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Wonder if a fan would dry the chickens too much? If the air is dry and you blow it over the chickens...
How about one of those summer-play things, fans with misters built onto them (for kids, originally)?
Need to post a question about strange eggs - how do I initiate a post here? I don't see a 'POST Message' link anywhere...??
Well, since I posted that, I have experience with chickens in the summer. Luckily, we have an enclosed stable with chicken wire from the walls to the roof. So, they do get some kind of breeze, if there is one, but they definitely have shade with lots of water.
We have used a mister, but if you run it too long, you end up with a muddy mess. Not that the chickens mind, but it can get kinda smelly and walking in it is treacherous. So, we limit how long it runs.
Since last summer, we put an addition onto the stable and gave the chickens their own Arizona room. It is covered with chicken wire from top to bottom, attached to a 5 foot fence. They will get more air flow if they hang out it there this summer.
In my experience, as long as they have lots of water and shade, the chickens do ok. We do have a big water dish that the chickens soak their feet in during the day, That seemed to help a lot, too.
Angie
We have our mister on a timer and it comes on several times in the summer for 15 or 20 minutes at a time. If the chooks are free ranging and hear that thing come on, they make a beeline for the coop to stand in the mist. I think they appreciate it greatly! You can get a pretty cheap timer at Home Depot. I like the idea of them having a place to step into the water. We have nice cool grass, but only if they are out of the coop.
