Arizona Chickens

[Parront]

LOL! As much as I like the look of frizzled NNs, no I don't have any myself. I do have two frizzled EEs that I cross with one of my NN roosters, which produced outstanding hens that lay big blue and green eggs, but the only hints they have of frizzling are a few "perky" feathers on their heads.

I had considered making Showgirls, but my focus really is more on meat birds and those Showgirls are both small, and much harder to pluck with those downy feathers.

Right now all I have are extra Nn cockerels, not homozygous NNs, that don't fit into my own breeding plans. One is an EE cross (Seamus), one is a Dorking-mix cross (Ash), and the third has a little Bielefelder in him (Abraham).

Seamus - This photo really doesn't do him justice. He has splash of white and blue.
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Ash: (Seamus is in the background).
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Abraham - his tail is slow to grow in but is growing in black.
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Ash looks like a nice eating bird.

 

[Bobby Basham]

That is a very colorful bird!
Looks are not what you taste. Most people don't even eat the skin any more. I eat the skin, and boil the necks (and feet if I can get them) into an excellent soup. Store birds do not make very good soup, no flavor. I just made some yesterday, and had to add chicken bouillon cubes to make it "taste like chicken". When we get settled I am very interested in your birds!

You folks are making me hungry...LOL! Thank God for those Food Saver vacuum sealers because I forgot that I had a large part of a cooked turkey carcass in my freezer with A LOT of meat on it and it still looks good. I'm gonna slow simmer that sucker, get rid of the bones, throw in some mixed veggies and seasonings, and make a pot of dumplings. --BB

 

[Parront]

You folks are making me hungry...LOL! Thank God for those Food Saver vacuum sealers because I forgot that I had a large part of a cooked turkey carcass in my freezer with A LOT of meat on it and it still looks good. I'm gonna slow simmer that sucker, get rid of the bones, throw in some mixed veggies and seasonings, and make a pot of dumplings. --BB

My turkey was long gone in Jan!

 

[Parront]

One of the best uses for the oldest, toughest roosters is the pressure cooker, then de-bone and use the meat and liquid in your soup. I even used it for dog food, cooked with rice and carrots. I had several annoying older leghorn roosters, not a lot of meat. Dog approved!

 

[BlueBaby]

Thanks BlueBaby, it's good to know that you have some, but I gotta get that coop built and considering brooding them out there. I live in an HOA where poultry (NO ROOSTERS) are allowed. Please keep me posted on your hatchings while I get to cracking on my homework. I'm retired now and can basically do what I want, when I want. If I have to sleep out there with those babies, I'll do that, as long as I keep the gate locked and pack a firearm.

Delawares and BA's are my first top choices, and kinda hesitant about getting those hybrid sex-links. I had my heart set on some ISA browns, but having different thoughts.

I think the coup design is finally nailed down, but my run just needs screened in completely, including the top with 1/4" hardware cloth. --BB

It look's like you have a great coop plan going on over there, and if you took some of my chicks they would be well taken care of and loved if you are willing to even sleep out there with them!

 

[Bobby Basham]

It look's like you have a great coop plan going on over there, and if you took some of my chicks they would be well taken care of and loved if you are willing to even sleep out there with them!

What you see is just my run and observation "Chicken TV" deck. The coup itself won't look like anything out of the ordinary, but the actual construction will be unconventional. I hope to reveal it in all its glory when completed. --BB

 

[Parront]

What you see is just my run and observation "Chicken TV" deck. The coup itself won't look like anything out of the ordinary, but the actual construction will be unconventional. I hope to reveal it in all its glory when completed. --BB

Chicken TV is better than the nightly news lately! Parrot TV, even better!

 

[BlueBaby]

Got some bit of a dust storm blow through here earlier, and now it's starting to sprinkle.

 

[MagicChicken]

I've got a few questions for my AZ chicken friends...we are getting ready to lay in the next coming month or so, and I'm thinking of introducing them to the nest boxes soon. So far they have been closed off because they tried to sleep in them the first night.
First question: is there a certain material that is best for nests? Particularly given the southern AZ heat and critter issues, what do you guys use? I have read so many different opinions...it looks like either pine shavings or straw hay is ideal. I'm worried about scorpions getting into the hay, and my chickens like to kick the pine shaving bedding all over the place. The nest box is about 3 feet up off of the ground.
Second question: will 3 seperate nest boxes be enough for ten hens? It is one big nest box divided into thirds.
Third question: should I switch to layer feed before or after they start laying?
Thanks so much in advance guys! I know I can find so many answers on this site, but I like to narrow it down to AZ folk so I can get good info pertinent to our climate and desert environment

I use pine shavings in my nest boxes. It is not ideal because it sometimes sticks to the eggs, but it is relatively inexpensive and I always have a supply of it on hand. I sprinkle DE (food grade diatomaceous earth) into the nest boxes to keep bugs at bay. My nest boxes are plastic cat litter boxes - the least expensive enclosed ones I can find. Usually at Walmart or sometimes pet stores when they're on sale. I like them because it's easy to clean them. And I can easily transport a broody hen to another location if she's been hogging one of them. Most of the plastic litter boxes are deep enough that the litter doesn't get kicked out. But I do sometimes have to put a brick or a piece of concrete block in front of the opening, so the box doesn't tip forward when the hen steps into it. They are all shaped a little different and some are tippier than others.

If litter does get kicked out of your nest boxes, you can try building up the bottom of the opening to make the nest part deeper. I had to do that with my first wood boxes, before I switched to the plastic litter boxes.

I have 3 boxes for 20+ hens. I'd rather have more, but they still mostly use one of the nests. Silly birds.

 

[MagicChicken]

It was a sad day today. My favorite cockerel - the one I was planning to breed next year, who was strong and sturdy and heavy and wide and had great feather quality - was dead in the coop this morning. Based on the position he was in when I found him, I suspect he flew off the roost in a panic and slammed head first into a narrow support behind the poultry netting, breaking his neck. Poor guy.

The ants had already gotten to him when I found him, so I buried him in the garden. Spent the rest of the morning reconfiguring the coop.

I'm sad because he was a gorgeous bird and he made me smile every time I looked at him. On the other hand I had too many roosters before, and now I have a more manageable number. And the cockerel who remains is a much calmer bird so there's not as much stress in the chicken yard.

Life goes on. RIP buddy.