Arizona Chickens

[Macboat]

awesome! This looks like perfect for my mister.

 

[K9Dave]

Your post totally give me a new idea of installing a solar powered fan for my future rabbit hub! 


Thanks Dave, Do you have a roof on top of the hutches? Or just trees?

Yeh we had corrugated metal roofs on them. Simple design. Maybe like a 3ft square box made from 2x4's lined with wire mesh. Bottles hang on the side. Can't remember what thread it was but so wine posted a very good posting about Not helping your warm blooded animals out in the summer as it does more harm than good. I very much know this to be true, just have to remind myself because it's easy to fall back in to. The more you help them stay cool, the more their bodies will need it. Hutches under shade and plenty if water is sufficient no matter where you are. We did keep a Trough of water semi-under their hutches and evaporative cooling lowers the areas temp by like 15 degrees it something. This is not a rapid cooking way and is a better way to cool off. With a trough near by, you'd just fill it up every morning and you can see how much water is evaporating and cooling.

 

[K9Dave]

All this is just opinion from experience of course.

 

[Macboat]

Yeh we had corrugated metal roofs on them. Simple design. Maybe like a 3ft square box made from 2x4's lined with wire mesh. Bottles hang on the side. Can't remember what thread it was but so wine posted a very good posting about Not helping your warm blooded animals out in the summer as it does more harm than good. I very much know this to be true, just have to remind myself because it's easy to fall back in to. The more you help them stay cool, the more their bodies will need it. Hutches under shade and plenty if water is sufficient no matter where you are. We did keep a Trough of water semi-under their hutches and evaporative cooling lowers the areas temp by like 15 degrees it something. This is not a rapid cooking way and is a better way to cool off. With a trough near by, you'd just fill it up every morning and you can see how much water is evaporating and cooling.

I tend to agree not to help them too much however they are confined by people and the weather can be extreme so have to consider some kind of relieve for them.

The trough you mentioned are interesting, I am guessing they are not directly underneath the hutch? otherwise they will just catching waste?

 

[pipemum]

I only turn mine on when the temps are expected to exceed 110. Last year I didn't use them at all since all the birds seemed to be doing O.K. I used to turn them on for 15 min. or so at a time every hour between noon and three. I use a hose timer from Home Depot. You can program it to come on up to four times in a day for however long you want them on. There are probably better things for this job, but for the money it has worked well for me.

That's the new model of my timer that internally flooded on Sunday. It's in full sun in the summer, and spent the winter in the shed, so I'm sure something just cracked or dry-rotted inside. I love this timer because it's so freaking easy to use and program, which is why I'll probably get ANOTHER one (this would be my 3rd or 4th) but all the other ones have croaked during monsoons because water (usually rain water) gets into the battery compartment and rusts out the battery connection. So, fyi, love the timer, but the battery compartment is seriously flawed. Not a probably as long as it's not exposed to the rain. Okay, I guess that would make me pretty dumb to get another when I know of the problems it has...maybe time to move on!

 

[Macboat]

That's the new model of my timer that internally flooded on Sunday. It's in full sun in the summer, and spent the winter in the shed, so I'm sure something just cracked or dry-rotted inside. I love this timer because it's so freaking easy to use and program, which is why I'll probably get ANOTHER one (this would be my 3rd or 4th) but all the other ones have croaked during monsoons because water (usually rain water) gets into the battery compartment and rusts out the battery connection. So, fyi, love the timer, but the battery compartment is seriously flawed. Not a probably as long as it's not exposed to the rain. Okay, I guess that would make me pretty dumb to get another when I know of the problems it has...maybe time to move on!

So maybe a good practice is to shield them from elements (wrap with some tarp? or silicone any gaps?) and service/plug them during the winter?

 

[Gallo del Cielo]

That's the new model of my timer that internally flooded on Sunday. It's in full sun in the summer, and spent the winter in the shed, so I'm sure something just cracked or dry-rotted inside. I love this timer because it's so freaking easy to use and program, which is why I'll probably get ANOTHER one (this would be my 3rd or 4th) but all the other ones have croaked during monsoons because water (usually rain water) gets into the battery compartment and rusts out the battery connection. So, fyi, love the timer, but the battery compartment is seriously flawed. Not a probably as long as it's not exposed to the rain. Okay, I guess that would make me pretty dumb to get another when I know of the problems it has...maybe time to move on!

Wow, you've had some problems! I have about five of them operating at any given time. Over the past six years or so I've probably gone through a dozen. I've never experienced any of the problems you have. When mine have failed, the valve that opens up always stopped working and the plants just stop getting water. They usually last me about two to three years and I don't have any of the original ones remaining. The battery cover does seem to weirdly fall off and the battery will hang down, but I keep all the old covers to replace ones that get lost. They are ridiculously easy to use and relatively cheap, which is why I'll continue to use them---at least until something better comes along. Anyone have suggestions for a better option?

 

[Gallo del Cielo]

So maybe a good practice is to shield them from elements (wrap with some tarp? or silicone any gaps?) and service/plug them during the winter?

Shielding them might help extend their lives. Most of mine have some degree of shade, at least at some times of year.

 

[pipemum]

Yeah, shielding them would probably help. For me, figuring out how to seal the battery compartment (but still get into to change the battery) would be key, because as Gallo said, the timers are inexpensive and so easy to use.

 

[Sill]

Did you have to use your garage? I'm considering starting up a little system. I think they'll be fine with lots of shade and water but if someone has had problems then I have to reconsider. No room anywhere but outside.

I didn't have to but it was the best option at the time since there was no where in that yard that had the deep shade they need in summer. I had a pet rabbit when I was in high school (I won't tell you how many years ago that was!) and I remember using frozen water bottles for him. I had a folded up towel on one end of his hutch that I would wet down and as the bottle thawed and sweated it did soak into the towel a bit too so he had a damp towel to cool off on. He kept his towel clean so I only washed it when it got too much hair on it. His hutch was under two citrus trees so he had deep shade all day, and shade under trees seems cooler than shade under a patio cover, I assume the trees' leaves evaporate some water to cool the air a bit. He had a regular water bottle in the shade but yes it did get hot. I had that rabbit for a long time so he survived many summers here.

I only turn mine on when the temps are expected to exceed 110. Last year I didn't use them at all since all the birds seemed to be doing O.K. I used to turn them on for 15 min. or so at a time every hour between noon and three. I use a hose timer from Home Depot. You can program it to come on up to four times in a day for however long you want them on. There are probably better things for this job, but for the money it has worked well for me.

I've been looking for a timer that will allow mist every other 15 minutes for several hours. I'm thinking this would not do that?