Heat wave

[Troop1379]

I live in Virginia and the heat has been crazy here. Today with the heat index it is going to be 110 to 115. I have 6 chickens and they are about 11 weeks old. I have a fan in the coop with them and water in bowls to they can drink. What else can I do to keep them cool. I can't bring them inside I don't have the space to keep them.HELP

 

[sourland]

Freeze gallon jugs of water and put them in the coops. Place ice in their water bowls. We're facing the same thing in NJ. Real temps around 105 with a heat index of 110 to 115. This is the kind of weaher that kills man and animals. Everyone, be careful today.

 

[elsydash]

We give our flock frozen watermelon slices, and frozen shredded vegetable scraps, too. They love them!

My neighbor has a little wading pool in the shade that her chickens seem to really enjoy. And a spray mister- those girls next door are spoiled!

 

[Troop1379]

Thanks I am going to try the pool and the ice. I have a little pool they might like. They will only eat corn so i will make it cold and give to them

 

[TeamChaos]

Very few of my chickens will willingly wade into water, so don't be disappointed if they aren't doing cannon balls into the wading pool. If you see signs of heat stress, you can dip their feet in cool (not cold) water and it will help them to stop panting and catch a break for a bit.. especially w/ the fan. If you have a metal waterer, adding a block of ice or frozen pop bottle to it and allowing the fan to blow across it can help cool the air. Good luck!

 

[Mskayladog]

my chicks wont go in a wadding pool but they will wade in a baking pan or broiler pan filled with water and ice. from what I have seen the wadding pool was to slippy for them the pans give them surer footing. Mine like getting their feet wet but not their feathers.

 

[bucky52]

i'am in orange va.so we are in the same boat.i put frozen ice jugs out in their coop and some in the area were they seek to try and cool off.i put pans of water with frozen ice jugs in their run and they avoid them.my chickens do not like water at all.fans, shade and water and the poor things are still miserble.

 

[spatulagirl]

I let the layers free range today. Everyone just got some frozen watermelon too. And I am going out spraying water every hour or so in the chick pen and grow out pen.

I have open air coops so it doesn't get any hotter than outside. I did set up a fan to blow through my grow out pen. They look really hot.

 

[Troop1379]

I just put the pool in the coop and they are just looking at it. Going to check on them in a few I put some water in to freeze to use tomorrow. I just hope they are going to be ok

 

[Narey]

Hi, brand new here, and haven't even posted an intro yet, but that's what I came here for too. One of my hens was lying on her side inside the coop. We got her out, I bathed her, pouring some water over her and lifting her feathers a bit. Gave her some raw kefir to drink (dipped her beak into it and she did take some) but she was not looking very well at all, so I've brought her into the laundry, where a tiny bit of the A/C seeps, so she's getting a little more life in her. She was not even panting, and now she is... bringing her from the brink I think! I let a spray of water fall into their enclosure but they are fearful of that. Maybe I'll put a pan of ice water out there, to cool the area as suggested. Thanks!