Arizona Chickens

[notinoz2007]

howdy all. i have done a bit of rearranging of my priorities lately and recently rehomed 11 chickens. my mom has decided to follow suit (she decided to make space for chicks) and she would like to sell (cheap) her Blue Laced Red Wyandotte pair. to quote her "he is a very good rooster. gentle with the girls. good provider... tells them where the food is...likes when i talk to him and tell him how pretty he is. good home only please." i ordered the eggs from a byc BLRW breeder in Ohio. this pair was hatched together, raised together, have always been together and she wants them to go to the same home. We have never hatched any of their eggs so no idea how laced their chicks would be. they are both 1.5 years old and since her molt has dropped her egg production.
any interest please pm me.

 

[notinoz2007]

I'm soooo depressed!

Just found out that my three BCMS are all roos. Incidentally, they're not black but blue. I actually prefer the blue color but the roo thing makes me so sad. Now of course I'm sure that ALL my chicks are roos.

At five weeks they're too old for me to introduce new chicks to, right? They're just about to spend their first night in the coop tonight (with heat lamp and shelter.) I don't think I am ready to brood a bunch of babies in my bathtub again... UGH UGH UGH!

i'm so sorry to hear that, i lived in daily fear that my 2 precious brahma chicks are roosters. still too young to tell.
i also prefer blue over black. i bet they are pretty little things. i think (personal opinion here) if you wait til the new chicks are a tad bigger and can defend themselves they will do fine with the older ones i mix my age groups pretty often. they have to figure out their pecking order, then things are pretty tame.

 

[heidisue]

Great

I think it's good that you're thinking this through.  Here's my take on space; I think that you have to plan for the most restrictive scenario.  For example, we like to travel a lot which often means no one is here to let them out and put them up at night (and we usually don't have our house-sitter let them out).  So, we try to have enough space that even when confined for several weeks on end, they're O.K.  Right now it's about as crowded as ever with nine adult birds (very soon to be eight) in 200 square feet of combined run and coop space (~25 sq ft/bird).  

I think that it's so very helpful to have a completely enclosed run; one that is covered and as strong at defending attacks as your coop.  That way you don't have to worry about locking them up at night in the coop and letting them out to the run in the morning. 

Also, your free-ranging schedule is very likely to change over the time you have chickens either due to a change in jobs or the inevitable predator attack.  I used to free-range like you but once the coyotes found our property we had to stop.  I only let them out when I'm outside and even that is no guarantee, in the last attack the coyote jumped the wall and grabbed a hen right in front of me.  We got lucky in that we had three and a half good years of free-ranging before the coyotes found us and I was here to stop both attacks which surely limited the number of fatalities.  We got much luckier than most folks I know here in Tucson.  I think our 6' block wall helped because over the years we saw the coyotes take the less secluded and protected chickens in the neighborhood before they got around to discovering ours.  I can tell you, that after reading this entire thread and talking with lots of other chicken raisers here in southern AZ, it is only a matter of time before a dog, coyote or bobcat finds your flock.  Not that I'm advocating against free-ranging, because I do free-range, but once something like this happens, it has an impact on how you manage your flock.  I think it's worthwhile considering the impact when you're in the planning stages.

Great reply! I agree with planning for the most restrictive. I had a hawk and had to confine the girls for a while. Or, do you want to get somebody to let them in out if you go on vacation? Mine free range a lot, but still have a fully secure coop/run that they can stay in if need be. Personally I would stay around 10+ ft for that, but every flock is different!

 

[notinoz2007]

angelray (i think) what kind of brahmas do you have? those were some pretty interesting colors i noticed in the picture

 

[MandyFitch]

I posted photos in the BCMs thread. The local expert was 100% certain. So sad. I really believed one was a girl.

I got them from RedRocketRooster but I don't think she's hatching anymore. I should just wait until my silkies grow up and then buy some eggs for them to hatch for me. But with my luck all three silkies will be roos, too.

Feeling very dejected this evening, sorry!

 

[heidisue]

Thanks! It made me so happy, I danced around the house singing my own egg song all day yesterday. I think Onyxia is having a hard time coming to the realization that this egg laying thing is now a daily chore. I glanced over at her around 9:15 this morning and saw her vet was protruding a little, then she did a little kid pee pee dance and took off for the coop. She was in there for about 15 minutes and came back out and no egg. She's been in and out of there 2 more times since then. She seems upset that she's now a grown up and has other responsibilities besides playing in the dirt and looking for bugs.

My girls did a pee pee dance too, lol! It looked just like my three year old

 

[heidisue]

S

I posted photos in the BCMs thread.  The local expert was 100% certain.  So sad.  I really believed one was a girl. 

I got them from RedRocketRooster but I don't think she's hatching anymore.  I should just wait until my silkies grow up and then buy some eggs for them to hatch for me.  But with my luck all three silkies will be roos, too. 

Feeling very dejected this evening, sorry!

Sorry

 

[City farm]

whew. 8 boys off to freezer camp. Still need to do a final rinsing and cleaning, and go clean up outside, but I've been on my feet since 830. I didn't think to check the propane tank and of course ran out before I even really got started. So had to haul scalding water from the house. Averaged about 30 min a bird. figure I could shave that some if I have gas for the big outdoor burner to keep the water hot. Would also shave a lot of time off if I ever get a plucker.

What do you plan on making with the 8?
Your girls are frolicking about the run.. They are so beautiful I just love all of their
bearded feathers... I don't rememeber if I told you what we named them?
The darkest one Fiona.. The lightest one is foxy lady & the colorful one is
pretty girl.. I just love them, thank you so much for them...

 

[City farm]

I posted photos in the BCMs thread.  The local expert was 100% certain.  So sad.  I really believed one was a girl. 

I got them from RedRocketRooster but I don't think she's hatching anymore.  I should just wait until my silkies grow up and then buy some eggs for them to hatch for me.  But with my luck all three silkies will be roos, too. 

Feeling very dejected this evening, sorry!

Oh no that totally sucks! We got three chicks from her as well.. Did you
go in on that order from the hatchery ?? We did.. They are suppose to be
sexed..

She ended up getting rid of her whole flock.. H.O.A.!!! Told her no more chickens..

 

[maryhysong]

What do you plan on making with the 8?
Your girls are frolicking about the run.. They are so beautiful I just love all of their
bearded feathers... I don't rememeber if I told you what we named them?
The darkest one Fiona.. The lightest one is foxy lady & the colorful one is
pretty girl.. I just love them, thank you so much for them...

you're welcome. Glad they went to a good home. A couple of those boys plucked out pretty nice so I will leave them whole for roast chicken. Most of the others have so many feathers in the skin that I am going to end up skinning them and cutting into pieces. They will be all sorts of things, stir fry, chicken caccitore, ect.

I still have about 8 EE pullets left for sale; starting to lay pretty blue and green eggs