Hermits Garden
Vintage American Featherless Biped
- Oct 8, 2018
- 417
- 1,801
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I'll start by saying: I don't have chickens. YET.
Right now we live about halfway between Flagstaff and Phoenix, in Dewey, Arizona. We're retiring to Pinetop-Lakeside, AZ, most likely next spring/summer. Just us, lots of kids & grandkids but they all live far away. We've moved a lot, lived in a lot of different climates/states, but we need to stay in Arizona for the elders.
So--an acre where we can have chickens in the piney woods in the mountains. It will have all four seasons--snow in winter and heat temps in the high 80's. Not a lot of grass unless you water it, but nice native plants and wildflowers on the forest floor. I'll have a very small veggie garden--but only for chicken treats like kale and spinach, as we're carnivores and don't eat veggies ourselves.
It'll be a while before we get to have chickens--we have to build the house first--but I want a dual purpose breed, say eight or nine hens and a roo. I'm thinking Buff Orpingtons, because a. I'm a rank beginner, and b. they're just so danged sweet.
The hubby is an excellent carpenter, so he'll build coops and runs as I design them. I'm a firm believer in researching the heck out of something before I attempt it, which is why I'm joining BYC so early in the game. Hope y'all don't mind.
So if anyone lives in a dry mountain climate (Colorado? Arizona mountains?) I'd love to hear from you about raising chickens in a pine forest. Thank you in advance.
Right now we live about halfway between Flagstaff and Phoenix, in Dewey, Arizona. We're retiring to Pinetop-Lakeside, AZ, most likely next spring/summer. Just us, lots of kids & grandkids but they all live far away. We've moved a lot, lived in a lot of different climates/states, but we need to stay in Arizona for the elders.
So--an acre where we can have chickens in the piney woods in the mountains. It will have all four seasons--snow in winter and heat temps in the high 80's. Not a lot of grass unless you water it, but nice native plants and wildflowers on the forest floor. I'll have a very small veggie garden--but only for chicken treats like kale and spinach, as we're carnivores and don't eat veggies ourselves.
It'll be a while before we get to have chickens--we have to build the house first--but I want a dual purpose breed, say eight or nine hens and a roo. I'm thinking Buff Orpingtons, because a. I'm a rank beginner, and b. they're just so danged sweet.
The hubby is an excellent carpenter, so he'll build coops and runs as I design them. I'm a firm believer in researching the heck out of something before I attempt it, which is why I'm joining BYC so early in the game. Hope y'all don't mind.
So if anyone lives in a dry mountain climate (Colorado? Arizona mountains?) I'd love to hear from you about raising chickens in a pine forest. Thank you in advance.
We are glad you joined our flock!
Make yourself at home here and have lots of fun!
I'm so glad you joined us! Please post pics when you get your birds, we'd love to see them!
