Introduction

[chickenface]

Hello! I'm just new introducing myself. My wife and I raise chickens in sunny Mesa, Arizona. And all the challenges the heat poses for us. Hope to learn a lot from the BYC community

 

[TwoCrows]

Welcome to BYC!

So glad you could join our community! Have you tried sand in your run and coop? I use sand and will never go back to regular bedding. The nice thing about it is that if you have a covered run, you can hose this stuff down and the birds stay incredibly cool all summer! I mean feet cool to the touch! They evaporative effect will keep the floor very cool. Hose it down once or twice a day and my birds rarely pant. They stay nice and cool. It is easy to clean, keeps the flies away, no poop smells and best of all, you can go out into the desert and dig it out for free! I dig mine out of the nearby dry washes or arroyo's. You can tell it is sand because when you wet it, it falls apart. Once you get your coop and run a few inches deep with it, you won't have to add to it but once a year. Here is a pic of my sand...



Stop by this thread on sand as well to help you understand it a bit more...

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/444759/got-sand-you-should

Enjoy all your poultry adventures and welcome to our flock!

 

[Mountain Peeps]

Welcome to BYC!

SO HAPPY YOU'VE JOINED US!!

Please make yourself at home and we are here to help. Tow Crows ^ has really helped get started with bedding ideas. If it gets super hot you can give your flock cool treats such as melon, ice cubes, frozen berries or grapes, etc. You can hang frozen water bottles/jugs in the coop with a fan blowing on them too. Be sure to check out the links below.

Good luck!

https://www.backyardchickens.com/atype/1/Learning_Center
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/advice-for-first-time-chicken-owners
http://www.fresh-eggs-daily.com/2012/03/beating-heat.html

 

[Kelsie2290]

Hello and Welcome To BYC! Good luck with your flock! TwoCrows and Mountain Peeps have given you some nice links to check out! You might also like to look at your state thread for chicken keeping neighbors and any suggestions they might have https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/31227/arizona-chickens

 

[gander007]

 

[sumi]

Welcome to BYC

Glad you joined us!