Arizona Chickens

[NanaOfZanitas]

I'm sorry, but I am not seeing any pullet's in your pictures. The tail feather are curling down and it look's like the saddle feather's are saying cockerel's.
And usually that color on the ear's is a hint to what color of egg that it would lay if it was a pullet.

Yeah, that's what I was thinking too (about them being all roos)

*Didn't* know that about the color on the ear flaps though!! Funny, since they were supposed to be Americaunas that laid either blue or green eggs. LOL
I'll have to take a pic of the ones that were sexed and guaranteed to be girls. Still, what's my luck to get 4 damn roos? :/

THX!!

 

[BlueBaby]

Yeah, that's what I was thinking too (about them being all roos)

*Didn't* know that about the color on the ear flaps though!! Funny, since they were supposed to be Americaunas that laid either blue or green eggs. LOL
I'll have to take a pic of the ones that were sexed and guaranteed to be girls. Still, what's my luck to get 4 damn roos? :/

THX!!

When you got them, did you get them as straight run's?

 

[NanaOfZanitas]

When you got them, did you get them as straight run's?

Yeah, I did, so I knew I was taking my chances, but damn, you'd think I'd have gotten at least ONE hen....

Any idea what breeds they are? Obviously, the one roo is different from the other three. I tried looking through the breed pages here but didn't find any that looked like these guys.
Also, any idea why the aggressive (copper coloured one) is so emaciated and skinny? For being an aggressive bird you would think he'd be chasing the other ones off the feed and getting really fat, but he's scary skinny (and hubby calls him Hey-Hey, after the stupid chicken in Moana, cause he comes on the porch and seems to mindlessly peck at the glass...)

 

[BlueBaby]

Yeah, I did, so I knew I was taking my chances, but damn, you'd think I'd have gotten at least ONE hen....

Any idea what breeds they are? Obviously, the one roo is different from the other three. I tried looking through the breed pages here but didn't find any that looked like these guys.
Also, any idea why the aggressive (copper coloured one) is so emaciated and skinny? For being an aggressive bird you would think he'd be chasing the other ones off the feed and getting really fat, but he's scary skinny (and hubby calls him Hey-Hey, after the stupid chicken in Moana, cause he comes on the porch and seems to mindlessly peck at the glass...)

I'm not sure what that one with the black is, but the other 3 look like some sort of cream legbar, although they sure have a lot of red in that feathering. Where did you buy or order them from?

I looked again at the pic's of those 3 boy's and one of them does have a bit of a crest on his head in back of the comb. Crested Cream Legbar.

 

[Parront]

I will chime in, not a single girl in the photos posted. Skinny is the leghorn 1/2 of the legbar, all mean and no meat! Reminds me of a brown leghorn cockerel I had from your description of his attacking everything around! Very little meat was on his skinny carcass. And, I had let him rule the roost too long, tough. Pressure cooked with rice and mushroom soup, he added flavor! Maybe keep one of the nice ones, for the possibilities of colored egg-layer daughters, but do not be surprised if they act the same way trying to take the top dog's place once he is out of the way.

 

[Parront]

I am going to be looking into some nice, meaty Naked Necks around September! We finally found a place that fit the bill for our flock. Closed this last Thursday. In the city limits of Prescott, so no cockerels. But nice juicy NN boys are welcome until they reach about the age of their first crow Nice home guaranteed for their first 12-14 weeks . . .

A lot of the metal siding is coming off of the lean-to for the future flock. It is 8x24, twice the size I was hoping for.

 

[NanaOfZanitas]

I'm not sure what that one with the black is, but the other 3 look like some sort of cream legbar, although they sure have a lot of red in that feathering. Where did you buy or order them from?
I looked again at the pic's of those 3 boy's and one of them does have a bit of a crest on his head in back of the comb. Crested Cream Legbar.

I bought them as Ameracaunas from Tractor Supply. All four were supposed to be the same. They were straight run, but I figured just by chance I should get at least a couple of hens. (I was apparently wrong.) The dark colored one has deep copper feathers, the tail is the only part that's got black, and it's starting to get the iridescent sheen to it I love.

Side note 1: Any idea how to harvest those pretty tail feathers when I dispatch the roo?

Side note 2, I'm going to butcher (and can) the boys. I don't want the next one taking over as @Parront said. I figure I might as well just do the deed all at once. I have discussed with my daughter and S-i-L the idea of having the 8 yr old grandson with us when we do, (not the 4 yr old granddaughter) as he tends to watch too much TV and YouTube and is always talking about shooting and stabbing and killing, I want him to have a bit of a reality check as well as know where his food comes from, not the store.

I raised my kids (and now grandkids) asking "what do you want for dinner, dead Cow, dead Pig or dead Chicken?" so they have no illusions about food meat, but seeing something die is another matter altogether. I'm hoping that sobers him up a little bit. At least I'm not doing what my grandfather did to me when I got too attached to one of the food rabbits......... my first butchering. But I do love the taste of rabbit.

Does anyone have opinions about freezer camp vs. Jar canning the chicken?

 

[NanaOfZanitas]

Also, I'm thinking just for socialization, I might want a couple more since I'll only have 2 pullets left. I don't think buying baby chicks is a good idea this time of year, and probably not very available. Ideas?

 

[BlueBaby]

I bought them as Ameracaunas from Tractor Supply. All four were supposed to be the same. They were straight run, but I figured just by chance I should get at least a couple of hens. (I was apparently wrong.) The dark colored one has deep copper feathers, the tail is the only part that's got black, and it's starting to get the iridescent sheen to it I love.

Side note 1: Any idea how to harvest those pretty tail feathers when I dispatch the roo?

Side note 2, I'm going to butcher (and can) the boys. I don't want the next one taking over as @Parront said. I figure I might as well just do the deed all at once. I have discussed with my daughter and S-i-L the idea of having the 8 yr old grandson with us when we do, (not the 4 yr old granddaughter) as he tends to watch too much TV and YouTube and is always talking about shooting and stabbing and killing, I want him to have a bit of a reality check as well as know where his food comes from, not the store.

I raised my kids (and now grandkids) asking "what do you want for dinner, dead Cow, dead Pig or dead Chicken?" so they have no illusions about food meat, but seeing something die is another matter altogether. I'm hoping that sobers him up a little bit. At least I'm not doing what my grandfather did to me when I got too attached to one of the food rabbits......... my first butchering. But I do love the taste of rabbit.

Does anyone have opinions about freezer camp vs. Jar canning the chicken?

Well, I guess that you can't get straight run's from them hoping to get girl's then. If you want more of a chance of getting girl's, pick from the pullet bin's if they have any. It's still no guarantee that you won't get a few boy's in there though, unless they are an auto-sexing or sex-linked breed. Then you should learn first how to spot the difference in the coloring's.

I have never tried to can chicken before, so I can't say anything about it. I do know that you are supposed to do it a certain way for better preserving. Have you looked or asked any question's about it here:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forums/egg-chicken-other-favorite-recipes.25/

 

[BlueBaby]

Also, I'm thinking just for socialization, I might want a couple more since I'll only have 2 pullets left. I don't think buying baby chicks is a good idea this time of year, and probably not very available. Ideas?

@starri33 lives in Golden Valley, so you might ask her if she has a couple pullet's that she can spare.