Arizona Chickens

[FeatherPugs]

I've just had two, Thelma & Louise. Both sweet and never aggressive. They didn't take garbage from the assertive Sex-Links but they also were not bossy. I only have Louise now and she is 6 years old this year. She still gives me one or two eggs a week when she's not molting. Will these chickens ever stop molting!! Another of my young hens has started losing her tail!

 

[howesmr]

I've just had two, Thelma & Louise. Both sweet and never aggressive. They didn't take garbage from the assertive Sex-Links but they also were not bossy. I only have Louise now and she is 6 years old this year. She still gives me one or two eggs a week when she's not molting. Will these chickens ever stop molting!! Another of my young hens has started losing her tail!

LOL , we have 2 BR we got a few months back, maybe 2 months into laying now. My wife named them Thelma and Louise too. They are very sweet and dont run away and are among the easiest to pick up. They are usually first to come say hi when we go out to do a 'Chicken Check'

 

[cactusrota]

I had a few hatchery BR's, but didn't keep them long enough to really have an opinion on their behavior. The Mottled Java's from the same hatchery around the same time were very nervous so I wasn't very impressed with them. I decided early on that i didn't like the barred look and sold the pullets right before they started laying and butchered the cockerels. I will have to agree, they were certainly a confident bird that seemed a bit more stable in personality. I'd bet probably a bit more predator savvy as well, but I wouldn't know for sure.
My current main Naked Neck rooster is a wuss so far. He's tried challenging me a couple of times on nice days when he's really feeling his oats... but when the younger, 4 month old, cockerels try to harass the hens he doesn't really step in much at all. Sometimes he'll walk up and administer a good bite, but never chases them off or anything. But then he's just barely over 8 months old... and a good size, I really need to weigh him...

 

[Bobby Basham]

I will wait a couple weeks to put their hatchmates out. I try early to get the chicks to eat meal worms from my hand. they were not buying anything i had to sell yet. still pretty young.

Well, I did like one poster said in a different forum...make some chicken noises and they will come to you. I created a monster doing a little bukk-bukk to entice them. Now they jump up and down every time I crack the door and look in, because they know the goodies are coming. They even stand on my hand and up my wrist while stuffing their faces. They don't necessarily like to be held or petted, but they know their food source for sure.

 

[SonoranChick]

I had a few hatchery BR's, but didn't keep them long enough to really have an opinion on their behavior. The Mottled Java's from the same hatchery around the same time were very nervous so I wasn't very impressed with them. I decided early on that i didn't like the barred look and sold the pullets right before they started laying and butchered the cockerels. I will have to agree, they were certainly a confident bird that seemed a bit more stable in personality. I'd bet probably a bit more predator savvy as well, but I wouldn't know for sure.
My current main Naked Neck rooster is a wuss so far. He's tried challenging me a couple of times on nice days when he's really feeling his oats... but when the younger, 4 month old, cockerels try to harass the hens he doesn't really step in much at all. Sometimes he'll walk up and administer a good bite, but never chases them off or anything. But then he's just barely over 8 months old... and a good size, I really need to weigh him...View attachment 1231925

Love all the different colors in his feathers!

 

[Bobby Basham]

Love all the different colors in his feathers!

I think there is one mean RIR in the bunch. Normally, I clean the kicked bedding out of their two waterers. While they're drinking, I then scrape all the bedding from their feeding tray. While cleaning the tray, the rest see that feed is available and start crowding around. I gently nudge them out the way (the greedy Austra-Whites always in the forefront), and one little sweet BR leans up against my knuckles while working my way down the tray. Then this one RIR comes up and bites me hard and WON"T LET GO. I had to whack her real good. She's the one that always wants to fight when nudged away, rearing up with an attitude and pecking.

Sister-Girl needs to recognize that I have waaaay too many kitchen appliances, pressure cookers, slow cookers and meat cleavers up in this camp, so her days may be numbered.

You all know that I got that "Beak Phobia" thing.

 

[cavemanrich]

Then this one RIR comes up and bites me hard and WON"T LET GO. I had to whack her real good. She's the one that always wants to fight when nudged away, rearing up with an attitude and pecking.

I would carefully look her over and check if she isn't one of this breed..

 

[MagicChicken]

<quote clipped for brevity>

Sister-Girl needs to recognize that I have waaaay too many kitchen appliances, pressure cookers, slow cookers and meat cleavers up in this camp, so her days may be numbered.

You all know that I got that "Beak Phobia" thing.

Edited to add: You might want to keep an eye on that aggressive RIR in case it turns out to be a rooster in disguise. On the other hand, yesterday I found one of my laying hens chest-bumping and kick-boxing with a rooster through the wire fence separating their pens. Tried to get video but wasn't quick enough with the phone camera.

 

[Diannastarr]

I LOVE MY BRs, , i had them for 4 years all nice big girls , i have always love the BR from childhood on, as hens under a year they bullied my little silver laced wyandotts and teamed up with my new Hampshire reds to bully my SLW , so i separated them all and after the 2nd year they are all now friends,& sleep together ,the BR that i have are nice big good looking birds, they lay a good size egg but smaller then my NHR that lay jumbo eggs , but the BR are good layers , i found out from an old timer that the BR are the only breed of chicken that will gather together to keep warm , and so i put up a platform in the coop specifically for them so they can do that , and they knew it , and have taken over the plat form every night as their special sleeping place ... HA , they are quite & calm and get better with age, they go about their business i hardly notice they are around in among my 8 other breeds that make up 75 bird out free ranging together, plus they are smart, so these old time breeds that grand ma had are good layers, hardy, but never flighty & great in any situation , i must say you cant go wrong with BRs ..!they are tough old gals , no one messes with them.! not even the roos will try and push a BR hen around..! they are not aggressive but & can hold their own ..!

 

[Diannastarr]

I would carefully look her over and check if she isn't one of this breed..
View attachment 1232035

HA thats exactly a pic of my big bad red new Hampshire roo BAD CHICKY BOY he was so bad we had to shoot him , after he was trying to kill every person he saw.