Arizona Chickens

[igorsMistress]

@Bobby Basham it doesn't matter a mix is a mix. I have two NN pullets and my roo is an Aussie. It would work in reverse. I have Australorp pullets too and I am keeping those for purebred chicks. Eventually I'll add NNs with the double gene and cross those.

 

[igorsMistress]

@BlueBaby you're probably right

Seriously though, he came over and listened to me talk to to him and he wasn't grumpy even though he looked like a naked neck himself

 

[cactusrota]

I don't recall seeing a pic of that guy before, very pretty boy.

My goal would B/B/S for coloring with the naked necks and the higher egg yield of the Australorps. My biggest goal is heat tolerance and since both breeds are good for that I figured crossing would work.

This is all new to me of course so we will see how it goes.

I also forgot to tell you, both their parents spent last winter in a drafty coop in Utah with temps regularly dropping into the single digits and only suffered a tiny bit of frost bite on their comb and toes. And then handled last summer like champs with temps up to 120, much better than than most of their coop mates. They come from very hardy stock.

 

[DesertChic]

I don't recall seeing a pic of that guy before, very pretty boy.

My goal would B/B/S for coloring with the naked necks and the higher egg yield of the Australorps. My biggest goal is heat tolerance and since both breeds are good for that I figured crossing would work.

This is all new to me of course so we will see how it goes.

Just an FYI: I spent yesterday consolidating a bunch of the egg laying data I've accumulated on my flocks and found that my top layer, one of my oldest NN hens, has averaged 250 eggs each year for the past two years (her laying years). Her first year she gave me 269 eggs and they got large very quickly. Year two she gave me 231 eggs and they were all x-large to jumbo. She's the queen of my NN Layer line and she was one of four NN hens that's out layed all of my other breeds including my Aussies and Black Sex Link.

 

[DesertChic]

Are you folks referring to a NN Roo over an Australorp hen? What would the opposite yield? Just curious. --BB

If you simply want to mix the two breeds it doesn't really matter. However, if you're looking for particular traits, it could make a big difference. I track a lot of data on my birds, including egg laying habits, growth rates, sizes at various ages, etc. When I created that NN/Aussie cross, I used my best laying Australorp hen and my hardiest NN rooster that came from one of my best laying NN hens that also had the body shop I've come to recognize as being best for egg production. Knowing the lineage and habits of the birds I used was very helpful.

For my meat production line of NNs, I'll select based upon length and straightness of keel, broadness of back, spacing around the pubic bones, depth of chest, growth rates, rate of musculature, feed efficiency.....of parents, grandparents, etc.

I've experimented with crossed NN hens with fully feathered (FF) breeds and vice versa and noted which tends to give me the best results. There ARE differences, which surprised me. From my observations, maternal traits seem to pass on more easily than paternal ones in many cases, but I'm still new enough to genetics tracking and planning to still prove myself wrong on that in the future.

 

[Salty Skroob]

Question for you fellow Arizonans. I’m looking to plant a tree near my chicken bunker for shade. Any particular species I should stay away from? Leaves, seeds or pods that will not be good for the chickens or make the eggs taste funny.

 

[SonoranChick]

Just an FYI: I spent yesterday consolidating a bunch of the egg laying data I've accumulated on my flocks and found that my top layer, one of my oldest NN hens, has averaged 250 eggs each year for the past two years (her laying years). Her first year she gave me 269 eggs and they got large very quickly. Year two she gave me 231 eggs and they were all x-large to jumbo. She's the queen of my NN Layer line and she was one of four NN hens that's out layed all of my other breeds including my Aussies and Black Sex Link.

I have always heard that australorpes and leghorns have been the most prolific layers, I had no idea NN's could produce like that! I'm definitely adding a few to my wish list. The mottled (or splash?) are too cute.

 

[SonoranChick]

Question for you fellow Arizonans. I’m looking to plant a tree near my chicken bunker for shade. Any particular species I should stay away from? Leaves, seeds or pods that will not be good for the chickens or make the eggs taste funny.

Good question! We have two trees which shade the coop: a huge palo verde and a desert willow. The palo verde does shed beans & pods but the chickens don't seem interested in them at all. I love the desert willow...it doesn't really shed and has pretty pink flowers. It smells tropical during monsoon season.

 

[igorsMistress]

Just an FYI: I spent yesterday consolidating a bunch of the egg laying data I've accumulated on my flocks and found that my top layer, one of my oldest NN hens, has averaged 250 eggs each year for the past two years (her laying years). Her first year she gave me 269 eggs and they got large very quickly. Year two she gave me 231 eggs and they were all x-large to jumbo. She's the queen of my NN Layer line and she was one of four NN hens that's out layed all of my other breeds including my Aussies and Black Sex Link.

That's impressive! So far my Australorp and two production Reds are all very consistent. Don't know yet on the two girls from BlueBaby. Most sources don't credit NNs for their egg laying ability.
I haven't kept records, didn't have many layers so I just know what to expect. Things will probably change when the newbies start laying though.

 

[igorsMistress]

Question for you fellow Arizonans. I’m looking to plant a tree near my chicken bunker for shade. Any particular species I should stay away from? Leaves, seeds or pods that will not be good for the chickens or make the eggs taste funny.

I have a willow acacia that's blooming right now. My chickens nip the leaves they can reach but no illness from it. It's not dense shade and the tree gets very little water but grows fast.

If you plant mesquite trees water sparingly. The Chilean variety has thorns but isn't especially messy.

Palo verdes get those flowers and sticky stuff all over but my chickens chase the bugs that come over from the neighbors place. I dunno if they ate them