The Worst Preditor Is:The HEAT!!!!

[austincoopersilkiesies]

Here In Pa Our Temps Have Been In The Hundreds And Gonna Get Worse My Chicks Are Sitting In The Coop On The Roosts All Day Were The Windows Brezzes Cross All The Window Fans Died From The Heat And Working Hard Instead Of Filling My 2 Gallon Waterer From Twice A Day To 3 Or 4!!

Any Way To Keep Them Cool? The Coop In The 100 Degree Heat Is About 80oF! But They Are Still Panting Alot Help Me Please!

 

[turtlebird]

Is there any shade out in the run? When we had the last heat streak (today we had a break in MN, tomorrow the heat/humidity are back) my ladies sat under an arborvitae tree the entire day. I placed an extra waterer right in the shade of the tree, and changed that several times. I am sure they were probably panting under there all day, I just couldn't see them, they were nestled in so deep. At night I placed a fan so it was blowing right over their heads. They seemed comfortable.
Maybe if you could provide them with shade, wet the shady area down with cool water. That might help. Hope the heat breaks SOON!
Good luck.

 

[geepy]

I'm in FL and my girls stay in the shade till evening. The heat is a bear down here also. I make sure the waters are filled everyday. It's awe full.

 

[dixiechick]

We're in Florida too. All of ours stay in with ceiling fans on! We let them out in the evening to eat bugs and get their feet on the grass....but this heat is a ROASTER!

 

[leadwolf1]

I'm feeding frozen watermelon and any other kind of fruit that I can freeze. Also, you can freeze water bottles and put those inside your waterers to try and keep the water cold longer. I'm going out tomorrow to purchase a fan for the run. My coop is raised and I'm going to wet down the ground under there and set up a fan to blow air under all day tomorrow. I've even made frozen fruit and yogurt bars for them. I feel so badly for them right now. The heat index is still at 99 and it's 11pm. Good luck keeping your babies cool!!!

 

[DvanderSlik]

I take my water-er inside and stick it in the freezer at night. Then in the AM I fill the rest up with water and stick it back in the coop.

Just an idea.

Quick question. Do you need a special type of fan for the coop? I have an indoor table fan that I could plug in by their run. Is this OK, or is there an industrial type of fan that I need to get. I only have three hens (you can see my coop on my personal page).

Thank you!

 

[ladyride]

Here in Tn the heat has been blistering as well.

I have been using fans, frozen milk jugs, frozen fruit, frozen cans with water so as to drop in their waterer, almost anything you can imagine to help them. Mostly they really like laying in the tree line running alongside their coop. I have tried almost everything mentioned on here. We are looking at 100 degree heat indexes for the next few days , short of a/c in their coops. I just keep trying for them maybe it will be enough.

 

[msbee]

At night, when it was still in the upper 70s and high humidity with no breeze, I took my 4 older girls in the house and kept a couple in a dog crate and 2 in the bathtub when the heat was at it's worst. I gave them unflavored pedialite and yogurt. They didn't eat much through the hot spell and thus didn't poo much while in the house. I just changed the newspaper whenever it needed it.

Outside, we gave them ice blocks and lots of cold water. A couple times we forced them to take a dip in a rubbermaid container swimming pool. It just took constant vigilance.

My older flock, 2 years old, had a harder time with the heat than the younger flock - 11 weeks. I found the younger ones sun bathing in the dirt a few times even though they had plenty of cool dirt in the shade! Silly birds!

 

[Orit]

I'm really worried about the hens right now. This heat here in PA is so oppressive - the air is so heavy and thick, and it's 11:30 pm!!!! I just checked on the girls in their coop and they are roosting/sleeping, but have their beaks open and are clearly uncomfortable. Will they be OK tonight????

The sleeping/enclosed part of their coop is small, but it has a little window. We were considering rigging up a fan to that window, but worried that the force from the fan would also be too much for them. We settled on getting about 10 lbs. of ice from the gas station, and putting it in a plastic tub in their sleeping area. Hopefully that will cool down the air in that small space. We also opened the area where they sleep so that they are no longer enclosed (we lifted the wall that has the entrance to that space). I don't know how they'll feel about being exposed all night long (they are still inside the coop - just their sleeping area is now open). Finally, we rigged a fan on the outside of the coop so at least there is moving air blowing into the coop area. We are novices and are just trying anything that we think might be helpful. We're not quite set up to bring them inside. Do these measures seem reasonable? Do those of you out there who have more expertise think that these things will help?

 

[m.r.heavenlyhens]

I live in south Texas and the heat this year is hoter earlier than ever! I run the hose in the yard under some trees several times a day. They come running when they see me pick up the hose. They just love to scratch around in the puddles and cool off. They have the fans in the hen house also which are on day and night. The most important thing that I give them is electrolytes in their water a couple times a week. I buy it at the feed store. It is sold in 8 oz. pouches. "Vitamins & Electroytes" made by durvet. It really seems to help on these stressful hot days. Oh yeah, I also got a mister that I put around the bottom of the out building the chickens hang out under. They love that more than anything.