Arizona Chickens

[Diannastarr]

I saw that the Austra-Whites are "New" on My Pet Chicken. They are a cross of an Australorp Roo over a Leghorn hen. They're supposedly calmer than a regular Leghorn hen. I wonder what the opposite cross would yield with a Leghorn Roo over a Black Australorp hen?

you just gotta have the 2 to find that out & if you do let us know what you find out.

 

[igorsMistress]

Wow, they still aren't running with the big ones? I turned those 2 austra-white chicks and a black australorp chick hatched around the same time as yours loose in with my big ones a week or so ago. Seem's to be going ok. I have decided however to let the 2 austra-white chicks go, as I would rather work with some naked necks as my 2nd flock. The austra-whites seem like they will do ok in our heat, but do have a strong fascination with my shoe laces.

My flock freeranges all day every day so until they get a little bigger they are only out of their coop and run when I am home and can check on them. They've been outside for a month or so.

That little roo is very brave, but he ain't big enough to take on a neighbors cat yet.

 

[igorsMistress]

i agree me to i know how you feel..!!! right on...!!! they are all my babies, and family to me , about the wild birds i didnt have any this year...? but years back we had lots of trapped doves in the main coop, i even kept the door closed so the hens went through a door the size of a large dog door at the bottom of the coop but the doves still got in..? when i think back now they all seemed to go away when i started to use the bucket feeders up on the wall, to hi from the floor and maybe it was hard for them to feed in those..??? also thats about the same time that i started to mix my feed with water & into a mash like feed as i wrote about before, it seems to me that was about the same time the wild birds were gone out of my coops...?? when there was no feed left on the floors ,But i really cant say why for sure ,and actually i almost forgot about them , until you mentioned them..?? so its been a wile like a few years now i guess..? but i do toss out scratch every after noon at 4 and change that to wild bird seed in summer & i guess after my flock is done eating the wild birds must eat some of that , but i cant say i have seen to many wild birds around here at all...?
i had been trying to get some crows i saw in my trees this spring to come stay & live around my place , but no deal they left ..?

they make great predator alarms ..!!and will chase off wild birds..!!maybe you should ask mother nature for some crows to come live at your place..? they could be helpful..?i always ask mother nature to help me with her wild creatures the way they live naturally is helpful to me & mine, i have the most marvelous king snakes i asked for when i bought this place back 20 some years ago and they all came here and raised their young and have killed all the rattlers & eat the mice..! i have some great photos of one of them hunting a rattler behind my coop one night..! they are such spectacular snakes and so helpful indeed ..!

I was thinking the same about the feeders, thanks. Such a good idea.

I ask Mother Nature for help all the time! She sees to it the neighborhood cats and our resident hawk have easy pickins at the neighbors house

Ironically the big boy chases birds off when he's in a mood. Most of the wild birds are very young doves and pigeons that probably can't compete with the herds of birds at the neighbors place. At my place they have to forage but they find plenty.

My daughter had an albino king snake she took from a teacher, but when she had kids we gave her to a young man still in school. She loved to coil around an arm and just hang out.

Have a great day lady!

 

[cactusrota]

Maybe, but I'm not interested in going that way with them. As they are, they are supposed to be a good egg layer with the combined cross-breed in them. They should end up being a little bit bigger than the straight leghorns, but still smaller than my Australorps. Some people like the smaller breeds that are good egg layers though.

Once they start laying you should be able to sell them pretty quick on craigslist. "Point of Lay" hens tend to go quick. At least I've never had a problem unloading unwanted laying hens and I live out in the boonies.

 

[DesertChic]

They were born on July 17, so they are now 3 months old. They were very active when it was still hot from the summer, not just laying around. They are more gutsy than the Australorps. When you go in to feed them, they will fly up trying to get to the food that you are bringing in. Once the food is on the ground, they are more interested in your shoe strings than the food? Anyway's anyone that wants them, can have them.

Yeah, I'm not a big fan of the Austra-Whites. Way too flighty for my taste, and I experienced quite a bit of aggression in the cockerels. I like calmer, friendlier birds....but to each their own.

 

[cavemanrich]

Most of the wild birds are very young doves and pigeons that probably can't compete with the herds of birds at the neighbors place. At my place they have to forage but they find plenty.

I break ALL THE RULES. I actually feed my wild birds. Year round. Others as well. In the 20 years of chickening , I have never encountered any diseases in my flock such as avian flu or such. Maybe I'm lucky or maybe its natures plan.

QUANTITY LIKE THIS USUALLY LASTS ABOUT 6 WEEKS

Feeder out of squirrel's reach.

MAYBE I'M JUST TOO SOFT.

Made a special feed station for them. Currently I am giving them peanuts. They bury all those that they do not eat.

My chickens eat whatever gets dropped from the feeder above.

 

[cactusrota]

It look's like he's growing some big spurs there. Do all of the Black NN roosters have that red in the wings?

Finally got a good pic showing my black boy with the red checkering in his wings and saddle. You can see it alot better in person, but on camera it doesn't show up well at all because it's so dark. I'm planning on crossing him with my Jersey Black Giants next spring and see what happens. Since he has the least amount of color leaking through, I'm pretty sure I can get more black NN's out of the cross.

 

[Bobby Basham]

Yeah, I'm not a big fan of the Austra-Whites. Way too flighty for my taste, and I experienced quite a bit of aggression in the cockerels. I like calmer, friendlier birds....but to each their own.

I just found out about the Austra-Whites a few days ago. Never heard of them. Hoping more folks will chime in about their personalities before I decide to get some. No flighty birds wanted here, just some calm, laid back, easy-going layers.

Feeding should be a peaceful time where everyone comes together, not a bunch of freaked-out hens flapping and flying all over the place like some masacre is about to take place. This time should be enjoyable with the hens bonding with you and in turn rewarding you with those beautiful eggs with deep, orange yolks.

 

[Parront]

I just found out about the Austra-Whites a few days ago. Never heard of them. Hoping more folks will chime in about their personalities before I decide to get some. No flighty birds wanted here, just some calm, laid back, easy-going layers.

Feeding should be a peaceful time where everyone comes together, not a bunch of freaked-out hens flapping and flying all over the place like some masacre is about to take place. This time should be enjoyable with the hens bonding with you and in turn rewarding you with those beautiful eggs with deep, orange yolks.

I can not comment on the Austra-White mix, but I have kept Brown Leghorns. They had to be separated from the others -- Orpingtons and Australorps mostly, with a couple of Rocks. Even though they were smaller than the rest, the Leghorns would prevent the others from going to the feeders, and gang up on the Orpingtons, especially. I would not mix them again.

 

[igorsMistress]

@cavemanrich it's not because I'm worried about disease. I don't want them to eat the feed is all. I toss enough of whatever to feed the wild birds too. In fact I use pigeon feed for scratch sometimes. I know it's a big no no, but how am I gonna keep em out?

Besides they're so darn cute to watch and it's not like poop will never fall from the sky right?