Preparing the Chicken Coop for the Colder Months Ahead
The winters are rather mild in Phoenix and your birds will be quite comfortable without heat added, as long as they are protected from wind, drafts, and especially rain.
Temperatures rarely drop below freezing in Phoenix, with the usual overnight temperature in the 40s. As long as your birds are kept dry, cool weather is quite welcome, especially after a long summer of brutal heat.
A heavy-weight tarp is a suitable protection from wind, along with ample clean pine shavings (preferred) or straw in the coop and nest boxes. Your birds will huddle together for warmth at night, if you stick your finger deep inside their feathers you’ll see they are toasty warm, even at freezing temps.
Never put a heat lamp in your coop, the risk of fire is far too dangerous. I wouldn’t use a light bulb for heat either. First of all, your birds don’t need it in Phoenix, and second, light is annoying and disruptive to the normalcy of nature.
You will hear other chicken keepers say egg laying is reduced or halted completely in the winter months. That may be so in other parts of the country, but in Phoenix, I never notice much change in frequency. Remember, the key to keeping the egg basket full is defined in two simple words… happy birds.
TBN Ranch Chicken Keeping Resources 