Battling Extreme Desert Heat

[pinkmartin73]

Pink you crack me up! Maybe they just want some floaties!!!

Could be! When my neighbor saw the pool she asked me to make her one a bit bigger. Lol can you just imagine us digging up the yard and throwing in a shower curtain and some water and sitting in it to cool off? We would probably make the front page!

 

[perchie.girl]

subscribing dont have time to read yet....

live in high desert have had chickens there off and on since 2003.

 

[perchie.girl]

It's now 95F deg outside with a heat index of 114.. warmish!. It was 99F earlier though. About 9am this morning I took a hose and wet down the place the biddies lay in mostly in the hotter afternoons. It's also one of their dustbath areas in heavy afternoon shade, really close to the coop.(for dozing off and safety purposes?). They have been laying and flopping around in that area since about 1pm cdt..They just have gotten up and about. They drink a lot of water. I try to keep the nipple waterers filled by about 1-2pm for cooler water for the afternoon in anything warmer then 92F or so. I sometimes put ice cubes in theor waterers too. Thinking about buying a small kiddie wading pool for them too.....summer heat has just started. At least the humidity is finally dropping from high 80+ percent.
It's amazing how smart a "bird-brain" can be to stay reasonably comfortable if we just help them out a bit.
Now if someone can just explain to me why they still go up into the coop to roost and nap when it is soooo hot sometimes.. It certainly looks like it would be warmer inside then out. But there's a good air exchange inside the coop. I guess I did good there.

Try making them some roosts outside like on a saw horse in the shade.... they may use em... I like saw horses because you can move em around and make em the hight the chickens need.

deb

 

[perchie.girl]

Their feathers act as an insulator from cold and heat. So they probably suffer less than us in that environment. If you can't get away to buy that kiddy pool, why not dig out a little hollow in the dirt and line it with plastic garbage bags. You will have to put rocks on top of the garbage bags or they will float.

Rocks or a couple of shovels of dirt... But the garbage bags wont last long....

deb

 

[perchie.girl]

@magdelaine Thank you for taking the time to provide such great expert advice! So fermented feed? I just googled it. Makes so much sense! Turkey grower or game bird is OK for my young layers? (20 weeks)?
Bird seed makes sense as well. I used to raise canaries. So wild bird mix?
I have alfalfa here for the horses. That's easy. I was only giving leftover leaves 1X/week. They'll get a flake now.
I have lg area of very deep shade. I hung a tarp.
I took out the wading tray from the coop (12X16 barn stall), worried about bacteria. I can put it in their run and wet that area.
No misters here, Water Co raping me each month already!

@stevethack I've been putting frozen H2O bottles in their waterers. Just ordered nipples and 2 round construction coolers to retrofit for cold H2O x 3 days. I'll let ya know how that works. I'll try wetting the run, but we're on such severe water restrictions! My water bill is insane!
@IceAngel I'll try a shallow pool outside. I had one inside, but they pooped in it. I was worried about bacteria and disease.
Thank you all 3 for the great ideas!
We had CRAZY rain and storms here this weekend.

Yep I used to put a flake in each pen... and let them disassemble it.... The Goats were NOT amused...

Another way to get greens in em is to ad alfalfa pellets to your fermented feed... They hydrate and disappear but the nutrition is there. And what I know of of fermented feed ANY basic feed you normally feed is fermentable... (is that a word??) depending on how many chickens you have a 5 gallon bucket is a good way to start out so you can understand the process. There are a couple of very good threads here on BYC about fermenting feed. Oh and the plus side the feed is more readily digestable therefore they get more out of it so you dont have to feed as much... Plus Plus Plus.

deb

 

[perchie.girl]

Trash can lids make great wading pools... fill em with sand and water.... they will walk on it more readily.... you can sprinkle some seeds ontop too.

deb

 

[Mutt Farm]

subscribing dont have time to read yet....

live in high desert have had chickens there off and on since 2003.

Welcome! Us desert dwellers face different challenges! We'd have to have bugs and weeds shipped in for our chicks! Glad you joined us! Hope you find the breeds you're looking for. I'll ask my Dad if he will part with an incubator. He's in Lucerne, out of the bird business now.

 

[perchie.girl]

Quote:
Oh I have a check list.... But i first have to get the poultry house rebuilt... I have eighteen acres close to the Mexican border. Technically part of the Sonoran desert. Certianly not as hot as the Mojave or around Palm springs...

I will be raising mostly Guinea fowl if I can get a business going selling keets. I love the noise and the fact that they are walking Burglar alarms. Hopefully I can sell enough to pay for feed.

The other breeds I want are:
Sumatras for Broodies and because they are wily enough to run with the Guineafowl... Both are good fliers.
Welsummers- The last ones I had were awesome. Good in the heat and very prolific layers... And not very flighty. They will not survive free ranging so I have slated to build a 24 x 50 minimum for Run space... protected by aviary netting.
Then i want an assortment of oddballs because I love em... Polish fror mom and maybe some silkies and EES or Americaunas (how ever its spelled).

I am also planning on a pen of Muscovies... they too will be "kept home" Maybe some runner ducks too. Just because they are just screamingly funny... Each breed dont require alot of water only enough to keep their beaks clean while they eat.

But I will start with the Guineas. Probably from Ralph Winter... He has jumbos along with a huge assortment of colors.

Guineas do very very well in the heat.

deb

 

[Mutt Farm]

Oh I have a check list.... But i first have to get the poultry house rebuilt... I have eighteen acres close to the Mexican border. Technically part of the Sonoran desert. Certianly not as hot as the Mojave or around Palm springs...

I will be raising mostly Guinea fowl if I can get a business going selling keets. I love the noise and the fact that they are walking Burglar alarms. Hopefully I can sell enough to pay for feed.

The other breeds I want are:
Sumatras for Broodies and because they are wily enough to run with the Guineafowl... Both are good fliers.
Welsummers- The last ones I had were awesome. Good in the heat and very prolific layers... And not very flighty. They will not survive free ranging so I have slated to build a 24 x 50 minimum for Run space... protected by aviary netting.
Then i want an assortment of oddballs because I love em... Polish fror mom and maybe some silkies and EES or Americaunas (how ever its spelled).

I am also planning on a pen of Muscovies... they too will be "kept home" Maybe some runner ducks too. Just because they are just screamingly funny... Each breed dont require alot of water only enough to keep their beaks clean while they eat.

But I will start with the Guineas. Probably from Ralph Winter... He has jumbos along with a huge assortment of colors.

Guineas do very very well in the heat.

deb

HOW FUN! Love keets too! Can't wait for updates! Sounds like you will have a good mix and lots of fun! I goofed, a gal in Ca was looking for an incubator. It wasn't you.

 

[perchie.girl]

Quote:
lOL... I thought maybe you might be mixing me up with someone else... Gawd its not like we are only talking to what 100-200 people at a time here. And I am subscribed to a good 50-60 lists....

.

Once I get my eggsies I will be talking to a local gal to incubate them for me. she has a cabinet hatcher and is very knowledgeable. I will save my own incubator for when I want to Hatch the homje grown ones...my own flock... but to get started I need as many of those shipped eggs to hatch as possible.

deb