Colorado

[samsr]

The insulation should help against the heat also. Just like a thermo mug keeps things hot for a bit, so will it keep things cool for a bit. Shade cloth above the coop would work wonders. I have my coop so it catches the afternoon shade from a tree. During the winter , no leaves on the tree, so no shade and this equals some warmth from the sun in the afternoon.

 

[WendyGeisler]

Hi All,
I hatched my own blue copper roo in March. He is a beauty, but hubby will not let me keep him.
Anyone want a roo? I am so sad to give him away, he is used to being picked up and held. I will
post some pictures tomorrow. Wendy

 

[Pozees]

I have one coop insulated and plans are to eventually insulate the new coop we built this year, just have to wait until I have the dough for it. Our primary reason for insulating is heat. Chickens tolerate cold much better than we usually think they can. Meanwhile I have the windows open all day, and if I'm here I leave the doors open until the sun begins to shine on the South door, then I close them up until evening.

I also have the old coop I just put back into service that does not have insulation but I put the Egyptian Fayoumis in there for the summer, as they are a desert breed and should tolerate heat very well. It was fun trying to put them to bed last night, which was their first night in that coop and run. Bob came out to help, which I deeply appreciated. Shouldn't take more than a few days for them to figure it out.

Moving them allowed me to move the last chicks out of the crawl space and into the new coop - they seem very happy about that, and my back certainly is!

My Silkie hens have hatched 4 chicks so far, that may be it for this week, more due next weekend, and I know they have some fresh eggs under them - once the pipping commenced I didn't check for new eggs, so now will have to watch for them to come off the nest - 2 are co-sitting. The chicks are 3 medium blue and one that I think will be a very dark blue. We spent a lot of time just gazing at them over the pen door yesterday, so darned cute

 

[gardendufus]

P-Funk, that is a great looking setup. Sure makes one wish they had more land, easier zoning restrictions, and were not already 11 hens over their legal limit.

So yesterday I kinda took the day off from all the work I need to do around my place/garden. Spent most of it laying on a lounge chair watching the girls peck around looking for something new in their run. All 13 are now getting along just fine which is a blessing, there's nothing I hate more than coop politics.

So, I'm reading a book at the same time, and at some point I hear this unusual flopping noise. I look up and one of my SS is 'waddling' around. The only way I can describe it is..... picture a human going into a crouch, then walking around while still in that crouch. That's what this girl was doing. I was sure she had an injured leg or something. So, I ran into the house to get the keys to the run (padlocks are such a convenience). Came back out, she's still doing her funny crouch walk, open the run, go in to catch her. As soon as I approach, she hops up and runs normally away from me. Has been walking normally ever since. Anyone ever see this before?

 

[Mtn Margie]

Imaginary dust bath? Or sun bath?

 

[Minchi]

I have a large insulated, modular coop that was designed for winter uses.

 

[annav410]

First week of hot weather and as a newbie, I am nervous. I hope my girls do ok. We checked the coop and covered run yesterday, and it was much cooler under the shade tarp so I am hoping that the investment was worth it and it will help keep them cooler on really hot days.

We also opened the nesting boxes this weekend and added nesting pads (not sure I like these, they seem to move around alot) and added golf balls. I think we are still at least a month or so a way but very excited to get my first egg.

~Anna

 

[carolynm]

I'm considering purchasing some Mille Fleur Cochins from Fancyfeathers. They would be shipped from South Dakota and are 3-4 weeks old, straight run. Shipped cost will end up about $15.00 bird. She is ready to ship them now. I don't need all of them and was wondering if anyone here would be interested in some? PM me if you are interested. I'm in Bailey-45 minutes SW of Denver.

 

[Minchi]

First week of hot weather and as a newbie, I am nervous. I hope my girls do ok. We checked the coop and covered run yesterday, and it was much cooler under the shade tarp so I am hoping that the investment was worth it and it will help keep them cooler on really hot days.

We also opened the nesting boxes this weekend and added nesting pads (not sure I like these, they seem to move around alot) and added golf balls. I think we are still at least a month or so a way but very excited to get my first egg.

~Anna

I fussed so much over mine but one thing you can do is buy frozen veggies they eat and then when it is really hot you can toss some out as a summer treat. You can also put ice in there water or freeze a water bottle or two and place them in the shade to drop the temp a few degrees. That is the real worry wart method. Mine really liked the small pool of water I made for them to splash in last year, only about an inch of water.

 

[Pozees]

Quote:
I saw a suggestion to put a block or some stones in a shallow pan of water in the run so they can stand in it, and she actually had a picture of her birds using it, I thought it was a good idea and will be trying it this year. For today Bob set up the mister on the most exposed run (the ols one we just set back up and put the EFs in) and it will reach the layers coop and run as well. He's going to try and rig up a fan in one of the windows in the new coop to pull air through better. We will be over 100 today and probably tomorrow as well. Shade cloth is going up tonight on the EFs - didn't want to freak them out by doing everything the first day I moved them in there, but heat can kill. Last year I was watering the foliage on all the trees (small as they are) near the coop and run every afternoon when I got home - the air that moves through wet foliage is significantly cooler. As an FYI, a woman in Tucson said she lost a hen to heat stroke last week in 112 degree temps, almost lost a second, saw her staggering around and plunged her into a bucket of cold water and saved her life. Good emergency technique to know just in case.