Phoenix, Arizona, is a great example of what chicken keeping is like when temperatures soar to 115+ degrees. This is not an exaggeration, and to be perfectly honest, 120 degrees is certainly not unheard of. Chickens are pretty hardy as a rule, but they are not invincible. They need special care when temperatures rise, you can learn more about that in the article below.
Now that the chickens are taken care of, let’s talk about you, your role in all this, and what you can expect your days to look like during the hottest months of the year. You might be thinking you can handle the job for just a few months of summer, but Phoenix is a lot different. From May through October, the heat is relentless, with June, July, and August being especially brutal.
That means you’re out in the heat too, and not just once or twice a day. If the water in the drinkers gets too hot, the chickens will avoid it, and that can be a death sentence, so it has to be refilled with cooler water throughout the day. This is why auto drinkers and nipple drinkers should NEVER be used in desert climates. Mist systems and fans need to be adjusted and managed, and diligent housekeeping is imperative because chicken droppings create even more heat. To be clear, diligent means every day.
There may be a chicken that needs medical attention, things break, and problems are inevitable. When something goes wrong, you need to be out in the heat dealing with it. That’s the reality. I’ve been doing this for 14 years, so for me, it’s worth it. The question is, is it worth it for you?
TBN Ranch Chicken Keeping Resources 