Arizona Chickens

[LadyKotaDoria]

Sill:my Cecil Brunner was facing west, full sun and did fine. Water and drainage is important. It had its start in the winter/spring, that may have contributed to its success. Getting rooted and started, providing its own shade sort of.

 

[City farm]

One of our broody hens is sitting on eggs again. If anybody has any fertile eggs they want us to hatch out & let the hen raised for them for a bit. private message Us

 

[City farm]

[COLOR=0000FF]Bon Voyage BYC AZ Seed Box! [/COLOR] I just met a little chiken and her husband and had a lovely chat. They're taking the seed box to Phoenix tomorrow. I pulled together a big pile from stuff I grew (and some I bought) and the box is almost full! Start gathering your seeds.

How awesome! I got stuff to add too. Are we going to need a bigger box? So is there growing information inside each of the bags of seeds?

Yeah, I think it's fun! This is the second time around the state. I put in all of my expired, about to expire and duplicate seed packages that I've accumulated. Most of those are heirloom seeds from places like Native Seed Search, Southern Exposure Seed Exchange and Seeds of Change. I think there are well over a hundred of those. Personally, I'm interested in seeds from plants that other people like to grow. The only home-grown seeds in the box when it made it back here last time was a package of marigold seeds (which look lovely around my run, BTW). I think that was, in part, because people didn't have enough advance warning to collect extra seeds. I didn't have enough time to add any extra growing information this time, but if anyone has any questions at all, just ask and I'll relay what I know. I hope we do need a bigger box, or at least a second box.

I will put in some seeds for sure

 

[City farm]

Well, I had a whole new experience with the chicks that I'm fostering tonight.  They went through the entire hopper of feed today.  As in I filled it this morning and it was gone when I got home at 2200 Hours.  I went to handle the chicks some, since they are the most flighty ones I've ever dealt with, and noticed something strange in the bottom of the hopper.  I was thinking the feed got stuck somehow and failed to fill the bowl at the bottom.  When I went to clear it out, it was soft and started to move.  One of the little fluffy butts crawled UP the feed hopper and got stuck!  I had to pull a whole lot harder than I wanted to, in order to get him out, but he appears to be doing fine.  Just when you thought you've seen it all...

Unfortunately, it's too dark there to get any type of picture.

What breed? Hay, ya see my golden feathers? Looks cool huh, thanks for that

 

[desertmarcy]

I'm cooler than the valley so I never really have an issue with my roses.

For feed ordering; every time you open a bag of something write it on the calender. Right now I go through a bag of layer and a bag of chick a week but by the end of June I'm sure the chick will be up to a bag every four days like last year, but this helps me estimate pretty well. Also I always shoot to have an extra bag in case the delivery is delayed. I just pull it out when the new feed comes in and put it on top to be used first.

I am my own feed co-op, ha ha! I order my organic feed direct from Modesto Milling. It is delivered right to my back yard. With all the growing chicks, it is hard this time of year to calculate, even though I keep a list. I just ordered two more pallets of feed. That is 100 bags, or 5000 lbs of feed. I figure it will last me 2-3 months. We just butchered about 50 young cockerels. I was afraid I'd run out of chick starter before the order comes. With that many less mouths to feed, hopefully will not run out. Every Monday I count how many bags I have left of each type of feed, then subtract from the previous week to tell me how much I'm going through every week. Just sold 6 Barred Rock chicks this morning--some more mouths down. This year's hatch are going through a bag a day.

 

[Demosthine]

What breed? Hay, ya see my golden feathers? Looks cool huh, thanks for that

They are the Aloha chicks from Sommer. Their cheuffer should be here tonight to drive them to Tucson.

I did see the Golden Feather badge and it looks great. They accidentally added it to my account, so I had it corrected. Add your BYC Friend badge and you look all sorts of official.

 

[City farm]

I'm really worried about my little grey girl.  She's still getting picked on.  I've separated her, separated the bullies...they come back together and she still gets harassed.  She's actually starting to lose weight.  She sleeps alone on a perch outside of the coop, poor thing.    It's 3 hens that are bullying her...the worst is the marans, but the 2 barred rocks are also in on it.  I don't want to start over with a new flock--I have 5 hens, so getting rid of 3 is a big deal.  I don't want to give away grey girl either.  I'm not really sure what to do.  This has been going on for at least 6 weeks and doesn't seem to be getting better. 

