Arizona Chickens

[City farm]

UPDATE ON THE WEIRD AMERAUCANA:
I have had this Ameraucana pullet in quarantine for several weeks now, all the other chickens were beating the crap out of her, and I didn't think she would make it. I've decided she isn't sick, just acts differently enough from the other chickens that they feel the need to pick on her. (BTW, because of her weird head bobbing, she is now named Waltzing Matilda). I tried reintroducing her to the flock after about a week and a half, and they just about killed her. Took her back to my new house and built a quarantine pen for her to keep her separate from the other chickens, and she is doing well. She was kind of lonely, so I also brought over a barred Rock hen with a similar temperament, and they are getting along like best buddies.

Tomorrow or Friday, I'm moving my partridge Cochins to the first "regular" chicken pen, and hopefully, will get the other pens up and all the chickens moved to the new house by the end of February. The old house is only about 10 miles from the new house, but driving over there every morning to feed and water the flock is getting kind of old!

Agh, poor girl.. So glad she has a sister to hang with.. You are a good papa..
What about that "women" in the new house? Put her to work..

 

[ChuskaMtns]

UPDATE ON THE WEIRD AMERAUCANA:
I have had this Ameraucana pullet in quarantine for several weeks now, all the other chickens were beating the crap out of her, and I didn't think she would make it. I've decided she isn't sick, just acts differently enough from the other chickens that they feel the need to pick on her. (BTW, because of her weird head bobbing, she is now named Waltzing Matilda). I tried reintroducing her to the flock after about a week and a half, and they just about killed her. Took her back to my new house and built a quarantine pen for her to keep her separate from the other chickens, and she is doing well. She was kind of lonely, so I also brought over a barred Rock hen with a similar temperament, and they are getting along like best buddies.

Tomorrow or Friday, I'm moving my partridge Cochins to the first "regular" chicken pen, and hopefully, will get the other pens up and all the chickens moved to the new house by the end of February. The old house is only about 10 miles from the new house, but driving over there every morning to feed and water the flock is getting kind of old!

Does her crop feel normal? Usually when a chicken is bobbing their heads they have crop issues. There is a cradle type device made to support the crop if this is her problem. I had this problem years ago with a white Ameraucana hen.

 

[ChuskaMtns]

Gallo, your daughter is amazing! Yu must be so proud of her. I can't imagine the strength she has in her hands to do that! I watched the young men on Yosemite's El Capitan's face and can just imagine your daughter doing that.
Your veggies are beautiful! I'm constantly picking little green caterpillars off of my lettuces and cabbages. They are leaving my cauliflower alone, thankfully!

 

[Beckyhsinglsc]

So, I thought I'd post an update on the progress of my daughter's climbing. Mostly because I can barely contain my excitement and have to share. Last month Tucson hosted the Southern Mountain Regional Championships in bouldering and hundreds of youth climbers from AZ, UT and NM competed for seven invitations (for each age category) to compete in the Divisional Championships in Ogden, UT. There the winners for all the regions in the southwest US gathered last weekend to compete for seven invitations to the National Championship. My daughter rocked at both the Regional and Divisional Championships and will be competing in the National Championships in Madison, WI next month! She's now officially one of the top 35 best female youth climbers in the United States. We couldn't be more proud of her.

Outstanding!!!

 

[cyborg]

Does her crop feel normal? Usually when a chicken is bobbing their heads they have crop issues. There is a cradle type device made to support the crop if this is her problem. I had this problem years ago with a white Ameraucana hen.

I will check her out when I get home tonight, but did not notice anything abnormal with her crop.

 

[Annalog]

Arrowroot has taken the chicks out the past two days and has gotten them back up the three steps into the coop each evening. Now Tapioca seems to be going broody.

 

[Sill]

Was your tree putting on blossoms? If it was it's not a tree problem but a pollinating problem. Mine put on hundreds of blossoms and did nothing until the bees found it. If it's not putting on blossoms( which I doubt it will now that it's cooler) It's most likely a nutrition problem. Phosphorus is good for roots and blossoms.

Lots of flowers. I also have lots of bees because they come to my yard all summer because I have permanent sources of water for them to keep their hives/wax combs cool. There are also carpenter bees, leaf cutter bees, lace wings and others so it's not for lack of pollinators and I have hand pollinated blossoms too. The flowers just shrivel and fall off.

So if there is nutrient that helps set fruit I'd love to know what it is.

I just call Mesa Feed Barn they said they have food for the chick none medicine, but not organic, they tell me bring it back my 50lbs bag pay $2 more for that.
Where I can get organic food for My chich?

