BREEDING FOR PRODUCTION...EGGS AND OR MEAT.

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You could get some burlap and soak it and hang it on an open part of the coop or a shade structure (in the shade) - plus/minus a fan blowing on it. That could give some local cooling with less water use, possibly.
 
Fire Ant Farm said:
I have found that misters really help a lot with hot weather. I bought some of those stiff stand-up noodle mister things, and had one pointing into each paddock (if you have a lot of birds in one area, you may wish to set up a few). Hooked up all the hoses, etc., and as a routine, once it was reliably over 95F or so every day, I would turn on the hose before leaving for work, and turn it off in the evening when collecting eggs. (You could also use a timer). Worked VERY well -gives them a little zone that cooler. This year I bought some of the brass nozzle parts and am going to try to rig some misters myself (I have a bunch more chickens this year). It took a little doing to drape the hoses all over the yard, but it was totally worth it.

- Ant Farm
Click to expand...

Do your NNs like the misters? My chickens hate them....except the Silver Grey Dorkings. Heck, they get all happy when they see me with the hose too. My birds prefer it when I just let the hose run on the ground for a while, standing in the puddles while they're there, and then playing in the mud once I turn the water off.

So far I haven't had to use the A/C units. I'm hoping to keep it that way. My husband and I have planted some fruit trees to eventually provide more shade, and I'm working diligently to create cooler microclimates for the birds, but it's a lot of work and our soil (rock) sucks. "Green" is an endangered color here in the desert.
 
DesertChic said:
Do your NNs like the misters? My chickens hate them....except the Silver Grey Dorkings. Heck, they get all happy when they see me with the hose too. My birds prefer it when I just let the hose run on the ground for a while, standing in the puddles while they're there, and then playing in the mud once I turn the water off.

So far I haven't had to use the A/C units. I'm hoping to keep it that way. My husband and I have planted some fruit trees to eventually provide more shade, and I'm working diligently to create cooler microclimates for the birds, but it's a lot of work and our soil (rock) sucks. "Green" is an endangered color here in the desert.
Click to expand...

Yes, they do, but it's not like they stay glued to them. But they spit a little bit, and also make the ground damp near them, so they probably also are enjoying that part as well. I don't really have a way to wet the ground without it all running somewhere quickly. They DO all have water pans outside that they can stand in when their feetsies get hot.

Ant Farm
 
I have a series of shade structures for them that I use. Nothing fancy - four cinder blocks (taller side going up and down) with a 4 x 4 piece of plywood on top. Sometimes they sit on top, other times they like to be under. Helps with hawks as well. I was considering putting some shade cloth along the sunny side of some of the paddock fencing as well, to create some more shady areas and relieve the baking heat.
 
Luckily we do have some large oaks that overhang the runs. Mine hate any kind of water being actually sprayed on them, but jump and roll in puddles.
Just fed and felt two drops of rain then it stopped although in the distance I can see a storm ugh.....
 
We finally got a good rain, some hard rain Sunday and then it has drizzling all day today. Fingers crossed for the pasture to pop back.
On a sadder note, the sunflowers I was growing for my parrot were ravaged by squirrels who ate entire flowers ugh........
 

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