Arizona Chickens

[a little chiken]

So any suggestions on how old my pullets should be to add them to the large laying coop? and how to add them so they wont be tortured from my adult hens? I tried adding three 4 month old Turkens to my coop at night as was suggested to me. They ended up killing one and beating up the other two

. I was so mad at myself. I thought I had done everything right.
I have two coops currently one for my chicks up to 4 months and my layer coop. I added adult silkies to my chick coop and other than chasing my poor turkens that have healed from their previous horrible experience they don't seem to bother my chicks. They do chase and pluck tail feathers from my turkens.

Any help would be appreciated as I really want my large coop to be all my ameraucanas and my other breeds can mix in my other coop.

 

[a little chiken]

One more note: I've been trying the pin-prick method for hard boiling fresh eggs. Seems to work. I use a thumb tack to poke a tiny hole in the bottom of the egg, trying not to poke through the inner membrane, which is surprisingly easier than it seems. I've only pricked through one membrane. I drop the eggs in boiling water for 10-12 minutes, and then they go immediately in ice water. So far, all the eggs have been easy to peel, even the ones laid on the same days as boiling. I don't add anything to the water--no salt, no oil...just water.

I saw to bake them in a muffin tin to make them easier to peel but I have not tried it yet. I might have to try the pin prick idea. thx.

 

[Gallo del Cielo]

So any suggestions on how old my pullets should be to add them to the large laying coop? and how to add them so they wont be tortured from my adult hens? I tried adding three 4 month old Turkens to my coop at night as was suggested to me. They ended up killing one and beating up the other two

. I was so mad at myself. I thought I had done everything right.
I have two coops currently one for my chicks up to 4 months and my layer coop. I added adult silkies to my chick coop and other than chasing my poor turkens that have healed from their previous horrible experience they don't seem to bother my chicks. They do chase and pluck tail feathers from my turkens.

Any help would be appreciated as I really want my large coop to be all my ameraucanas and my other breeds can mix in my other coop.

Here is a good place to start reading about adding new chickens to the flock.

 

[Gallo del Cielo]

One more note: I've been trying the pin-prick method for hard boiling fresh eggs. Seems to work. I use a thumb tack to poke a tiny hole in the bottom of the egg, trying not to poke through the inner membrane, which is surprisingly easier than it seems. I've only pricked through one membrane. I drop the eggs in boiling water for 10-12 minutes, and then they go immediately in ice water. So far, all the eggs have been easy to peel, even the ones laid on the same days as boiling. I don't add anything to the water--no salt, no oil...just water.

If you have a pressure cooker, try using it. I finally tried pressure cooking the eggs as suggested by @AZKat and it is amazing! I'll never boil them any other way again. They are the easiest peeling boiled eggs I've ever made.

 

[Macboat]

I saw to bake them in a muffin tin to make them easier to peel but I have not tried it yet. I might have to try the pin prick idea. thx.

What I did is when it's warm and sunny outside, which always is in Arizona, put yong babies with adults, supervised. Take them indoors at night. It's easier for adults to accept baby chicks.

If above don't work, put babies in a dog crate or separated enclosure let them "mingle" for 2 weeks see what happens. (I got lucky with first method so I haven't tried this yet. )

 

[LindaMurphy]

I move mine to a cage within the coop once they have regular feathers and are at least half the size of the others. The others get to know them through the cage. I then start letting them out to free range after I have fed the others and they have gone out to free range. The little guys pretty much stay together down by the coop and the others are out there doing their thing. The little ones seem to work their way up the yard, closer and closer as the days go on. I let them put themselves in as the sun sets. The little ones seem to work their way in to the roosting chickens little by little every night. In the mean time my two youngsters have each other. They are almost there now. My blind eye Americana is the most tolerant. I do watch over the process when I have the littler ones out. I only let them out when I am there to watch that the others don't bully them. I see them bothering the others I give them a scoot with my cane. They eventually figure it out.

 

[65browneyes]

I saw to bake them in a muffin tin to make them easier to peel but I have not tried it yet. I might have to try the pin prick idea. thx.

There is an amazing thread on here about boiling fresh eggs. The method described works perfectly every time.

Bring your eggs to room temperature, get your water boiling. Lower your room temperature (very important) eggs slowly into the boiling water. Boil for 18 to 20 minutes. Pour off the boiling water and cover with cold water, dumping and covering with cold water until the eggs are cool enough to handle. They'll peel easily and you'll be proud to display your gorgeous "deviled" eggs on your table. Your yolks are NOT green, they're a beautiful yellow, cooked to perfection. Try it once, you'll be a believer, too.

 

[AZKat]

Thanks for the update, Gallo! I'm glad that pressure cooking the eggs worked well for you. For those who missed it, you pop the eggs into the pressure cooker for six minutes at six pounds of pressure. Wait until the pressure releases naturally and the peel will slide off.


Demo: unfortunately my camera isn't working, so I can't post pics of the baby rabbits. I processed two of the males. They tasted fine, but the mature buck only dressed out at two pounds and the younger one at just over a pound. If you do decide to raise rabbits again, you might want to rethink your management plan. The bucks were very thin and lean, and the does needed worming.

 

[City farm]

I've read some of the bresse chicken threads.  I'm gonna guess taste difference between chickens is usually due to management differences...like food, housing, etc.  Not because one type of chicken is inherently more tasty than another.  Following the bresse protocol, aren't the birds pastured for a certain amount of time, and then caged and feed a diet of milk and grains?  I'm sure that affects taste...kinda like the pampered kobe cattle routine?  Probably not the bird, but the management of the bird-- though certainly, you can't get that kind of meat out of a leghorn, haha!  

Taking a cue from the bresse technique, just last week did mix in a bit of cream into every evening feed for my meaties for a week before I slaughtered one.  Happened to be the best CX yet.  Two more CX and 7 brahmas to go.  I think I will continue to mix in dairy in one feed per day for a week or two before butcher.  The brahmas (these were the packing peanuts that came with my CX order) are ridiculous, as far as meat birds go.  The feed they'll go through before they are ready to butcher--I could raise 2 more batches of 10 CX in that time for the same amount of feed.  Oh well, lesson learned.  I'll have to find something else to do with peanuts (give them away?), if I raise more CX in the fall.  Can I request the hatchery NOT to send peanuts? 

I posted a few days ago that my EE was egg-bound.  I guess she wasn't.  Still no eggs from her--she'd been laying almost daily for a few weeks--but whatever it was, she's back to normal--minus the daily egg. 

It's time for the little polish/silkie bantam to get integrated back into the layer coop, but the layers are horrible to her.  She wasn't pecked on before she left to raise these meaties, but it's downright nasty what they are doing to her now.  They go out of their way to chase her down.  

What is CX stand for?

 

[Angelray]

Hi AZ peeps!! I am rehoming a rooster to CA and need a USPS approved shipping box, but I am low on funds already (and as usual). I was wondering if any1 has an old box that can be reused or is willing to part with one of their shipping boxes/crates for a nominal charge (unlike the $30 I found online). I am in desperate need to get this guy on the way to his new home ASAP!!

Thanks all for listening.