Arizona Chickens

[City farm]

Another shocking development!!! So i went to check on my hen and her babies yesterday afternoon and counted all and plus one! Turns out its not a chicken! Its a quail!!!! He's a little itty bitty guy!! He seems to have either gotten lost or his mom died but my hen has accepted him!! He has been eating and drinking and sleeping along with his "siblings" Im just sooooo confused with this whole week.

Wow, that is too cool..

 

[City farm]

They need to know Mexico's import requirements; it may not be as easy as simply taking chicks down there...

Yeah I did hear something about that.. I will not be with them going down.. Hope they have it all worked out.. I will ask..

 

[AZKat]

Someone posted about this on BYC awhile back, and the thread includes some links to official sites with the requirements for exporting chickens to Mexico. https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/404931/transporting-chickens-to-mexico It looks like it can be a pretty involved process, and I'd hate to see such a needed and well-intentioned project run into trouble because of people not being aware of regulations. If it does end up being too much hassle, they might consider doing what the Heifer Project does and buying chickens in Mexico. If people want to donate birds, maybe they could sell the chickens in the US via craigslist, and then use the money to buy Mexican chickens. With birds going for at least $15 in the US, and the exchange rate, you could probably turn a donation of a couple of chickens here into a family sized flock in Mexico.

 

[LadyKotaDoria]

http://www.aphis.usda.gov/regulations/vs/iregs/animals/animal_mexico.shtml
---------------------------------

Mexico - Summary of Requirements

SPECIES - MOST RECENT UPDATE

The Exportation Of Live Animals To Mexico By Land Ports. (pdf 55kb)

Please Note:

All Health certificates for live animals and germplasm to Mexico must not contain any abbreviations. This includes, but is not limited to:

Dates: "January" is accepted while "Jan" is not.
States: Must be the entire word and not the two-letter abbreviation.
Ages: "Months" or "Year" is accepted while "yrs" and "mos" are not.

In addition, all health certificates must be type written, or done in word processor or computer. The number of the health certificate must be also type written or in a word processor or computer. Hand written documents will be rejected.

The Texas Department of Agriculture has informed that the Livestock Export Facility located in Del Rio, Texas, will be closed as of August 31, 2011. Livestock will be exported through this facility until August 19, 2011.

-------------------------

Poultry and Other Avian Species

Birds Protocol and Health Certificate - Includes all birds 3 days old or less (bilingual) -September 2010 (pdf 60kb)
Adult Gallinaceous Birds - protocol and health certificate - April 2010 - (pdf 140kb)
Hatching Eggs Protocol and Health Certificate - (bilingual) -June 2009 (pdf 65kb)
Specific Pathogen Free (SPF) Eggs - (Addendum-health certificate bilingual) - September 2006 (pdf 312kb)
Wild Birds for Breeding and Exhibition - July 2009 (pdf 47kb)
Please Note:

To export day-old chicks for reproduction and hatching eggs, West Nile Virus certification statement is not required.
The following complementary information is needed for shipments of chicks to Mexico.

1. When stating the inspection date on box 13 of VS FORM 17 - 6, please clarify that this is the inspection date of the flock of origin and not the inspection date of the chicks.
2. Specify the date hatching or the age of the chicks.

 

[Sheof3Angels]

Nice eggs!!!
It is best to store them pointed or small end down...the bigger end contains the air cell and if it is on top when stored, it is supposed to maintain the freshness/quality better and longer.

I did not know that either!!! Hmmm, Thanks for the heads up!!

 

[MaddBaggins]

Some of the girls have started to do something odd when we reach out to pet them. They crouch down, wings back (like if you were to cock back your elbows) and just sit there to be petted. I got all excited, I thought they were gonna drop an egg right in front of me.
Anybody know what that behavior indicates?

 

[MaddBaggins]

Another shocking development!!! So i went to check on my hen and her babies yesterday afternoon and counted all and plus one! Turns out its not a chicken! Its a quail!!!! He's a little itty bitty guy!! He seems to have either gotten lost or his mom died but my hen has accepted him!! He has been eating and drinking and sleeping along with his "siblings" Im just sooooo confused with this whole week.

That is so cool. Get pics!

 

[520farmer]

that's what my girls do when I go to catch them, just hunker down and wait to be picked up, I think it means your birds are used to being handled.

 

[Demosthine]

Some of the girls have started to do something odd when we reach out to pet them. They crouch down, wings back (like if you were to cock back your elbows) and just sit there to be petted. I got all excited, I thought they were gonna drop an egg right in front of me.
Anybody know what that behavior indicates?

I have no idea how true it is, but I was just reading in another thread that this is a sign that the hen is used to and ready to be mated. Supposedly, it is the position the hen takes when it's being mated, so that hen considers you the "rooster" of the flock and knows you are in charge. Only my Barred Rocks do it and only occasionally, so I'm definitely curious to hear what the experts say.

 

[Arizonachicken]

Some of the girls have started to do something odd when we reach out to pet them. They crouch down, wings back (like if you were to cock back your elbows) and just sit there to be petted. I got all excited, I thought they were gonna drop an egg right in front of me.
Anybody know what that behavior indicates?

 

Your hens should start laying soon. That's what they do for the rooster...if you know what I mean. . It's a sign that they are mature. Mine did that for me until I got a rooster. Now they don't squat for me, just the Roo.