Arizona Chickens

[Gallo del Cielo]

More blessings from above..

Gorgeous! Then the awesome surprise when you click on the picture and enlarge it. I would have missed it had I not clicked on it.

 

[City farm]

 
They made me an admin on Tucson Clucks and it is the site that was posted in the article. I have been suggesting BYC because a lot of people have questions and this site has so many answers from experienced people. I am no expert but I do try to keep informed. I guess I need to read more forums here on BYC myself although I feel many of the hours of my day are spent lurking through all the forums....who knew there could be so much to learn about chickens? I mean we only throw food and water to them and eggs magically appear right? ok just kidding but seriously I have raised chickens off and on my whole life and I feel very uneducated compared to most of you. I think if I feel this way I can only imagine how a person feels that was raised in the city. Urban farming is a fad (we can only hope it lasts). I will continue to bring you whatever info I get or any questions I am asked. I know that they are asking for families with kids to do a interview with KVOA about the salmonella outbreak from the hatchery. They have this article posted all over FB    http://www1.kvoa.com/news/cdc-mail-order-chicks-infect-63-people/  
I think the timing of this article release is interesting in light of the upcoming meetings for urban farming in Tucson. 

First, I want to say thanks for your activism on this issue.  I very much appreciate what you're doing!  However, I would not call urban farming here in Tucson a fad.  In fact, we are only returning to the ways things were, at least here in my neighborhood.  I've had some great conversations with my neighbors, one who was the first to move into the neighborhood in 1947 and her daughter, who was born in 1964 and raised in the house across the street and then moved into the adjacent house as an adult.  They told me fantastic stories about how it seemed that nearly everyone in the neighborhood had chickens.   The daughter told me that all through the 60's and 70's the sounds of roosters crowing were a big part of the background noise growing up in the neighborhood.  Even though they never owned chickens, they loved that people were raising them again in the neighborhood as the sounds were very nostalgic.  They also really liked the eggs I gave them.  Too bad they moved to Santa Fe, its people just like them that need to tell their stories too.  I think folks have always had gardens and raised chickens in Tucson.  Sure, more and more people are raising food in the city again, more and more for reasons of food security.   Unfortunately, I don't think food security is a fad.

ETA: I live right in the center of Tucson, just east of Reid Park.

People that even have aloe vera & other cacti growing in their yard can be considered a garden. Just a different type of garden..

X2 on being thankful for people with great passion in living to keep eatable, sustaining and lovely areas all over Arizona

 

[LadyKotaDoria]

No, no, no, WAY!! For real!???
Go into more detail. Where was your crate at? How long had it been since you looked in there ? When did you put shavings in.. Huh!!
Are you just pulling our leg??

I have no idea how long she has been in there. I never see any quail in my back yard. She has banked up the shavings to hide better. I had been putting things on the shelf, trying to lump my stuff better, to sell, donate, or trash.

It is amazing. You can see the work she has done sense I found her.

 

[DesertChickens1]

For anyone that lives in Tucson and surrounding, the humane society on silverbell has about 15 chickens for adoption, they're $5 a piece just thought I would share and help them get some homes

 

[a little chiken]

First, I want to say thanks for your activism on this issue. I very much appreciate what you're doing! However, I would not call urban farming here in Tucson a fad. In fact, we are only returning to the ways things were, at least here in my neighborhood. I've had some great conversations with my neighbors, one who was the first to move into the neighborhood in 1947 and her daughter, who was born in 1964 and raised in the house across the street and then moved into the adjacent house as an adult. They told me fantastic stories about how it seemed that nearly everyone in the neighborhood had chickens. The daughter told me that all through the 60's and 70's the sounds of roosters crowing were a big part of the background noise growing up in the neighborhood. Even though they never owned chickens, they loved that people were raising them again in the neighborhood as the sounds were very nostalgic. They also really liked the eggs I gave them. Too bad they moved to Santa Fe, its people just like them that need to tell their stories too. I think folks have always had gardens and raised chickens in Tucson. Sure, more and more people are raising food in the city again, more and more for reasons of food security. Unfortunately, I don't think food security is a fad.

ETA: I live right in the center of Tucson, just east of Reid Park.

I don't mean it to sound negative if I came off that way about Urban farmers. I know that many people have been urban farming for generations and you are right the people that know what it is like to live near one should stand up and come forward. I guess I just see that the curve is definitely on an upward slope for new urban farmers. I was lucky to live on a farm almost all my life. I am hopeful that that urban farming is NOT a fad and that more people do realize that by raising your own food and or community food sharing helps to reduce food illnesses. I think if people realized that backyard and small scale farmers treat their livestock and plants better than any big AG ever could. We do it because we want to not because we have to. We are concerned with hygiene and bio-security and health risks that can be zoonotic.. I think it is important that we all work together to accomplish the results we are wanting. if there are so many people interested in Urban farming I do not understand why the city should refuse it. There are so many cities that are putting in community gardens and raising the limits of small farm animals allowed to be raised as back yard pets. They do this to help in areas where people do not have access to healthy fresh foods on a normal basis.

