Arizona Heat and Chickens don't mix.... HELP!!!

[aurorarose25]

I have raised chickens most of my life and can't wait to get some more, but having problems with finding the right solution for the Arizona HEAT wave, and making sure nosy neighbors don't bother the new chicks? Any coop and run designs to help.... PLEASE

 

[Chicken03]

Make sure the coop has plenty of ventilation. A fan and plenty of water will also help.

 

[CoyoteMagic]

Check the posts around here. There is one on 3 sided coops, open air coops and one for AZ coops

 

[rufus]

Keep your chickens in the shade. Make sure there are two or three sources of water available just in case they tip it over or something leaks. Keep the water in the shade. Set off a lawn sprinkler two or three times a day. Avoid metal sheds and sheet metal roofs; they will bake your chickens.

Run the hose and make puddles for the hens. They like to walk in the water, I guess it really cools them down.

As for the nosy neighbors, keep the coop out of sight. In fact if you have the yard well fenced, you probably don't need a coop.

Don't tell the neighbors what you are doing, just keep them out of the yard. They probably will think you are just raising pot or something else.

Good Luck,

Rufus

 

[ArizonaNessa]

Here in Arizona you will want to make sure that your coop is not solid walled. I use lots of misters, fans, and shade screen. The coops here are mostly wire such as hardware cloth or chain link being as chicken wire won't do anything but keep the chickens inside. It keeps nothing out.
Here is the link to Arizona Chickens here on BYC:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=31227

Check out some of the peoples BYC pages and websites there.

Edited to say: Most people here do not use cracked corn or scratch grains because it raises the body temperature of the birds and adds no nutrition anyway.

 

[James Hudson]

Well Arizona is really hot place, be sure they have plenty of ventilation and see how it goes. I hope everything turns out fine

 

[SimplyForties]

Look for the thread on hot weather coops, lots of good ideas there!