raising chicks in Phx AZ Summer

[Apache12]

i'm new to raising chickens. I live in AZ and we have already started to heat up. It's been high 90's and low 100's. it should get back down again, but looking for any tips on excess heat. they are in their brooder still only two weeks old. and in our garage. so it's a little cooler than the full sun outside. have raised the heat lamp up and i turn it off completely during the day. i turn it on at night because it gets down into the high 60's or low 70's and the lamp is only slightly in the brooder giving them plenty of room to get away from it. in the morning when i come out to clean water and food (any tips on clean water, i have it raised up but still full of shavings) anyway they are an the far side from the lamp. When they transition to the coop outside it is only morning sun and it is under a bunch of trees but still nervous about July august heat

thanks for any education

 

[igorsMistress]

Welcome to BYC! I'm in AZ too.
Deep shade is the most important thing. A way to give them a puddle of cool water to wade in is extremely helpful. I'm already running my hose for the flock in the hottest part of the day and they literally stop panting after wading a bit. They also enjoy dust baths in the damp soil leftover from the day before. I run my hose for about an hour each afternoon and when it's really hot I dump some ice in the puddles. You can freeze 2 litre bottles full of water and lay them out and the birds will lean against them. Also, my birds love blueberries and dill frozen in a chunk of ice, cool cucumbers and watermelon too. Sav a Chick electrolytes are great a couple times a week, be sure to offer plain water as well, and fermented feed is another way to get more water into their system. My birds love FF and since they eat less in the heat I feel more confident they're getting enough nutrients. Here's a link to the AZ thread, hope to see you there!

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/arizona-chickens.31227/page-7170

 

[Apache12]

great info so you just run the hose in their run area and how deep or shallow do you make the puddle?

 

[igorsMistress]

great info so you just run the hose in their run area and how deep or shallow do you make the puddle?

I let it get about ankle deep for them. My side yard tends to make good puddles because I have a ton of old bedding over the dirt; I get a decent puddle going and then turn down the volume a little bit. I am currently working on digging out a little area in another part of the yard. It'll have the same depth but the water takes forever to drain so a shallow dirt basin there would work great and it gets afternoon shade.
Some people use misters, I did last year, but my current flock doesn't like it, they prefer the puddles.

 

[Apache12]

my neighbor has oleander near where I want to put the coop. Should I avoid this area due to the flowers. If they eat them could it kill them

 

[Parront]

my neighbor has oleander near where I want to put the coop. Should I avoid this area due to the flowers. If they eat them could it kill them

I had Oleander in my yard with free-range chickens. They liked the shade. I was in the CA desert, not quite as hot as Phoenix, but over 100 a lot. They even hid a nest in there and hatched out some chicks, never any problem with them eating the Oleander. Maybe if they did not have food in their feeder & they were starving, but that was never a problem with my spoiled hens!

 

[Apache12]

Thank you! Now if I can get my one bird dog to relax. The m working with him but his hunt drive is so intense. The other dogs are the same breed but they have relaxed

 

[Parront]

Thank you! Now if I can get my one bird dog to relax. The m working with him but his hunt drive is so intense. The other dogs are the same breed but they have relaxed

The prey drive is so strong with some dogs, you might loose some chicks.I had a Brittany Spaniel that got some of my parrot chicks when she was young, very sad. She did learn that that was BAD, but it cost me 2 chicks. Some dogs are never to be trusted, they just can't resist. The only thing that kept chickens totally safe in the yard with that dog was electric fencing. After she hit that wire one time, she would not even look in the direction of the chickens!

 

[Onyxflock]

To make a water bath, a new oil drip pan from the auto parts store works great. They're only 2" tall so easy to recess in the ground - which helps keep the water cool. I like to add a couple of rocks in the center so they can hop up on them. That also encouraged my hens to use it as a bath. Running the water is a good idea, I might try that on the hottest days. However, we're on metered water as it's a precious commodity in this drought.
I dump the dish and refill daily when I refresh their water & feed them. They realky like the mud.
We're in So Cal between Mojave & Bakersfield, not as hot as AZ, but hot enough with 100+ from June to October

 

[Onyxflock]

Oleanders - I'll echo what was said. I was worried about our Oleander border along the fence where they run. I saw them peck at it once or twice, but I think they were snatching bugs. They love to rustle around under the bushes and nest back in the shade. It's also great cover for protection when the hawks come to hunt the wild birds on the feeders.