Arizona Chickens

[LindaMurphy]

I have had my losses from the coyotes. The only thing that seems to work here is a big dog. My chickens love my dog. They lay around him under a bush to stay cool and stay safe. He stays out at night even though I lock them up at night. I think he knows that his job is to protect my girls. He gets payed back by getting fresh eggs in his dog food. He loves them as much as we do. The 3 times I have lost chickens and ducks is when my dog was not in the yard to protect them. I have learned to leave my dog at home when we leave. We use to take him with us when we went anywhere but unfortunately he needs to stay home to protect the girls. We are almost done with our new larger coop that we can lock them up in if we need to go anywhere. We usually let them free range. I HATE the **** coyotes. You can not let your guard down EVER!!!

 

[City farm]

Hi guys,
   I have not been to this forum recently. I am really enjoying all of your guys' garden pictures and those silkies are so pretty. I don't have chickens anymore, just my peafowl but I like seeing the stories of other peoples chickens. Makes me miss mine.

Will you post photos of your peafowl ? How old is he/she?

 

[City farm]

Sad day over here.  Spent the entire weekend outside with the chickens,  rabbits and our 14 y.o. collie/shephard mix.  She has been declining over the past week as if she is displaying some alzheimers symptoms. (or something like that)  She is completely "present" for a while and then seems to get lost and starts meandering around and doesn't respond to our voices.  Well, today she passed.  It is a blessing to have had her as long as we have.  I got to groom her this weekend and she loved it.  She was outside with me all day both days.  I sensed something was eminent, so last night I took the time to love on her and tell her if it's her time it's OK.  When I left for work this morning, she was snoring away.  My husband called me at work around 10:15 to tell me she had passed away.  One minute I am smiling and even laughing from some of our favorite memories of her.  The next I am crying like a baby because she is not under foot.  She has been our constant companion and happily greeted us daily for almost 14 years.  I guess this is our new normal.  Thanks for letting me share.   

Glad that you shared!! Condolences from us..

 

[City farm]

Within the last 3 1/2 months I've lost my beautiful and sweet rooster, Henry and one of my hens who laid jumbo eggs all the time.  Then one evening, while sitting on the couch, my beautiful full blooded collie of 7 years just fell over dead.  What a shock and great despair.  He was such a gentle soul.  Even the chickens were not afraid of him.  Just couldn't believe it.  I tried CPR but it was too late.  He died in an instant.  Unknown why.  No medical problems except a little arthritis in his back but nothing life threatening.  Very, very sad.  Miss him terribly.  Henry, my rooster is the one on my avatar.

So sad, that is tragic when it happens right in front of you..
condolences from us..

 

[Gallo del Cielo]

Interesting. I trail run early mornings and hear coyotes around me frequently. Just doing their thing, not threatening me or anything, usually running away from me. I've never once been threatened or felt the least bit intimidated (except when a pack is full on calling out...all those yips and yowls and barks sometimes sound like babies crying and weird stuff going on and gives me the willies). I don't take a dog out with me though I feel safer with one (safer from humans) I worry that he/she might be attacked (coyotes, not humans, lol). Me, I kinda laugh at the image of a coyote attacking big ol' me, seems preposterous, but maybe I should get a little thing of pepper spray for my runs...and feel safer from random human lurker and aggressive coyote. From what I've observed, my neighborhood is at 3/4 on the escalation list posted.

LKD, I'll check into the legality of using electric wire on the fence. I won't have to go far for the answer.

Yeah, coyote attacks on humans are really rare and I don't think we're one bit at risk here in Tucson from them. The other cretins out there might require pepper spray. But the directionality of the increase in their comfort with humans makes you wonder how far we'll have to go to protect our chickens. Our chickens are certainly at greater risk, especially as the information to hunt and capture them is culturally transmitted through across generations. The paper I cited earlier indicated that the greatest sources of food for suburban coyotes were pets and poultry.

Oh, just 15 minutes ago we were driving down my street and there, just a block away was a coyote casually walking down the street. I yelled at it and it moved off into a neighbor's yard, stared at us for a few seconds and continued on.

 

[Gallo del Cielo]

Hi All! Did you miss me? I have some very hopeful news to share.

There is a new Bill in Arizona which would make it possible for anyone, in any Town or City within Arizona to raise chickens.

Every Town or City could limit the number of chickens, and decide whether roosters would be allowed - but they would be prohibited from making it impossible to keep at least hens.

This is SB1151
Fowl Regulation - Prohibition
Nicknamed: Homegrown Freedom Act

Sponsored by Senator David Farnsworth (R) Mesa
Co-Sponsored by 21 other members of House and Senate

PLEASE HELP!

Facebook group Backyard Farmers United is driving this. Please ask to join, like the page, there are downloads with links to our Senators and House Members with their contact information. I personally have called every one of the co-sponsors to thank them for their support and have found it to be a very uplifting and enjoyable experience.

I am now calling the non-supporters.

HOW MANY OF YOU REMEMBER WHEN I GOT DE-CHICKENED? How many others do we all know who have been denied the right to produce eggs in their own backyard? Let's help each other get back on track.

I have missed you guys very much, but it made me sad to stay on BYC when I was deprived of my beautiful chookies. I'd like to come back.

Meg
The MacLevinson
[email protected]
480 560-0331

AKA "McFly"

Hey Meg, it's so great to see you back!

I'm not on Facebook, but I'll get my wife to look up the info and I'll send some emails out.

 

[Gallo del Cielo]

gallo del cielo sweet potato greens are wonderful. Another win win plant, you have the sweet potato and the levels. They are not related to potato's or the nightshade family.
Quote......
NutritionData's
Opinion loss:
Optimum health:
Weight gain:
The good: This food is low in Saturated Fat, and very low in Cholesterol. It is also a good source of Vitamin E (Alpha Tocopherol), Niacin and Phosphorus, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin K, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Magnesium, Potassium and Manganese.

The bad: This food is very high in Sodium, and a large portion of the calories in this food come from sugars.

We though food away that is eaten in other country's..... Partly because we do not know and largely because we eat only pretty looking food and food with a pretty name.

I know huh? We don't eat them as often as we'd like and it's one of the last root vegetables we still eat because of the sugar content.

 

[mclevinson]

Hey Meg, it's so great to see you back!  e

I'm not on Facebook, but I'll get my wife to look up the info and I'll send some emails out.  

Thank you Gallo! Every voice helps!

 

[mclevinson]

Now I need to go look up all about the sweet potato vines. I had no idea the leaves are edible!

 

[SunBaked]

Welcome back, it's good to see you! Do you still have your pheasants?

Thank you, I was hoping for ideas on plants, hopefully vines, that would grow okay here and are not toxic. I want to have my aviary's covered with some climbing vines. I will be adding some sweet potatoes to the list I think. Would they climb the fence or would they be okay tied up up to it? Thank you for the idea. Yep, I still have my pair of silver pheasants. They have such awesome personalities.

Quote:
Sure I will post some pictures. I have 11 pea's at the moment that range in age from 1 to 7. I have 3 peacocks and the rest are peahens.


Atticus, my hand raised boy when he was a year and 1/2 old. Atticus when he was just a little fellow.


Atticus showing off his first eye feather. Atticus and one of his girlfriends The Morrigan.


Raja, Atticus's dad. Raja and Mamma Jane


Mamma Jane sitting on eggs. Kumar and Kumari