Arizona Chickens

[pastrymama]

Pastrymama does have very fine looking silkies. I have some of hers. I just need some new colors to add to my assortment. I like the bearded ones with big dandelion heads.
My partridge started laying eggs last week. Tiny little eggs. My buff is squatting and my white is a few weeks younger so will see how soon she squats.

I cannot take credit for the silkies, I didn't breed them, just cooked some of them. They are from varrying breeders including SHE WHO SHALL NOT BE NAMED BUT HAS SOME FABULOUS BIRDS right here in sshhhhhh, tempe.

mama hen, i have BBS, whites and porcelains in the bator right now. well, in ONE of the bators. the other has ca's sulmtalers in it, also gold laced, silver laced and buff laced brahmas. i rehomed 5 ducks in the last week

but duckies take up quite a bit of room. my hen trio of BLRW went to live with laree and all the brooders and growout pens are empty, for the time being.

 

[Mahonri]

 

[MaddBaggins]

OK Feed carries a number of poultry feed products, including a line of organic feed from Modesto Milling. It comes in 50 lb bags. They keep it out back in the barn, so you have to ask for it at the counter. I bought 100 lbs of organic layer feed there a couple of months ago. It was definitely not Purina.

Edited to add that OK Feed has more than one store, and their stock may be different. I'm talking about the store in central Tucson, at Fort Lowell and Dodge.

They have more than one store? Ft Lowell is the only one I was aware of.

 

[MaddBaggins]

Omg! At least it was a hot day so they probably didn't hate the water completely.

I figured the same thing. Although it really wasn't that hot yesterday. 93˚ in my backyard. It was funny watching them walk around in it. One of them stayed on a roost the whole time just looking down. As soon as I shut off the water, it all soaked in quickly and they went back to eating all the brew grains that were still on the ground and all their crumble that gets tossed out of their feeder. I guess wet mushy food is appealing. Who knew.

 

[LadyKotaDoria]

Yesterday I was watching a couple of my girls foraging in the heat of the day in the sun. I was quite busy so was not able to watch as much as I like. Later in the day I saw the same girls setting/laying under the mister. When I touched their backs they were wet. Then they went back out into the sun. I wonder how long before the other girls figure it out?

I also have a problem comon to chickens. I have 4 girls laying, but I get 2 to 3 eggs a day. Each of my EE's have a different shades of blue - blue green, I know who's egg is who's. Clare had been laying in a nest in the straw. Now I can not find any of her eggs for the past week. Whare are her eggs? I have a few more creases to look, when they are hiding eggs, dose that mean they are going broody?

 

[Beckyhsinglsc]

Yesterday I was watching a couple of my girls foraging in the heat of the day in the sun. I was quite busy so was not able to watch as much as I like. Later in the day I saw the same girls setting/laying under the mister. When I touched their backs they were wet. Then they went back out into the sun. I wonder how long before the other girls figure it out?

I also have a problem comon to chickens. I have 4 girls laying, but I get 2 to 3 eggs a day. Each of my EE's have a different shades of blue - blue green, I know who's egg is who's. Clare had been laying in a nest in the straw. Now I can not find any of her eggs for the past week. Whare are her eggs?

I have a few more creases to look, when they are hiding eggs, dose that mean they are going broody?

Not necessarily, unless they are hiding too. I have a leghorn that WILL NOT lay in the nest boxes. I have spent so much time looking for her latest spot! She finally chose a chair on the back porch so I formed an old sheet into a nice nest and put it on the chair so her eggs won't fall off. At least now I know where to look all the time.

 

[Demosthine]

Alright folks, step on up! Step on up! The hole is dug and the planter is planted. The wood ash has been added and the clan is ready for community bathing!

Umm, I mean to say that the bath area for the flock has been added. I dug a hole and put a large plastic planter buried halfway deep, adding a bucket of wood ash to the inside. It gives the girls a nice area for them to take their baths and it's easy to maintain. It's amazing how such a large pile of wood gets burned down to such a small pile of ash. It was three fires worth of wood and barely puts a dent in the bottom of the planter. I figure I have six more fires to go before I'll have the amount of ash I need. Oh, and I need a large planter base to use as a lid for foul weather. I'm not sure where I'm going to find a base that will cover my 24" diameter planter, though. I may end up just having to go use garbage lid and weight it down somehow.

How else do you all have your bath areas set up? I'm curious to see some photos.

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[Arizona Son]

I have hatching fever since it's been almost 3 months but I do not dare with his prohibitive heat...I would be swearing at myself and what's worse, my DH might start <wink>.

I guess that's just another reason for dreaming of Fall

What is the problem of hatching in the summertime heat? Pardon my ignorance here, but I thought it would be beneficial because the chicks need extra heat for the first few weeks of their lives anyway. Both of my Cochin bantams raised broods last July, seemingly without issue.

 

[City farm]

Alright folks, step on up! Step on up! The hole is dug and the planter is planted. The wood ash has been added and the clan is ready for community bathing! Umm, I mean to say that the bath area for the flock has been added. I dug a hole and put a large plastic planter buried halfway deep, adding a bucket of wood ash to the inside. It gives the girls a nice area for them to take their baths and it's easy to maintain. It's amazing how such a large pile of wood gets burned down to such a small pile of ash. It was three fires worth of wood and barely puts a dent in the bottom of the planter. I figure I have six more fires to go before I'll have the amount of ash I need. Oh, and I need a large planter base to use as a lid for foul weather. I'm not sure where I'm going to find a base that will cover my 24" diameter planter, though. I may end up just having to go use garbage lid and weight it down somehow. How else do you all have your bath areas set up? I'm curious to see some photos.

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Our flock will pick a spot to bathe together.. Then they find another along the run.. I put the ash & DE.. In areas that are dry.. When they go out front for a few hous they sometimes go under the monk tree..if they are quiet I go & find them fluffing with dirt.. Little stinkers.. Whatever floats their boat... I thought of doing a container for them, but they kick up other stuff & it add to it.. Plus we have the 2 week old babies that could fall in.. Possibly when they are older we could add a designated area for them..

 

[City farm]

I might have missed some newbies.. If so welcome.. With our sons surgery on Thursday morning I have been busy
with scheduling... The surgery is about an hour & a half long..
Just need to reattach his muscle, tendons and ligaments to his bone..
Will you keep our family the doctor and his staff in your prayers? Thank you.