Arizona Chickens

[AZKat]

The Phoenix Permaculture Guild does a bulk tree order in the winter, and you can get good prices that way. I got 2 grape vines and a female mulberry tree through them this year, and have been quite happy. One of the grape vines seems to have not taken, but the other one is doing great, and the mulberry has added four or five inches of new growth already. They also get in trees that are harder to find elsewhere.

I've also had very good luck with trees from A&P nursery, which is where I got my three peach trees. The two full sized trees gave us a lot of fruit in their second year, and this year are absolutely loaded with fruit. The dwarf peach bloomed, but didn't set fruit last year, but has set fruit this year, so I'm hopeful.

The only other nursery I've gotten trees from is Tropica Mango. They are a bit more expensive, but are a good source for exotics, and for varieties that are a bit harder to find. The orange tree I got from them last winter took awhile to get established, but has set a lot of fruit this year. The fig I got from them has been growing really quickly for a fig, and has more than doubled in size in a little less than three years. I'm hopeful that we'll get figs next year. I think that this was not a good year for figs, weather-wise, since a couple of the established trees in my neighborhood don't have much fruit on them.

 

[Memphisjourney2seramas]

Mikey- it is looking great.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

I got my meyer (improved) lemon from A&P, and the pear tree has been here since the early 70's; so has the grapefruit. The apple came from Lowe's--I lucked into a $5 sale one weekend. And I got the plum, nectarine and apricot from either Home Depot or Lowes. I think it was 2 years ago. The pomegranate was a volunteer that came up 6 or 7 years ago.

I think the best you can do is figure out what types of fruit trees and specific varieties you want, and then look for a healthy specimen. Sometimes Lowes and Home Depot get varieties that don't do well here, but most of the time the ones they have do work well here.

I agree that Tropica Mango has some pretty unusual plants and varieties, but some of what they carry is not all that unusual, and not worth the extra cost.

 

[constance]

Lunch time: French toast (with home grown eggs!) and bacon!

I got door #4 mounted & latched



Here it is open



And the access hole (Port hole) and gangway from the brooder to the bottom section



I put a walk-way around the access hole just in case the peepers wanted to make a left turn instead of a right.



We gave Max a treat of bacon grease on his kibble

(cause clogged arteries aren't just for people anymore!)

And just for grins we put his food out with the chickens.

So he could see what it's like to have the chickens eat his food for a change.

Great photo!

Wow on the brooder! Perhaps a tad over-engineered? Made with love (or obsession) though!

Really, it is fabulous.

 

[pastrymama]

Yes MIKEY, the goslings at the feed store were $40 each but,
a. I couldn't pass them off as a duck for very long
b. I didn't want to spend that much money on something he would make me get rid of
c. I don't buy anything but feed and supplies there even though I really wanted 2 of those goslings!

Sorry you didn't appreciate the text pic of a sweet wellie. I wont do it again. (How's my passive aggressiveness?)

 

[Memphisjourney2seramas]

So I had a suprise in my incubator on thursday. I had a staggered hatch and use one incubator for baking and the other for cracking!! I didnt mark one egg and thought it was for a later hatch. I opened up the incubating incubator to get the next round of eggs that were set 4 days apart and there was a chick looking up at me in the space on the side of the egg turner. it was so luck that it didnt get caught in the turner and so was I.

 

[Fuzzybird]

This is my entry to the Short Story contest. If you like it please vote for me! I so want those eggs!!



Shamrock hour old.



The Chick That Wouldn't Give Up
Cotton my white Silky hen layed three eggs and started to brood them. I was keeping watch and two days after she started to sit tight I noticed she layed one more egg.
The three eggs hatched right on time and prooving to be a good mother she waited two days before taking her brood out to meet the world. Unfortunatly for the last egg. For this morning she gathered up the chicks to go out and meet the family. That is when the third egg hatched and I to my horror I found a dead chick outside the nest with one leg still in the shell! It was a cold morning.
I picked up the poor little thing and alas there was just a tiny flutter to the body. With out much hope I cupped the tiny baby in my hands and blew warm air on the unconsious chick.
I took the chick inside and sat down on the couch and kept up blowing, with tears running down my face and little by little more life was felt in the tiny body. It was 1/2 hour before the sweet baby gave its first cheep. Tears turn to tears of joy.It snuggled with me and after about 30 minutes, I put it under the heat in the tub I use for chicks. Knowing it could still die I gave a little prayer and left the room.
Well that chick thrived and after four days I decided to reunite the chick, which I now called Shamrock, for my naming theme with my Silkies is plants and flowers, and I felt he was one lucky chick, I took him out and put him under his mother Cotton, while she was sleeping.
The next morning I rushed out to see how my baby was and my heart dropped! All the other chicks was under mother getting food and my poor Shamrock was lying in the cold strung out looking again like he went to chicky heaven! I cried out and got into the coop fast! He was so cold but again there was life in the unconsious little body. Praying hard I took him in my hand and once again started to blow warm air on him!
I must have gotten to him shortly after he knocked out for a miricle happen! He came alive much faster this time! He was so glad to see me! He chirp and snuggled with me and we became fast friends with him loving to have me hold him and play under my chin, rubbing and pecking me ever so softly on the lips.
I took one of his siblines away from his mother so Shamrock could at least know he was a chicken for I knew I had all the roosters I could keep and I may have to give him up. I was convince he was a roo for what but a roo would be able to come back from almost dead and servive to grow?
He did grow and joy of all joys Sham is a hen! She is healthy and happy being a chicken that I will never have to sell. I have thought of changing her name to Clover for Shamrock or Sham is a bit masculine. What do you think?
Terri Fors [Fuzzybird]



Shamrock today at 9 weeks old.

