HELP! Im currently living in a from a very hot arid desert. Can I keep chickens in this heat? The dh

[DesertChickies]

Ok so Ive always wanted to keep chickens, my husband, who is more rural than I am chuckles ( said I need a certain mentality to raise chickens , and being barefoot wasn't me/ oh the stereotyping! ) when I talk about living in the country. OK so I am a townie and yeah not rural at all, but its different with keeping chickens, right?

So the other thing, we live in the Sahara desert, because of the dh's work. Its possible right?

Hope you can help and advise!

 

[BuffOrpington88]

So glad you joined us! Keeping chickens in the desert is difficult, but totally possible. For starters, stick away from large breeds that are heavily feathered who overheat easily. Try to build a coop that's really well ventilated so there's a lot of air going through. With the run, shade will be super important. It would be great if you could put a fan or mister in there too to cool things off and keep the air flow. And as always, make sure there's plenty of water. So, it will be a challenge, and you'll have to be vigilant, but I'd say it's worth it! Good luck!

 

[Pork Pie]

Hi and welcome to BYC - glad that you have joined us. It may be an idea to see how the locals raise their chickens to get an idea of how to go about it.

All the best
Ct

 

[drumstick diva]

Welcome to Backyard chickens. I really can't imagine any kind of poultry surviving those conditions.

 

[sumi]

Welcome to BYC

Glad you joined us! I used to live in a semi-desert region in South Africa where the summer temperatures went up to 120*F and more sometimes. I had quite a large flock and never lost a bird to the heat. I made sure my coop was well ventilated with a good size gap below the roof all round, there was loads of shade where the flock could get out of the sun, I used to let the hose run in their run, so they had mud to scratch and puddles to stand in and keep their feet cool and on the hottest days I put ice in their water bowl, to keep the water cool. Hope this helps some!

 

[BantamFan4Life]

Welcome to BYC! I'm glad you joined us!

 

[DesertChickies]

Oh thats very cheering to hear!

Thanks so much for taking the time to reply. Would you by any chance have any pictures?

Also what breeds were in your flock?

I'm looking into Sultans (Silkies) and the Egyptian Fayoumi ( I think thats what they are called).

Me and the kids can't wait to start!

Thanks once again!

 

[MeepBeep]

It's certainly not ideal and you are likely to face loses, but people do keep chickens in almost all climates including deserts, choose a high heat tolerant breed, provide plenty of water, shade and air movement, misters or fog coolers work well to cool an shaded area if there is ample water supply to run them...