Arizona Chickens

[Gallo del Cielo]

@Sill It's such a leap of faith to make such a cut. I have a few so I really won't be out much if I lose one to cutting. I wonder how well it would root in the aquaponics system? Most everything I've tried rooting there has done well.

Thankfully we don't have any snails here at this house. Are they decollate or brown garden snails? We're pretty organic here too.

That's weird that that you never got hornworms on your devil's claw. They were like a magnate for them here. Get your hands on some Nichols tomato seeds from Native Seed Search, they do much better than most varieties during the worst of our heat. We have a couple volunteers that are going wickedly strong now and producing all that we can eat. Were there any of those in the seed box? The punta banda tomatoes also produce well in our heat, but not as well for us as the Nichols have this year.

I never tried growing panic grass. I read that tortoises like it so we're going to give it a try.

 

[Sill]

@Sill It's such a leap of faith to make such a cut. I have a few so I really won't be out much if I lose one to cutting. I wonder how well it would root in the aquaponics system? Most everything I've tried rooting there has done well.

Thankfully we don't have any snails here at this house. Are they decollate or brown garden snails? We're pretty organic here too.

That's weird that that you never got hornworms on your devil's claw. They were like a magnate for them here. Get your hands on some Nichols tomato seeds from Native Seed Search, they do much better than most varieties during the worst of our heat. We have a couple volunteers that are going wickedly strong now and producing all that we can eat. Were there any of those in the seed box? The punta banda tomatoes also produce well in our heat, but not as well for us as the Nichols have this year.

I never tried growing panic grass. I read that tortoises like it so we're going to give it a try.

Yeah I just got to do it and make the cut. I'll read up on starting the cutting first. I wish our aquaponics system was up and running but we are still working on it. Currently digging to bury the sump tank.

I think our snails are decollate, and we also have a tiny disk shaped type but those don't eat much.

I think I only had two hornworms on the devil's claw last year so there must be much tastier stuff to be had.

The tortoises do love the panic grass! That was why I grew it, but they ate it down to nothing so I had no seeds to save. I need to grow some where the tortoises can't get to it so I can save seeds for other years.

 

[carnivore]

It might have been birds but I'm sure it was snails.  They have been a scourge in my garden.  I do strictly organic so no poisons.  Baits only work so well and I usually hand pick them.  I can tell when I let them go too long, I get my plants eaten.

I don't know what kind of snails they were where I lived in California, big brown ones. California "escargot"! I do know my little brother would troll the neighborhood with his little red wagon, and would fill it up with snails in less than half an hour. Took the wagon out in the backyard where we had 4 or 5 Pekin ducks. It was kind of disgusting how fast the ducks could clean out that wagon! (Don't stand too close, or you'd get splattered with snail juice)!

 

[Gallo del Cielo]

I don't know what kind of snails they were where I lived in California, big brown ones. California "escargot"! I do know my little brother would troll the neighborhood with his little red wagon, and would fill it up with snails in less than half an hour. Took the wagon out in the backyard where we had 4 or 5 Pekin ducks. It was kind of disgusting how fast the ducks could clean out that wagon! (Don't stand too close, or you'd get splattered with snail juice)!

You know what, I'll bet those were escargot! Helix aspersa (brown garden snail) were brought over during the gold rush and spread everywhere. They are here in Tucson, Mesquite Valley Growers is crawling with them. I'd guess Phoenix has them too. If I had a bunch, I'd eat them, they were dang good when I used to get them in New Orleans. Wonder why they never caught on here? I'm reminded of how delicious crawfish are in the deep south and everyone gets excited when crawfish season comes along, but most of us in growing up in MI would have never imagined eating them. Again, dang good stuff. I'll bet it was hilarious watching the ducks tear into those snails!


It's raining cats and dogs out there!

 

[carnivore]

You know what, I'll bet those were escargot!  Helix aspersa (brown garden snail) were brought over during the gold rush and spread everywhere.  They are here in Tucson, Mesquite Valley Growers is crawling with them.  I'd guess Phoenix has them too.  If I had a bunch, I'd eat them, they were dang good when I used to get them in New Orleans.  Wonder why they never caught on here?   I'm reminded of how delicious crawfish are in the deep south and everyone gets excited when crawfish season comes along, but most of us in growing up in MI would have never imagined eating them.  Again, dang good stuff.  I'll bet it was hilarious watching the ducks tear into those snails!


It's raining cats and dogs out there!  

Well, maybe so. I've never seen them around here, figured it was too hot or too dry, or both. My point is, there are "organic" methods of dealing with snails that are extremely effective. Turn your chickens loose on the bugs, and your ducks on the snails! I wonder if guineas would eat them? Probably so.

So, did you Phoenicians get any rain? The storm blew through the north county around 6:30 and headed north, but then circled around and came back at about 11.

 

[chicksurreal]

Great to see! Something ate my moringa seedlings I got from the seed exchange seeds.

It also got my luffas and blue potatoes. I'm not a happy gardener.

Oh no! Gardening can be frustrating. We had last years garden decimated by some kind of small striped beetle that ate everything right down to the ground in one day. There were thousands of them.

I ordered my Moringa seeds from Whatcom Seed Company and have tons of them. I'll send you some if you want them. Just PM your address and I'll send them to you.

 

[chicksurreal]

Nice! I managed to keep a few moringas alive that I planted late last winter. Most of the ones I planted in the ground died.

There is one exception that is doing well in the ground and it is almost as tall as me. The moringa trees I kept in pots are doing very well. One is probably about 8' tall now. I did some reading that suggested they should be cut off at about 1m height once they reach 2m tall. Has anyone done this? Seems like such a brutal thing to do but apparently it makes them bushier rather than tall and spindly.

I planted 5 and so far 4 have come up, something ate the top off of one of them so I have three that are growing right now. we are at about 4000 ft in elevation, so I'm going to have to do something to protect them over the winter. I haven't tried to plant them in pots yet, but I'm going to.

I've read that they love to be pruned, so I plan on cutting them back when they get to that point.

 

[City farm]

By the way, we have one from your design..

 

That surprised me!  Did you build it? 

Actually from a BYC member that had to get rid of their flock. Her husband built it. The lid looks different, a lip covers the perimeter, he mentioned he copied your design..
The other one that we have was built from our neighbor. They host the coop tour here in our neighborhood..

 

[pipemum]

I've got the Nichol's tomatoes growing this year, and those things are gangbusters. Growing great, lots and lots of medium sized tomatoes. So far, no hornworms, but still struggling with packrats, antelope squirrels, and round-tailed ground squirrels.

There's a little nursery on Oracle Rd, just north of my kid's dance studio. We went there one Saturday in Feb after a rain, and snails were everywhere! The older gent that owns the place was delighted that my daughter wanted to collect all the snails that she saw, and told us about the time that he made escargot with the ones he caught. We gave the snails to the chickens--I guess they pecked the flesh out, since the shells were empty later that evening.

We used to live in northern CA when I was a kid, and snails and slugs were a huge problem. We even had banana slugs. Pretty cool as a kid, probably not so cool as a gardener!

 

[K9Dave]

Speak of the devil