Arizona Chickens

[MaddBaggins]

HUH! Well! Not as good as you!!
I so wish you guys were our neighbors!

Someday maybe? I have decided to not attempt to do a brew.

I want to get more educated first, visit someone like you with experience..
On my listof things to do..
Still have not caught up on the Fourm. Boy it is moving fast with all the new
chicken lovers... Hope you posted about your birthday hike...

Brewing extract isn't difficult and the beer is pretty good. Don't be scared!.
The hike was great. I have no photo evidence, therefore it didn't really happen.

 

[Bobby Basham]

Hey everyone!
Brewing a hefeweizen right now after a long day at work.
The girls are all over the yard.
Classic rock mix kicking on the garage stereo.
Modus Hoperandi IPA in my glass.

Hope everyone is good!

Wow...speaking of garage stereos, I have a big ole honking Magnavox Astro-Sonic console stereo that I keep out in the garage. I love my LP's, radio and any auxilliary attachments that I add. I just sit out there beside it with my favorite beverage and watch the kids play in the street (culdesac, little traffic), and sit out there til way after dark when it's quiet and peaceful and give thanks for another beautiful day. There are about a half dozen more consoles and drum-table stereo units out there that need some work since older/vintage Electonics is one of my hobbies, and I usually fix em up and give them away to friends and coworkers.

Not to highjack this thread, but I need to work on a couple of units and give them away to anyone interested in older electronics. Here's just a sample of my collection, GE Stereo console with AM/FM/Phono/Reel-to-Reel...I just have too many.

On a chicken note, I am finding some neat kennels to keep my future chickens, and and Ace Hardware is carrying a variety of hardware cloth. I plan on moving that big Steelcase desk out of my office, move it to the garage and build a nice wooden brooder to sit on top of it, approximate 30" by 5 feet. Wood-framed with hardware cloth all around, and some clear plexi-glass up a few inches from the bottom to keep stuff from being kicked out and any direct drafts on them, plus the babies can see it eye level. Maybe have a removable dividing wall to scoot them over to one half while I clean the other.

Someone stated that they are less intimidated if you approach them at a lower level, because they look upward for predators. Add a bar stool and I can sit and interact with them better at that height, plus those desk drawers can be used for storage of any necessary medical/emergency items.

I usually plan months, months, months ahead before making a final commitment to any endeavor. Being an office worker and so paper-oriented, I think the planning is more fun before the actual building. That's just me. Either way, these gals will be spoiled rotten, and can't wait for some fresh eggs and companionship. My ideal number would be about six hens. --BobbyB



Of course, the top will be covered with chain-link or hardware cloth. To keep out those furry predators and pesky wild birds.

 

[MaddBaggins]

My garage stereo is a Sony iPod Dock. Decent sound for little speakers. I gave up on old school stereos. I really love the portability and massive capacity of digital music despite the fact that listening to vinyl has so much mojo.

 

[City farm]

 
Hi there! I am just a newbie too and got my first chicks, Rhode Island Reds on Monday, 4 of them. They were 2 weeks old. Welcome to the AZ thread! Everyone here is so friendly and helpful! So for everyone else out there, what is fermented feed?

The Natural Chicken Keeping blog is where that previous link got her information and it's a better reference than the one posted.  The process is extremely simple and is great for your flock.  I've been doing mine for coming up on a year now and could not be happier.  Unlike the dry feed, they will "act" hungry at all times.  For some reason, it's like chicken crack.  You think they go crazy of scratch?  It does nothing compared to fermented feed.  So just a warning, many of us start referring to them as little velociraptors the way they act.

Yes, it will reduce your feed costs because the feed expands to about 2 1/2 times it's original size and the nutrients are more readily available.  Just take a bunch of feed, throw it in a five gallon bucket, cover it generously with water and stir it every day.  Make sure there is ample air circulation (no closed lids) or you can start developing a mold problem.  Once it starts bubbling or forming a "film" on top, you'll know it's fermenting and going well.  Top off the feed and water daily with non-chlorinated water and you're done.  Unpasteurized apple cider vinegar is not necessary at all, nor is any other starter culture.

