Arizona Chickens

[Sill]

Well I managed to catch up on the posts finally. I've been home a few days but am not moving much yet from the Nov 4th operation. The adrenal glad was cancerous - so now its out - we'll see where it pops up again! The venal hernia repair is what has me walking around like I'm 110 years old and looking at 3 plus months to recoup with a binder and drains and 50 staples down my middle! My DH is a wonder this time as we made everything as easy as possible for him to take care of from his handicapped scooter. The chickens are thriving although one of my old girls(5+) passed on last night. I try to feed in the am - there's not much to that and I keep my fingers in the pot. DH keeps up the water and the cleaning (kinda) so the birds will do fine until I'm again back on my feet. What the future holds right now is up in the air as I need to convince the insurance company a PET scan is a good thing!! Stay warm and happy everyone.

I hope they got it all and it doesn't pop up anywhere else! Kudos to the DH for helping out, and from a scooter no less.

Oh! No wonder that egg was so small! I though my barred rock layed this egg; it was my Japanese Bantam's first egg. My Barred Rock layed her first egg yesterday. Exciting week!

I guess the extra light in the morning is helping.

Cute egg! Yes that extra light sure helps the girls lay.

Yesterday's eggs waiting to be put into cartons! Over 5 dozen....I need more customers!

Pretty assortment of colors!

 

[AgaveGal]

A few questions for ya'll!

Coop is on the way and will hopefully be set up in a week or two in the Phoenix area (we're so excited!!). So we're gearing up. There is so much info out there on what to have on hand immediately, and at this point I'm not even sure how soon I will be getting my birdies (more on that below), and whether I will find my hopeful girls as chicks or pullets. Some of the resources suggest buying SO MUCH stuff. For instance, if I were to get everything for a first aid kit recommended on one blog site, I'm at $300 just for that. I've had chickens before (some time ago) and didn't have nearly that much medicine and supplies on hand. Granted, a handful of the items are outside the first aid kit (like chick-sized water/feeder & heat lamp stuff - maybe $50-70 or so), but I don't want to break the bank and get a bunch of stuff that I may not ever use before it expires! I'm fine with spending whatever I need, but I don't want to waste money on stuff I don't really need right now. I've tried looking all over BYC for a concise checklist of what to have on hand before you bring your first biddies home - regardless of which age of chickens you get - and can't find anything that fits what I'm looking for (there are SO many articles that come up on a search for "checklist"!). I think I have the coop furnishings in hand, but what about everything else I should have ready? And what would be a good "short list" on the first aid kit? Any suggestions out there?

On the feed issue...I live on the west side of town. I know Pratts is over here, and there's a Cal-Ranch out this way. Where do other Phoenix west siders get their feed? I had issues in the past with feed being populated when I brought it home with more protein than I expected (not sure if that's a good or bad thing!), and would like to make sure I get the best quality for my girls. My dog gets the good stuff...so will they! Suggestions?

Also, being in the Phoenix area with the weird weather we're having, are there any issues with putting birds outside pretty much right away once they reach the recommended "they can handle being outside" age (acclimating them, of course)? Does pretty much everyone use heat lamps here, or are they not necessary? My chicks in the past didn't have a heat lamp, but my aviary birds did.

My short list of girls includes Barred Rock, Easter Egger, Speckled Sussex and Laced Wyandotte. These four seemed to fare pretty well in our heat, had a wide range of egg colors and were good layers. Not 100% positive, but I think all were considered friendly to people. Any other suggestions? Or cautions against? I had Polish (skittish) and Barred Rock (a sweetie) in the past. Hubby wants to stay with full sized birds (though that Sebright sure is purdy!).

And lastly, any ideas on where I can reach out to find any or all of them? I've seen people advertising various chicks and pullets for sale, but none of these breeds. And I'm not "connected" enough to know who to reach out to.

Thanks in advance for any advice you may have to offer!! We're looking forward to having chickens again after a very long time!

 

[Sill]

A few questions for ya'll!

