Arizona Chickens

[RSerafin]

If I were smarter Id build the coop out of Calichi! Or maybe my future garage

So what breeds should I look for?

 

[Gallo del Cielo]

Hi all! New to the chicken scene here in Phoenix and looking for some tips and advice. I started reading some older threads but there's just too many to read.
I started building my coop this past weekend, I searched for a perfect spot to build it, I have it under a big oak tree and there's one to the west of it and some trees to the east so it gets some sun in the morning and about an hour or so around noon then it gets filter light for the hot part of the day.

Im building this coop like a tank, I have 4 dogs. So its built out of 4x4s and 2x6s and I'll be adding cattle fencing, stronger than hardware cloth, its actually used to keep cattle, hogs and horses in their areas so I hope it'll keep the dogs out too. The dimensions are 16' wide x 8' deep by 8 high. I wanted a taller pen to allow the heat to rise up and away from the chickens. Its going to be pretty mush an open coop / run. I also plan on putting 12"x12" pavers around the base to prevent digging by the dogs. The hen/nesting house is 4ft x 3ft by 4ft high, again Im building this to allow the hot air to escape through the top. I plan on installing a misting system to help keep things cool if needed and have the option to install a box fan on one end. I also plan on having the top made of the cox panels with shade cloth over it.

So... what type of chickens do I get? Im only looking for about 4 maybe 5 max. Also, how do the chickens do with flooded irrigation? I live on a 1 acre horse property and we get flooded irrigation and I can either add dirt and sand around the coop to keep water out but then again, would it be wise to allow the water to "wash" the coop floor every 2 weeks in the summer?

Thanks in advance!

Rick

First of all,

It sounds like you have a good plan. I like your ideas of a taller coop to let the heat rise away from the birds; I did the same thing and it really helps. I would probably not want the irrigation to wet the bottom of the coop/run. While we often wet areas of the run in the summer to help keep the birds cool, it's best if you can control which areas get wet and rotate them so that each area can dry out regularly to limit moisture-loving pathogens. I would also consider placing some pavers or something under the bottom edge of the coop to elevate the wood out of the flood irrigation to limit damage that repeated exposure to water might cause. I would definitely install a wire apron to prevent your dogs from digging in. If you haven't yet seen one, you can see pics of mine on the "my coop" link under my avatar. Keep us updated with pics!

 

[lacymorgan]

If I were smarter Id build the coop out of Calichi! Or maybe my future garage

So what breeds should I look for?

For eggs only and no breeding Sex links are egg laying machines. Barr Rocks are good layers too. They are not exotic or exceptionally pretty but I love my girls. Put in a few breeds in a search engine and see what strikes you.

 

[cyborg]

If I were smarter Id build the coop out of Calichi! Or maybe my future garage

So what breeds should I look for? 

Just about any of the feed stores will have sex link chicks. Their advantage is you know they are females, they grow quickly, and start producing eggs sooner. The only downside is (my opinion) that they are not as friendly as some of the other breeds. Do some research, most breeds have pros and cons, and it is more about what your preferences are. My most friendly chicken is a feed store barred Plymouth Rock, and she makes me breakfast every day, rain or shine!

Edit: lacy posted that while I was typing, but it sounds like we have about the same idea!

 

[Sill]

Hey all!!! I know it's been forever and I'm going to be very long winded here so I apologize for the wall of text. I had a much harder time dealing with the loss of my ladies than I thought I would and basically separated myself from all things chicken for a while. I spent 5 months blaming myself because as many of you know those birds were my world. I'm just now getting back into the swing of things as far as cleaning up the coop and run and getting ready to build an extension onto the run. My new flock arrives next week from MPC. I'm excited but scared to death. It will be a while until they need to be outside but I'm still scared. I'm pretty confident in the security of my coop and run as long as I never forget to close the doors again. It kept them safe for a year and 1/2 until I left the darn doors open which negated any security measures we had in place.

