Arizona Chickens

[nicollee]

,,, But I've been able to get lemon, key lime, and orange seeds to grow, and I've got a couple elderberry seeds that have sprouted and I really hope they make it. I had a peach tree sprout from a pit a few years ago, but we had to leave town and nobody would take of it for me and it died. :-(

citrus in AZ is usually grafted onto sour root stock... let us know if you have luck getting the seeds to grow into producing trees.

 

[Bobby Basham]

We get the big gangs of them too, and the people who live down the way FEED THEM It's absolute stupidity. We have complained but it's no use. I'm liking this coyote quilt idea...

Too bad you couldn't video-tape/snap pictures while catching them in the act without trespassing (take pics of the mailbox/address, too), and what grounds you would have since it's not on your property and not directly affecting you...YET. Well, in a way, it is since it's put you on a heightened alert.

You could make the Sheriff's Department and Pima Animal Control aware of this, or possibly file an official complaint as a nuisance neighbor(s) with the Constables because all these coyotes would cause other flock members/neighbors going to the extra expense of beefing up their properties.

Meant to add: In the old building, the Justice Court Service Center and the Constables were side-by-side. You would fill out the paperwork at the Service Center and also fill out a form to get your filing fees waved by the Judge. I believe multiple persons (your chicken-owning neighbors) can also be listed as complainants. Those papers are then given to the Constables to serve. This would be a civil matter and not go through the Prosecutor's office.

 

[DesertChic]

Where did you get your seeds at? When I lived in western WA I could just take cuttings of just about anything and get them to root and grow, but that just isn't happening at all down here. Everything dies. I just can't figure it out. But I've been able to get lemon, key lime, and orange seeds to grow, and I've got a couple elderberry seeds that have sprouted and I really hope they make it. I had a peach tree sprout from a pit a few years ago, but we had to leave town and nobody would take of it for me and it died. :-(

I bought them off of Amazon.

 

[Bobby Basham]

Where did you get your seeds at? When I lived in western WA I could just take cuttings of just about anything and get them to root and grow, but that just isn't happening at all down here. Everything dies. I just can't figure it out. But I've been able to get lemon, key lime, and orange seeds to grow, and I've got a couple elderberry seeds that have sprouted and I really hope they make it. I had a peach tree sprout from a pit a few years ago, but we had to leave town and nobody would take of it for me and it died. :-(

It seems that there are quite a few places out there. Here are some of the old catalogues that I had laying around here.

 

[RainForestBird]

Lots of shade; lots of water. Install an automatic waterer. Miss water one day, and you are out of the chicken business. Put a lawn sprinkler in the chicken yard on a timer so that it goes off several times a day.

The rains we have had in the last couple of days produced a bounty of grass and weeds. Chickens love dandy lions, mustard weed and winter grass. Let them go at it.

Rufus

Hi I just moved to Southern (really south, like almost in Mexico) AZ and I had some misters from my old house in Washington that I used in my greenhouse to water plants. They are made by Orbit, but I'm kind of worried that the water here will just clog up the little sprayers-I've been told it is very hard, with a high mineral content. The sprayers have tiny with needle hole size openings to let the water out. I thought they would be nice for my chicken run that is already shaded by one of those portable shade thingees that vendors use at the farmer's market. It doesn't get really hot here because the altitude is over 5500 feet. It rarely gets over 100 during the summer months, although we've had some very warm weather for November and the first part of December. I think the intensity of the sun is worse at the higher altitude because it feels much hotter than it is. Its been in the 60's but my skin is already brown as a berry and I've only been here for 2 weeks. I use sunscreen for what its worth (not much).

 

[BlueBaby]

Hi I just moved to Southern (really south, like almost in Mexico) AZ and I had some misters from my old house in Washington that I used in my greenhouse to water plants. They are made by Orbit, but I'm kind of worried that the water here will just clog up the little sprayers-I've been told it is very hard, with a high mineral content. The sprayers have tiny with needle hole size openings to let the water out. I thought they would be nice for my chicken run that is already shaded by one of those portable shade thingees that vendors use at the farmer's market. It doesn't get really hot here because the altitude is over 5500 feet. It rarely gets over 100 during the summer months, although we've had some very warm weather for November and the first part of December. I think the intensity of the sun is worse at the higher altitude because it feels much hotter than it is. Its been in the 60's but my skin is already brown as a berry and I've only been here for 2 weeks. I use sunscreen for what its worth (not much).