Coop is on the way and will hopefully be set up in a week or two in the Phoenix area (we're so excited!!). So we're gearing up. There is so much info out there on what to have on hand immediately, and at this point I'm not even sure how soon I will be getting my birdies (more on that below), and whether I will find my hopeful girls as chicks or pullets. Some of the resources suggest buying SO MUCH stuff. For instance, if I were to get everything for a first aid kit recommended on one blog site, I'm at $300 just for that. I've had chickens before (some time ago) and didn't have nearly that much medicine and supplies on hand. Granted, a handful of the items are outside the first aid kit (like chick-sized water/feeder & heat lamp stuff - maybe $50-70 or so), but I don't want to break the bank and get a bunch of stuff that I may not ever use before it expires! I'm fine with spending whatever I need, but I don't want to waste money on stuff I don't really need right now. I've tried looking all over BYC for a concise checklist of what to have on hand before you bring your first biddies home - regardless of which age of chickens you get - and can't find anything that fits what I'm looking for (there are SO many articles that come up on a search for "checklist"!). I think I have the coop furnishings in hand, but what about everything else I should have ready? And what would be a good "short list" on the first aid kit? Any suggestions out there?

On the feed issue...I live on the west side of town. I know Pratts is over here, and there's a Cal-Ranch out this way. Where do other Phoenix west siders get their feed? I had issues in the past with feed being populated when I brought it home with more protein than I expected (not sure if that's a good or bad thing!), and would like to make sure I get the best quality for my girls. My dog gets the good stuff...so will they! Suggestions?

Also, being in the Phoenix area with the weird weather we're having, are there any issues with putting birds outside pretty much right away once they reach the recommended "they can handle being outside" age (acclimating them, of course)? Does pretty much everyone use heat lamps here, or are they not necessary? My chicks in the past didn't have a heat lamp, but my aviary birds did.

My short list of girls includes Barred Rock, Easter Egger, Speckled Sussex and Laced Wyandotte. These four seemed to fare pretty well in our heat, had a wide range of egg colors and were good layers. Not 100% positive, but I think all were considered friendly to people. Any other suggestions? Or cautions against? I had Polish (skittish) and Barred Rock (a sweetie) in the past. Hubby wants to stay with full sized birds (though that Sebright sure is purdy!).

And lastly, any ideas on where I can reach out to find any or all of them? I've seen people advertising various chicks and pullets for sale, but none of these breeds. And I'm not "connected" enough to know who to reach out to.

Thanks in advance for any advice you may have to offer!! We're looking forward to having chickens again after a very long time!

I live in Tempe but I've gotten feed from Western Ranchman and The Stock Shop, both on the west/north side. You can Google them for hours and location.

Fully feathered healthy chickens don't need heat during our winters.

I prefer to get first aid items on an as-need basis. I don't have the budget to buy stuff I won't need. I have an excellent fully stocked feed store less than half a mile from my house so if I need it I go buy it.

You can often find chickens here, or on our local Craigslist. We are also coming up on chick season soon and hatcheries will be offering every breed you want. It's always fun to browse their on line catalogs and see what might be fun to have walking around in the back yard!

 

[AgaveGal]

Thanks!

I did look at some online catalogs, but wasn't too sure about ordering chicks by mail. Is that an okay way to get them? I feel a bit bad for the poor things being tossed around by Fed-Ex!

I see you can order the sex of your choosing, and some of them had minimum orders depending on the breed. Some of them had pullets, too, but the breeds were limited...not sure if that's right now, or if they offer other breed pullets in the thick of chick season. When does official "chick season" start?

 

[generaldsherman]

Thanks!

I did look at some online catalogs, but wasn't too sure about ordering chicks by mail. Is that an okay way to get them? I feel a bit bad for the poor things being tossed around by Fed-Ex!

I see you can order the sex of your choosing, and some of them had minimum orders depending on the breed. Some of them had pullets, too, but the breeds were limited...not sure if that's right now, or if they offer other breed pullets in the thick of chick season. When does official "chick season" start?

Most hatcheries I look at start offering more chicks/breeds starting Jan/Feb.

 

[moms3cuties]

We have a couple gals who breed different things that have heritage breeds that you may want to check out.The y have better than hatchery birds!

@ChuskaMtns who I believe has different breeds of Orpingtons and many others that I couldn't name!

@desertmarcy They have I believe, some heritage barred rock and black and blue Copper Marans and turkeys as well, they are in Marana, south of Tucson.

