10 Tips for a Cooler Coop

[Cara]

I put a sprinkler in the run and my chickens love it, in particular the Cochins. They like to make little hollows in the damp ground to lay in after it is turned off, and all the chickens like to wade in the run off. Obviously it wouldn't be a good idea in damp areas where the feather foots would stay wet, but here in NM they dry off quickly, and all seem to lay much better. I don't see them panting anymore.

Luckily I inherited a great chicken house when we moved here, and that also keeps them very cool. It's an old wood cow shed that has been insulated with sheets of lead and old feed bags, and has a cedar chip floor that stays cool. It also has a large box fan above one of the doors. I'm hoping they will stay warm enough in the winter. It has its own power supply, so I plan on putting a few brooder lamps in there.

 

[thewobsers]

concerning the ceiling fan idea.
We installed one in our coop and our chickens went into a panic when we turned it on. they acted just like they do when a plane flys overhead (we live near a small airport) or when a big bird flys over head and casts a shadow...
they all tried to run and find places to hide.. so we took it down and are now trying to decide what to do for air movement for them...
maybe a box fan on the top sucking air out since our coop is built inside of a pole barn so solar wont work.

so that is our experience with ceiling fans inside of the coop.

 

[Zahboo]

If you put a ceiling fan in your coop. I would suggest a wire box to go around it so that no chickens fly up there. Esp. if you're roost is near or the roof is low

 

[ozark hen]

ATTENTION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I read on here a year or two ago, that some folks put a chicken in a cooler with DRY ICE to kill it. PLEASE DO NOT USE DRY ICE AROUND YOUR CHICKENS.
I am sure you can do a "search" on dry ice to find it. It was suppose to be a "humane" way to kill the chicken but I have read controversary on it, I don't think I would chance it.

 

[jtotherow]

How about Waterings? We have an Uncle that has a turkey Farm and changed over his watering system and gave us a lot of his old watering sytem that still works. I don't know why he swtiched and wasn't concerned until I followed his instruction of having at least 3 for all the chickens I have. The problem is that they're not drinking enough to keep the algea from growing. I asked my husband to break them down to two and see how it worked but I really feel we dont' need more than one.

This system streams fresh water in as they drink down the water thats there. It's set up with our water hose that is buried to keep it cool.

We are constantly washing out these waterers as much as the old one where we watered them everyday and they stepped into those but can't on these. Am I wrong about one? We have 34 chickens. I went this way because I know how important fresh water is for them.

Can anyone help me?

 

[Dr.Doorlock]

You're thinking "too big" with the ceiling fan. Try using a bathroom exhaust fan. There are some with a grate which would keep the chickens safe. You could put them in to blow into or out-of the coop and just put the grate on the inside. One at each end would provide a LOT of air flow. They cost $13.97 each at Lowes and you can get a timer that works in a switch box to turn it on and off. I'll look into using a cheep thermostat next.

 

[Dr.Doorlock]

Quote:
See the link:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=188253

 

[Mahonri]

After the coolest June since 1913, we just finished the HOTTEST July on Record.

This fall I'm going to be installing insulation and weatherstripping for the summer.

I have a wall AC unit and in the morning when I get out there to shut it off, it's almost nippy.

It would be better if it were insulated. It's in the shad for most of the day but I did loose 3 hens the first two weeks of July before I installed the AC.

 

[silkeysandra]

we just replaced our exhaust attic fan--about 18 " square with a thermostat. got it at lowes. i think it is called an attic gable fan.
i can set it to 80 degrees and the fan comes on to cool our storage room/coop. Sometime in the night, it turns off. Be sure you have a vent somewhere that will allow air to be pulled into the coop or the fan can overheat and quit or catch fire. Usually the vented area is on opposite side of building waist or head high. or higher than the roosts so chickeys don't get in the draft.
I turn the lights (minus a night light) off manually when I put the ladies to bed and make sure the place is critter free.

 

[verlaj]

Quote:
If you put one in, the birds will probably have to get used to it. I brooded my chicks in my den until they were 6-7 weeks. If I accidentally turned on the ceiling fan they went haywire - squawking, flying, throwing themselves against the sides of the pens! (I see thewobsers had the same experience.)

I have ceiling fans in my horse stall and "shedrow." The older hens don't seem to pay any attention to the fans there. The barn fans are up pretty high and the ceiling behind them is dark, not like our den ceiling.

If you go the ceiling fan route, in our climate you should have outdoor blades, which are plastic and more expensive than standard indoor blades. The humidity destroys the indoor blades that are made of some kind of laminated material - maybe paper. They eventually swell, separate, droop, and will fall off of the brackets.