Arizona Chickens

[City farm]

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I raise Bourbon Red, Royal Palm, Penciled Palm, Slate and Self Blue, Lilac, Blue Red Bronze and Red Slate. The last 3 are all genetically similar and can be bred to each other and produce more of the same. I am also getting hatching eggs this week of Black and Bronze. The Black is to cross with my Self Blue; that cross will produce all Slates. They are just like in chickens: Slate to Slate (blue to blue) produces blue, black and self blue (splash). Black to Self Blue produces all Slate (blue). The Bronze will be to improve on my Lilacs. I hope I get a good hatch on these. Being shipped eggs, you never know. They are coming from Kevin Porter, he has pure Blacks and the Bronze are the Good Shepard line (Frank Reese) that he is sending me.

Spring is the best time to start turkeys. Turkeys are more seasonal than chickens and generally don't lay in the fall or winter, laying only spring to early fall. So poults (baby turkeys) are generally not available later in the year. You can find started turkeys but they are expensive, at least mine are, since they are raised organically. And by fall, it is getting close to Thanksgiving and Christmas, so any birds not sold I will keep and butcher for the holidays and sell them processed. I get a lot more for them that way actually.

There are also a lot of mixed breed turkeys out there. Sometimes people don't even know their turkeys aren't pure genetically. So if you want pure breeds, be careful who you buy from. Recently, someone was advertising Chocolate turkey hatching eggs on ebay. But what was pictured was Bronze and Red Bronze! They didn't even know what variety of turkey they had!

Wow! I'm just blown away! You never cease to amaze me with your wealth of knowledge and how much you tackle. You're like the Superwoman of the poultry world. 
Agreed! X2!!!

 

[City farm]

Oh dear , over five hundred unread posts................eeeek  

Hello everyone, not internet, been furiously working in my yard planting flowers and vegetables for this season.  My not have another season to plant at such a furious pace.  My back is destroyed. A fusion that was done bak in 2012 did not take and now I am scheduled for three contiguous areas in lower back to be fused. So I image that will be the end of digging in my sandbox for me.

Three hens are sitting and I'll try to post their portraits if I can. But I'll never get to read up on all that has happened to everyone. 

PS my surgery will be at St Josephs toward the end of June if anyone can visit me there ?  Miss ya'll .........

Oh yes text. Me..

 

[moms3cuties]

 

 

 

@Sill
 had some good points.  It depends a lot on the type of vine, how fast you want it to cover, how much you want to be trimming it, the soil in which it is planted and the watering regime.  My biggest concern would be with access from the outside to the top of the run in the center, especially with any fruiting vine.  While a passion fruit or grape vine would be wonderful for coverage, there would be the issue of getting the fruits off the top where it would be difficult to reach.  You would also have the added issue of vine removal in the winter with something like a grape vine, which needs to be pruned back after the first frost.  They have tendrils that grasp on and it would be difficult to pull the vines off.  I would think more about a perennial vine that does does not produce fruit, something like cat's claw, tangerine crossvine or Cecil Brunner Rose.  Very nice start to your chicken enclosure!  

I'd think twice about the Cat's Claw, depending on where you want to put it. I planted several on the west side of my garage for shade years ago. It is very invasive. I didn't realize just how invasive, or would have chosen something else. It did make a solid wall of greenery, absolutely no sun hits that wall. But over the years, it has spread and roots along the way. It makes a large tuber underground and is very drought tolerant because of that, but also hard to eradicate. Now the darn thing is under and climbing my grapefruit tree and nearby saguaro. It also finds the smallest openings and has grown across the ceiling on the inside of the garage!

Well scratch cat's claw off the list then!  That's good to know.  We have one that came up on it's own on the north side of the house where it never gets direct sun and it hasn't been a problem all these years, but now you have me thinking I should eradicate it before it becomes troublesome.  If it's not already too late.  

I would hate to see you pull out an established plant that hasn't been a problem in years.  Sounds like you've got the perfect location for it.  Just don't let it spread from there. 

Cat claw looks great when it's happy, but the one I had when we lived in the foothills would go dormant or freeze back in the winter.  It was right near the back door and I was always getting caught up in the little cat claws.  They're grabby little things.  If they're out of the way where you can admire them from afar and they have nowhere to go to get into mischief, they're great plants.

