Will a $10 mister from Home Depot drench the ground in my run?

[SilkieNation]

Yeah, I came to this conclusion pretty quickly today during my test run. Took about 3 seconds. Now why would HD sell these things in humid climates! I'm going to use the misters to keep the moss nice and green on my deteriorating patio under the spruces. They will work great.

The fluffballs have got lots of shade and water, frozen jugs, and a dusting 'pit' they like to hang out in - I shaded that with a beach umbrella today. I'm afraid to put a fan outside in case some rain comes through (they've got cover), but I keep two going in the coop at night. BTW I also bought a special hose for the misters that's for use on boats and is drinking water safe. I guess regular hoses leach BPA, lead and more...just something to think about. But, I don't have a boat, and I don't care if my moss gets a little contaminated, so that was just a waste of money!

 

[SilkieNation]

Okay - with a heat index of about 98 degrees and very humid, the girls stayed cool. I shaded the unshaded area of the run with a tarp, a beach umbrella on the corner, so the entire run was in shade (with side airflow - I use a layer or two of that reed fencing from HD to shade the top and sunny side on a permanent basis - used to use a big tarp until I had the revelation that maximum airflow is a good thing (duh). Then I stuck a bunch of frozen jugs in there. Misters hung on the beam in the garage. It was pretty darn comfy when I got home from work, no panting, everyone lookin' good.

 

[shortgrass]

Lol your silkies have it better than I do! umbrellas, misters, ice jugs... I'm moving in, scoot over

I have to giggle at the BPA hoses... (Oh but I DO have 2 lol)... They will just think of ANYTHING to sell a hose for 10 bucks more than the green ones I sucked water out of my entire childhood lol....

Yep. The things we do for our chickens lol

 

[SilkieNation]

Lol your silkies have it better than I do!

umbrellas, misters, ice jugs... I'm moving in, scoot over

I have to giggle at the BPA hoses... (Oh but I DO have 2 lol)... They will just think of ANYTHING to sell a hose for 10 bucks more than the green ones I sucked water out of my entire childhood lol....

Yep. The things we do for our chickens lol

Indeed the fluffballs are spoiled, but they're so cute! And, they know their names!

Yes, I thought the same thing about the hose - I distinctly remember that green hose taste...

Maybe THAT's what's wrong with me!

 

[barneveldrerman]

If you have the misters high enough it will help it evaporate. Also if u see its getting too wet you could get a timer and put it on a schedule. I have a mister system from home Depot. It hasn't gotten the floor muddy but its about five feet from the ground. Hope this helps you!

 

[aart]

Okay - with a heat index of about 98 degrees and very humid, the girls stayed cool. I shaded the unshaded area of the run with a tarp, a beach umbrella on the corner, so the entire run was in shade (with side airflow - I use a layer or two of that reed fencing from HD to shade the top and sunny side on a permanent basis - used to use a big tarp until I had the revelation that maximum airflow is a good thing (duh). Then I stuck a bunch of frozen jugs in there. Misters hung on the beam in the garage. It was pretty darn comfy when I got home from work, no panting, everyone lookin' good.

Do you think the misters made a difference despite the high humidity?

 

[aatx]

Decent humidity here in north central Texas, but I fully believe in using my mister. It's one of the ones that you bend and has 2 nozzles at the end. I have it on a timer where it runs from noon - 4 every day. It's aimed about 15 inches off the ground and is under one of the pallet shades we built. It does wet the ground, but it's dry before evening. Wetting the ground is what I want.

We have two large shade tarps up and then several other areas of shade, so the chickens have many shady areas to choose from. However, if we come outside and look anytime after the mister has been on a while, you'll find 90% of the flock under the shade that has the mister. They love to dig in the cool ground.

 

[SilkieNation]

Do you think the misters made a difference despite the high humidity?

Please note - I wrote "Misters hanging on a beam in the garage." I didn't use them. The main reason is because I go off to work for 7-8 hours and it seemed like that's a long time to keep them on - from say 8 AM - 5-5:30 PM. Also, because Silkie feathers don't wick water like other birds, I decided that they might become soggy sponges and maybe get hotter. Don't really know. I do think that the frozen jugs help, especially if you put three or four in the same general area in the shade. I think I'll try the mister this weekend as it's still going to be hot but with much lower humidity. I'll be around, so I can monitor.

I'm wondering about the timer aatx is talking about. Sounds like a better set up than what I would have. Thing is, I don't understand how you put a hose on a timer...

 

[SilkieNation]

If you have the misters high enough it will help it evaporate. Also if u see its getting too wet you could get a timer and put it on a schedule. I have a mister system from home Depot. It hasn't gotten the floor muddy but its about five feet from the ground. Hope this helps you!

I see you use a timer too. Can you explain how a timer on a hose works?

 

[aatx]

This is the one I use.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B007FG7TWO/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?qid=1438294463&sr=1-4&pi=AC_SX110_SY165_QL70