Only what survives the desert makes this list.
Most chicken gear is built for mild backyards. It quits at 115, and your birds pay the difference. Everything below survived real desert summers on this yard and fixed something that was costing us birds. The list is open to anyone, with or without an email. The email is for what a list can't tell you: what to reach for when this week's forecast turns, and how to run each piece so it keeps birds alive instead of sitting in the shed. We operate by the temperature, not by the season.
- A fix matched to each week's forecast
- How to run each piece in your own yard
- Word first when the list changes
You are in. The first fix lands this week, and the list below is yours either way.
Free. Unsubscribe any time. Some links below earn us a commission at no cost to you — nothing is on this list because of that.
The gear, and the problem each one fixes
None of it is here because it is popular. Each product fixed something this yard was actually fighting, through 100°+ summers, hard water, and dust that never quits. When a product stops earning its place, it comes off.
Heat, water & flock health
Panting at the waterer. Eggs slowing as the heat climbs. Something testing the run at dusk. These are the pieces that get a flock through the worst weeks of summer.
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
If the coop stings your nose by midweek, or a molt has your best hen looking rough, these two handle it.
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
Dirty eggs and no good way to clean them: hard scrubbing strips the bloom, bleach is worse. These lift the dirt and leave the egg protected.
Flock Essentials Pack
No-bleach egg-cleaning kit: two food-grade silicone brushes (650+ nubs) plus a 12 oz enzyme wash.
Deluxe Egg Cleaning Kit
The bigger kit — two brushes, enzyme wash, plus a concentrated refill for high-volume egg folks.
The Original GoodEgg Brush
The patented food-grade silicone egg brush on its own — 650+ nubs, dishwasher-safe. Choose Standard or Large/XL.
Some links are partner links we may earn a commission from, at no extra cost to you. Not sure what your flock needs? A list can’t see your coop — The Poultry Desk can →