Arizona Chickens

[phoenixmama]

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LOL

I suppose if I were giving them away free I wouldn't want to bother with the catching either.

 

[ArizonaDesertChicks]

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Our two dogs were already used to guinea pigs & pet rats (which my girls no longer have), so when we brought the baby chicks home and handled them all the time like pets, the two older dogs just figured it out. The little dauchsund (in the pic on page 262) was a puppy when we brought the new chicks home. We didn't let her close to them until they were much bigger and watched her closely till we knew she wouldn't hurt them - she probably learned from the two older dogs. All 3 dogs will try to chase the crows out of the yard, but don't chase the chickens - they know the difference between wild birds and pet birds.

Our cocker mix LOVES the babies - every time we get new chicks, he becomes obsessed with them - has to go into their pen with me, smells them, etc, but once they grow up, he ignores them. These dogs are so trustworthy with the chickens that we are able to leave all 3 dogs outside with the free-ranging chickens when we are not even home (I wouldn't advise that if you don't KNOW that your dogs can be trusted).

This is Ginger (the dog in the pic) - now 11 years old with my daughters (ages 9 & 11 then, 15 & 16 now) - an old pic, but the only one I have with both her and chicken in it

The third dog - Kodee (he's about 6 years old)

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Thanks. I like that picture too - the little dog looks like a new breed of chicken in that photo

My kids love our African Sumac - its official name at our house is 'the climbing tree' - the girls, especially the oldest, love to climb up and sit & daydream up there.

 

[ArizonaDesertChicks]

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Hi there!
I had to ask someone because I couldn't figure out how to reply. (Taking me a bit of time to get the hang of this.)
I am in Glendale. Thanks for letting me know the chickens are affected by the cold weather. I didn't realize that. Is there something besides making sure they are warm that helps them or will they start laying after it warms up a bit?

Hi Green Acres - I'm in Glendale too - near Arrowhead mall.

It's not so much the cold weather as it is the shorter daylight hours. Some people add extra light at night to their coops so the chickens will keep laying all winter long, while others decide to give the chickens a rest since that's their natural laying cycle (to slow down during the wintertime).

I don't add any extra light. I'm still getting about 5 eggs a week from 12 laying hens (these chickens are young and in their prime), but I believe at least 2 of them have totally stopped laying and expect to see even less eggs soon because there are feathers everywhere now - I'm gathering that a few more have started to molt.

 

[cap1717]

Quote:
Hi there!
I had to ask someone because I couldn't figure out how to reply. (Taking me a bit of time to get the hang of this.)
I am in Glendale. Thanks for letting me know the chickens are affected by the cold weather. I didn't realize that. Is there something besides making sure they are warm that helps them or will they start laying after it warms up a bit?

Hi Green Acres - I'm in Glendale too - near Arrowhead mall.

It's not so much the cold weather as it is the shorter daylight hours. Some people add extra light at night to their coops so the chickens will keep laying all winter long, while others decide to give the chickens a rest since that's their natural laying cycle (to slow down during the wintertime).

I don't add any extra light. I'm still getting about 5 eggs a week from 12 laying hens (these chickens are young and in their prime), but I believe at least 2 of them have totally stopped laying and expect to see even less eggs soon because there are feathers everywhere now - I'm gathering that a few more have started to molt.

Hi AZ Desert Chicks, your post is interesting. . . I am in North Phoenix, and this is the first year I have had chickens. They were aquired as day old chicks last spring. I have 4 girls, a RIR, BPR, EE and one "mutt". . . I am still getting between 2 and 4 eggs a day, with only an occasional day with just one egg. I was expecting production to slow down, but it has not, so far. The girls free range in the yard when I am home, get lay pellets, along with greens and treats (peaunuts are their fav). Is this wierd? Am I just lucky?, Can I expect the laying to slow down? I was thinking that in Phx, the laying might slow down in the summer.

 

[DM]

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Our two dogs were already used to guinea pigs & pet rats (which my girls no longer have), so when we brought the baby chicks home and handled them all the time like pets, the two older dogs just figured it out. The little dauchsund (in the pic on page 262) was a puppy when we brought the new chicks home. We didn't let her close to them until they were much bigger and watched her closely till we knew she wouldn't hurt them - she probably learned from the two older dogs. All 3 dogs will try to chase the crows out of the yard, but don't chase the chickens - they know the difference between wild birds and pet birds.

Our cocker mix LOVES the babies - every time we get new chicks, he becomes obsessed with them - has to go into their pen with me, smells them, etc, but once they grow up, he ignores them. These dogs are so trustworthy with the chickens that we are able to leave all 3 dogs outside with the free-ranging chickens when we are not even home (I wouldn't advise that if you don't KNOW that your dogs can be trusted).

This is Ginger (the dog in the pic) - now 11 years old with my daughters (ages 9 & 11 then, 15 & 16 now) - an old pic, but the only one I have with both her and chicken in it
http://i592.photobucket.com/albums/tt4/manddteach2/100_0894.jpg

The third dog - Kodee (he's about 6 years old)
http://i592.photobucket.com/albums/tt4/manddteach2/gardenchickens006.jpg

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Thanks. I like that picture too - the little dog looks like a new breed of chicken in that photo

My kids love our African Sumac - its official name at our house is 'the climbing tree' - the girls, especially the oldest, love to climb up and sit & daydream up there.

Thanks for the pictures....thats what I want, one big happy family dogs chickens kids and alll........looks great

 

[tofuranch]

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Thanks for the pic, very cute babies

 

[CheerfulHeart2]

Monhonri - Great pics! Good looking babies. I am so glad to hear/see you had a happy hatch. Yippee!

ArizonaDesertChicks - Thank you for sharing pic's of the family and dogs. It is heart warming. Nice!

LareePQG - I laughed too. I am still giggling.

cap1717 & GreeenAcres - It seems others have a little better consistency in laying than I have had. I am guessing it is because they have a variety of chickens and mine are all BA's (Black Australorp's). My six hens gave me up to 3 dozen eggs a week last spring. When the temps topped 105 degrees they slowed down. When it dropped below 105, they picked up a bit. Then they went broody, so the broody ones stopped laying and I didn't break them right way. Then they molted and didn't lay well during molt. So, until last week, for about 2 months, I was getting 0-2 eggs a day. Mostly 1 egg a day. I added light to the coup because some were clearly done molting and not laying. After slowing increasing the amount of light for a few weeks, I am now getting about 4 eggs a day. However, others seem to have improved laying now to, so I am not sure if the light helped or not. I hear the cinnamon queens do especially well here both in the heat and in the winter.

Everyone - I would love to get more info on which of your birds lay well in heat and winter (without extra light) in the Phoenix/Tucson area. So far I have figured out that Cinnamon Queens seem to do very well.

 

[cap1717]

My PBR and RIR have been laying 5-6 eggs per week since last summer, the mutt started later as is laying 4-5 per week, the EE started much later, average 3-4 per week. I use no artifical light, but generally let them free range untill they put themselves to bed in the evening.

 

[LarryPQ]

http://phoenix.craigslist.org/nph/hsh/1538665080.html

I am SOOOOo going to go get this and make the AWESOMEST incubator/hatcher in the HISTORY OF THE UNIVERSE!!!!

It is ok to be jealous.

 

[cluckin_crazy]

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I was convinced that since my CQ had not started laying yet (she's 6 months) that she would not start until it got warmer. Literally the day after I said that, she proved me wrong!