Arizona Chickens

[City farm]

 
"Five to six birds will eat about 50 pounds of layer feed a month, with all the weeds, bugs and plate scrapings you can muster. So not very much really."  [COLOR=FF0000]Maryhysong[/COLOR]

[COLOR=006400]If you can be satisfied with smaller eggs,  I have read that bantams eat less and are still as productive as the standard size birds. Large eggs are nice but when you consider the feed the bigger birds eat maybe the bantams are not such a bad idea ?  I have both in my flock and have not decided to make any big changes yet.[/COLOR]

Leghorns also eat less and lay lots of big eggs. They are also great foragers and are the first to come running to "chick, chick".  A lot of people don't like them because they are flighty and not very personable but my Ideal 236 leghorns are some of my friendliest chickens and lay the biggest eggs.

Did you hand raise them? & are they easy to pick up?
Our first flock was easy to pick up.. But then as we added- subtracted we did not spend as much time handling them..so now
I really have to spend more time with them.. I like what showed us at the processing party. Hang them upside down
& let them get tired.. Only takes a few seconds..play with their wings & love on them. With the babies roll them in your hands like
dough.. The silkie she gave me love to br handled..

 

[City farm]

Good Morning

Another great photo!! I finally processed my RIR roo yesterday. He seemed pretty big when he was alive, but dressed out at only 3lbs. Smaller than I expected. He was 20 weeks old--still not crowing and I guess he had a lot of growing still to do. The silkie cockerel I had skinned, this guy I scalded and plucked. Wasn't too bad a process. He's brining now. Ordered some broiler chicks from the feed store, and I should be able to pick them up this weekend. My husband isn't going to be happy, but eh, I'm not sure why he cares. If anyone in Tucson wants some broilers, AZ Feed on Sunset and I-10 will have chicks on the 4th. Finished my garden sink/processing station, except for hooking the sink up to a hose and drain. That'll come later, for now I'll use the hose and a bucket underneath. I do wish I'd finished it before I'd done the rooster earlier in the day. The green board is covering up the sink...I've also got some hooks and eyelets to install on the overhang. My EE has laid 2 eggs now! In the nest box, both times. Love it. My chicken count is down to 6. I really want 2 more chickens, some of those EEs from MaryH are so tempting!! But 6 is a good number, just perfect.

X2!! Chris. What color are your eggs?

 

[Beckyhsinglsc]

Quote:
Did you hand raise them? & are they easy to pick up?
Our first flock was easy to pick up.. But then as we added- subtracted we did not spend as much time handling them..so now
I really have to spend more time with them.. I like what showed us at the processing party. Hang them upside down
& let them get tired.. Only takes a few seconds..play with their wings & love on them. With the babies roll them in your hands like
dough.. The silkie she gave me love to br handled..

We did hand raise them. They are easy to pick up but don't like it very much. They love to sit on my lap and follow me around, though. Their favorite person is my husband because he finds bugs for them. I have one leghorn that started to challenge me, but I just carried her around a lot and she's fine now. From my small sample, it seems like the ones with more spots are friendlier than the pure white or less spotted ones.

 

[pipemum]

CityFarm, she's laying light green eggs. So pretty.

 

[kpgoldstar]

Tina & Rosy (white Leghorn & Minorca that I think is a PBR) was able to get out of the brooder yesterday afternoon. They free ranged with the older chicks, well to day Tina left with the others, but cam back right a way, Tina & Rosy spent the day in the brooder and the safe pen.

I guess they figured it was to ruff out there, those big birds with sharp beaks.

On another note, I need to find out from experience what others do for their Turkens, on the back of Sylvia's head and part of her neck looked as if she had dry skin. I put Bag Balm on it. Is it dry skin, sun burn? What I have read is sun has no affect on their skin, such as sub burn. I know that dogs, cats, and pigs to name only a few will get sun burn when naked shin is exposed to the sun. When I put it on she didn't seem to mind at all, until the group started to move away, then she just wanted to join them.

How old are Tina & Rosy?

 

[Fuzzybird]

I have a couple of new friends! Never had Guinea's before. I fell in love with them when I saw them at Dales in Waddell. Named them Trill and Buzz. One is Lavender and one is the normal color. Anyone else have guineas?

 

[Twinklin]

I have a couple of new friends! Never had Guinea's before. I fell in love with them when I saw them at Dales in Waddell. Named them Trill and Buzz. One is Lavender and one is the normal color. Anyone else have guineas?

I love their stripey heads, So cute. I heard they're crazy loud like peafoul so I've never had them but they're very cool looking.

 

[LindaMurphy]

My neighbor has a guinea hen and she is one loud chicken. Louder than any rooster. She jumped into my yard and all the other chickens chased it away.

 

[Fuzzybird]

One of the things I readabout them is they are good with getting rid of bugs and it said ants also. Not sure about that but if they can control the ants then Yeepee!

 

[Twinklin]

I wish chickens ate ants. I'm so sick of my feet and legs being covered in bites every single day. I spread DE in the grass occasionally but it only helps for a few days. I pour boiling water on the hills when I find them but there's just no keeping up with them. We also have stupid fleas in our yard. I keep the girls dusted and the dog is treated but they still bite the crap out of me. I hate bugs, hate hate hate!!!