Only What Survives the Desert Makes This List
The question we get most is simple: what actually works out here? This is the answer — not what’s popular, but what’s proven in real desert conditions. Most chicken-keeping gear is built for mild backyards and quits at 115°. Everything below held up through 100°+ summers, hard water, and grinding dust, and each one fixed a problem we were actually fighting. We share them because they work in this climate, not because anyone paid for the spot — and anything that stops earning its place comes off.
Heat, water & flock health
Smart Coop
Predators hit hardest at dawn and dusk. The auto-door closes on schedule, so a missed lockup never costs you the flock.
Backyard Poultry Bundle
New flock? Start here — the essentials sorted in one box instead of piecing it together at 110°.
Hen Helper
Heat plus hard water crashes a bird’s gut. Electrolytes and probiotics keep them drinking and steady through a 115° week.
Mother Load — ACV
A daily dose supports gut health — and a healthier gut means better feed conversion, so you get more out of every bag and stronger birds year-round.
Catalyst
Heat-stressed birds go off feed. A liquid vitamin boost for the days they need it most.
Desecticide
Mites and lice explode in dry heat. A treatment for an active outbreak — not just prevention.
“My hens stopped laying” is usually a feed problem.
Certified Organic · Non-GMO · Corn & Soy free · Free shipping
In 110° desert heat, birds burn protein just staying cool — cheap feed shows up as fewer eggs, feather-picking, and the summer slump. This is the starter-to-layer feed we run in the desert.
Starter Feed (chicks)
Weeks 0–8 — the high-protein foundation before the heat ever tests them.
Grower Feed (pullets)
The awkward teens — steady protein so they feather and frame right, not stall in the heat.
Layer Feed (hens)
Balanced calcium and protein for steady eggs — even when summer tries to shut laying down.
Big Flock — 10 hens, 2 months
Bulk it and forget it — two months sorted for a full flock, delivered.
Bedding & protein
Hemp Bedding
Coop ammonia spikes in the heat. Kills the smell and runs low-dust for desert lungs.
BSF Larvae — 5 lb
Molt and heat drain protein. A clean protein treat that keeps a small flock in condition.
Egg cleaning
Clean fresh eggs without bleach — food-grade silicone brushes and an enzyme wash that lift dirt without stripping the bloom.
Flock Essentials Pack
No-bleach egg-cleaning kit: two food-grade silicone brushes (650+ nubs) plus a 12 oz enzyme wash.
$48 $55
Deluxe Egg Cleaning Kit
The bigger kit — two brushes, enzyme wash, plus a concentrated refill for high-volume egg folks.
$55 $65
The Original GoodEgg Brush
The patented food-grade silicone egg brush on its own — 650+ nubs, dishwasher-safe. Choose Standard or Large/XL.
$20
Fertrell — desert-proven SHIPS FROM US
A bag ration misses minerals desert flocks burn through. This is what we feed our own birds through 100°+ summers — free shipping, straight from us.
Fertrell Poultry Nutri-Balancer
The mineral base a plain bag ration misses — the backbone of a desert feed program.
from $67.95
Fertrell Breeder Supplement
Hatchability drops in the heat. Targeted breeder nutrition for fertile eggs and strong chicks.
from $73.95
Fertrell Fish Meal — 60% Protein
Real animal protein for molt and lay, when plant protein alone can’t keep up.
from $69.95
Some links are partner links we may earn a commission from, at no extra cost to you. Fertrell ships directly from AZ Chickens. Not sure what your flock needs? A guide can’t see your coop — talk to the specialist →