When shut up properly there's large doors on the resin shed that have latches that would need to be pried open to get in, or the coyote would have to go in the way it did when I left the doors open which is through the run. If the run door is closed it has galvanized wire fencing on all sides including the roof and 2 ft of the wire fence skirted out around the bottom to prevent digging and once in the run it would also have to try to push in the plywood pop door. I'm seriously contemplating installing an automatic pop door too. I am also planning on changing our small flood lights on that corner of the house to have a motion sensor. I know coyotes would learn quickly that the light is just a light but it might help for a bit. I'm planning on doubling up the wire fencing on the sides of the run too. We believe now that the coyote got in the yard over the RV gate. The rest of our yard is completely surrounded by 6ft concrete block wall but the RV gate is slightly lower plus it's only one piece of wood thick so it's much easier for a coyote to grab onto the top of and pull itself over. My boyfriend claims he saw where the coyote kicked the rocks away in front of the gate when it jumped over. I'm thinking of putting coyote rollers on the gates but I know if the coyote really wanted to it could still get up on the block part of the wall and I can't really put rollers on that without ticking my neighbors off with an eyesore.

I'm not sure what I'm going to do about day time free ranging. My old girls were out all day every day until it got dark. They spent most of their time under the bushes looking for bugs or on the patio in the shade so I didn't worry too much about predators. I always knew I could lose a bird during the day, but by letting them free range I felt they were getting the best life possible. I will really hate to keep them confined full time so I'm hoping to get to the point I'm comfortable with them ranging because I know how happy my girls were out in the yard. When they're in the yard and I'm not out doing yard work I check on them very frequently and I would have the blinds open and windows cracked a little to be able to hear and see them as much as possible. I hope during the day they'd be able to protect themselves a little better than being trapped in the coop at night where the coyote got them.

I just have to keep reminding myself that it was just that one mistake that ruined everything and that if I do what I did for a year and 1/2 without making that one mistake again everything will be fine. I remember reading a while back on the MPC site on their opinion on free ranging they say

"If you allow your chickens to range freely, you WILL lose some to predators-- make no mistake. It can be devastating, especially to those of us with small, well-loved flocks. For some people, the thought of a loss is too overwhelming to consider the alternative. Once you've seen how excited your flock becomes when they know they're about to be let out, it's really difficult to deprive them. We feel that the trade-off is worth it: quality of life vs. our own devastation over a loss. We certainly don't judge those of you who just couldn't bear to lose a beloved hen or rooster, though."

Reading this is what helped me free range my birds in the first place and I still believe in it. I think I would have handled losing a single bird to a predator during the day much better than waking up to all 8 gone in the morning. Now that I've experienced a loss of the magnitude I did I think I can handle anything.

So on a happier note and to remind you guys of what I'm expecting to arrive next week here's the new breeds I chose.



1. Olive Egger
2. Blue Ameraucana
3. Salmon Faverolles
4. Golden Laced Polish
5. Silver Laced Cochin
6. Black Copper Marans
7. Blue Silkie
8. Easter Egger
9. White Sultan

Thanks if you actually read all of that <3! Writing it out helps me a little to rationalize things and make myself feel better and more secure in my decisions and abilities. Happy to be back!

I only free range in the evening, maybe an hour or two before normal roosting time. It's a time when I'm able to monitor them and hopefully prevent one from being killed by a predator. It also keeps them from doing too much damage to the turf areas by limiting grazing time. I'll usually hide treats for them to find before I release them.

Hi all! New to the chicken scene here in Phoenix and looking for some tips and advice. I started reading some older threads but there's just too many to read.
I started building my coop this past weekend, I searched for a perfect spot to build it, I have it under a big oak tree and there's one to the west of it and some trees to the east so it gets some sun in the morning and about an hour or so around noon then it gets filter light for the hot part of the day.