The birds can be friendly if you handle them on a regular basis, so to depend on bird by bird. I don't find barred rocks quite as friendly as I do like the orphan turns the Black Copper Marans the Rhode Island Reds and the white leghorns who are very jumpy and skittish and curious. IMO

[COLOR=141823]A few questions for ya'll![/COLOR]

[COLOR=141823]Coop is on the way and will hopefully be set up in a week or two in the Phoenix area (we're so excited!!). So we're gearing up. There is so much info out there on what to have on hand immediately, and at this point I'm not even sure how soon I will be getting my birdies (more on that below), and whether I will find my hopeful girls as chicks or pullets. Some of the resources suggest buying SO MUCH stuff. For instance, if I were to get everything for a first aid kit recommended on one blog site, I'm at $300 just for that. I've had chickens before (some time ago) and didn't have nearly that much medicine and supplies on hand. Granted, a handful of the items are outside the first aid kit (like chick-sized water/feeder & heat lamp stuff - maybe $50-70 or so), but I don't want to break the bank and get a bunch of stuff that I may not ever use before it expires! I'm fine with spending whatever I need, but I don't want to waste money on stuff I don't really need right now. I've tried looking all over BYC for a concise checklist of what to have on hand before you bring your first biddies home - regardless of which age of chickens you get - and can't find anything that fits what I'm looking for (there are SO many articles that come up on a search for "checklist"!). I think I have the coop furnishings in hand, but what about everything else I should have ready? And what would be a good "short list" on the first aid kit? Any suggestions out there?[/COLOR]

[COLOR=141823]On the feed issue...I live on the west side of town. I know Pratts is over here, and there's a Cal-Ranch out this way. Where do other Phoenix west siders get their feed? I had issues in the past with feed being populated when I brought it home with more protein than I expected (not sure if that's a good or bad thing!), and would like to make sure I get the best quality for my girls. My dog gets the good stuff...so will they! Suggestions?[/COLOR]

[COLOR=141823]Also, being in the Phoenix area with the weird weather we're having, are there any issues with putting birds outside pretty much right away once they reach the recommended "they can handle being outside" age (acclimating them, of course)? Does pretty much everyone use heat lamps here, or are they not necessary? My chicks in the past didn't have a heat lamp, but my aviary birds did.[/COLOR]I

My short list of girls includes Barred Rock, Easter Egger, Speckled Sussex and Laced Wyandotte.  These four seemed to fare pretty well in our heat, had a wide range of egg colors and were good layers.  Not 100% positive, but I think all were considered friendly to people. Any other suggestions?  Or cautions against?  I had Polish (skittish) and Barred Rock (a sweetie) in the past.  Hubby wants to stay with full sized birds (though that Sebright sure is purdy!).

And lastly, any ideas on where I can reach out to find any or all of them?  I've seen people advertising various chicks and pullets for sale, but none of these breeds.  And I'm not "connected" enough to know who to reach out to.

Thanks in advance for any advice you may have to offer!!  We're looking forward to having chickens again after a very long time!    

x2

 

[moms3cuties]

Thanks!

I did look at some online catalogs, but wasn't too sure about ordering chicks by mail.  Is that an okay way to get them?  I feel a bit bad for the poor things being tossed around by Fed-Ex!

I see you can order the sex of your choosing, and some of them had minimum orders depending on the breed.  Some of them had pullets, too, but the breeds were limited...not sure if that's right now, or if they offer other breed pullets in the thick of chick season.  When does official "chick season" start?

Yes it's possible to lose some in the shipping though I haven't ordered any myself and sometimes they put in one or two extra in case you lose some. I still prefer heritage breeds vs hatchery bred birds in my opinion. But do what works best for your family and people here locally can usually come and pick him up in person and you don't have to worry about losing any birds and shipping / transit

 

[desertrocks]

[COLOR=141823]A few questions for ya'll![/COLOR]

[COLOR=141823]Coop is on the way and will hopefully be set up in a week or two in the Phoenix area (we're so excited!!). So we're gearing up. There is so much info out there on what to have on hand immediately, and at this point I'm not even sure how soon I will be getting my birdies (more on that below), and whether I will find my hopeful girls as chicks or pullets. Some of the resources suggest buying SO MUCH stuff. For instance, if I were to get everything for a first aid kit recommended on one blog site, I'm at $300 just for that. I've had chickens before (some time ago) and didn't have nearly that much medicine and supplies on hand. Granted, a handful of the items are outside the first aid kit (like chick-sized water/feeder & heat lamp stuff - maybe $50-70 or so), but I don't want to break the bank and get a bunch of stuff that I may not ever use before it expires! I'm fine with spending whatever I need, but I don't want to waste money on stuff I don't really need right now. I've tried looking all over BYC for a concise checklist of what to have on hand before you bring your first biddies home - regardless of which age of chickens you get - and can't find anything that fits what I'm looking for (there are SO many articles that come up on a search for "checklist"!). I think I have the coop furnishings in hand, but what about everything else I should have ready? And what would be a good "short list" on the first aid kit? Any suggestions out there?[/COLOR]

