Hello from New Mexico.

DesertBrahma

Songster
5 Years
Mar 27, 2015
284
29
136
New Mexico
Hey guys I live in lower central part of NM. I have 6 2 wk old Dark Brahma chicks, and am looking at getting some Turken (Naked Neck) and some Easter Eggers also. I am in the process of figuring out the best way to build a new coop in my backyard for them to keep them cool during our hot summers, but also warm during our colder months. It can get down to the teens, and over 100 degrees here. We also get monsoon rains and really nasty winds. I am already enamored with these 6 chicks. They are just too darn cute! I've had RIR before but thanks to the heat and my ignorance they died. I am now doing a lot more research, and figuring out how to take a whole lot better care of these guys. I'm tearing down my old coop and moving it closer to the house so these guys will have almost a whole fenced in acre to run around and have fun in.
 
Hello there and welcome to BYC!
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Here here.....south central mountains of New Mexico!!
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Sorry for your losses. Heat is a killer. The best way I have found to keep them cool here in this state is to use sand on the coop and run floor. I dig mine out of a nearby arroyo. You can find sand veins in these places or nearby arroyos. I believe it is gypsum sand. You can tell when you wet it. If it falls apart, you have sand. If it clumps, it is dirt. Sand is wonderful because it not only is easy to clean, repels flies, absorbs poop and smells, but you can hose it down in the summer. Put a big fan in the run on this wet sand and the evaporative effect keeps the birds really cool! Cool feet mean cool birds! Keep a covered roof over your run too. My birds never pant. Even when the run is in the upper 90's. The sand keeps them incredibly cool! So if you have access to an area you can dig this stuff out for free, try it! You can always use sand from gravel companies or washed sand you can purchase at hardware stores as well.

Here is a nice thread on sand if you want to read up on it...https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/444759/got-sand-you-should

As for wind, my birds have never had a problem with it. I built my coop so I could close the doors most of the way to block the brutal 60+mph winds and they hang out in the coop in days like this.

If you have any further questions, feel free to ask around the forums!!

Welcome to our flock my fellow New Mexican!! :)
 
Awesome sand idea. Their run is going to be my whole backyard. I have a dog run that is half concrete and half dirt, and half covered with corrugated metal I was thinking of making into a secure run, then let them out during the day. If I can find free sand around me I would prefer that lol. The winds drive me crazy. Being sat between 2 sets of mountains, and having White Sands Monument right here sucks at times. My soil drains pretty good. Now I just need to figure out my coop. Thanks again.
 
Yay! More New Mexicans joining our flock! Welcome to BYC! I put up a mister for the brutal winds we get on the mesa in central NM. As for the cold, I found that everyone will huddle up & as long as there isn't any drafts they do just fine.
 
I was thinking about putting up thick plastic sheets during the winter to keep out the wind, and doing an open coop with the egg boxes, and roosts attached to the fence with an entrance to the run/backyard. See now I can't decide! Ugh my brain is frying trying to figure out how to build this lol.
 
Yes, the White Sands really do pick up and cause white outs. You might build your coop so that the doors face north so that on those horrendously windy days, the chickens will have a wind break.

And yes, cold is never an issue as long as you have good ventilation. We have seen lots of temps well below zero and they have all done just fine. On sub zero mornings I will turn on a heat lamp for a couple hours to give them a blast of heat however.
 
You should stop by our coops pages for some ideas....https://www.backyardchickens.com/atype/2/Coops


Here is a pic of my coop. Click on it to enlarge it....
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I tried plastic sheeting one year and the winds just ripped it to shreds. LOL So I hang thick tarps to keep snow out. Wind is allowed to blow. LOL

Be careful with open coops and always lock your birds in at night. All kinds of night time critters want to eat your birds. It is not safe anywhere when they are not locked in.
 
I have coyotes, and skunks that just love coming over. I also have indoor/outdoor cats. My "kittens" have already tried going after the chicks in the brooder and I almost beat them big time lol. I just gave the chicks some banana, and cucumber. They don't know what to do with it lol. The coop would be enclosed but with hardware cloth on the front, and over the top of the run. When they're in the backyard it's only fenced in. No cover over that. I also have to protect against my 2 boys. They love the chicks and want to constantly mess with them.
 

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