Arizona Chickens

[meetthebubus]

if you want to use air conditioning, use it, do it carefully so they don't feel shocked when they do go out, i use it for a few hours to cool the temps down, it doesn't make it feel like 80 it just makes the 120 feel more like 105 i haven't lost a chicken to heat for 2 summers now,
though mostly shade, shelter and lots of cool water, ice bottles are the best, they will sit by big ice bottles and drink from them too, which is the best and cheapest, i use misters near the shade, when you sit under them with the chickens, you can feel the temp difference too!! its nice

 

[meetthebubus]

@SonoranChick nesting boxes can be a problem, chickens are naturals at finding what they like, i only had one layer wish she had a up high nesting box. my girls chose their boxes, i use cement blocks to corner off a few corners of the mansion and the coop, i even have one now in the corner of the run that Roo is trying to get Dina to lay in but she always goes to the darker more private areas. here is a video of her laying her egg, you can see what we've done bc of the way i do it i feel like its more of a natural things, what they would do in the wild, though by no means do i think other boxes are bad or worse, just and idea if its works for anyone... oh yeah and the best rooster video shows you how roo is nesting in one for spotty (with dina looking jeleaous) lol

 

[RainForestBird]

hi good to meet you...! i usually go to the tractor supply in Douglas , with friends who shop there once a week , were are you in sierra vista..? or did you say your in Bisbee...??? but hmmm miller feed i dont recall ever going there..? have you tried JEMS feed they have every thing even hay & i get my sprouting barley seed there they have all kinds of sprouting grain seeds there at JEMS feed , but yeah i shop at ace if i need feed in-between my shopping at the Douglas tractor supply but the prices are hi at ace , but since its a few miles from my house, & im not paying to much for gas, so im saving that way ,but the tractor supply in Douglas is closer to bisbee,

I did go to Jem's on the way in for propane in my RV, they were open when other's weren't. Also the price wasn't bad. Can't remember what it was, but cheaper than in Washington. I've paid $50 to gas up on the Olympic Peninsula. Can't believe the gas prices here! Its close to $3 a gallon in WA now. I will go to Jem's when I'm out that way, I've been wanting to try sprouting my fodder. Miller's is a small place, and I think they only sell Nutrena which is the same brand as at Ace. I like the gamebird feed they sell at the Tractor Feed in Washington but you can't get it in AZ I am looking for someone that carries Mazuri Waterfowl starter. I have to have it shipped now. I'm thinking of going to the Artwalk on Saturday in downtown. I went to the Farmer's Market the past weekend and enjoyed myself. Much slower pace here.

 

[DesertChic]

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.

Go back to page 6181 and read my post (#61807, I think). That should tell you a bit about how much NNs lay.

 

[Diannastarr]

I don't have much splash in my flock yet but I'm slowly working towards it. In the near future I may also be adding more mottled, and I already have a lot of buff, red, and blue barring, some also with lacing. The trick for me is getting the pretty feathers without losing the other qualities I've bred to...either egg production or meat production (and I ALWAYS breed for temperament). Right now I place more emphasis on my meat line because even my meat producers are giving me 200-300 eggs per year. My number one meat breeding hen, now three years old and a beautiful buff barred girl, laid 290 pale blue eggs her first year and 186 her second in spite of going broody. She's not my biggest egg producer and yet has given me the majority of my meat breeding hens, all of which gave me 200+ eggs their first year and sometimes top out between 7 and 8 lbs each.

This is my Cocoa Puffs (photo taken in 2015) - mother to roughly half of my current flock: Her barring is actually coming in much stronger now that she's almost out of heavy molt and her body has filled out considerably, but she's notoriously camera shy.
View attachment 1201103

GREAT INFO on the NN...!! thanks so much..!!!!