[COLOR=141823]On the feed issue...I live on the west side of town. I know Pratts is over here, and there's a Cal-Ranch out this way. Where do other Phoenix west siders get their feed? I had issues in the past with feed being populated when I brought it home with more protein than I expected (not sure if that's a good or bad thing!), and would like to make sure I get the best quality for my girls. My dog gets the good stuff...so will they! Suggestions?[/COLOR]

[COLOR=141823]Also, being in the Phoenix area with the weird weather we're having, are there any issues with putting birds outside pretty much right away once they reach the recommended "they can handle being outside" age (acclimating them, of course)? Does pretty much everyone use heat lamps here, or are they not necessary? My chicks in the past didn't have a heat lamp, but my aviary birds did.[/COLOR]

My short list of girls includes Barred Rock, Easter Egger, Speckled Sussex and Laced Wyandotte.  These four seemed to fare pretty well in our heat, had a wide range of egg colors and were good layers.  Not 100% positive, but I think all were considered friendly to people. Any other suggestions?  Or cautions against?  I had Polish (skittish) and Barred Rock (a sweetie) in the past.  Hubby wants to stay with full sized birds (though that Sebright sure is purdy!).

And lastly, any ideas on where I can reach out to find any or all of them?  I've seen people advertising various chicks and pullets for sale, but none of these breeds.  And I'm not "connected" enough to know who to reach out to.

Thanks in advance for any advice you may have to offer!!  We're looking forward to having chickens again after a very long time!    

For most of our chicken supplies we use Tractor Supply.
As far as birds go, we have had good luck so far on Craigslist to fill 1 pen with flock of 10 various breeds and a roo.
Our other pen all came from Pet Food Depot late last spring. Mostly BSL's as we were looking for strictly layers.
Marcy is on our very short list of people that we want to check for heritage breeds and Ameracaunas.
Not every look at birds yielded what we were looking for. Be careful and look the birds over thoroughly before purchasing.

 

[generaldsherman]

[COLOR=141823]A few questions for ya'll![/COLOR]

[COLOR=141823]Coop is on the way and will hopefully be set up in a week or two in the Phoenix area (we're so excited!!). So we're gearing up. There is so much info out there on what to have on hand immediately, and at this point I'm not even sure how soon I will be getting my birdies (more on that below), and whether I will find my hopeful girls as chicks or pullets. Some of the resources suggest buying SO MUCH stuff. For instance, if I were to get everything for a first aid kit recommended on one blog site, I'm at $300 just for that. I've had chickens before (some time ago) and didn't have nearly that much medicine and supplies on hand. Granted, a handful of the items are outside the first aid kit (like chick-sized water/feeder & heat lamp stuff - maybe $50-70 or so), but I don't want to break the bank and get a bunch of stuff that I may not ever use before it expires! I'm fine with spending whatever I need, but I don't want to waste money on stuff I don't really need right now. I've tried looking all over BYC for a concise checklist of what to have on hand before you bring your first biddies home - regardless of which age of chickens you get - and can't find anything that fits what I'm looking for (there are SO many articles that come up on a search for "checklist"!). I think I have the coop furnishings in hand, but what about everything else I should have ready? And what would be a good "short list" on the first aid kit? Any suggestions out there?[/COLOR]

[COLOR=141823]On the feed issue...I live on the west side of town. I know Pratts is over here, and there's a Cal-Ranch out this way. Where do other Phoenix west siders get their feed? I had issues in the past with feed being populated when I brought it home with more protein than I expected (not sure if that's a good or bad thing!), and would like to make sure I get the best quality for my girls. My dog gets the good stuff...so will they! Suggestions?[/COLOR]

[COLOR=141823]Also, being in the Phoenix area with the weird weather we're having, are there any issues with putting birds outside pretty much right away once they reach the recommended "they can handle being outside" age (acclimating them, of course)? Does pretty much everyone use heat lamps here, or are they not necessary? My chicks in the past didn't have a heat lamp, but my aviary birds did.[/COLOR]

My short list of girls includes Barred Rock, Easter Egger, Speckled Sussex and Laced Wyandotte.  These four seemed to fare pretty well in our heat, had a wide range of egg colors and were good layers.  Not 100% positive, but I think all were considered friendly to people. Any other suggestions?  Or cautions against?  I had Polish (skittish) and Barred Rock (a sweetie) in the past.  Hubby wants to stay with full sized birds (though that Sebright sure is purdy!).

