Phoenix Chicken coop Design

We are here in the UrbanJungle of Mesa AZ...any other Mesa or Phoenix dwellers? We can have up to 10 birds here in the city, but we currently just have 6. I am still deciding how to build my coop in my small backyard, so could use any advice about that, since I am a litte concerned about the summertime Heat, and keeping them cool. Also, how big to make it, keeping in mind that I might want to add 4 more birds later...

Again, here are the chickens we have, and the names that the kids gave them.

2 - Sicilian Buttercups - Rosie and Lucy
2 - Golden Sexlinks - Big Mamma and Penny (OR Laverne and Shirley depending on who you ask)
1 - Americauna - Betty Coop
1- Dominique - Sarahfern


~Travis

from NH/ME

Depending on the size of your yard and whether they will be able to range or remain penned up in a run will play a large part in the size of your coop, as well as how comfortable you want your chickens to be..

How are your construction skills? Do you have a shady yard, or bare dirt?

the general concensus is that you need about 4 sq. ft. of interior space per bird and 10 sq. ft. of run per bird. The interior space can be reduced if the chickens have a large area to run in and are in the coop only at night, but i would advise against this practice. During winter and our monsoons that they may like a little more room inside. I would recommend building as big as you can (within reason) to start, especially if you're considering adding more birds at a later date. i've never once seen uttered "i wish i'd made my coop smaller" on these boards.

Heat. ah boy. lots and lots of ventilation, but make sure that the coop is able to be closed up when it gets rainy / cold and windy. (while still providing ventilation, not drafts - good read on the subject here https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=1642-VENTILATION ) I like to keep my girls with lots of shade available to them, along with all the water they need. a fan to keep the air moving may be beneficial depending on your coop build. I dont have any shade trees yet, so having artifical protection during the summer was important to me. I also make a 2-3 inch deep pool about a foot around which i fill daily which keeps a nice cool spot in the earth for the ladies to lay in the afternoon.

lots and lots of chickens in the phoenix region (i'm just north of phoenix myself). give them shade and water, they'll fine tune you as to the rest of their needs.

you can follow my coop build here. https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=182554 i house six chickens here (was built for four!) but they'll range and the run will always be open to them once they feather in a bit more.

browse the coop pages and find something you like, modify accordingly, and go from there! good luck, keep us up to date!

So between coop and run you will need 100 square feet, more would be nicer. If you have small space, think about one where the coop is partially or totally above the run. This also offers shade. In the summer, a fan is nice, and you can put 2 liter bottles of ice in the yard or in the water. A shallow wading pan is appreciated by some. Check out the coop pages and look at all the neat ideas, and decide what will work for you. With your mild winters, your coop doesn't even have to be completely enclosed if you don't want to, so be sure to check out the open air coops. This would be an added plus in the summer.

Designing a coop that provides lots shade in the hotter parts of the day and year are crucial features. Also, in Phoenix, I find it absolutely necessary, at least if you want your hens to lay their eggs through the hottest part of the year, to have a mister on at least from 12 to 4pm. So making sure your design will not allow water damage is an important feature as well. Having the perches the right distances apart is also very important to keep the birds clean when they are perching at night and doing their business. Make sure you get your designs from those who have all these critical features in mind.