest friends practically begs me to make them for him every year. Here's the recipe:

Refrigerator Pickles (You can use more than just cucumbers.)
Makes 2 jars
For the Brine:
10 cloves of garlic, peeled
2 cups white vinegar
6 teaspoons Kosher salt
Several sprigs of fresh dill
1 teaspoon celery seed
1 teaspoon coriander seed
1 teaspoon mustard seed
1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
(Optional) 1/2 teaspoon pink peppercorns

1. In a medium saucepan, bring 4 cups of water to a boil, reduce the heat so the water simmers, and add the garlic. Cook for 5 minutes. Add the vinegar and salt, raise the heat and bring back to boil, stirring until the salt dissolves. Remove from heat.

2.In 2 clear 1quart jars, place a few sprigs of dill. Divide the seeds and peppercorns between the 2 jars. Using tongs, remove the garlic from the bring and place 5 cloves in each jar. Then pack your veggies in tightly. You want them to be tightly stuffed.

3. Bring the brine back to boil, pour it over the veggies to cover completely, and let cool. Once they’re cool, cover the jars and refrigerate. The pickles will taste good in just a few hours and better and better each day. They will keep for about 3 months.

I want to try this with cucumbers, radishes and carrots. Do the veggies keep their color well? I tried lactofermenting some water melon radishes and they lost their pretty green and pink colors!

 

[Sill]

Yay my chicks that I got at the end of April start of May are starting to lay! Even have 1 who has taken to a nest box right away. My sultan bantam I think is laying in front of my dog door in process. I think I've possibly another girl starting too. Only issue is, until I "catch" them in the act I'm not sure how to tell who's laid what. I've polish, sultan, & crevecoeur who all should lay bantam or a small egg. I've caught 1 & have a decent idea about her timing & egg. I think my sultan is due to the resemblance to my other sultan's egg. Just wondering how anyone tells if a hen is or isn't laying with hens who lay the "same" egg. I know for some the time of day & location can help. For non-daily layers once there's a pattern that helps. Thoughts? Thanks

Besides catching them in the act you can base some of it on the breed of chicken and the type of egg they should lay. Of course with EEs it's a crap shoot as to what color they will lay. They will often redden up in the comb when the are about to start laying, but not always especially if it's not a dominant pullet.