 

[Diannastarr]

Go back to page 6181 and read my post (#61807, I think). That should tell you a bit about how much NNs lay.

wow WONDERFUL thank you so much for your help, you would know most of all, with all your years of experience with the NN's , i would love some splash NN , or even a light color or white ones , if you ever get some let me know , im not to far from you here in Bisbee AZ. TAKE CARE

 

[SonoranChick]

@SonoranChick nesting boxes can be a problem, chickens are naturals at finding what they like, i only had one layer wish she had a up high nesting box. my girls chose their boxes, i use cement blocks to corner off a few corners of the mansion and the coop, i even have one now in the corner of the run that Roo is trying to get Dina to lay in but she always goes to the darker more private areas. here is a video of her laying her egg, you can see what we've done bc of the way i do it i feel like its more of a natural things, what they would do in the wild, though by no means do i think other boxes are bad or worse, just and idea if its works for anyone... oh yeah and the best rooster video shows you how roo is nesting in one for spotty (with dina looking jeleaous) lol

I love all the videos you post I was thinking of doing something similar with their big giant box...maybe instead of dividers just put some natural items in there like wood stumps and blocks so, they can kind of create their own spot. I have a feeling I will be having some nest box drama while they are still new layers, but hopefully everyone figures it out soon. I'm also wondering if this could have something to do with them being all different breeds? Probably not but the ones who don't have big combs are going for blood on my poor leghorns. The leghorns have no problem standing up for themselves but I'd rather not feel like an extra on the movie Fight Club every time I go in the coop lol...Yesterday was much better though, with the dividers removed. I'll keep you posted!

 

[Bobby Basham]

I did go to Jem's on the way in for propane in my RV, they were open when other's weren't. Also the price wasn't bad. Can't remember what it was, but cheaper than in Washington. I've paid $50 to gas up on the Olympic Peninsula. Can't believe the gas prices here! Its close to $3 a gallon in WA now. I will go to Jem's when I'm out that way, I've been wanting to try sprouting my fodder. Miller's is a small place, and I think they only sell Nutrena which is the same brand as at Ace. I like the gamebird feed they sell at the Tractor Feed in Washington but you can't get it in AZ I am looking for someone that carries Mazuri Waterfowl starter. I have to have it shipped now. I'm thinking of going to the Artwalk on Saturday in downtown. I went to the Farmer's Market the past weekend and enjoyed myself. Much slower pace here.

I went to OK Feed & Supply in Tucson for the first time and they have a lot of stuff. Trying to recall, but I believer there were several large clear bags of gamebird feed at different protein levels and different feeds for waterfowl, possibly from a local source. No fancy packaging, just writing on the bags. They also have big stalls/barn where they sell all types of hay (alfalfa, timothy etc.) and straw. There is also a large enclosure where they sell chicks and pullets.

They have feed for about any pet that you can imagine, and there is also a section for horses. The main store itself is not very big, but their selection was impressive and liked the fact that they had all types of hay available.

Give them a call and see if they have what you need, or just come on up and browse around.

Their website is under some type of reconstruction, so they only have a Facebook page for now. Bummer, since you can't see all their inventory.

Oh, and WELCOME TO SOUTHERN ARIZONA! --BB

OK FEED AND SUPPLY
3701 E. Fort Lowell Road (NE Corner Dodge/Ft Lowell)
Tucson, Arizona 85716
(520) 325-0122 Mon-Sat 8:30AM - 6:00PM

 

[RainForestBird]

Thanks, I'll give them a try when I get enough courage to drive to Tucson. I'm new here and when I drove in the traffic on the freeway was horrendous, and it was the middle of the night. Is it usually that bad through the tunnel?

 

[cactusrota]

Thanks, I'll give them a try when I get enough courage to drive to Tucson. I'm new here and when I drove in the traffic on the freeway was horrendous, and it was the middle of the night. Is it usually that bad through the tunnel?

People aren't afraid to haul butt here. Drivers in this state are nothing like in the northwest. You can't hesitate on your decisions..