Arizona Chickens

[Tonopah Pati]

Ahh, the art of Yard buying and selling. Very good thing to know.

Today is turning into a very nice day, to tear apart the old garden area and prepare to enlarge the pen. Just popped back in to wish all a great day. Change into work duds and get with it.

 

[Scottsdalechicks]

Hi Arizona chicken people! I've got 3 hens....can anyone recommend a good ground cover for the winter? Will they just eat it as fast as it grows? I guess I don't mind that, but it would be nicer if they weren't just walking around on bare dirt. Thanks!

 

[Huny]

Hey folks, I know I haven't been here for a while but wanted to give updates. We went to the Cochise County Fair, and we entered everything in my daughters 4-H (Since there isn't much open class here). She won Grand Champion Female Chicken (Columbian Rock Bantam Pullet), Grand Champion Male Chicken (Rhode Island Red Bantam Cock), and Grand Champion Waterfowl (Young Gander Sebastapol). We also won Best of Fair-Feathers with the RIR Cock. We knew we'd do well, but had no idea we would take the cake like that

I'm just so proud I could burst, so I thought I would share!

 

[Sock Puppet]

Congratulations!

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[mahalo4]

For anyone interested I have 4 roos to give away if you are interested I am in Apache Junction now 1 is a 7mos old Golden laced cochin very good w/hens and not a bully at all/and 3 Jersey Giants from pamspride about 2 mos old just im me if interested!

 

[kathyinmo]

Quote:
Mmmmm, could you deliver those Giants to Missouri?? LOL

 

[ChrystalGail]

Huny... Congratulations!!!!

Laree.... Yeah, the B-Day was great. I actually didn't mind all the cooking, cleaning and kid caring that I did. Fun day!!!! And, no, I didn't feel older when I woke up...

I kinda had a rough day today. I woke up this morning and went out to feed the animals. I found all 3 of my bunnies killed. I have them in a run like the chickens with dog fencing (welded wire) covered with chicken wire across the lower 2 feet of it. Then I have it covered with bird netting. What ever it was that got in climbed the fence and broke through the netting. My hunch is fox, because it killed all 3 of them, ate one and buried the other 2 for later. Plus, it dug around the chick coop to try to get them, too. The only thing I can think of is fox. There are tracks all over the place, but I'm clueless when it comes to know what it was that made the track. The are about 2" across the middle and have 4 toes and a heal pad (just like a dog). Here is a picture...

Have any of you had similar experiences? Any other predator you can think of it could be?

I hope you all have a wonderful night!

 

[rufus]

Chrystal, I do not see toe nail impressions in that print. Look carefully, they may just not show in the photo. Felines retract their claws, but canines don't. I suspect you have some sort of cat to deal with.

Bait the trap with an old tuna can.

Rufus

 

[ArizonaDesertChicks]

Quote:
That's what I was thinking too. A few years ago (our 2nd attempt at having chickens), some kind of wild animal took one of our hens. I found prints and didn't see toenail marks either. When I called Game & Fish they suggested that it was probably a bobcat. This animal only killed one hen and took it over our 6 ft. block wall. I tracked it for about 1/2 a mile in the wash that is behind us. I found that it stopped about 3 times to rest and eat a little (there were indentation in the weeds & lots of extra feathers in these resting spots).

It only killed & took one hen, but that might be because we have dogs that live in our backyard. Maybe our predator felt the need to get in and out quickly. We rehomed our hens after that because we didn't have a secure coop and weren't in the position to put one up quickly, so I have no idea if the predator ever returned.

It does look like wildcats will bury their food if they can't take it with them. I found this quote on the internet:
"Food caching is best known in one of the big cats, the leopard. Leopards cache food high up in trees out of reach of lions and hyenas and will return to the cache again and again. It is also seen in the North American bobcat. When a bobcat kills more than it can eat in one meal, it covers the remains of its kill with leaves or other debris and returns to finish it later. It will also help itself to another bobcat’s cache if it finds one. Pumas and cheetahs also cache food. In general, these are cats that kill prey their own size or larger than themselves where they can’t eat it in one sitting."

I'm so sorry you lost your bunnies and hope you can figure out how to keep this animal away in the future.

 

[Tonopah Pati]

Good Morning Arizona,

Crystal, sorry about your loss. It is so hard to loose a pet, to some critter.

I got lots done yesterday, removed all the fence post. What a job that was. When I put a fence post in, I mean for it to stay in. Lots of digging pounding, rocking, pushing and pulling.

Today I will move about 100 assorted planting containers. All different sizes. Rake and get ready to put new fence up. I did find a place where some thing is getting into my pen. I fixed that.

Mahalo4, I wish that your cochin was a hen. I would come and get her today. I am looking for two hens. chicks, or grown. My Willie Boy needs his own girls. I have the playhouse/coop ready.

Congrats Honey. love the fair.

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