I also wanted to say I love the idea of a meet up and please let me know if you want to host another one and I am here to help if you would like. I would offer but it will have to be a few months out before we could do it here. I would love to meet all my new friends.

 

[desertmarcy]

Thanks for the welcome. Do you know anyone in Tucson who has blue Marans? I'm looking for some hatching eggs.

Hi, I'm a bit behind on this thread. If you frequent the Marans thread, you will learn that true blue Marans are rarer than hen's teeth. What most people, including me, have are blue copper Marans. The copper doesn't always show and they might look like blue Marans---but genetically the copper is there and they are considered blue copper. Hope this helps.

 

[Gallo del Cielo]

I don't mean it to sound negative if I came off that way about Urban farmers. I know that many people have been urban farming for generations and you are right the people that know what it is like to live near one should stand up and come forward. I guess I just see that the curve is definitely on an upward slope for new urban farmers. I was lucky to live on a farm almost all my life. I am hopeful that that urban farming is NOT a fad and that more people do realize that by raising your own food and or community food sharing helps to reduce food illnesses. I think if people realized that backyard and small scale farmers treat their livestock and plants better than any big AG ever could. We do it because we want to not because we have to. We are concerned with hygiene and bio-security and health risks that can be zoonotic.. I think it is important that we all work together to accomplish the results we are wanting. if there are so many people interested in Urban farming I do not understand why the city should refuse it. There are so many cities that are putting in community gardens and raising the limits of small farm animals allowed to be raised as back yard pets. They do this to help in areas where people do not have access to healthy fresh foods on a normal basis.

I also wanted to say I love the idea of a meet up and please let me know if you want to host another one and I am here to help if you would like. I would offer but it will have to be a few months out before we could do it here. I would love to meet all my new friends.

Oh, I didn't take you as being negative at all! I'm in complete agreement with you.

I was just giving a different perspective. Oh, and a number of us urban farmers grew up on rural farms and moved to the city for work.

Yeah, I have to think about a good time to fit in gathering. Things are going to be pretty busy around here over the next month or so.

 

[moms3cuties]

The first one was great fun!

I wish you could meet in the middle, I'm 2 hrs North of some of you,,, sniff sniff. :, (

 

[AZChiknGoddess]

Hi, I'm a bit behind on this thread. If you frequent the Marans thread, you will learn that true blue Marans are rarer than hen's teeth. What most people, including me, have are blue copper Marans. The copper doesn't always show and they might look like blue Marans---but genetically the copper is there and they are considered blue copper. Hope this helps.

I found a lady in Queen Creek who has Blue Marans. She says they are SOP but not show quality. Not sure what that means. She sent pics and they looked nice.

 

[LadyKotaDoria]

It seems "city's" are under false information and assumptions. They think if you have animals that are on the food source for predictors, we will be feeding and increasing the problem. They do not realize that, WE, as Urban farmers take more precautions to protect our animals. That, WE, if it is legal (or not) , we trap and remove dangers to our flocks and animals. They, the city, believes, we will multiply the rodent and insect problem. They do not know that chickens are top line Omnivores. Only when chickens are asleep are rodents safe, then we are out with traps, snap traps or live traps. We do not use poison, that can harness other animals. We do not want to feed rodents, we do not want to feed freeloaders ether. As in insects, they are not safe from chickens. We, are living close to our chicks and we do not want a build up of chicken guano. We use it in composting and recycle it, instead of buying it.

I read someplace that there was some one arguing against gardens. Don't remember much. Something about attracting birds and insects.

We all know about Victory Gardens, and the government advisers encouraging, 3 chickens in every yard, until having 3 chickens in every yard was hurting industry, why buy eggs when you have eggs. I suspect that may be the real argument against Urban Farming. Look at all the money we are not spending on factory production food, and GMO resource and new foods, if people do not buy, then no money to pay for the new genetically engineered food.

We all know the real price to raise a Cornish or an XC, if feed right, allowed to live the extra weeks to market, with NO growth hormones. $5.00 for a rotisserie chicken at Costco, in dirt cheep. We can not beat that price. As for eggs, we know what we pay, at best if we can avoid freeloaders. Free ranging varies by breed, and what we have for them to free range on in AZ. Eggs under $2.00 a dozen? No way. Non of us are saving money on Urban Farming. But we have many, many times healthier, better tasting, cleaner food. We could compete, but how wants to? As for nutrition, in reality, our food is cheaper then production. If you could measure all that our food provides for us. AND as an added benefit, we have exercise, entertainment, and for family a unifying center of the home environment.


I think I said enough... Rant over