Arizona Chickens

[Parront]

@cactusrota that is a really good point about the use of an AC system in the coop. I can't say enough good things about shade, shade and more shade. It really helps since we have a dry heat. Also frozen jugs of water are cheap and the girls have their own little igloo to cool off!
You guys are really making me want some naked necks! I hadn't even thought of them before, I suppose because they are a less conventional breed due to their appearance? I think they're quite adorable personally. I would like to know, from those of you who have them..do the other chickens peck at them more, or bully them, because they have more exposed skin? I know some people are opposed to this but I like to keep a mixed flock and would not want them to be singled out. Maybe I should get a few of them...strength in numbers....agh chicken math strikes again.

I also am interested in NN, and wonder if they do OK in a flock with others! There are so many kinds, I feel myself getting sucked into have more, and I vowed to only have one kind this time! lol, I do not even have a place yet!

 

[azurbanclucker]

I had a NN and he did great in the flock, but ultimately we lost him over the summer to hear or illness, not sure which, found him dead in the sun one afternoon. I'm full up on birds, but I'd definitely own some more NN's when I have space for them.

 

[DesertChic]

I am beyond thrilled to see so much interest in my beloved NNs! I wholeheartedly believe that for our hostile desert environment they are an ideal breed. Now, there are a lot of points I want to address, so please bear with me....

1) A/C in chicken coops: I would say the ultimate goal is always adaptability in your birds. It certainly is in mine, but I will confess to having two window A/C units to use as necessary in the worst part of summer. One of my chicken coops is actually a cabin I think would have made a fantastic starter home for my husband and myself when we were starting out many, many....many years ago. This is the cabin before I divided the inside up into separate coops, added pop doors and outdoor enclosed runs, etc.


The two windows on the front porch are where I put the A/C units in June. Why? Because not all of my chickens are NNs! When I first began keeping chickens I started with hatchery birds to "get my feet wet" and learn how much work it would be. Then I fell in love with the idea of having some Bielefelders, which are wonderful, wonderful birds....and not at all suited for this environment. The ONLY birds I've lost to heat have been the Bielefelders, and while I still have two hens (not very good layers but exceptionally sweet), and my favorite rooster of all-time, summer is VERY hard on them. My husband and I bought the A/C units to create a cool area for them outside so they could stop living in my master bathroom shower on hot summer days.

So, do you need A/C? That depends upon whether you want to work with the nature and the genetics of the birds, or thumb your nose at it and have what you want at any cost. I should note, however, that even my Biels have slooooowly adapted somewhat to the heat and I didn't use the A/C units nearly as much this year as I did the year before.

2) Coops: @cactusrota made an EXCEPTIONALLY good point. Open air coops with lots of shade are far better here than "traditional" coops that keep the birds all snug (and hot) inside. Here's an image of one I found on CraigsList that's similar to my own favorite: https://phoenix.craigslist.org/evl/grd/d/chicken-coop/6299868253.html

Notice that the back wall and roof are solid, but most of the coop is very airy and open. This is a very good thing out here, even during our brief cold spells. I'm a firm believer that more air is better for chicken health. After all, they're birds, and they evolved to live in the wild.

3) Mixing NNs with other fully feathered breeds - YES! Do it! There's no problem at all. I've been doing it for years, and cross-breeding my NNs with fully feathered varieties to improve on certain traits I'm looking for, especially heat tolerance. My NN x Bielefelders are not only my sweetest hens, but their egg laying improved during the summer months (X-Lg eggs!) and their heat tolerance improved exponentially. While many of my fully feathered breeds slowed dramatically during the summer, the girls in my NN egg-layer focused flock continued to each give me 4-6 eggs per week, weighing 2 ounces or more each (and in a variety of colors).

And if you are looking for good, slower-growing meat birds, NNs are definitely your breed. Having 50% fewer feathers makes processing a lot faster, and their skin crisps up like no other bird I've eaten. (Yes, I do eat many of my birds.)

4) NN Personalities: In my years of keeping NNs I've had one truly aggressive NN rooster who absolutely hated my husband and son (but not me), and he was in my starter flock. Now, granted, I've worked very hard to breed out aggression in my NNs, but it honestly wasn't all that hard. Even the offspring of my lone aggressive rooster came out much more human friendly than their daddy was. Nearly all of my best, most attentive roosters have been NNs, and I have multiple roosters living together without fear of any real problems. Yes, the boys spat from time to time, but usually only during adolescence and to establish pecking order once the young'uns are released into the yard to interact with the older birds.