I only use the misters in the summertime here when the temps go up over 100F. Yes, you still have to watch those little nozzles that the water comes out of. I keep extra nozzles for mine, and change them out when needed if the others get clogged. Then I soak the clogged up ones to clean them out, and set them aside as the next extra spares.

What type of chickens do you have?

 

[Diannastarr]

I don't recall seeing a pic of that guy before, very pretty boy.

My goal would B/B/S for coloring with the naked necks and the higher egg yield of the Australorps. My biggest goal is heat tolerance and since both breeds are good for that I figured crossing would work.

This is all new to me of course so we will see how it goes.

RIGHT ON...!!! thats been my goal for years now..! is breeding the most heat tolarent chicken ever, so i can truthfully say the australorps i have had for years , are not heat tolarent at all...!!! my first aussies were not hatchery stock, but i stared out by looking for & bbuying the best top show quality australorps from the famous hupp line in ducan AZ and those were a bit better in the heat , compared to the next 18 hatchery hens i got later on, for my egg business . they are good layers & very nice birds, hands down..! but they can never be called heat tolerant ever..!! i read that aussies were being called a heat tolarent breed on line, when i was first looking for the breed i was going to start with, the best heat tolarent breed, so i have to say that statement was so totally Wong & sadly as bluebaby can tell you she lost 2 hens to the heat very sad indeed, and its all i can do to keep my aussies cool & from dying on the nest from the heat in AZ , so im hoping the NN are the best heat tolarent bird, plus i dont know much about the size & amount of eggs the NN lays ..? i read different things on line. but logic says to create a light color bird , black is the worst color plus black attracts heat, so a light color bid is logically much better, if you are still into aussies x NN i would go for the lightest coloring in the aussies , and the NN & if its possible to find white or splash NN , if it were me i would start out with white or splash breeding stock , because some day some one will perfect the best heat tolarent chicken & i believe its going to come from the lightest color or white birds or at least a splash pare. im thinking of trying the white leg horn x NN cross and see what comes from that..? big eggs and a lot of eggs is what i would expect from that cross , plus its said of the white leg horn they are ok in the heat to , & pick the lightest color chicks to grow light coloring in the chicks , i wish you all the best of lucjk..!!!! good luck.

 

[Diannastarr]

Hi I just moved to Southern (really south, like almost in Mexico) AZ and I had some misters from my old house in Washington that I used in my greenhouse to water plants. They are made by Orbit, but I'm kind of worried that the water here will just clog up the little sprayers-I've been told it is very hard, with a high mineral content. The sprayers have tiny with needle hole size openings to let the water out. I thought they would be nice for my chicken run that is already shaded by one of those portable shade thingees that vendors use at the farmer's market. It doesn't get really hot here because the altitude is over 5500 feet. It rarely gets over 100 during the summer months, although we've had some very warm weather for November and the first part of December. I think the intensity of the sun is worse at the higher altitude because it feels much hotter than it is. Its been in the 60's but my skin is already brown as a berry and I've only been here for 2 weeks. I use sunscreen for what its worth (not much).

im on the Mexican border in Bisbee Az in southern AZ

 

[SonoranChick]

I need some help...the girls are fighting over the nest box. They all want to lay in the same box, and if it's occupied, they have no patience & get aggressive. I have placed golf balls in all of the nests, but they are absolutely hell bent on laying in one box only. I can't be out there monitoring every egg that's laid, so what should I do? This just started in the past week. Should I remove the dividers so it's just one giant box? Or block off/ remove the favored nest? They are so stubborn holy cow.
I also have a hen (red star sex link) who is now laying from the roost sometimes the shell survives the fall, but I'm so sad when I see a perfect egg broken on the floor in the morning. She lays it early morning when it's still dark. This started about a week ago as well. Is she just being lazy and sleeping in with the later sunrise?

 

[azurbanclucker]

citrus in AZ is usually grafted onto sour root stock... let us know if you have luck getting the seeds to grow into producing trees.

This. My godfather was a citrus rancher his entire life. Hundreds of acres under cultivation, and he did a lot of work with the UA ag extension developing and improving citrus varieties. He always grafted to lemon stock because it was the easiest and most hardy in our climate.

Here's a great tutorial on cleft grafting. I find it to be less hassle and more reliable than bud grafting, but I don't do it often enough that I would consider myself to be any kind of expert at all on it.

http://www.fruitmentor.com/grafting-citrus-trees-cleft-graft