Phoenix AZ

Chickens crash-land in my life after Dad's accident: help a clueless newbie out

You've got ten chickens moving into a Phoenix dirt yard, a father in the ICU, and roughly zero idea what a chicken needs that a parrot doesn't. I feel this in my bones. Twenty years of cockatoos and quail? That's experience, but chickens are a whole different kind of fowl play. The aviary you have is too small for ten birds, so the dirt yard is the real stage here. For flooring, start with deep pine shavings over that sandy soil, it'll compost and keep smells down. Your manzanita branches are perfect for roosting. They need calcium, yes, just like quail, and a feeder that keeps food off the ground. Don't panic. You've got this.