NNs are smart, very hardy, affectionate, friendly and quirky. Only my NNs and my Australorps have proven to be good hunters (lizards, mice and bugs), feed hardy, and super healthy. And personally I love that they can all look completely unique from one another or you can breed to SOP. Me? I love the eye candy...and playing with the color genetics. It allows me to focus on them as my primary breed while also allowing visual variety in appearance.

Oh...and I live south of Tucson in Green Valley, so feel free to message me with any chicken questions you may have. I've helped several people around here get started with chickens or improve upon their setup and had some lovely visits with them to boot.

 

[BlueBaby]

Also australorps seem to have lots of feathers not to question negatively but how do you think they're tolerant? Seriously, bc sometimes I look at my orps how they suffer, I start to think no chicken belongs in the desert so I like to think of the future and although I love my buffs if there was a chicken that did better I would consider getting them in the future so those that work with them, how do you think they get by in heat? ☺

I have had my Australorp's now through 3 hot summer's here. Is that not them getting by in the heat? I know other people who have different breeds as a mixed flock, that ended up loosing several of them during the summer.

 

[BlueBaby]

I would agree with most of what everyone else said above, except the AC. I would discourage one, for one simple reason. You can actually make your chickens more sensitive to the heat by making them dependant on the AC. What if it breaks down or there's some random power outage in the middle of July? Suddenly the chickens have to deal with a heat that they've not adapted to and they are actually more likely to suffer heat stroke, than if they'd had the chance to build a toughness to it. Lots of shade, lots of water, including bigger pans and pools they can cool their feet in. And very importantly a well ventiliated coop that's almost more like a screened in porch. Most of the coops you see on the internet are designed with northern climates in mind. The best in this region are at least two full sides of nothing but wire.
https://www.purelypoultry.com/heat-hardy-chickens-c-154_252.html

And I totally back up Naked Necks. Super awesome birds. Mine laid all the way through the summer, they just didn't care.View attachment 1169210

That's a nice black boy there! I like the red color of the wattles against the black. My Australorp's laid eggs all through the summer, too. That's why I was able to do all of the hatching that I did.

 

[BlueBaby]

We are blessed here in Southern Arizona to have such mild winters. When you look at all those coops, they are in nice, lush grass back yards, and they look like they are fortified for more harsh winters than the conditions we have here. It would be nice if the LOCATIONS of these coops were included with those pics. Look at how residential homes are built across the country. New England homes are built differently than homes built in the Southwest. Coops are no different and should be designed for the region in which you live because requirements and conditions vary. --BB

I think that the reason why they show them like that is because the manufacturing companies that make them are all up north?

 

[SonoranChick]

@DesertChic I love your chicken coop cabin!! How stinkin cute is that?!

 

[BlueBaby]

I am beyond thrilled to see so much interest in my beloved NNs! I wholeheartedly believe that for our hostile desert environment they are an ideal breed. Now, there are a lot of points I want to address, so please bear with me....

1) A/C in chicken coops: I would say the ultimate goal is always adaptability in your birds. It certainly is in mine, but I will confess to having two window A/C units to use as necessary in the worst part of summer. One of my chicken coops is actually a cabin I think would have made a fantastic starter home for my husband and myself when we were starting out many, many....many years ago. This is the cabin before I divided the inside up into separate coops, added pop doors and outdoor enclosed runs, etc.
View attachment 1169542

The two windows on the front porch are where I put the A/C units in June. Why? Because not all of my chickens are NNs! When I first began keeping chickens I started with hatchery birds to "get my feet wet" and learn how much work it would be. Then I fell in love with the idea of having some Bielefelders, which are wonderful, wonderful birds....and not at all suited for this environment. The ONLY birds I've lost to heat have been the Bielefelders, and while I still have two hens (not very good layers but exceptionally sweet), and my favorite rooster of all-time, summer is VERY hard on them. My husband and I bought the A/C units to create a cool area for them outside so they could stop living in my master bathroom shower on hot summer days.

