Arizona Chickens

[DesertChic]

My more mature birds are finally exiting or have exited molt and are resuming laying, so now my pullets are entering their molt. At least the pullets come through the molting period more quickly than my 2-3 year olds. My yard remains full of feathers...but I'll take that over snow any day.

 

[Diannastarr]

i have 75 birds, most of them came from cackel hatchery & a few from the feed store , those were our first birds in AZ we have raised chickens in several different states since the 1960's i find that all my older birds going on 4 , plus another group of my older birds going on 3 and my youngest group are 18 months old and they all started molting around the same time , but all my older birds have molted faster as the years go by, plus like this year they didnt look much like they were even molting at all ,im so gald about that since seeing my birds looking badly makes me stressed out along with them, but they were molting i could tell since there are feathers from all my older breeds all over the ground, my youngest 18 months old & this year comparing my old hatchery birds to the 18 month old hatchery birds , the difference is very noticeable and the younger birds looked ragged for a lot longer , in fact some are still looking a bit undone, so whats the difference , i believe its all because the older girls have lived with me for a lot longer and because i have been feeding them the longest & feeding them the best food no matter what , its my main thing to feed every one my people and all my animals the best..! after all i raised race horses and the biggest dogs in the world & they all have to be fed the very best..! so i feed sprouted grains & fermented grains seeds and more , plus a top quality hi protein feed along with a multi vit complex and fruits & vegies and they all free range , so this year the only ones that looked ragged were my 18 month old hens , so i believe that they needed to eat the best possible in their first year wile they are growing and starting to lay eggs , so their first year has been beyond stressful for them im sure thats why they looked the worst, so food is the key & knowing how to raise massive animals , its never any different then raising chickens , all they need is to be supported nutritionally , so i always begin from day olds on to build a better bird , but the good news is its never to late to start .!!!

 

[igorsMistress]

I start working from home next week
My chicks are growing into chickens so fast! Kazoo is probably close to the same size already that Emmett was at 10 months. The naked necks and blue pullets are getting pink combs and wattles, but production took a nose dive after Christmas. Oh well, the big girls deserve a break.
My easter egger hen is still fighting off the roo; there was quite a show of hackles and nasty looks but she held him off. She's the last of the 1 year olds to refuse his advances and half his size

The 1 year olds are still slowly molting. They don't look too bad but I started fermenting feed again. It was easier to make sure everyone got to eat with dry so they could all get used to each other. They're becoming a bit more of a single flock, although the naked necks are integrating faster with the big girls than the blue crew.
My son is coming over next week to help me with some yard work, I need him to muscle the tiller and some pavers before the in laws arrive to pass judgement on my house keeping habits.
Hoping everyone is having a good start this year.

 

[Salty Skroob]

Need a little advice here. One of the sides of my bunker consists of foam covered with stucco. It’s the privacy fence between my yard and the neighbors.

These goofy chickens have started pecking at it and eating the foam. They’ve mostly attacked areas where there are blemishes or cracks in the stucco where they can see into the foam. I patched it all tonight after they went to bed. Hoping that it sets up nice and hard overnight so that they stop.

Anyone had them do this? Peck at the house maybe? Will it harm them? How do I stop it?

 

[Diannastarr]

Need a little advice here. One of the sides of my bunker consists of foam covered with stucco. It’s the privacy fence between my yard and the neighbors.

These goofy chickens have started pecking at it and eating the foam. They’ve mostly attacked areas where there are blemishes or cracks in the stucco where they can see into the foam. I patched it all tonight after they went to bed. Hoping that it sets up nice and hard overnight so that they stop.

Anyone had them do this? Peck at the house maybe? Will it harm them? How do I stop it?

gosh yes they will eat the foam , im not sure if that will kill them in the long run or what .? but its not good for sure , gosh that's a tough break im sorry , maybe you can cover it up with something ..?? maybe old metal or plastic roof panels or wood..? when my birds were young they would try to eat the strings that eventually come off of the tarps when they fall apart & the birds think those strings are worms and try to eat them. i hope you can find a quick remedy for that problem gosh

 

[DesertChic]

Need a little advice here. One of the sides of my bunker consists of foam covered with stucco. It’s the privacy fence between my yard and the neighbors.

These goofy chickens have started pecking at it and eating the foam. They’ve mostly attacked areas where there are blemishes or cracks in the stucco where they can see into the foam. I patched it all tonight after they went to bed. Hoping that it sets up nice and hard overnight so that they stop.

Anyone had them do this? Peck at the house maybe? Will it harm them? How do I stop it?

If the chickens can see the foam they will peck at and eat the foam. The only way to prevent it is to conceal/block it from them. Long-term consumption of foam typically proves deadly to them.

 

[Salty Skroob]

Ok. I patched it for now. Hopefully they leave it alone in the morning. If not, I’ll put some hardware cloth up.

 

[howesmr]

Seven 2 day old Svart Hona Chicks in West Phoenix Valley. 28 more eggs in due on the 20th. 2 left that are 3 weeks old. If anyone is interested send me a Private message.

In other news. One of our blue egg laying crested cream Legbar girls fell victum to the neighbors dog.

and lastly just hatched our first try and French Breese. The chicks have to be the cutest, even cuter than the chipmunk looking cream legbar girls. They are so funny mixed in with the Svart Hona chicks but no problem telling them apart.

 

[Diannastarr]

Ok. I patched it for now. Hopefully they leave it alone in the morning. If not, I’ll put some hardware cloth up.

that might work if the holes in the hardware cloth are small enough so they cant get their beaks in through the holes to peck at the foam, gosh i know once chickens find something to peck at , it can be hard to stop them gosh not fun at all.

 

[Fishybiz]

Hi! I am new to raising chicks and I am hoping to find at least 2 olive eggers to join my 6 baby girls (brown egg layers) I currently have now. I just haven't had any luck with the feed stores in my area and im hoping someone in the Phoenix or Mesa area can help me out here. Im hoping for some as young as 1 to 2 weeks old...

I bought mine last June at Shoppers on Queen Creek and Alma School.