Arizona Chickens

[CaroleW]

Please don’t take this as a defense for the clerks at Pratt’s. I think the kids that work in the store are used to chick death and honestly if you keep chickens they get sick and die. Parents these days try to hide the reality of life from their kids and we get little snowflakes as a result. That being said, I’m unimpressed with Pratt’s. Their stores are dirty and they allow yard birds to wander in and out of the store which isn’t good biosecurity. I was in the store in Glendale and there were chickens in their haystacks and their chicks were in filthy browsers. No thanks.

Yes, I completely agree that chicks will die (in the store, at home, etc) - but it doesn't even make business sense to keep neglected chicks in the pen for sale when a customer brings attention to it. My experience was at an independent store in downtown Mesa (not Pratt's or any big chain) -the store just reopened under new management, the clerk was a manager and blew me off in a dismissive way (unlike previous management). I now know there are so many other options for chicks --the best being local BYC members, homeschoolers who raise them by hand, etc...

 

[BlueBaby]

I'm going to cook up the rest of that huge pumpkin today, and since I also have 4 dozen egg's sitting in my refrigerator now, I might boil up some of those for the chicken's too. The pumpkin that I cooked up yesterday has been put into those ziplock sandwich bags, and frozen so that they will lay flat in the freezer and be stacked. I might chop up and freeze some of the boiled egg's for them too.

 

[AngBantamLuv]

We have 11 eggs waiting to be eaten! It is still just Minnie and Nala laying.. We will have breakfast for lunch today, so we will knock out half of that almost dozen!!

I can't wait until the other two get going. It's funny, because Nala and Minnie are always together, and go in to lay together too.

 

[AngBantamLuv]

Yes, I completely agree that chicks will die (in the store, at home, etc) - but it doesn't even make business sense to keep neglected chicks in the pen for sale when a customer brings attention to it. My experience was at an independent store in downtown Mesa (not Pratt's or any big chain) -the store just reopened under new management, the clerk was a manager and blew me off in a dismissive way (unlike previous management). I now know there are so many other options for chicks --the best being local BYC members, homeschoolers who raise them by hand, etc...

I used Pratts before, because I didn't know who else might have them. But we have a favorite little place that we take our dogs to for grooming.. that is where I got these last few from, and they are always in there checking the chicks, changing water and food. So I agree, there are better places!

 

[igorsMistress]

Yes, I completely agree that chicks will die (in the store, at home, etc) - but it doesn't even make business sense to keep neglected chicks in the pen for sale when a customer brings attention to it. My experience was at an independent store in downtown Mesa (not Pratt's or any big chain) -the store just reopened under new management, the clerk was a manager and blew me off in a dismissive way (unlike previous management). I now know there are so many other options for chicks --the best being local BYC members, homeschoolers who raise them by hand, etc...

I agree wholeheartedly that other BUC folks are an awesome resource.
Even the big chain stores blow you off. I told the manager at TSC the chicks had no water, was there at least half an hour and told someone else before we left because no one had done anything.

 

[CaroleW]

I just saw a great YT video about chickens/gardens/compost/forage/permaculture, it was by

edible acres (all one word no spaces I think).

He was growing stuff in the chicken yard, protected with wire fence formed in a ring around individual plants/plots. I've also seen in another video grass/pasture/weeds grown under a moveable frame covered over by wire. In both protected systems the chickens can eat some of the outer leaves but the roots and larger portion of the plants/grass/weeds are able to keep growing. He eventually moves the protection little by little and starts seeding inside the wire ring to keep the cyle producing more.

Especially coming up in Phx area in winter I think this is a viable option for supplementing feed and keeping chickens busy/happy/employed. If you create/have a nice "microclimate" in certain areas even in cooler areas you might be able to do this. He even made a cattle panel low tunnel/greenhouse and placed it where natural drainage occurs to water it and let chickens wander thru the center aisle (side planting somewhat protected again by wire fencing).

 

[Suzyqschickens]

I just saw a great YT video about chickens/gardens/compost/forage/permaculture, it was by

edible acres (all one word no spaces I think).

He was growing stuff in the chicken yard, protected with wire fence formed in a ring around individual plants/plots. I've also seen in another video grass/pasture/weeds grown under a moveable frame covered over by wire. In both protected systems the chickens can eat some of the outer leaves but the roots and larger portion of the plants/grass/weeds are able to keep growing. He eventually moves the protection little by little and starts seeding inside the wire ring to keep the cyle producing more.

Especially coming up in Phx area in winter I think this is a viable option for supplementing feed and keeping chickens busy/happy/employed. If you create/have a nice "microclimate" in certain areas even in cooler areas you might be able to do this. He even made a cattle panel low tunnel/greenhouse and placed it where natural drainage occurs to water it and let chickens wander thru the center aisle (side planting somewhat protected again by wire fencing).
I did something similar last spring. I used 2x4 and then put chicken wire over the top. Plants herbs for the girls. They loved it til summer came and killed it all

 

[wolfwalker]

I'm coming up to Phoenix on Saturday, is there anyone who would like one of the Delaware males I have from Mcmurray? I was hoping they would be a heritage, but sadly now the truth is out and they are a hybrid. They are big birds and would definitely add size and meatieness to anyone's project. I don't need the 8 I ended up with

 

[Coffee N Chickens]

OK, I turned the incubator off the other day, because if any eggs were going to hatch, they would have done so by now. There's still no movement in the full egg where I saw movement weeks ago. RIP, little Swappy. And tonight the eggs go out in the trash, because tomorrow is pickup day, and they're going on top. If they broke open, they'd probably smell.

Today the coop got Virkon-S'ed, and I installed a bright white and flashing red motion sensor light aimed at the coop. It should help scare off any predators, if it doesn't give the chickens heart failure first. The dogs were impressed when I tried it out indoors.

Yesterday I had to go to Flagstaff, and stopped off at Bookman's and bought a copy of Raising Chickens for Dummies. Been reading it. Lots of useful info there, too.

Question: All the little coops like this one don't have any mesh underneath so the chickens can scratch at the soil. Do predators tunnel under the side to get at the chickens?

 

[Coffee N Chickens]

Good morning AZ.
I need to name my AC chicks, a cockerel and a pullet that are brother and sister. Here are my name choices, what say you?

Donny and Marie
Jem and Scout
Richard and Karen (Carpenter)
Bart and Lisa

So far Bart and Lisa are the favorites among the family.

Loved the Carpenters, but the name Karen has taken on a different meaning in the last few years. If your hen is assertive, those two names would work really well.

Bart and Lisa are cute, too. Let us know what you decide!