Arizona Chickens

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FeatherPugs said:
Father's Day - 115, Monday - 118 DANG - Water bottles frozen, watermelon rind frozen. Just gotta push through it. Wish they liked to swim - I'd take them to the waterpark! LOL - can ya picture it? Stay safe.......
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My husband spent last night installing window A/C units in the chicken cabin. The majority of my birds will be able to free range through various shady areas and puddles left by a running hose, but for those who really struggle they'll get the royal treatment. I'll wind up with heat stroke keeping them cool, but that's nothing new.
 
DesertChic said:
You can also try putting ice packs under her. Sometimes it helps, but if she's a persistent broody the only thing that will break her is probably separating and isolating her for several days in an area where she can't easily nest. That said, I admit that I finally have to cave in with one of my broodies last year and give her eggs to hatch. After 3 weeks of fighting her tendencies I decided that nature might just know better. She turned out to be a truly amazing mother, and she give me 3 lovely and surprisingly friendly chicks.
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Ice packs may be the next thing I try.... If I get her some fertile eggs, can I put ice packs around her? to keep it cool.. 115 is just not my idea of fun
 
DesertChic said:
You can also try putting ice packs under her. Sometimes it helps, but if she's a persistent broody the only thing that will break her is probably separating and isolating her for several days in an area where she can't easily nest. That said, I admit that I finally have to cave in with one of my broodies last year and give her eggs to hatch. After 3 weeks of fighting her tendencies I decided that nature might just know better. She turned out to be a truly amazing mother, and she give me 3 lovely and surprisingly friendly chicks.
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I usually wind up giving eggs to my broody hens too. My broody girls are determined. And they usually manage to hatch a chick or two even in the extreme summer heat. I have no idea how, but they do it.

Edited to add: I wonder if they go broody in the summer heat because it's less work than running around the yard...?
 
MagicChicken said:
I usually wind up giving eggs to my broody hens too. My broody girls are determined. And they usually manage to hatch a chick or two even in the extreme summer heat. I have no idea how, but they do it.

Edited to add: I wonder if they go broody in the summer heat because it's less work than running around the yard...?
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I did notice that my broody White Rock, Mama Lily, spent more time off the next once the temp was over 100*. With one clutch she was actually off the nest when the first egg unzipped. When she returned to find me watching the chick emerge she gently resumed her mama position and then stared me down while puffing up and growling slightly. Luckily, over time she grew to trust me with her chicks and even called them over to me for treats.
 
nicollee said:
Ice packs may be the next thing I try.... If I get her some fertile eggs, can I put ice packs around her? to keep it cool.. 115 is just not my idea of fun
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I usually put at least one ice pack directly under the hen, and possibly a few others around her. I honestly think one of my hens started pretending to be broody just because she enjoyed the ice packs. As soon as I approached her with a fresh one she'd actually lift her body up so I could slide it under her. Darn chicken had me trained. ;)
 
I installed a swamp cooler with a permanent water supply in my run, blowing at their favorite hangout spot. It's thermostat controlled, so I can go to work and not worry about it getting too hot in the run. I also provide water pools for them to stand in to cool their legs. Since then no panting up to 110 degF so far. We'll see on Monday of this is enough for slightly higher temps.
 
MacPara said:
I installed a swamp cooler with a permanent water supply in my run, blowing at their favorite hangout spot. It's thermostat controlled, so I can go to work and not worry about it getting too hot in the run. I also provide water pools for them to stand in to cool their legs. Since then no panting up to 110 degF so far. We'll see on Monday of this is enough for slightly higher temps.
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I used a swamp cooler last year with mixed success. The birds definitely appreciated the cooler air, but the humidity in the chicken cabin rose too high and the fly population exploded. This year I'm sticking with window A/C units. So far they do help, but it's hard for the little buggers to fight off 115*.
 

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