 

[noodlegirl]

We only have girls; so no hatching.
Update:
I tried the butt dunk today. And for a while I thought it worked because she stayed off the nest for a good 3 hrs. But then she snuck back in this afternoon.
I'll try the freezer pack-thanks!
If that doesn't work, I do have a the dog's crate.

THANKS!

Noodlegirl - If you don't want to let the hen hatch eggs, or raise chicks, I have had success "breaking" a hen of her broody-ness with ice packs. It might take 2 or 3 days, but it has worked for me three times on two hens. I use the lunch-box sized ice packs, or one of the soft larger ones folded in half. I wrap it in a rag and snuggle/shove it under the hen between her feet and her breast. The idea is to cool off her breast area until she realizes she cannot successfully incubate an egg. I have not seen this method written about, it probably has been, but decided to try it after reading some of the other ideas posted on BYC. As Memphis said, you can try to dunk the hen to cool her off, or put the hen in a wire-bottomed cage, raised off of the ground, with no litter, for as long as it takes. Someone else mentioned ice cubes in the nest - hence my ice packs. My broodies gave up by day 2 or 3, with my changing the ice pack 3 or 4 times a day.

On the other hand, one of my young hens was a great mom, at 8 months old. She laid for 2 months, then went broody. She hatched all of the fertile eggs I gave her (except 1 I tried to "help"). She was ferocious with the other hens, but had no problem with us checking the eggs, checking on the chicks, or checking her. It is FUN to watch a broody raise chicks!

 

[Mikey D]

Yes MIKEY, the goslings at the feed store were $40 each but,
a. I couldn't pass them off as a duck for very long
b. I didn't want to spend that much money on something he would make me get rid of
c. I don't buy anything but feed and supplies there even though I really wanted 2 of those goslings!

Sorry you didn't appreciate the text pic of a sweet wellie. I wont do it again. (How's my passive aggressiveness?)

You mis-under-take me. I meant for you to incubate the silly goose-ling eggs and sell the chicks!

Silly! - You forgot I'm as bad as you!

 

[pdx2phx]

This is my entry to the Short Story contest. If you like it please vote for me! I so want those eggs!!



Shamrock hour old.



The Chick That Wouldn't Give Up
Cotton my white Silky hen layed three eggs and started to brood them. I was keeping watch and two days after she started to sit tight I noticed she layed one more egg.
The three eggs hatched right on time and prooving to be a good mother she waited two days before taking her brood out to meet the world. Unfortunatly for the last egg. For this morning she gathered up the chicks to go out and meet the family. That is when the third egg hatched and I to my horror I found a dead chick outside the nest with one leg still in the shell! It was a cold morning.
I picked up the poor little thing and alas there was just a tiny flutter to the body. With out much hope I cupped the tiny baby in my hands and blew warm air on the unconsious chick.
I took the chick inside and sat down on the couch and kept up blowing, with tears running down my face and little by little more life was felt in the tiny body. It was 1/2 hour before the sweet baby gave its first cheep. Tears turn to tears of joy.It snuggled with me and after about 30 minutes, I put it under the heat in the tub I use for chicks. Knowing it could still die I gave a little prayer and left the room.
Well that chick thrived and after four days I decided to reunite the chick, which I now called Shamrock, for my naming theme with my Silkies is plants and flowers, and I felt he was one lucky chick, I took him out and put him under his mother Cotton, while she was sleeping.
The next morning I rushed out to see how my baby was and my heart dropped! All the other chicks was under mother getting food and my poor Shamrock was lying in the cold strung out looking again like he went to chicky heaven! I cried out and got into the coop fast! He was so cold but again there was life in the unconsious little body. Praying hard I took him in my hand and once again started to blow warm air on him!
I must have gotten to him shortly after he knocked out for a miricle happen! He came alive much faster this time! He was so glad to see me! He chirp and snuggled with me and we became fast friends with him loving to have me hold him and play under my chin, rubbing and pecking me ever so softly on the lips.
I took one of his siblines away from his mother so Shamrock could at least know he was a chicken for I knew I had all the roosters I could keep and I may have to give him up. I was convince he was a roo for what but a roo would be able to come back from almost dead and servive to grow?
He did grow and joy of all joys Sham is a hen! She is healthy and happy being a chicken that I will never have to sell. I have thought of changing her name to Clover for Shamrock or Sham is a bit masculine. What do you think?
Terri Fors [Fuzzybird]



Shamrock today at 9 weeks old.

I love this sweet story!! And I like the name Shamrock too...Shams....Shammy....Sham-wow! (ok sorry on that last one but it kinda fits too in keeping with her tough nature)