Well I'll be careful when I plant some on the west side of my house which is on cement stem walls and try not to let it go too crazy in fact it might just have to live off the rainwater, lol

 

[moms3cuties]

Update on Cemani fraud. Ebay issued a refund but the seller of the eggs closed their paypal account so in reality no refund will be coming. Lesson learned unless a seller has been verified by some one I trust. IE this group. I won't buy eggs on ebay again. On a happier note. I am getting a good hatch on my Black sexlinks they all look like pullets. and dark Cornish or Cornish X are going good. Now to sell them since it was a just for fun hatch from my own hens and I don't want any more of these.

yikes!

I'm so sorry you dealt with this craziness. This is just very shameful any of those that had to deal with this seller had to have those experiences.

 

[moms3cuties]

Oh dear , over five hundred unread posts................eeeek  

Hello everyone, not internet, been furiously working in my yard planting flowers and vegetables for this season.  My not have another season to plant at such a furious pace.  My back is destroyed. A fusion that was done bak in 2012 did not take and now I am scheduled for three contiguous areas in lower back to be fused. So I image that will be the end of digging in my sandbox for me.

Three hens are sitting and I'll try to post their portraits if I can. But I'll never get to read up on all that has happened to everyone. 

PS my surgery will be at St Josephs toward the end of June if anyone can visit me there ?  Miss ya'll .........

Oh yes text. Me..

X2, my kids and I could sing you a wish well song however if it's off key might have to send Us, out of your room very quickly. But I can't confirm or deny either case as to our singing on key, lol.

 

[DesertChic]

I know they did not die they were very healthy they were just trying to keep from refunding me. When that did not work they closed both accounts including their paypal account to keep ebay from refunding me . I hope they get what's coming to them. Ty for the squishhessss it did help.

This may not be the politically correct thing to say but I really hope Karma finds them in kicks them in the ***. I'm sorry you had to endure all of this. Just ridiculous!

 

[lacymorgan]

This may not be the politically correct thing to say but I really hope Karma finds them in kicks them in the ***. I'm sorry you had to endure all of this. Just ridiculous!

LOL love the brick wall and thank you I hope so too. Not only did I not get Cemani having a bad time finding Isbars in my price range but will keep looking

 

[lacymorgan]

yikes!

I'm so sorry you dealt with this craziness. This is just very shameful any of those that had to deal with this seller had to have those experiences.

They had 9 cases for fraud by the time it was said and done. The cases were all filed at once almost so no warning they took a lot of people for a lot of money that most of us didi not have to just throw away

 

[Bobby Basham]

Love the old record players! The bottom photo reminds me a lot of the one my parents had while I was growing up. I've many fond memories of our house always being filled with music.

And I've loved this entire discussion on using vines for shade. I blew my budget this year just getting all the housing in place for my flocks. Now I need to seriously consider improving the vegetation and I've learned A LOT from all the Q & A, photos, and tidbits of info shared, so thanks to all of you!

From reading hundreds of posts in many forums, the initial start up is the most expensive (brooders, coups, run, feed, supplies etc.) That's why the first egg cost over $300...LOL! After that, things should (hopefully) level off once you get established in what you wanna do with your flock(s).

My project is small, only about six hens, but tend to over-compensate in the things that I want to do. Please keep educating us newbies (and soon to be newbies) with your knowledge and share your experiences.

I've been off for the last three weeks, lying around and not getting much accomplished, mostly a mental health break from all the lazy idiots I have to deal with at work, and doing some small projects around the house. Doing alot of reading and sleeping. I take issue to those who are paid 8-hrs/day and spend at least two hours standing in hallways and door ways socializing, and anothter two+ hours on their smart phones doing whatever, while I bust my butt non-stop from the time I get to work at 6:00am. Many come waltzing in at 9:00-9:30 and are supposedly on "FMLA" and get paid for a full 8-hr day.

Sorry for the rant, but please keep sharing your ideas. About four years ago, I bought "Free Range Chicken Gardens" by Jessi Bloom which I will go through again to see what ideas are presented there. Knowledge is power, and it's interesting going through all the aspects of poultry husbandry. -BB

Bobby Basham
Tucson, Arizona

 

[desertmarcy]

Whew, just finished butchering and plucking 5 chickens and 2 adult turkeys. That took almost 3 hours from set up to clean up, but still haven't gutted them, they are chilling in ice water right now. Does anybody have a particular brand of turkey smoker they use or know of a friend that uses that you recommend? Thinking about getting one of those to vary the way we cook turkey.