How to keep chickens cool in the heat. Tips wanted!

[jjthink]

Many great threads here on BYC about this. Using "Search" feature above, search by topic and you will find great lists of tips, including fans, AC, cold water available at all times (blocks of ice can keep water cold for longer periods than ice cubes), ample shade, cold fruit treats (can freeze some watermelon for an hour or so and then put out - it will stay cool for awhile)....

JJ

 

[KFox]

I've read that grains heat them up, so I've been giving them feed before bed-when the temps are dropping. During the day, I only offer cold items. I even went to a friend's house and collected Japanese Beetles. I froze them and offered them as a protein snack. During the hottest part of the day, I've been putting cold water jugs around the coop and frozen water jugs. I point the fan towards the cool jugs and it blows cooler air around.

 

[PoultryPedia]

Something I did recently was use a spray bottle to spray some water under their wings. This I'm assuming would help chickens keep cool via evaporation when they hold hold their wings out to the side like they do when really hot.

However, this would be a work-intensive effort. If you have a small number of chickens or a couple that are particularly overheated, it may be of help, though.

I happened to be handling a couple chickens on a hot day & they got a bit extra-stressed, so I gave them a cooling few sprays before I put them back in their coop.

 

[duckinnut]

Sounds like you doing what you can. I do the some of the things the others recommend my coop and run have lots of shade plus I spray down the run with water and some of the area where they free range.Give them a little misting in the process. Keep an eye on them if they are excessively panting get them inside somewhere cool in a/c .

 

[K-12 Chickens]

Thanks for the tips everyone!

Keep them coming!

 

[gale65]

I don't have a hose reaching to the run so I think I'll go out with the watering can later and wet down part of it. The mud won't hurt them then?

 

[chickengoober]

Quote:
Instead of going out every hour you can freeze whole waterbottles and put them inside your waterers. I'm dealling with 100- 105 degree weather here in TX, great tips everyone I ecpecially like the frozen milk jug one, i'll have to try that one sometime.

 

[gale65]

Quote:
Instead of going out every hour you can freeze whole waterbottles and put them inside your waterers. I'm dealling with 100- 105 degree weather here in TX, great tips everyone I ecpecially like the frozen milk jug one, i'll have to try that one sometime.

I wish I could do that but we're having trouble keeping enough 2 liter bottles frozen for our rabbits. The freezers can't even keep up and we have 2 big chest freezers plus the one on our fridge.

I throw out frozen tomatoes and grapes and they let them sit until they're warm and then eat them. They don't seem to like cold food at all.

 

[cmom]

I do have sprinklers in the birds yards and they like the water and get sprinkled on. I also wet down in their shade.

 

[TarainNC]

Thankfully my coop and run are fully shaded. I try to make sure they have lots of water, fresh greens/grass/weeds from my garden. Today I gave them some frozen peas, but they were not too keen on those. They are having some watermelon later today as it is cooling off in our extra frig. The garden is next to the run, so i let the sprinkler run wide enough to sprinkle the run, too. They like the cool dirt.