It's Hot Out!

[DragonflyCourt]

Hi all. I have 6 - four week old chicks that have been in my office in a trough since Day 1. I have a huge trough set up in one of my empty coops to move these little ladies into - they have outgrown the one in my office, and I am ready to have a dust and scent free office again! My concern - high temps are right around 100-103 (106 yesterday though), sometimes down into the high 90's, over the next week. I'm sure those temps are here to stay for a bit. Lows at night are in the low 70's. The coop is covered and has one solid wall keeping it shaded all day long. The rest of the coop is rabbit wire, so any breeze can flow through and move the air around. My other option is my garage, but that is not cool and the air doesn't move at all, so I decided the coop was the best option. Thoughts? We don't have high humidity, and the heat is fairly dry. For the rest of my flock and my ducks, I have pools set out with water for them to cool off in when needed. Think these chicks will handle this heat okay if I provide them chick pools to wade in? Another aspect of my concern - my office stays fairly warm, but I do cool it off every now and then. I worry about moving them from my office temp out into the heat too fast. I was going to give it a try this evening when it cools off. Your experience is appreciated. Thank you!

 

[Saveria]

@nuthatched , you are in a dry, but high heat climate, right? Do you have something specific you do?

There is also this article that talks about some methods for keeping poultry cool, but this is from the east where humidity is higher.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/hot-climate-chicken-housing-and-care.77263/

 

[nuthatched]

@nuthatched , you are in a dry, but high heat climate, right? Do you have something specific you do?

There is also this article that talks about some methods for keeping poultry cool, but this is from the east where humidity is higher.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/hot-climate-chicken-housing-and-care.77263/

Not I, sorry. North Central Arizona.
It rarely gets above 95 here, it's 85 right now. (In the sun. Very pleasant in the shade with a breeze)
Deep shade, lots of water, proper ventilation in the coop, damp dust bathes really help.

 

[Tumbleweedlynn]

Hi all. I have 6 - four week old chicks that have been in my office in a trough since Day 1. I have a huge trough set up in one of my empty coops to move these little ladies into - they have outgrown the one in my office, and I am ready to have a dust and scent free office again! My concern - high temps are right around 100-103 (106 yesterday though), sometimes down into the high 90's, over the next week. I'm sure those temps are here to stay for a bit. Lows at night are in the low 70's. The coop is covered and has one solid wall keeping it shaded all day long. The rest of the coop is rabbit wire, so any breeze can flow through and move the air around. My other option is my garage, but that is not cool and the air doesn't move at all, so I decided the coop was the best option. Thoughts? We don't have high humidity, and the heat is fairly dry. For the rest of my flock and my ducks, I have pools set out with water for them to cool off in when needed. Think these chicks will handle this heat okay if I provide them chick pools to wade in? Another aspect of my concern - my office stays fairly warm, but I do cool it off every now and then. I worry about moving them from my office temp out into the heat too fast. I was going to give it a try this evening when it cools off. Your experience is appreciated. Thank you!

I’m in NM, and it’s been around 100 here for the last week or so. I have chicks outside that have access to shade, and I wet the ground so they can stay cool. I haven’t lost any because of heat

 

[DragonflyCourt]

I’m in NM, and it’s been around 100 here for the last week or so. I have chicks outside that have access to shade, and I wet the ground so they can stay cool. I haven’t lost any because of heat

THANK YOU!! Sounds like your temps are similar to mine. I wanted to see if anyone else had put chicks out in this heat. My old gals are acclimated to it and I provide pools of water and tons of shade to help them stay cool, and they've been fine. Hot, but fine. I was worried about these babies because they're used to being in the house. I'm going to take them out tonight when it cools off and see how we fare. I'll give them a pool and I'll also wet the ground down like you suggested. I do that for my pigs too. Wish me luck!

 

[DragonflyCourt]

Not I, sorry. North Central Arizona.
It rarely gets above 95 here, it's 85 right now. (In the sun. Very pleasant in the shade with a breeze)
Deep shade, lots of water, proper ventilation in the coop, damp dust bathes really help.

Thank you! I'm originally from Arizona too, but Southwestern.....Yuma. Hottest part of the state. Your weather sounds amazing compared to that!! Their coop is completely shaded all day, has great ventilation, and lots of great dirt to take baths in. I have auto waterers and provide them with a pool, so I guess I'm doing everything I needed to. I appreciate getting some confirmation from you guys out there!

 

[Saveria]

Maybe you already know this, but you can also get breeds that do better in the heat. They are mainly the ones with huge combs.

 

[gimmie birdies]

It is hot here also, E. WA. I have boards leaning against the coop to take up the heat so that the sun doesn't just heat the coop directly.

 

[springvalley123]

Another idea if you're concerned, is every transition from inside to outside either needs to take advantage of temperature fluctiuatons--in the winter, you find a few days of very mild nights, and move them out then. You could either wait until you get the 90 degree highs, and move them then, or you could try taking them outside for a few hours earlier in the day, bringing them in for the heat of the day. Leave them out a bit longer in increments, giving them a few days getting used to gradually hotter temps. e.g., take them out tomorrow from 7 am till 10 am, for a few days, then from 7 am till noon, etc or whenever it gets to 85 degrees, then 90 degrees, etc.

 

[DragonflyCourt]

Maybe you already know this, but you can also get breeds that do better in the heat. They are mainly the ones with huge combs.

I do know that, thank you. I try to make sure I get breeds that do well here, and I learned via trial and error about the hardiness of some breeds vs others. I don't normally do summer chicks, my husband, believe it or not, actually had me get these last eight! LOL! I prefer for the weather to be a bit nicer when I'm transitioning them from the house to the coop. I love tips like this about the combs though! We can always learn something from each other. Thank you!