tons of newbie questions in AZ

[KiminVA]

Too new myself to help you but waving a big hello from VA

 

[ArizonaDesertChicks]

Hello from Glendale.

Q. first, in my house there are 3 adults and an 18 month old, my mom lives 3 miles away. how many chickens do we need to provide eggs for us?

A. Depends on how many eggs you want per week. Most of our chickens are currently laying one egg per day (per chicken). They will slow down during the winter. Six hens should give you about 3 dozen eggs per week now and less in the winter - you may want to start with 5-8 hens?

Q. second, i have a gianormous backyard, all covered in gravel, no landscaping, no nothing. i am in the process of setting up some raised planters to get my veggies growing again. will i need to keep the chickens away from the veggies? which is better, fencing the chickens or the veggies?

A. You should have a secure area for the chickens and then if you are going to let them free-range, you might want to have another fence around your garden (that's the way I have mine set up).

Q. egg color is low on my list of prerequisites, but all other things being equal, i prefer colored eggs. that being said, what chickens should i get? i want good layers but friendly birds are probably even more important since i have a toddler.

A. There are many good choices out there - but... based on the chickens we've owned:
* americana/easter eggers are wonderfully gentle & tame - they lay colored eggs.
* our barred rocks are very inquisitive and the first to greet me - You'd need to keep them away from your toddler's face (chickens will peck at eyelashes sometimes) - great layer of large brown eggs
* buff orpingtons & australorps are big & gentle
* stay away from the leghorns - they're flighty & skittish

Q. and lastly, how much initial cash outlay for EVERYTHING i need to get started, so i know how long i will have to save.

A. Coop & run cost - It all depends on how much you decide to invest - some people do it very inexpensively and others spend a lot.

Since we live in a hot climate, you don't need to build a fully enclosed coop, but you should still give your chickens protection from rain & wind. Here's a link to the coop we built using mostly materials we already had (dog kennel was purchased on craigslist).
https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=19548