So, do you need A/C? That depends upon whether you want to work with the nature and the genetics of the birds, or thumb your nose at it and have what you want at any cost. I should note, however, that even my Biels have slooooowly adapted somewhat to the heat and I didn't use the A/C units nearly as much this year as I did the year before.

2) Coops: @cactusrota made an EXCEPTIONALLY good point. Open air coops with lots of shade are far better here than "traditional" coops that keep the birds all snug (and hot) inside. Here's an image of one I found on CraigsList that's similar to my own favorite: https://phoenix.craigslist.org/evl/grd/d/chicken-coop/6299868253.html

Notice that the back wall and roof are solid, but most of the coop is very airy and open. This is a very good thing out here, even during our brief cold spells. I'm a firm believer that more air is better for chicken health. After all, they're birds, and they evolved to live in the wild.

3) Mixing NNs with other fully feathered breeds - YES! Do it! There's no problem at all. I've been doing it for years, and cross-breeding my NNs with fully feathered varieties to improve on certain traits I'm looking for, especially heat tolerance. My NN x Bielefelders are not only my sweetest hens, but their egg laying improved during the summer months (X-Lg eggs!) and their heat tolerance improved exponentially. While many of my fully feathered breeds slowed dramatically during the summer, the girls in my NN egg-layer focused flock continued to each give me 4-6 eggs per week, weighing 2 ounces or more each (and in a variety of colors).

And if you are looking for good, slower-growing meat birds, NNs are definitely your breed. Having 50% fewer feathers makes processing a lot faster, and their skin crisps up like no other bird I've eaten. (Yes, I do eat many of my birds.)

4) NN Personalities: In my years of keeping NNs I've had one truly aggressive NN rooster who absolutely hated my husband and son (but not me), and he was in my starter flock. Now, granted, I've worked very hard to breed out aggression in my NNs, but it honestly wasn't all that hard. Even the offspring of my lone aggressive rooster came out much more human friendly than their daddy was. Nearly all of my best, most attentive roosters have been NNs, and I have multiple roosters living together without fear of any real problems. Yes, the boys spat from time to time, but usually only during adolescence and to establish pecking order once the young'uns are released into the yard to interact with the older birds.

NNs are smart, very hardy, affectionate, friendly and quirky. Only my NNs and my Australorps have proven to be good hunters (lizards, mice and bugs), feed hardy, and super healthy. And personally I love that they can all look completely unique from one another or you can breed to SOP. Me? I love the eye candy...and playing with the color genetics. It allows me to focus on them as my primary breed while also allowing visual variety in appearance.

Oh...and I live south of Tucson in Green Valley, so feel free to message me with any chicken questions you may have. I've helped several people around here get started with chickens or improve upon their setup and had some lovely visits with them to boot.

I agree with you. Each breed is different. Some tolerate the cold better, and then some tolerate the heat better, and then you have some breeds that are more adaptable and can do both. My Australorp's have been born here in Az., raised here in AZ., and I think that is an important thing to think about if someone was trying to start up a new flock. Sometimes with the hatchery birds', you never know where they came from. The feed-store's get their chicks from hatcheries too.

 

[SonoranChick]

I could not agree more @BlueBaby - chicks that have been bred, hatched, and raised in the desert seem to acclimate so much better, right off the bat. Especially those hatched the summer months. I also support the notion of keeping local bloodlines alive, like the Hupp and Rattlesnake Ridge (probably should have done a bit more research before ordering mine from an Ohio hatchery, but I'm so very happy with my flock I wouldn't change a thing right now). I would be interested in going with some NNs and your beautiful australorpes sometime down the road though. I can't even bring up chicken math to the husband right now....we are getting a new dog tomorrow lol

 

[BlueBaby]

Boy, did I sure do some hatching this summer! I had people here buying some chick's from me straight run, and I still had some of the egg's that were just trying to get out of the shell! Oh well, at least they are happy with the chick's that they got from me.

It's nice that you are getting a new dog. My dog Buster is starting to get up there a bit in age, but I hope he can stay a few more years. I have thought about getting another dog so that I would still have one later, but I'm scared to try to get one off of Craigslist, and the pounds seem to be putting those micro-chips in theirs. I spay or neuter and make sure shot's are up to date, but I don't trust the micro-chips being in them.