One other question...do I leave some feed in for the next batch?
I did start it with the brags apple cider.. Since we have it... Is it a
quicker time for it to be ready for them with the brags? 2-3 days?
Can't wait thanks.. I decided that I will hand feed them.. That way
the ones that are afraid, I am hoping they will become calm when
I need to pick them up..

 

[kpgoldstar]

The Natural Chicken Keeping blog is where that previous link got her information and it's a better reference than the one posted. The process is extremely simple and is great for your flock. I've been doing mine for coming up on a year now and could not be happier. Unlike the dry feed, they will "act" hungry at all times. For some reason, it's like chicken crack. You think they go crazy of scratch? It does nothing compared to fermented feed. So just a warning, many of us start referring to them as little velociraptors the way they act.

Yes, it will reduce your feed costs because the feed expands to about 2 1/2 times it's original size and the nutrients are more readily available. Just take a bunch of feed, throw it in a five gallon bucket, cover it generously with water and stir it every day. Make sure there is ample air circulation (no closed lids) or you can start developing a mold problem. Once it starts bubbling or forming a "film" on top, you'll know it's fermenting and going well. Top off the feed and water daily with non-chlorinated water and you're done. Unpasteurized apple cider vinegar is not necessary at all, nor is any other starter culture.

My city website shows chlorine levels are .2 to 1.0 ppm. Anyone know how that converts to mg/L. I also have RO water but I am not good at changing out the filters. I just read the NCK blog and am starting my fermented feed today!

 

[jbolt]

Hi everyone, I am looking for a Spangled Russian Orloff Rooster or young cockerel. I'm willing to pay a bit for him just not over 25$ unless he's a show winning prodigy LOL. If anyone has one they're willing to part with, please let me know. I have 5 young ladies and no roo.....

 

[MagicChicken]

Hi folks...so sad. I had to cull my first chicken tonight. It was the crossed beak chick I have been posting about. She was not getting any better & appeared weak tonight, so I did it. I hope its easier to do full grown birds. That **** near broke my heart!! I also vow to buy special tools (not my husband well used items) and have them ready for this awful part of chicken raising. RIP...Aunt Chilada

HUGS!

It gets easier over time but for me there is always an element of sadness. Be glad there is sadness - it shows respect for the animal whose life you have to take.

Culling sick birds and chicks with deformities is not as hard for me as having to kill healthy young birds - especially healthy young cockerels that have so much hope and promise, but can't be kept for various reasons. Older birds have had longer to live and enjoy life. Better they should live a long time and die healthy, while they can still contribute to the family (as dinner).

If you learn some really good chicken recipes it helps. At least you can turn a sad event into a happy dinner.

 

[mckenzy]

How old is too old to cull and eat an egg laying hen? Just curious.

 

[City farm]

On the 2nd photo. The hen in the middle with a black tail

That's Tea my Welsummer. I think she's just gorgeous. But the stubborn witch won't lay me an egg. She's only 22 weeks but I thought she'd be first because she started getting a red comb before the others but then it stopped growing and Onyxia ended up being first, then Tea squatted once and I thought she'd be second to lay but within 2 days of Tea's squat Phillie started laying. Tea hasn't squatted for me since, I think the first time she may just have been startled or something and fooled me into thinking she was close. In other news Lil' Phillie laid her second egg today. She skipped yesterday but she was already in the box when I went out in the morning to feed them around 8am. She got out to eat and then went back in and gave me an egg by 8:30. We had our first weekend breakfast of home grown eggs. I have eaten a few during the last week since we got our first one but on the weekends I always make pancakes or eggs or something for both my boyfriend and I. We waited until today to do it so we'd have enough eggs. I actually had the pan heating up while Ony was in the box poppin' one out at 10am to finish off the meal. We had 7 pullet eggs made into scramblers with some left over tater tots. I was so proud.

Yeah I thought she might be, except her body & wings are lighter.. So she could be a mix? She was a free be...

 

[Twinklin]

Yeah I thought she might be, except her body & wings are lighter.. So she could be a
mix? She was a free be...

Tea is a feed store Welly so she's probably not the breed standard and might have a little something else in there down the line too, never know with those hatchery birds. All I know is she's a beautiful, squawky, pain in the butt so I love her.