Arizona Chickens

[deserteggs22]

My aunt seems to have a good time with grapes. Here are her vines:

 

[DesertChic]

Your thumb is a whole lot greener than you let on. I never grew Armenian cucumbers but after seeing yours a while back I want to grow them now. Same goes for your Naked Neck chickens.

Just let me know when you're ready for eggs...or maybe even chicks.

 

[DesertChic]

Yes your black thumb is turning green! I love the trough, nice for making a bed without having to dig. I bet your pickles taste amazing. What recipe do you use?

I have the darker variety of Armenian cuke, it's called Metki dark but it's the same except for the skin is dark. They don't mind the heat and have great cucumber flavor (despite really being a melon not a cuke) and they don't get bitter like regular cukes can in the heat. Perfect for gardening here. I usually pick them when they're smaller, like 8-12 inches.

So far I've only made refrigerator pickles, but they don't last long. One of our closest friends practically begs me to make them for him every year. Here's the recipe:

Refrigerator Pickles (You can use more than just cucumbers.)
Makes 2 jars
For the Brine:
10 cloves of garlic, peeled
2 cups white vinegar
6 teaspoons Kosher salt
Several sprigs of fresh dill
1 teaspoon celery seed
1 teaspoon coriander seed
1 teaspoon mustard seed
1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
(Optional) 1/2 teaspoon pink peppercorns

1. In a medium saucepan, bring 4 cups of water to a boil, reduce the heat so the water simmers, and add the garlic. Cook for 5 minutes. Add the vinegar and salt, raise the heat and bring back to boil, stirring until the salt dissolves. Remove from heat.

2.In 2 clear 1quart jars, place a few sprigs of dill. Divide the seeds and peppercorns between the 2 jars. Using tongs, remove the garlic from the bring and place 5 cloves in each jar. Then pack your veggies in tightly. You want them to be tightly stuffed.

3. Bring the brine back to boil, pour it over the veggies to cover completely, and let cool. Once they’re cool, cover the jars and refrigerate. The pickles will taste good in just a few hours and better and better each day. They will keep for about 3 months.

 

[ejcrist]

Just let me know when you're ready for eggs...or maybe even chicks.

Yep, I definitely will and thanks. I have 10 NN hatchery chicks due in the week of 10/24 along with other birds to include Cornish Crosses but 6 weeks later the Cornish Crosses will be gone so I'll have a vacant spot in the new coop and I'd love to populate it with more NN's. I'll have an incubator then too so I'll be ready to go. Will you have any eggs after 12/10? I'd love to get some of your eggs - the pictures I saw of your NN's looked really good.

 

[DesertChic]

Probably. Since my NN roosters roam around freely with the girls I pretty much always have fertile eggs.

 

[Banaynaychicken]

Thanks everyone! I'll start painting those river stones XD
they kinda look like this, but mine have pastelle backgrounds and much more detail, not to mention a clear coat so the paint doesn't wash away during watering or rain.

 

[Agarrard]

Hi everyone! I'm having trouble with Rooster vs. Husband. The biggest issue is that I'm going out of town and he will be in charge. My roo, Nugget, doesn't care for him and my hubby doesn't understand his behavior. He pecks me in the foot every morning when I let him out (it's apparently our thing) and he's great with the pullets. He calls them to eat and takes treats to them and drops it in front of them. I hand feed him treats and he responds to his name, the word NO, Get Down, and more. He does chase the cats and dog away from the girls...which I don't fault him for. He alerts when he senses danger, etc, overall he's a good roo. He is just fine with me but I've babied him. He's been somewhat of a house chicken with the heat we've had this summer and due to his crowing. Our HOA doesn't know we are harboring a Roo. Has anyone used a no crow collar? If I can leave him outside without upsetting the neighbors, I think my husband can handle it. Does anyone want to babysit my chicken, lol?

 

[ejcrist]

Hi everyone! I'm having trouble with Rooster vs. Husband. The biggest issue is that I'm going out of town and he will be in charge. My roo, Nugget, doesn't care for him and my hubby doesn't understand his behavior. He pecks me in the foot every morning when I let him out (it's apparently our thing) and he's great with the pullets. He calls them to eat and takes treats to them and drops it in front of them. I hand feed him treats and he responds to his name, the word NO, Get Down, and more. He does chase the cats and dog away from the girls...which I don't fault him for. He alerts when he senses danger, etc, overall he's a good roo. He is just fine with me but I've babied him. He's been somewhat of a house chicken with the heat we've had this summer and due to his crowing. Our HOA doesn't know we are harboring a Roo. Has anyone used a no crow collar? If I can leave him outside without upsetting the neighbors, I think my husband can handle it. Does anyone want to babysit my chicken, lol?

Gosh, you're raising a rooster in a HOA? Bless your heart. Do your neighbors know you have chickens and a rooster? I've seen videos of the no-crow collar, and if you plan on keeping the rooster I'd definitely give it a go - can't hurt. If you're unable to tone it down it'll be pretty hard to continue living incognito in the hood. Personally if it was me I'd forego the rooster since he's putting the rest of your flock at risk. I can see how a person could fly under the radar with hens but a rooster isn't going to keep things low-key no matter what you do.

 

[MagicChicken]

Hi everyone! I'm having trouble with Rooster vs. Husband. The biggest issue is that I'm going out of town and he will be in charge. My roo, Nugget, doesn't care for him and my hubby doesn't understand his behavior. He pecks me in the foot every morning when I let him out (it's apparently our thing) and he's great with the pullets. He calls them to eat and takes treats to them and drops it in front of them. I hand feed him treats and he responds to his name, the word NO, Get Down, and more. He does chase the cats and dog away from the girls...which I don't fault him for. He alerts when he senses danger, etc, overall he's a good roo. He is just fine with me but I've babied him. He's been somewhat of a house chicken with the heat we've had this summer and due to his crowing. Our HOA doesn't know we are harboring a Roo. Has anyone used a no crow collar? If I can leave him outside without upsetting the neighbors, I think my husband can handle it. Does anyone want to babysit my chicken, lol?

I'm guessing you have never had a rooster before and this is a relatively young bird. Even though you think you get along with this bird, it is behaving in a way that can get progressively more aggressive and dangerous. Pecking at your feet is the first step toward flogging. It will get worse over time.

Every aggressive rooster I've had has started by pecking at my feet for a few weeks, before the behavior started to escalate. This bird is IN. YOUR. HOUSE. What are you going to do when it eventually flies at you feet first, slashing and drawing blood as it goes? It's not just your safety that's at issue. The bird doesn't like your husband.

If your husband has been putting up with this bird - indoors, no less - he is some kind of saint. Why don't you show your husband some love and serve him that bird on a platter? If you can't eat it, give it or sell it to someone who can. If you don't remove the bird before someone gets hurt, the HOA will be the least of your worries.

 

[Agarrard]

Gosh, you're raising a rooster in a HOA? Bless your heart. Do your neighbors know you have chickens and a rooster? I've seen videos of the no-crow collar, and if you plan on keeping the rooster I'd definitely give it a go - can't hurt. If you're unable to tone it down it'll be pretty hard to continue living incognito in the hood. Personally if it was me I'd forego the rooster since he's putting the rest of your flock at risk. I can see how a person could fly under the radar with hens but a rooster isn't going to keep things low-key no matter what you do.  

I am beginning to come to terms with his future. He's like a dog with me. I've grown very attached to him but I know it's only a matter of time. :/