I'm new and in the desert! help!

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casknittig

casknittig

In the Brooder
Apr 28, 2015
7
2
11
Arizona
Hey all!!

I just got the go ahead from our landlord and husband to start my own coop! I'm super excited and can't wait to bring home our little chicks but I want to make sure we have everything set up before we bring them home. We live Phoenix, and my biggest worry is keeping them comfortable and safe during our arizona summers. Can anyone gi e me some tips on some good heat tolerant chickens and how I should set up their coop to keep it nice and ventilated? ??

Any help would be very much appreciated!

Thank you!!
 
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So glad you have joined us.

You should post on the Arizona thread: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/31227/arizona-chickens

There are a lot of folks near you that should be able to give you breed advice.

I'm in Middle Ga and we have hot humid summers. I have BO's and BR's and they do fairly well here, but shade, lots of cool water, outdoor fan on the run help. We offer cool watermelon or cantalope during the hottest part of the day. Have a Coolaroo shade on the sunniest side of the run. I place pans of water with ice and pieces of lettuce in it and they love it.

Good luck with your plans. Feel free to ask questions, we're here to help.

For raising the flock, do visit the learning center articles.
 
Hello there and welcome to BYC!
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Sunflower has left you with the AZ thread. I do suggest you chat with your chicken neighbors on what works for your area. I am in New Mexico next door. I keep Black Australorps and Barred Rocks. The Black Australorps do really well in the heat. They seem to be able to tolerate higher temps than the Barred Rocks. I suggest you use sand in your coop and run. Sand is very easy to maintain, it repels flies and absorbs poop smells. But what is really nice about sand is that you can hose it down in the summer time and it keeps the birds incredibly cool. Put a fan on this wet sand and the temp will drop 8 or 10 degrees in the run. Keeps their feet cool. Cool feet mean cooler birds. I dig mine right out of dry washes and arroyos for free. Here is a nice thread on sand if you want more info on it....https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/444759/got-sand-you-should

Also, put ice cubes in their water, feed cool treats like watermelon, cold grapes, other cold veggies. Oh and always use a covered run when using sand.

Good luck and we do welcome you to our flock!
 
Welcome to BYC. Glad you decided join our flock. The Mediterranean breeds are typically heat tolerate. Or if you don't like their high strung and flighty temperament (I don't) I would suggest going with Australorps, which are extremely hardy in both heat and cold. I've raised them where summer temperatures frequently reached 117-118 F (sometimes more) and while my other dual purpose breeds were listless, panting, and holding their wings out from their sides, my Australorps were going about their normal business like troopers (not surprising since they are commonly raised in the Australian outback which gets very hot in the summer). In addtion, Australorps are calm and gentle (my children and grandchildren made lap pets of them), and excellent layers of large, brown eggs. If you don't mind hybrids, I would also recommend Black Sex Links (Black Stars), which are friendly and hardy, egg laying machines. I've raised them for years (along with dozens of other breeds and hybrids) and they have been my best layers, consistently churning out more than 300 eggs per hen per year. Just be sure that you have plenty of shade, cool fresh water, and good coop ventilation. BYC has a good article on coop ventilation at https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/...-go-out-there-and-cut-more-holes-in-your-coop. Please feel free to ask any questions you may have. We are here to help in any way we can. Whatever breeds or hybrids you decide to get, good luck with your flock.
 
Shade, shade, and more shade, real or manufactured is necessary to get through heat. Also abundant - fresh water. Some folks in hot areas have a more open coop, maybe two wire sides and two solid so heat doesn't stay in the coop and any breezes will come through. In some area people use water misters but, I would imagine the water would evaporate in your climate before the chickens could feel it.

One person I know from Scottsdale used to air condition his coop - a set temperature 5- 10 degrees below outside air will still feel cooler. Fans that can be safely situated where chickens won't fly into them - are also great. Some folks freeze water jugs and set them out, chickens often like to be near them. I'm sure the Arizona folks have more ideas they could share.
 
I seem to recall seeing a hot weather coop thread when I was looking for ideas on our coop...my phones acting silly and slow else I'd try to find it again and link you :(
 

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