115 degrees in California. Worried about my girls.

[Kimberly K]

So sorry Lady Sin
How hot did it get there?
You have a great looking coop. I hope you try again.
We have some heat coming this weekend and I'm worried.

 

[LadySin]

It was 122°. Thank you, we definitely will be trying again.

 

[aart]

Thank you. Yeah, the run is covered, and we're discussing a mister system.

Is this run shaded all day, like it is in the pic?
Maybe the run is larger than it appears here.
The roof can help but with as tall and narrow as it is, you might need to add some shade somehow.

 

[BruceAZ]

I just lost my entire flock this past weekend from the heat.

I had a BPR, RSL, three EES, and what I think was a Wyandotte. I'm devastated that they didn't make it through their first summer here. I think I need to spend more time on these boards so I can prevent overheating for my next flock...

in the summer when it's 115-120.. it's best to provide shade and plenty of water. and any other things that you can do for them within your budget

but of course picking the right breed might be the best starting point

you should look up the breeds that can tolerate the heat well

i think they should have a list of the breeds that can survive in the desert heat

 

[ejcrist]

Bruce has a good point. However 2/3 of my flock is Barred Rocks and they seemed to tolerate the heat about equally as well as the White Leghorns which are supposed to do very well in the heat. I believe Red Sex Links are supposed to do well in the heat too so I kinda doubt the type of birds you had made much difference.

Aart has a good point too about whether the run is shaded all day or not. That can certainly make a difference. If it's not you might get away with hanging shade cloth on the south side or wherever the sun comes through the most.

Make sure they have plenty of water. I normally only have one 2 gallon water fount out during the day but when the weather turned super-hot I put out two. Also pans of water to wade in really go a long way. My gals stand in them most of the day between about 11:00 am - 6:00 pm. I think those two things and of course shade are the most important. After that giving them watermellon or cantaloupe helps.

 

[BruceAZ]

Bruce has a good point. However 2/3 of my flock is Barred Rocks and they seemed to tolerate the heat about equally as well as the White Leghorns which are supposed to do very well in the heat. I believe Red Sex Links are supposed to do well in the heat too so I kinda doubt the type of birds you had made much difference.

it's pretty dangerous here (even for humans) with 115-120 heat

which is why i didn't use the chicken coop plans available out there..when i looked at the designs.. that small little window will not be enough for ventilation since when it's 118 outside inside it's even hotter..

even at 12AM the temperature is still around 101-103

i'm amazed that my chickens can even sleep in 100 degree heat

 

[ejcrist]

it's pretty dangerous here (even for humans) with 115-120 heat

which is why i didn't use the chicken coop plans available out there..when i looked at the designs.. that small little window will not be enough for ventilation since when it's 118 outside inside it's even hotter..

even at 12AM the temperature is still around 101-103

i'm amazed that my chickens can even sleep in 100 degree heat

Oh yeah, I know what you mean. Three of mine have been bedding down out in my run while the other 22 go into the coop on the roosts they're used to. I don't know how they do it either. I guess when you're outside all day the slightly cooler temps at night feel like a relief. I used to close the sliding door to my run but for the last few weeks I leave it open in case they want to get out into the run, and also it gives them slightly more ventilation. But yeah, they're definitely hard core.

 

[cmarlowdrive]

Wow, can't imagine that kind of heat.

It is 85-90 degrees in the south and I use muffin tins to freeze fresh mint and corn or peas for them. They get very cold watermelon rinds and lots of ice in their water and extra water vessels placed around the run. They have a small plastic kiddie pool of water (not for swimming) but, they will step on the concrete block in the middle of pool to get across, which gets their toes wet and cool. They will perch on the edge of pool to drink. The only time they will actually get into the pool is to reluctantly retrieve a cricket or worm that was intentionally placed there. They have a mister in their run and a fan under the coop where they can relax in the shade. There is a tarp for additional shade on the other side of run. Frozen water bottles are placed in the run and in front of their fan providing a cooler breeze under coop. I read that you can cool off the top of coop with a spray from the hose pipe. I want to thank other chicken lovers for all these great ideas. My girls are managing well in our southern sauna.

Any other great ideas would be appreciated, It is going to get hotter this week.

 

[saulsx]

Good suggestions, and sounds like you've done what you can do already. Fresh, cool water and shade. Fans and misters help, maybe consider a homemade electrolyte solution to add to a waterer if it's really bad, like they're totally stressed from the heat. Don't worry about it if things are looking normal.

Not quite as hot here, but it's been in the mid-90s the past couple of days, which is miserable to me... Yeah, chickens pant to keep cool, same as a dog, but it can be a sign of heat stress. Keep the water fresh and cool, put out a pan or 2 of cool water and put some ice cubes, or frozen treats, in it. Frozen corn is a favorite of ours, and frozen watermelon slices are good too.

The bottom of our portable coop provides a nice shaded area, and we toss a tarp over part of the run while making sure there's still some sunshine and good ventilation. I've been keeping a bucket of cool water next to the coop in case one needs an emergency dunk in it. Hasn't come to that yet.

LadySin - Sorry to hear about your flock. What a hard thing to go through.

 

[BruceAZ]

Oh yeah, I know what you mean. Three of mine have been bedding down out in my run while the other 22 go into the coop on the roosts they're used to. I don't know how they do it either. I guess when you're outside all day the slightly cooler temps at night feel like a relief. I used to close the sliding door to my run but for the last few weeks I leave it open in case they want to get out into the run, and also it gives them slightly more ventilation. But yeah, they're definitely hard core.

the coolest time of the day is around 5-6AM sunrise is around 5:15AM around here

so pretty much they are sleeping through 101-103 heat..

i can't sleep at night unless the temperature is around 75 .. let alone 101-103