Arizona Chickens

[AZBootsie]

No specific timetable. I typically use medicated feed until they are adults, but I also use it to fed adults periodically.

Does the stuff in medicated feed need an egg withdrawl time?? and if so how long??

 

[SherrieT]

Yes. They don't quack. If they make any noise at all it is a hiss. And WICKED claws.But like I said before, the ones I had were incredible parents. Check out the pics in my Washington flock. And they were really incredible at the mosquitos.

Claws? Hissing? We are still talking about a duck, right? Mikey, I might need that bat house. Oh, can you also hang it for me before the fireman gets home?

Here's a link that references the claws: http://www.flickr.com/photos/silvernovice/4328121110/

 

[pdx2phx]

WOW people! I was on vacation for 2 weeks, plus 1 week "catchup" and now I am finally through the 100s of posts on here...wowza you all can WRITE

So.....sorry to those who have experienced losses and illnesses....

.....and welcome to the new folks and new peepers!

So, I wanted to chime in on the 'decrowing' discussion. We had our Serama roo "Cujo" decrowed by Dr. Babcock at Palo Verde Animal Hospital (on Northern at 12th st) and it went very well. I had a lot of concerns about it, but it came down to whether or not we could keep him. He's a good mellow little dude, and we really wanted to keep him and possibly get some little serama chickies from him at some point.... (he is fertile)

We had it done back mid-January and he came through it like a champ. We did keep him inside for about 2 weeks until he was totally healed, since it is major surgery, going down into the chest deeper than I had imagined it would. There were two layers of stitches, and we took him back twice for check-ups and stitch removal. Cujo was a surprisingly well-behaved house critter! He liked to sit on the couch and relax with us, was pretty tidy overall and stood 'guard' when we took naps. It was sometimes disconcerting to wake up and see him sitting on the arm of the couch intently watching us. He would also make the "yummy" come-n-get it whistle noise at us when he thought he found something tasty to share

. Our opinions about 'tasty' often differed from his, though!


As far as the cost, it was not cheap. PM me if you want details, but we felt it was worth it, and Dr. Babcock was (and continues to be) fantastic with all our chickens. We had to take a hen in right before we left on vacation for strange wheezy sniffling symptoms, and Dr. Babcock has made himself available for phone calls on weekends/after hours, and has called to check in on her several times since.

Kevs, were you the person that had this happen too also? I was worried that it was IB and quarantined right away, got her on Baytril. She is on a second course of it now, but suffice it to say she doesn't appear to have anything that is treatable with Baytril. None of the others have displayed any symptoms at all and she is still a little sneezy. She is also drinking A LOT of water, but is laying and eating normally. I wonder if chickens can have allergies, or maybe if this is fungal or something else?

We are also about to do a total coop re-do next weeekend.....time to wire out the freeloader wild birds and make the coop easier to clean!! I want to borrow some of your gorgeous and functional coop plans, but alas I have a feeling it will go from being "Redneck ramshackle version 2.0 to Redneck ramshackle v. 3.0!"

Edited to add: Cujo sounds like a squeaky toy now. I will try and get a video and post a link to it sometime....he sounds like "Whu WHEEP Beep"

 

[AZBootsie]

My sweet Blue Bell! Follows me around wanting smootches!

This little Turkey is CRAZY SWEET!!!! I stopped by to drop off some eggs and Terry took me for a tour. Great set up, multiple open air covered coops, large fenced pens for the horse and goats. 4 adorable baby goats bouncing and playing, but my absolute favorite was Blue Bell. She tagged along and every step or two I just had to reach down and love on her. She coo'd and rubbed against your legs like a giant kitten. I had no idea a Turkey could be so lovable!! I really really really need one now!!

 

[Mahonri]

As far as the cost, it was not cheap.

YOU CAN SAY THAT AGAIN! I'll never have a roo now.

BUT, I will say that Dr. Babcock was VERY nice on the phone. If I were independantly wealthy, I'd have 4 different breeds of roo and I'd let him decrow them all...
... but when most chickens don't even live more than 5 years. YIKES!!! It's WAY too pricey for me.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

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[Sonoran Silkies]

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No; it is not an antibiotic; it is amprollium, a thiamine blocker.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

HEY, I never was told what color of Silky comes out of a chocolate silky egg?

The egg is a normally coloured egg. The silkies will be chocolate or khaki coloured.

Laree, I take it you bred the chocolate crosses back to silkies? Super! I want photos!

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Sometimes they will squeek, too. My son named one of ours Squeeky because that was what she would do when we checked her nest while she was broody. And I've notices they sometimes softly squeek and whistle at each other. Very soft--like a whisper.

Yes. They don't quack. If they make any noise at all it is a hiss. And WICKED claws.But like I said before, the ones I had were incredible parents. Check out the pics in my Washington flock. And they were really incredible at the mosquitos.
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[pdx2phx]

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It is a lot. We don't have kids and otherwise live pretty simply, so we were able to swing it. And of course we're hoping that he'll be an exception and live a long time...but you never know, especially not in this severe environment we live live in! Dr. Babcock drew a kind of schematic of what he was going to do, and it was fascinating (and scary). He has been in practice a long time, and has had a couple of vets fly out from other states to learn how to do it from him, so it is definitely an expensive rarity.