Arizona Chickens

[nurseshelly]

TT! :

AHH! My Aloha eggs got cold!

My setting hens sat on them for exactly 6 days. Today they were off them (husband left the crate open and another chicken booted them off) long enough for them to get cold. It could have been for 4 hours, I have no idea. I put them back on the eggs.

Are they going to be okay?

I hope they all hatch for you

Michele​

 

[nurseshelly]

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WHEW!!! What a day! First of all, we had to load up the silkie rooster. He is soooo difficult to catch. I have never had a chicken so good at avoiding being caught. My husband finally caught him by the tail feathers and lifted him up. Then he was spinning by his little tail. It was so awful to watch. Puff was literally screaming! It really sounded like he was going, "OOOOOOOOWWWWW! OOOOOOOOWWWWWWWW! OOOOOOOOWWWWWWW!!!!" I have never heard a chicken make that noise, either. I felt so bad for him, but wish he didn't have to act so nasty.

So we loaded up the Suburban with the rooster and all 7 of us and headed to Tucson. First we had to stop at the church. I'm the secretary and had to run in and see what the church needed from Costco, too. Then we stopped at Michaels because I had a 50% off coupon. I always intend to hurry in that store, but it never happens. From there we went out to lunch at our favorite pregnancy restaurant. I have to go ALL the way to Tucson to see a midwife, and we would often stop at China Star when going to my appointments. Then we went to Trader Joe's. Love that store! Oh, I forgot we also stopped at the bike shop and Whole Foods. Keep in mind, the rooster is riding along for all of this. Then we went to Costco. Y'all haven't been to Costco until you've been with me. We filled 3 carts, and then had to somehow fit it in the Suburban with 5 kids, stuff from Michaels, stuff from Trader Joe's, and 5 kids. Every child either had something to hold or had to sit cross legged, even the 2yo, who protested quite a bit. And before you think I am too mean, I also had to sit cross legged since my whole floor and higher was taken by a ginormous package of paper towels.

From there, we went to the feed store. Can I just say that I LOVE Arizona Feeds Country Store on S 6th Ave? They are just so nice, and I am a sucker for good customer service. They paid us $4 for our rooster, and then cleaned my cage for me! He offered to take it to my vehicle for me, but I had to explain that nothing could be put in until it had a child's lap to put it on. I'm sure he thought I was nuts, but he still smiled at me. He'd really thought I was crazy if he had seen just how huge of a vehicle I crammed that full.

We got 6 adorable chicks! We got 2 bantam buff brahmas, 2 California whites, and 2 silver hamburgs. We left the feed store all giggles and thrills as we loaded up again. My husband was getting really grumpy, which I didn't get AT ALL. He still had circulation in his legs, after all. But, you know how it is. Husbands get like toddlers on long days of errands, which is why we usually do it without him. Besides, it's nice having an extra seat to cram with stuff.

Then on the way home we stopped at a furniture store to get a new chair, which turned into a chair with a matching sectional sofa. Whoops! Obviously, that wasn't fitting in the Suburban, so it will be delivered Tuesday.

Once we got home, there was a ton of work to do. I had to repackage my monster loaves of cheese and reorganize shelves to fit everything. We got the chicks set up in the garage. I sure hope they all live. I will have to get some pictures for you all!

Wow that's really a shopping trip

Congrats on the chicks and furniture (and everything else too!)
Michele

 

[nurseshelly]

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I'm sorry to hear about your quail

Michele

 

[nurseshelly]

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I'm so sorry to hear about your chicks

I hope the rest are okay!!!
Michele

 

[5pinkarrows]

You are so sweet, Pastrymama. I love the folks on this board.

I am just going to go get some today because I am nervous about putting different age chicks together. The worst part is I have a lamp that works great as a heat lamp, and never thought of it last night. Oh, well. I have it on the last 3 and they are loving it. I am really sad about it. I guess some critters always end up giving their lives so that we can learn to be more careful with the others. It's the hard lessons that you never forget.

 

[nurseshelly]

We got two new chickens on Thursday, but I was too busy to post. I drove to Litchfield Park to get two hens from a super nice breeder. I ended up getting one blue Ameraucana (she is from show bird lines from Pennsylvania and Texas) and one that is half Ameraucana and half Astraulorp, she is also blue but a little darker. I was going to get a blue splash Ameraucana ... but that one wasn't old enough to be 100% sure it was a hen, pretty sure but not totally, so I decided not to risk it.
Today I think we are building a "poop board" for the coop and a ladder so they can get to their perch and down easily. Then we want to fence off part of the yard for them and put in a shade screen. Once we have the fence, they can be out of the coop so we can paint it and shingle it. So it will be a chicken kind of day

Here's a picture of them, but I'll try and get a better one today or tomorrow

Michele

 

[mclevinson]

Today is for gardening and pen building. I'm also putting in kind of an apron around the bottom 8 inches of the coop so the shavings will stay put. Our brand new SLW is quite alot tamer than my EE's, and smaller too, so she's hanging out in the coop while we build another pen this afternoon. Thanks NoSkiveez - she's really cute.

Got heirloom tomatoes and armenian cukes to plant, a red flame grape and moringa seeds. I have enought to keep me busy for a WEEK, and I only have this afternoon! NoSkiveez, I DO NOT know how you do it!

 

[mclevinson]

5pinkarrows, I'm so sad for you.

 

[nurseshelly]

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Have a fun time!!! Just think how happy you will be when you are done

I love home and yard improvements!!! We're total yard nerds! We had to replant most of our peppers from the freeze. Not sure what else we will plant this year. Right now we just have jalapeños, bell peppers, grapes, a peach, a nectarine, a lemon and a lime. Some years we do tomatoes and other we do something else.
I haven't gotten all of the chicken breed abbreviations down yet, so I had to think about what a SLW was, even though I have one too - LOL! My SLW is really nice too.
Michele

 

[5pinkarrows]

McLevinson-- Sounds like a busy Saturday. Enjoy your new hen. I want one of those, too!

Michele--Very cute chickens! What is a poop board? I have some planting to do, too. I have a very hard time planting anything and not losing it to a dog or cows or javelinas. Those stupid things have even torn up our chain link fence to get to our garbage. The free range cattle flattened the posts of my rabbit fencing to get to my garden. My kids' dog digs up everything I plant. I can't believe it, but I am going to try again. I am starting very small, with making a raised bed from bales of straw and covering it with chicken wire to keep the dog and chickens out. I doubt I can protect it from the javelinas, though. I bought a Blendtec yesterday. Looking at the recipe book, I am going to need a LOT more than one tomato plant.