KEEPING CHICKENS COOL

[kimclark1962]

Hi, I live in AZ and this week its suppose to be 117..i have 3-4 mo old pullets (6 of them)..the coop is never in direct sunlight and is shaded by a big tree..my question is, should i bring them inside or leave them outside?....I work from home so i check on them constantly.. I give them fresh water every single morning..I did freeze some fruit in water and they really enjoyed picking at that..The coop has sand as the flooring..should I wet the sand?,,Any suggestions would be more than welcomed..Thank you

 

[ShanandGem]

I put an oscillating fan (just household type) in my coop (metal garden shed) with my 13 Ameraucana and Orpington chicks. They have ventilation holes that I drilled up high and fully open one door and put a screen in during the day. It's almost completely shaded but the fan made all the difference in the world. Just getting that hot stagnant air moving is a step in the right direction.
I leave the fan on at night when I shut the door and lock up and it is downright chilly in there in morning.

 

[chickens really]

I run a mister when it gets hot. The frozen fruit is great.
Also wet the sand. You can also use a fan on them.

 

[BruceAZ]

Hi, I live in AZ and this week its suppose to be 117..i have 3-4 mo old pullets (6 of them)..the coop is never in direct sunlight and is shaded by a big tree..my question is, should i bring them inside or leave them outside?....I work from home so i check on them constantly.. I give them fresh water every single morning..I did freeze some fruit in water and they really enjoyed picking at that..The coop has sand as the flooring..should I wet the sand?,,Any suggestions would be more than welcomed..Thank you

my 5 hens are fine outside

keep their feeder and waterer in the shaded area

adding ice cubes to their waterer will also help

you can wet the sand if that area is in the shaded area

i have some spare turkey trays lying around i filled 2 of them with water about 2 in deep and put them in the run

got some spare concrete bricks (2 in thick 4"x8")..also put them in and pour water on them..

my chickens will either standing in the water or lying on the bricks to keep cool

to keep the bricks moist and cool i use empty milk containers drilled 2 small holes at the bottom .. fill it to full and leave them partly on the brick.. free DIY slow drip system pretty much

my run is in my backyard and i don't have any tree for shade

so i have to add some window shade screen

some people will provide a fan.. if you like

my chickens are ok.. .. they will get use to the heat after a few days

i saw they have watermelons for $1/each - i'll keep them in the fridge and cut half to give it to them each them

if you like you can also free some water bottle and throw them in the run .. your chickens will lie next to it to keep cool

 

[bigt447]

I put frozen 2 liter plastic soda bottles (filled with water)in their bucket that has nipple waterers attached.

 

[Chick423]

I to live in AZ......just came home to 5 of my girls dead in the coop!

They had water but I'm guessing it was just too much! They are shaded but have a couple of hours late afternoon that get direct sun. Now I know I could wet the sand tho, and we'll use a front shade as well

 

[BruceAZ]

I to live in AZ......just came home to 5 of my girls dead in the coop!

They had water but I'm guessing it was just too much! They are shaded but have a couple of hours late afternoon that get direct sun. Now I know I could wet the sand tho, and we'll use a front shade as well

chickens will go out of the coop and into the run on their own.. they will gather where it's the coolest-- so unless they are locked in they will not stay in the oven-like coop during the day--especially when it's 115-117 degree outtisde

you didn't build a run for them? or forgot to let them out?

my chickens will go out of the coop on their own (their coop is not locked) and will stay close to the water area (coolest) of the run instead of staying in the coop. i set up a pan of water, moist bricks along with waterer that they can use. around noon or so i'll respray the bricks with cool water and add ice cubes into their waterer

in the run at least it's open for ventilation from all 4 sides allowing ventilation (circulation of air) vs a closed up coop

at night when they are going into the coop-- i'll also put in two frozen water bottles in.. i noticed that they will sleep close to the frozen water bottles (you can tell by the location of the manure)

pre-fab coops like these have little to no ventilation what so ever-- they are not idea for arizona heat.. even with a small window

think of a car.. even with the windows down how long can you stay in it under the arizona sun ?

honestly. i don't think these pre-fab coops are built for arizona

if you are buying one of these.. you have to add even more ventilation and leave the coop door open so the chickens can go in and out on their own into the run where it's cooler during the day..

 

[Chick423]

I do not have one of those pre-fab ones, my husband and I built our own with a run as well. 3 of the girls were in the nesting boxes and one died right next to the waterer. The coop has 3 open sides to it with the cover on top and the run is all open with just half the top covered.

 

[BruceAZ]

I do not have one of those pre-fab ones, my husband and I built our own with a run as well. 3 of the girls were in the nesting boxes and one died right next to the waterer. The coop has 3 open sides to it with the cover on top and the run is all open with just half the top covered.

you didn't cover the whole run ?

you need to provide shade and plenty of water.. moist bricks to lie on, moist dirt,sand (protected in shade areas of the run at all time)

some people will use mister or fan for cooling.. but since pine shaving is such a good fire starter.. i'll not use a fan.. just frozen water bottles in the coop at night were sufficient for them

the chickens will avoid direct exposure the sun especially when it's 115-117 outside

if your chickens stayed in the coop or went back in when it's 115-117.. it means the coop was the only place for them to get away from the burning sun since there was no other shaded areas

the nesting box is the hottest place in the coop

also don't use deep litter method here and keep your shavings/straw to about 1-2 in thick only+ clean out the keep frequently so you don't have a compost pile right in the coop



this is my coop.. i cover the roof with 2 in foam insulation (white or silver color will help reflect the sun rays) + also cover the east side of the coop for half day

with the whole roof covered.. my chickens will stay under the coop in the morning and then move to the waterer area during the afternoon - where pan of water, moist bricks, moist dirt are

i also provide extra shade by putting those shade screens (like the picture below) above the coop as well.. they block about 90% of the sun rays

my chickens are not laying yet.. but when they do.. i will have to move the nesting boxes and put them in the run instead and close up the coop during the day to prevent them from going in the coop to lay their eggs during the day...

laying eggs + hot temperature is a worst combination for a chicken..

my guess is your chickens died from heat stroke

 

[Chick423]

My run is about 4 times the size of yours, its 24x24 and yes only half of the top is covered since it is so large, they get plenty of shade. The coop is not part of the run, it is its own little structure attached to the run it is smaller but also open on all sides and the boxes are under the cover. The coop and run only get direct sunlight around 4 to sundown which is not the hottest part of the day. I do not use shavings since I dont like it and I have plenty of sand and i only use a handful of hay in the boxes. I am now thinking of putting a shade on the front side of the run during the hottest times. I wet down the sand this morning so that it would stay wet and cooler for a good while, I also put a frozen water bottle in there waterers and Im thinking of putting in a large horse bucket to fill with water for them to stand in or what ever they want.