Tempe Feed and Tack also carries organic poultry feed that will do if you run out, but it's more expensive than Big Sky or Modesto.

I'm putting in my tricolored pencilled palms with my red pencilled tom. I will have two pens of pencilled palms, that breeding will produce tricolors and reds, the other pen will have pure black and white pencilled. I would like to have THREE pens of pencilled palms, but that is not going to happen! At least not this year. I have 12 hens and will decide after this year if I will keep all or thin them out. They are beautiful birds! And not widely known.

The red penciled palms were my favorites when I visited! Those are some beautiful birds!

 

[Sill]

So you like Kellogg's? I've bought a few bags of the organic garden soil (can't beat the price!) but it is so woody! The Tucson Mnts are low elevation desert mnts and still hot as h***, and I'm in the foothills which means no real temp difference, but my soil is basically...rock and caliche with more rock thrown in! I think the coconut product is coconut coir? I have a block in my shed...I'll have to remember to use it. Hydroponics and aquaponics is fascinating, but at this point is too cost and time prohibitive for me. I think in my new garden space, I'm going to build one new raised bed, and then dig a "waffle garden" to use for a season or two.

Back to chickens--there is a huge pack of coyotes hanging around the wash out back. There have always been coyotes around, but the packs seems to move in and out of the area. This pack seems to be settling in. Between limited day hours and the constant presence of coyotes, my chickens have been coop-bound lately.

If you have chickens, you have chicken poop and probably litter. These make EXCELLENT compost! You have to compost all poultry manure as it is a "hot" manure and will burn your plants unless it's well composted. Why not make your own compost so you don't have to buy much if any garden soil?

Never tried raised beds, they always seemed like they would get much hotter than anything in-ground. When I moved to my present location I dug out and threw away a couple of feed of earth for my garden area and replaced it with compost and commercial potting soils It worked great until tree roots infiltrated my vegetable garden! Now I'm wanting to try something else, raised beds might be the way to go for a while. Can't hurt to try it. What are you going to make yours out of?

I hope that pack of coyotes is not planing on raising this year's cubs/puppies there by your house!

 

[Sill]

Waffle garden is a sunken garden, dug in 1x1 or 2x2' squares.

After a little more reading, I'll be doing the more typical sunken garden, not little squares. I don't want to have to maintain squares!

What happens if I use only partially composted run cleanings as a bottom layer in either a raised bed or sunken garden? It's primarily rice hulls, pine shavings, and of course, chicken droppings. But a much smaller portion of droppings compared to rice hulls.

Those are pretty cool, they remind me of some of the native American gardens.

Be careful of using chicken droppings that are not composted enough, I burned a lot of my plants doing that, as in they burned and died.

I was not a happy gardener. Lesson learned, compost chicken and quail droppings before using them for plants!

Stuff from the garden.

A massive head of lettuce for last night's salad:



Purple cauliflower:

Yum!

UPDATE ON THE WEIRD AMERAUCANA:
I have had this Ameraucana pullet in quarantine for several weeks now, all the other chickens were beating the crap out of her, and I didn't think she would make it. I've decided she isn't sick, just acts differently enough from the other chickens that they feel the need to pick on her. (BTW, because of her weird head bobbing, she is now named Waltzing Matilda). I tried reintroducing her to the flock after about a week and a half, and they just about killed her. Took her back to my new house and built a quarantine pen for her to keep her separate from the other chickens, and she is doing well. She was kind of lonely, so I also brought over a barred Rock hen with a similar temperament, and they are getting along like best buddies.

Tomorrow or Friday, I'm moving my partridge Cochins to the first "regular" chicken pen, and hopefully, will get the other pens up and all the chickens moved to the new house by the end of February. The old house is only about 10 miles from the new house, but driving over there every morning to feed and water the flock is getting kind of old!

Poor girl. I'm glad she has a sister to hang out with. Does it help to have a rooster to keep the hens from picking on each other as much? I've heard they will help prevent fights.

 

[cyborg]

Those are pretty cool, they remind me of some of the native American gardens.

Be careful of using chicken droppings that are not composted enough, I burned a lot of my plants doing that, as in they burned and died. I was not a happy gardener.  Lesson learned, compost chicken and quail droppings before using them for plants!

Yum!

Poor girl.  I'm glad she has a sister to hang out with.  Does it help to have a rooster to keep the hens from picking on each other as much?  I've heard they will help prevent fights.

Unfortunately, they are joining in the gang violence, not preventing it!