When to get chicks

[AZKat]

As you can guess from my user name, I live in Arizona. It gets extremely hot in the summer, and we're trying to decide wether it would be best to get the chicks in June (once we are settled in our new house), wait until September, so that the chickens will be moving outside when it starts to cool down, or wait until next spring.

Most of what I can find is about raising chickens in cold/temperate climates, and I can't find anything that addresses the way that *heat* affects young birds.

Right now, we're thinking about getting Barred Plymoth Rocks, Delawares, Australoups or a mixed flock of all three. We've got small kids, and these are going to be city chickens, so quiet and docile is a major concern, and these all seem to fit the bill. Opinions on these breeds will also be greatly appriciated.

 

[debilorrah]

We also live in a very dry hot area - the desert in southern California. Our chickens do fine it the heat. We do keep a box fan in the window of the hen house for nightitme, but other than that, we don't do anything special. I encourage you to go get those balls of fluff!!!!!!!

 

[Delta2 23]

Oh, I live in Australia and we get record heatwaves over here.



Our chickens always stayed outside at day time. Just make sure they have lots of shade and water- ours stayed under a big pear tree.


I got my chicks in spring so they were ready to go outside at summertime.