Hello everyone:
I am new to this thread and just starting to look into raising chickens for eggs. I live in Vegas and am mostly concerned about the heat. Any recommendations on heat tolerance with chickens? What breeds are best? Where to get chicks?
Hi Bcook! Welcome to the Nevada thread.
I will add you to the opening post as soon as I finish up here.
The rule of thumb for heat tolerant chickens is to go with the larger combed birds The larger combs help them stay a little cooler in the heat, Of course you also have to consider how heavily feathered they are. Although I know that some of our Vegas folks here have Orpingtons and they are very full feathered. They just use a lot of different methods to keep them cool.
Ventilation no matter what breed you get is SUPER important in your area. Well it is very important everywhere but in Vegas you need a lot of it to keep the coop from becoming an oven. I have also heard folks mention misters and frozen treats, like watermelon and wet ground in a shady spot as a few methods for keeping fowl cooled off.
BYC has a breed finder tool in the learning section that is great for when you are just starting out. It doesn't list all breeds but they are adding to it all the time. As you learn more about chickens you will find out about all kinds of breeds that can be fun to have that will work in your area. Hopefully some Vegas folks will chime in here.
I'm new to chickens and have started my chicken adventure with 5 pullets; two Plymouth barred rocks, one jersey black giant, one turken/naked neck, and one buff brahman. They are warm and fuzzy in their brooder (our spare bathroom). I'm learning as much as I can but I'm sure there are many more tips. That said I'm looking for advice on transitioning to the coop and when to expect laying to begin etc... Glad to join the ranks of Reno urban chicken families!!
Hi Newchikmama! Welcome to the Nevada thread.
I will also add you to the opening post now.
Sounds like you have an interesting mix of chickens already! The Barred Rocks will usually start to lay between 4 and 6 months but there are some that have their own schedule and either lay a little early (not healthy for them in the long term though) or will be late starters. I had Brahmas years ago but don't remember when they started laying.
There are threads for just about any breed you can imagine on BYC. Just go to the search area and type in the breed you are curious about. If there are too many posts to wade through just ask them when they usually start to lay.
As far as transitioning chicks to the coop it is really pretty easy. Once they are fully feathered out (hold their wings out and make sure the backs are fully feathered as well) they can go in the coop. I'm afraid I spoil mine and they get to stay inside for longer but all the experts say they can go outside then. Even when I do put them out I give them a light for awhile moving it up a little each week to wean them off the heat slowly. Hanging lights in the coop is a tricky thing too since they can cause problems but you can do a search on "moving chicks out to the coop" and you will get a ton of info about the topic.
Most important is to have ventilation for them and have a nice wide roost to keep their feet completely covered by their bodies to prevent frostbite. They can handle a lot more than we think but I, myself, can't seem to stop babying them. I'm always a little nervous about the transition.
