Arizona Chickens

[Gallo del Cielo]

Now that we're thinking about desert tortoises, I have what might be a stupid question, how do your chickens react to them? Do they ignore them? Also, I suppose the tortoises are brutal on the garden and have to be fenced out? I'm just curious. My daughter learned about the adoption program years ago and wanted one immediately and I've been putting her off, hoping she'll forget

But, if I really don't have a good argument against it, maybe I should look into it. I must admit, they are very cool creatures.

 

[chickchalet]

Quote:
Hey, you can adopt them from AZ Fish and Game: http://www.azgfd.gov/w_c/captive_tortoise_care.shtml#information

Any idea on the adoption fees?

 

[mydog8it]

Quote:
We didn't have chickens when we had the desert tortoise - it was years ago. Someone had given him to me and we had him for about a year, but ended up having to give him away due to a dog that just refused to be trained to leave him alone. It was not fun having to find the tortoise and pick him up every time the dogs had to go out...

He did burrow in a hole (I think the dog was responsible for starting the hole...lol) but other than that, we didn't have a problem with him digging up the lawn or plants or anything like that. Most of the landscaping at that house was pretty mature though. I'm sure he would have done some damage to small plants or vegetables.

I'm not sure about adoption fees, but I was thinking about looking into it again (the "feisty" dog passed away a couple of years ago). I'll let you know if I find anything out.

 

[mydog8it]

Quote:
I was inspired by your recipe, went out and picked about 100 prickly pear fruits, and took them over to my mom's house for cooking assistance. Her response: "Are you insane??" lol. I ended up peeling about a dozen of them for the chickens (they LOVED them) and the rest went to my mom's neighbor who will be trying out your recipe

Do you know if it's safe to give these to chickens without completely peeling them? Roasting them doesn't seem to completely eliminate the spines, but I was thinking wild birds probably eat them so maybe the spines won't hurt them.

 

[Gallo del Cielo]

Mydog8it: Thanks for the info.

Chickchalet: When I checked with the Desert Museum here in Tucson about tortoise adoption it was free. They did, however, require that your property be inspected to be sure that it couldn't escape. From what I heard, they were very happy to find homes for them since there was such a great need.

 

[squeakyballs]

My chickens are eating the prickly pear fruit as it falls off the cactus (although it is still green... not red yet!)... unpeeled and unburned! It doesn't seem to be bothering them

Sometimes the jelly doesn't set right, and comes out more like pancake syrup. It is soooo good on pancakes.

I hope you enjoy it!


And.... my rooster did something bad today. I think.

I went out with a bunch of grapes and started tossing them to the chickens as I walked. I felt a hard *thump* on the back of my leg and thought the retarded rooster had crashed into me (he is greedy and clumsy).

Then he did it again and kind of ran off to the side. I started walking again. Then I got the third hard *thump* on the back of my leg and I gave him a half-hearted kick. Was he trying to *do* me, or was he trying to attack me?

He was very upset about the kick, even though I missed. I'm very upset. He usually follows me around happily.

He's 7 months old, cochin/unknown mix.

Does he need a new home in a soup pot?

 

[a2ms4chickens]

Not much rain here today, at least not yet. It rained for about 5 minutes while my DS and I were in Best Buy. I took the dog for a walk about 25 min. ago and by the time we got back the air was heavier and it was more humid. So, hopefully, we will get some more rain.

The only bad thing about the rain and humidity is that I have to clean the chicken pen a lot more. I went out to water tonight and boy did it smell like chickens! I'll be out 1st thing in the morning cleaning the pen and dishes. I usually rake it out every week, so I don't give the neighbors anything to complain about. They are pretty cool and have no problem with the 7 roosters crowing early in the morning. Gotta keep 'em happy.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Angie

 

[Gallo del Cielo]

Quote:
Did you get any rain last night or the night before? We totaled almost four inches in the past three days here in the center of town (virtually nothing though before these events). I was sure this monsoon was going to be a bust. This afternoon's paltry rain stimulated a termite emergence and the chooks went crazy eating them. It was fun to watch.

 

[a2ms4chickens]

We did get some rain last night. Maybe we'll get some more rain tonight. We are in the NW part of Tucson, and when the clouds look like they are headed straight for us, they veer off and totally miss us.

No termites here, but the ants are ruthless!!!

Angie

 

[Gallo del Cielo]

Quote:
O.K. now, I know for a fact that all of the rain clouds have been veering right around our house and heading directly towards the NW and NE.

Why does it always seems to be rainier on the other side of town?
For some reason the ants haven't been bad here this year. If they get really bad, check out this company: http://www.arbico-organics.com/category/pest-solver-guide-ants You might already know of them, they're just up near Catalina. I'm super impressed with everything I've gotten from them so far.