Arizona Chickens

[cavemanrich]

We purchased our home in 2022, located north of Rio Verde/ Fountain Hills and east of Scottsdale. We recently began raising our own chickens - Frances, Ethel, PegLeg and 3 others that have not really earned names yet. All of our chickens were purchased from Tractor Supply last spring. My father built our coop, and the flock's yard space (as well as a connecting bridge), but the Hen House was a kit also from Tractor Supply. I'll take photos of the Coop and Yard tomorrow for everyone.

I noticed you visited the Illinois State thread . I'm from Illinois but also hang out on this Arizona thread.
My son lived in Fountain Hills. Much time before that,, My uncle lived in northern part of Phoenix.
Uncle long gone. Son is back in Illinois.

 

[PocketS2025]

Hello. I see that you just joined byc. Welcome to our states thread. I'll be waiting to see your pictures when you share them here with us.

Pictures of the Coop and Yard attached.

 

[BlueBaby]

Pictures of the Coop and Yard attached.

It looks good, but the chicken wire on it will only keep the chickens in. It won't keep any hungry predators out. 1/4-inch hardware wire cloth works better.

 

[PocketS2025]

We have hardware cloth on the Coop - for whatever reason, my dad opted for the chicken wire on the yard - sparrows, finches and a few other birds keep getting in. And we typically have people home throughout the day - if not, the chickens are moved to the coop and locked in.

 

[BlueBaby]

Anybody else here have a tailess or rumpless chicken? I hatched out one in my ebay batch of Silver Leghorn hatching egg's back in August. I ended up with 3 pullet's of those. The other 2 look normal, but this 3rd one is the smallest and doesn't have a tail. I wonder if she's mixed with something else, and might not lay a white egg that Leghorn's are known for.

 

[BlueBaby]

This is the pullet that doesn't have a tail like the rest of them do. She doesn't get picked on and she never grew one in.

 

[springvalley123]

Anybody else here have a tailess or rumpless chicken? I hatched out one in my ebay batch of Silver Leghorn hatching egg's back in August. I ended up with 3 pullet's of those. The other 2 look normal, but this 3rd one is the smallest and doesn't have a tail. I wonder if she's mixed with something else, and might not lay a white egg that Leghorn's are known for.

Long time since I've posted, not having any birds any more (had to move to Sun City). But I remember looking into this, and finding it was a lethal gene, I think because it shortened the spine too much and made it difficult to hatch. Here are 3 articles I found, but just the AI told me that it was lethal if it's autosomal dominant (if both parents had the dominant gene). So if you crossed this hen to another rumpless bird, maybe that'd give the autosomal dominance? you'd only know if none of the fertile eggs hatched.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/rumpless-genetics.336060/page-2

https://www.pipsnchicks.com/moreinfo/dominant-rumpless

https://livestockconservancy.org/heritage-breeds/heritage-breeds-list/manx-rumpy-chicken/

 

[BlueBaby]

Long time since I've posted, not having any birds any more (had to move to Sun City). But I remember looking into this, and finding it was a lethal gene, I think because it shortened the spine too much and made it difficult to hatch. Here are 3 articles I found, but just the AI told me that it was lethal if it's autosomal dominant (if both parents had the dominant gene). So if you crossed this hen to another rumpless bird, maybe that'd give the autosomal dominance? you'd only know if none of the fertile eggs hatched.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/rumpless-genetics.336060/page-2

https://www.pipsnchicks.com/moreinfo/dominant-rumpless

https://livestockconservancy.org/heritage-breeds/heritage-breeds-list/manx-rumpy-chicken/

I'm not planning on hatching any of her future egg's once she starts laying, but her egg's should still be ok to eat.

I have been wondering how you have been. Glad to see you here posting again. Doesn't Sun City allow you to have chicken's?

 

[springvalley123]

I'm not planning on hatching any of her future egg's once she starts laying, but her egg's should still be ok to eat.

I have been wondering how you have been. Glad to see you here posting again. Doesn't Sun City allow you to have chicken's?

Not even quail (the HOA docs specifically state), but I tried anyway. Only to find they do "so much better in the heat than chickens"--they start panting and wings out at 93 degrees, whereas my chickens up north did that at 90 degrees! I just felt it wasn't fair to them. I considered keeping them inside, but their 2x6 ft all-peat moss run kicked up a bit of dust (fun as they were to watch them dust-bathe).

 

[BlueBaby]

Not even quail (the HOA docs specifically state), but I tried anyway. Only to find they do "so much better in the heat than chickens"--they start panting and wings out at 93 degrees, whereas my chickens up north did that at 90 degrees! I just felt it wasn't fair to them. I considered keeping them inside, but their 2x6 ft all-peat moss run kicked up a bit of dust (fun as they were to watch them dust-bathe).

Will you be moving again where you can have chickens or quail?