And lastly, any ideas on where I can reach out to find any or all of them?  I've seen people advertising various chicks and pullets for sale, but none of these breeds.  And I'm not "connected" enough to know who to reach out to.

Thanks in advance for any advice you may have to offer!!  We're looking forward to having chickens again after a very long time!    

check CBL livestock show and supply. Just got a beautiful splash ameraucana from them, and got a great deal on a buff orpington.

 

[DesertChic]

A few questions for ya'll!

Coop is on the way and will hopefully be set up in a week or two in the Phoenix area (we're so excited!!). So we're gearing up. There is so much info out there on what to have on hand immediately, and at this point I'm not even sure how soon I will be getting my birdies (more on that below), and whether I will find my hopeful girls as chicks or pullets. Some of the resources suggest buying SO MUCH stuff. For instance, if I were to get everything for a first aid kit recommended on one blog site, I'm at $300 just for that. I've had chickens before (some time ago) and didn't have nearly that much medicine and supplies on hand. Granted, a handful of the items are outside the first aid kit (like chick-sized water/feeder & heat lamp stuff - maybe $50-70 or so), but I don't want to break the bank and get a bunch of stuff that I may not ever use before it expires! I'm fine with spending whatever I need, but I don't want to waste money on stuff I don't really need right now. I've tried looking all over BYC for a concise checklist of what to have on hand before you bring your first biddies home - regardless of which age of chickens you get - and can't find anything that fits what I'm looking for (there are SO many articles that come up on a search for "checklist"!). I think I have the coop furnishings in hand, but what about everything else I should have ready? And what would be a good "short list" on the first aid kit? Any suggestions out there?

On the feed issue...I live on the west side of town. I know Pratts is over here, and there's a Cal-Ranch out this way. Where do other Phoenix west siders get their feed? I had issues in the past with feed being populated when I brought it home with more protein than I expected (not sure if that's a good or bad thing!), and would like to make sure I get the best quality for my girls. My dog gets the good stuff...so will they! Suggestions?

Also, being in the Phoenix area with the weird weather we're having, are there any issues with putting birds outside pretty much right away once they reach the recommended "they can handle being outside" age (acclimating them, of course)? Does pretty much everyone use heat lamps here, or are they not necessary? My chicks in the past didn't have a heat lamp, but my aviary birds did.

My short list of girls includes Barred Rock, Easter Egger, Speckled Sussex and Laced Wyandotte. These four seemed to fare pretty well in our heat, had a wide range of egg colors and were good layers. Not 100% positive, but I think all were considered friendly to people. Any other suggestions? Or cautions against? I had Polish (skittish) and Barred Rock (a sweetie) in the past. Hubby wants to stay with full sized birds (though that Sebright sure is purdy!).

And lastly, any ideas on where I can reach out to find any or all of them? I've seen people advertising various chicks and pullets for sale, but none of these breeds. And I'm not "connected" enough to know who to reach out to.

Thanks in advance for any advice you may have to offer!! We're looking forward to having chickens again after a very long time!

Just throwing my two cents in on breed selection....I've personally had the best luck with Barred Rocks, White Rocks, Australorps and Naked Neck Turkens when it comes to heat tolerance, though my Easter Eggers held up fairly well too. And as far as egg production goes, all of the breeds I listed have been supplying me consistently with 5-6 large eggs each per week. And if you're interested in meat birds, I have to say the NNs are really perfect, because not only are they incredibly heat tolerant, but their meat and skin is fantastic. (I can't speak about Sussex and Wyandottes as I've not had any.) I just came from @desertmarcy 's yesterday and testify to the fact that she's got some really gorgeous Barred Rocks as well as Marans, Rhode Island Reds and pure Ameraucanas. Really impressive birds!

As far as the medical supplies are concerned, I'm also pretty loathe to stock up on much just to have it go bad on the shelf without ever using it. My motto is to focus on prevention more than treatment, and I never use pharmaceuticals. Apple Cider Vinegar is a wonderful pantry item to have around to add to their water, and yogurt or kefir to mix with their feed to supply probiotics. These two "supplements" can go a long way to helping them maintain optimal health. In regards to first aid.....I keep Desitin...the diaper ointment...on hand at all times since it can not only treat abrasions and injuries on the chickens, but on people as well. Items like Neosporin can also be used on chickens. In case it's not obvious, I'm all about multi-use products.