I processed two of the cockerels last night.  4 left.  These dudes had testes the size of their hearts.    I woke in a panic at 1am thinking, "omg, what if those were kidneys and they are enlarged from lack of water????"  (I obviously have issues with those water cups,lol).  I had to rush to the computer to google I had the body parts correct.  Yep, huge balls. 

We're they extra mean? Aggressive ??

 

[mom-to-5]

Our eggs all hatched and we have one confirmed roo.
It's a welsummer from BYC member chick inn....
Sorry for the picture quality, he was not holding still and not fully fuzzed out.
He was born today 5/16
He's free if anyone wants him.
I'm in Mesa but can meet you if it's not too far.
PM if your interested.

 

[maryhysong]

I am my own feed co-op, ha ha! I order my organic feed direct from Modesto Milling. It is delivered right to my back yard. With all the growing chicks, it is hard this time of year to calculate, even though I keep a list. I just ordered two more pallets of feed. That is 100 bags, or 5000 lbs of feed. I figure it will last me 2-3 months. We just butchered about 50 young cockerels. I was afraid I'd run out of chick starter before the order comes. With that many less mouths to feed, hopefully will not run out. Every Monday I count how many bags I have left of each type of feed, then subtract from the previous week to tell me how much I'm going through every week. Just sold 6 Barred Rock chicks this morning--some more mouths down. This year's hatch are going through a bag a day.

wowsers Marcy a bag a day! I thought I had it bad last year with a bag every four days! You are right it is hard to keep track when you are feeding a lot of chicks. Right now I'm real close to a bag of chick feed a week, figured by the end of June it will probably be doubled so ordered accordingly. A lot easier to calculate for the layers because there is not much change there most months.

I actually hope that I can have all the first round culls out of here by the end of June and be sorting out for the second round. The hardest part is having so many different age groups. I hatched weekly during Feb, March, until mid April and most groups are a week apart, still I have 6 pens of chicks and now the oldest boys are getting bossy and need to be separated. But I have a new hoop coop about half finished to sort out two groups of boys into, so the girls will have more space. As soon as it's finished I need to work on some perimeter fencing, then will add onto that coop, when finished will be just under 7 feet wide, about 6 1/2 feet tall and about 32 feet long, divided into four sections.

Picked up my Maremma pup last weekend; he's a hoot, very smart but can already see the stubborn streak coming. But I have forgotten how much work babies are; can't take my eyes off him for a minute! There are pics of him and the new coop up on my blog.

 

[desertmarcy]

wowsers Marcy a bag a day! I thought I had it bad last year with a bag every four days! You are right it is hard to keep track when you are feeding a lot of chicks. Right now I'm real close to a bag of chick feed a week, figured by the end of June it will probably be doubled so ordered accordingly. A lot easier to calculate for the layers because there is not much change there most months.

I actually hope that I can have all the first round culls out of here by the end of June and be sorting out for the second round. The hardest part is having so many different age groups. I hatched weekly during Feb, March, until mid April and most groups are a week apart, still I have 6 pens of chicks and now the oldest boys are getting bossy and need to be separated. But I have a new hoop coop about half finished to sort out two groups of boys into, so the girls will have more space. As soon as it's finished I need to work on some perimeter fencing, then will add onto that coop, when finished will be just under 7 feet wide, about 6 1/2 feet tall and about 32 feet long, divided into four sections.

Picked up my Maremma pup last weekend; he's a hoot, very smart but can already see the stubborn streak coming. But I have forgotten how much work babies are; can't take my eyes off him for a minute! There are pics of him and the new coop up on my blog.

Yes, a bag a day, but that is just for the chicks! Turkeys and roosters go through 2 bags a week, layers about 4 bags a week. So I guess 2 bags a day total or something like that.

I have often considered a livestock guardian dog, but I know I just don't have the time to train one. Plus Victor is not a dog person. You are right, you have to watch them all the time.

I need more chick grow out pens. Not sure how I can accomplish it though. I think I have come down with Valley Fever. Dry cough and fatigue plus all the time I spend working outside on windy days, it just fits. Doesn't make sense to see a doc, he would just tell me what I already know.