Im building this coop like a tank, I have 4 dogs. So its built out of 4x4s and 2x6s and I'll be adding cattle fencing, stronger than hardware cloth, its actually used to keep cattle, hogs and horses in their areas so I hope it'll keep the dogs out too. The dimensions are 16' wide x 8' deep by 8 high. I wanted a taller pen to allow the heat to rise up and away from the chickens. Its going to be pretty mush an open coop / run. I also plan on putting 12"x12" pavers around the base to prevent digging by the dogs. The hen/nesting house is 4ft x 3ft by 4ft high, again Im building this to allow the hot air to escape through the top. I plan on installing a misting system to help keep things cool if needed and have the option to install a box fan on one end. I also plan on having the top made of the cox panels with shade cloth over it.

So... what type of chickens do I get? Im only looking for about 4 maybe 5 max. Also, how do the chickens do with flooded irrigation? I live on a 1 acre horse property and we get flooded irrigation and I can either add dirt and sand around the coop to keep water out but then again, would it be wise to allow the water to "wash" the coop floor every 2 weeks in the summer?

Thanks in advance!

Rick

Nice shady yard!

Be careful of using just the cattle fencing. Unless you also use the hardware cloth or chicken wire the chickens will be able to get their heads through the cattle fencing and will get their heads taken off by the dogs or some other predator. You don't want to go out and find a headless chicken! You will only have to do the bottom 3 feet of the run. Or you can use a solid visual/physical barrier like plywood, fiberglass or metal panels. The added benefit of the visual barrier is it will keep you dogs from fence running and chasing the chickens from around the outside of the coop. If you have high drive dogs chasing from the outside can be a big cause of stress for the chickens.

 

[cgmaster]

Hi all! New to the chicken scene here in Phoenix and looking for some tips and advice. I started reading some older threads but there's just too many to read. I started building my coop this past weekend, I searched for a perfect spot to build it, I have it under a big oak tree and there's one to the west of it and some trees to the east so it gets some sun in the morning and about an hour or so around noon then it gets filter light for the hot part of the day. Im building this coop like a tank, I have 4 dogs. So its built out of 4x4s and 2x6s and I'll be adding cattle fencing, stronger than hardware cloth, its actually used to keep cattle, hogs and horses in their areas so I hope it'll keep the dogs out too. The dimensions are 16' wide x 8' deep by 8 high. I wanted a taller pen to allow the heat to rise up and away from the chickens. Its going to be pretty mush an open coop / run. I also plan on putting 12"x12" pavers around the base to prevent digging by the dogs. The hen/nesting house is 4ft x 3ft by 4ft high, again Im building this to allow the hot air to escape through the top. I plan on installing a misting system to help keep things cool if needed and have the option to install a box fan on one end. I also plan on having the top made of the cox panels with shade cloth over it. So... what type of chickens do I get? Im only looking for about 4 maybe 5 max. Also, how do the chickens do with flooded irrigation? I live on a 1 acre horse property and we get flooded irrigation and I can either add dirt and sand around the coop to keep water out but then again, would it be wise to allow the water to "wash" the coop floor every 2 weeks in the summer? Thanks in advance! Rick

My silkies do pretty well in our heat but are more of a pet than anything else. Ameraucanaus do well too and are dual purpose meat and eggs they can also be great pet, easter eggers are better layers than ameraucanas usually. I have some easter eggers that are going to be hatching around Monday along with some bantam rocks which aren't too bad for egg production even with those tiny eggs but they are show quality so they could be shown at shows

 

[ChuskaMtns]

I have to put my vote in for Naked Necks. They do great in the heat, the large combs act as heat radiators, my girls lay daily and a couple laid during molt. They have a laidback personality and are the cutest chicks. One more thing, they're big birds and I never have a problem with hawks checking out an adult NN.

