Arizona Chickens

[BlueBaby]

Is anybody interested in a free, very people friendly, mixed-breed rooster. His name is Harley and he's part EE, part Dorking-mix, part Ameraucana. He's got a floppy rose comb that covers one eye most of the time. (Yes, my rooster has a comb-over.) He carries the blue egg gene and has five toes instead of four (courtesy of the Dorking blood). He comes from a line of strong egg layers, but simply doesn't fit into my breeding program. I just don't have the heart to cull him since he's so sweet and affectionate, and with his more streamlined body he wouldn't be a good supplier of meat anyway. He's still rather young - he hatched March 20th of this year, and shows a bit of inexperience with wooing the ladies but is getting better at it every day.

If interested, please PM me. I'd like to see him go to a good home where he will continue to be loved. He's one of my snugglers.

He's a pretty rooster, but he wouldn't fit into my Australorp breeding neither. I hope that you find him a good home.

 

[nicollee]

 

[momgoose]

Raccoons will kill ALL accessible chickens, so would a badger and possibly a coati. They frequently kill just to kill and leave multiple carcasses. Bobcats tend to eat their kill where they drop it unless threatened. Coyotes will usually carry their kills away unless they are in a remote area away from other coyotes and humans. I suspect a bobcat or domestic cat rather than any other predator. I think you said the birds were only accessible through some kind of door? That would make an owl unlikely. If it's some feline species, you have a challenge on your hands. The only way I could keep bobcats and feral domestic cats away from my chickens was by building a large 6' chain link pen with a chain link top with a 3 foot chicken wire wrap around the bottom with a predator proof coop accessible from inside the pen. I also had to bury wire fencing 18" down to keep raccoons from digging in! I love the wildlife here and feel like if I want a domestic farm animal or pet it's my responsibility to keep it safe from the predators rather than trying to kill off the predators. Besides, we have so many rock squirrels, rabbits, mice and pack rats, I appreciate the help predators give me controlling those pests!!

The only thing I've found that deters bobcats is good fencing or a big livestock/poultry friendly dog. They do make rain bird sprinklers that have motion sensors on them that will turn on when activated. That might deter a bobcat if placed near the opening of the chicken enclosure at night. Dogs work well during the day. My dogs even go after hawks that land nearby. You could try a live trap at night baited with something delicious like raw liver or chicken. Call Game and Fish about what's legal in Arizona and for advice. Almost all the native raptors and predators as well as javelina, coatis and raccoons are protected to some extent in Arizona except under certain circumstances. Good luck with your mystery!

 

[momgoose]

URGENT: NEED HOME FOR 6 LAYING HENS

I live on the Northeast side of Tucson. Because of a critical family illness, I will need to be spending extended periods of time in Phoenix for the next year or more
I have six laying hens that are healthy and I need someone who can take all of them together. I don't have time to find six different homes. There are two leghorns (Tee-one and Tee-two) that lay x-large to jumbo eggs, a buff Orphington (Annie) lays nice roundish brown eggs, an Easter Egger (Layla) that lays mint green eggs, a Dominique (Angela) and a Barred Rock (Carissa) that lay brown eggs. They are all healthy and active. The Leghorns are molting right now, the other hens molted earlier this fall. I will also give you any layer pellets, Oyster shell, and grit as well as a big box of egg cartons I bought. I probably have other supplies I haven't thought of if you need them. I'd appreciate anyone who can give them a new home. Please post reply or private message from this site-I will be checking the site and my email frequently. Thanks! Terri

 

[MagicChicken]

Raccoons will kill ALL accessible chickens, so would a badger and possibly a coati. They frequently kill just to kill and leave multiple carcasses. Bobcats tend to eat their kill where they drop it unless threatened. Coyotes will usually carry their kills away unless they are in a remote area away from other coyotes and humans. I suspect a bobcat or domestic cat rather than any other predator. I think you said the birds were only accessible through some kind of door? That would make an owl unlikely. If it's some feline species, you have a challenge on your hands. The only way I could keep bobcats and feral domestic cats away from my chickens was by building a large 6' chain link pen with a chain link top with a 3 foot chicken wire wrap around the bottom with a predator proof coop accessible from inside the pen. I also had to bury wire fencing 18" down to keep raccoons from digging in! I love the wildlife here and feel like if I want a domestic farm animal or pet it's my responsibility to keep it safe from the predators rather than trying to kill off the predators. Besides, we have so many rock squirrels, rabbits, mice and pack rats, I appreciate the help predators give me controlling those pests!!

The only thing I've found that deters bobcats is good fencing or a big livestock/poultry friendly dog. They do make rain bird sprinklers that have motion sensors on them that will turn on when activated. That might deter a bobcat if placed near the opening of the chicken enclosure at night. Dogs work well during the day. My dogs even go after hawks that land nearby. You could try a live trap at night baited with something delicious like raw liver or chicken. Call Game and Fish about what's legal in Arizona and for advice. Almost all the native raptors and predators as well as javelina, coatis and raccoons are protected to some extent in Arizona except under certain circumstances. Good luck with your mystery!

Pretty sure it was a bobcat, because the next morning I found a large cat print near where whatever it was had been standing the night before. Way too big for a house cat. Too small for a mountain lion. Not interested in killing or even trapping the bobcat. Just trying to make sure ground squirrel and rabbit are more appealing and easier-to-catch menu items than chicken.

 

[BlueBaby]

Well, I am now officially in the BYC 2017 New Years hatch-a-long. I'm all set for my New Years babies!

Is anyone else here in Arizona going to join me in that hatch-a-long?

Today is December 10th. I set 6 eggs at 6:30 PM tonight in my incubator. There are 3 eggs from out of my Splash Australorp hen Precious, and 3 eggs from out of her Blue Australorp hatch-mate sister Zhanne. The Daddy is again going to be from out of Flash, my Splash Australorp Rooster. All three of these parents are from out of the eggs that I hatched from Kurt (Rattlesnake Ridge line) back in April of this year.

 

[ejcrist]

Quick question: when chicks start hatching in your incubator, you're supposed to wait till they all hatch before removing them unless they've been in there for 24 hours already, correct?

Here's our first hatchling from about an hour ago:

We were hearing strange noises that woke us up this morning so we checked around and found out we're grandparents again for the 287th time. It's pretty cool. Now I can't get back to sleep.

 

[DesertChic]

Quick question: when chicks start hatching in your incubator, you're supposed to wait till they all hatch before removing them unless they've been in there for 24 hours already, correct?

Here's our first hatchling from about an hour ago:

We were hearing strange noises that woke us up this morning so we checked around and found out we're grandparents again for the 287th time. It's pretty cool. Now I can't get back to sleep.

Congratulations! And yes, that's the standard recommendation. (Don't ask me if I actually take that advice.)

 

[FeatherPugs]

@BlueBaby No hatching here but will be cheering you on! I have had good results with my black aussies except they go broody 2 to 3 times a year! Maybe I'd be interested in some of those splash babies but I expect I'll soon have one going broody within the next month or so.
@ejcrist Congratulations! How exciting baby chicks!
@DesertChic Sometimes ya gotta break the "rules"!!

 

[nicollee]

Quick question: when chicks start hatching in your incubator, you're supposed to wait till they all hatch before removing them unless they've been in there for 24 hours already, correct?

Here's our first hatchling from about an hour ago:

We were hearing strange noises that woke us up this morning so we checked around and found out we're grandparents again for the 287th time. It's pretty cool. Now I can't get back to sleep.

AWesome!!

I took mine out after a few hours when they started knocking the other eggs over.

Plus... I just couldn't wait any longer to meet them...