raising chickens in 110 F any tips?

[chickenbuttsowhat]

normaly the humidity pretty bad here and i do have to say humidity + heat is hell its the worste but since its so dry its low 20% but im praying rain comes and soon

 

[chickenbuttsowhat]

I am very new to chickens. I got my first few and still have them in the house. I was hoping to put them outside this weekend but the temps here in NC are going to be 103! Guess I'll be keeping them in a little longer.

My question is - how old should they be before they go out in the summer heat? My chicks are now 4 1/2 weeks old and are feathered out. The Barred Rock is HUGE and the Orphington isn't far behind. But, my Welsummer is about half their size. I'm planning on picking up a couple Black Australorps next week and want to be able to have this first set out in the coop before I get them. Will mid 90's be okay? My coop and run are always in the shade but it's still going to be hot! I dont' want to stress them too much but I can't keep them in the house all summer! LOL

Please help a newbie

i'd say their ready now since they have their big feathers they can pretty much take care of their selfs just make sure they stay cool and when it rains make sure they go in the coop and welcome to the chicken world i started last year and cant stop love them all lol

 

[turkengirl]

yeah, same here it's about 100F. I made some cold mud and plopped down in there coop. Once they stepped in it you couldn't get them out.

 

[ChickenNugget22]

i keep a fan on mine during the day. and mkae sure not to have a light in there if they are chicks.

 

[Pretty Pony]

Boy you got that right!

Just moved from Colo Springs to AR. Even my dogs are suffering from the humidity here..YUCK!!

 

[speckledhen]

I know exactly what you mean. We are from GA, but spent years out west. Much nicer in summer, even with high heat.

 

[Sandy16]

We've hit 104 and 106 respectively over the past two days here in Atlanta. BRUTAL! We've been giving them fresh ice water and cold treats all day. Also, I've been wetting the area under our deck where they like to hang out when it is hot (they free range during the day). We have 2 hens who decided to go broody last week, so keeping them cool has also been a concern. Turns out, they love those frozen ice packs! We put them in the coop and when we come back, the hens are sitting on them!

 

[Pretty Pony]

I went out to check on the girls and as soon as I started misting them, they stopped panting. Loved the wet and even were taking a wet dust bath in the moist dirt. Hopefully that will keep them cool enough. I did catch Prince Charming (in my avatar), and soaked him in a wading pool up to his chest. He didn't appreciate that too much, but he did stop wheezing afterwards.

 

[dreamcatcherarabians]

If I see a hen in real distress, I grab them up and bring them inside for a cool dip in the kitchen sink and then let them stay in for the worst of the heat in the day. Most of the time they do well in shade with lots of fresh water available but once in a while, someone needs a little TLC.

 

[chickenbuttsowhat]

just lost my fav rooster Turk in the heat so broken hearted he was a non bearded silkie so handsome came home from and found him laying in the nesting box im going to miss him so much