 

[Twinklin]

Hi all! New to the chicken scene here in Phoenix and looking for some tips and advice. I started reading some older threads but there's just too many to read.
I started building my coop this past weekend, I searched for a perfect spot to build it, I have it under a big oak tree and there's one to the west of it and some trees to the east so it gets some sun in the morning and about an hour or so around noon then it gets filter light for the hot part of the day.

Im building this coop like a tank, I have 4 dogs. So its built out of 4x4s and 2x6s and I'll be adding cattle fencing, stronger than hardware cloth, its actually used to keep cattle, hogs and horses in their areas so I hope it'll keep the dogs out too. The dimensions are 16' wide x 8' deep by 8 high. I wanted a taller pen to allow the heat to rise up and away from the chickens. Its going to be pretty mush an open coop / run. I also plan on putting 12"x12" pavers around the base to prevent digging by the dogs. The hen/nesting house is 4ft x 3ft by 4ft high, again Im building this to allow the hot air to escape through the top. I plan on installing a misting system to help keep things cool if needed and have the option to install a box fan on one end. I also plan on having the top made of the cox panels with shade cloth over it.

So... what type of chickens do I get? Im only looking for about 4 maybe 5 max. Also, how do the chickens do with flooded irrigation? I live on a 1 acre horse property and we get flooded irrigation and I can either add dirt and sand around the coop to keep water out but then again, would it be wise to allow the water to "wash" the coop floor every 2 weeks in the summer?

Thanks in advance!

Rick

Welcome! Looks like you have a good start to a run there. My run is up against a wall of giant bushes so the east side is blocked form sun, but I had to hang a tarp on the west facing side of the roof and down the wall of the run because after noon the sun just shines in and it get's insanely hot. I personally don't recommend allowing your irrigation to flood the run. As someone mentioned, wet ground is a breeding ground for bad stuff (Coccidiosis and moldy feed are 2 of the things you see a lot or people mention when talking about damp conditions and chickens), I find since my run is shaded it takes a long time to dry out even in the AZ heat especially having misters going in there. We have a portable mister so I can move it around the run to let spots dry out or adjust for when the wind changes. I like to keep the mist in a corner so they can escape it if they want. It also allows me to bring it out into the yard when they're free ranging. I had some girls that would just stand in it all day and other's that shunned it so I advise not misting your whole run. If you're making your run stationary and confining your chickens for long periods of time the floor of your run will become dirt very quickly. I lay down a few inches of construction sand because I find it dries fast.

If you want as many eggs as possible I agree with the mention of Sex Links. I had a Black Sex Link in my last flock who went almost 2 months without missing a single day. She was not cuddly because she was the ruler of the roost and couldn't show weakness or she'd lose her spot as alpha, but she wasn't mean. There's only 2 of us in our household and we started with 4 birds, a mix of feed store standards (Sex Link, Easter Egger, Production Red, and Welsummer) . We were getting about 3 eggs a day on average so we were giving away a dozen a week. We're getting 9 birds this time around but I chose several that aren't the best of layers and are more to look pretty and be pets. We're still going to be swimming in eggs for sure. My Rhode Island Red was my nicest bird which some people will tell you is shocking because they're not known to be sweet or timid. Silkies are pretty good lap chickens but are little and lay little eggs. Henderson's chicken chart is still pretty darn helpful in picking out breeds http://www.sagehenfarmlodi.com/chooks/chooks.html

Good luck! Continue to use the wealth of information that is this thread and the entire BYC site. I learned a ton through this site over the past couple years and the folks here in the AZ thread helped me through a most tragic time. Welcome to the family.

 

[lacymorgan]

Woo Hoo out of the 6 Cornish eggs in the bator four have hatched so far and out of the 9 Marans 3 have hatched. I have three eggs pipping and unzipping right now which will bring the Cornish up to 5 and the Marans up to 5

 

[lacymorgan]

If anyone is looking for some I will have silver laced Cochins ready in a week and a half and will post them in sell trade forum when it gets closer