Sunshine Flock
Crowing
We're in the midst of a heat wave here in California. The temperatures have been around 110° and sometimes higher.
I just came across an Instagram post by a woman whose hen may succumb to heat stress. She's doing everything she can: cool dips in a bucket, food soaked in water, a wet towel wrapped around the hen and then draped over a crate, cooling veggies, electrolytes. But the hen may not survive.
My little flock seems to be doing okay. I have five Welsummer hens and a Wellie rooster, and five month-old chicks. The mistake I made as a newbie to hatching out chicks was letting Gertrude sit on eggs during summer. Mid-May should have been my cutoff.
But the chicks are thriving. I do see them panting, but not as much as the full grown chickens. I don't feel my chickens would be doing so well had I kept them locked up in their yard all day, though. The key for their comfort is letting them spend the day under the back deck. It's about two feet tall underneath, with enough room for Henry to stand up and crow. The earth and gravel under there is very cooling, and everyone, including the cats, come out feeling cool to the touch on their undersides, like they're living inside a refrigerator.
Something else I do is water down the deck twice a day when the temperatures exceed 100°. It cleans it off and radiates cooling air so I'm comfortable, too. We don't have air conditioning, if you can believe that. It also breaks down their droppings quickly and minimizes flies. And it increases the natural air conditioning underneath.
We are so minimal on water usage and other resources that we can spare the extra water. It's a life saver and necessary. At the end of the day, around 4pm, I'll water down the hen house and yard for the chickens that wander over there and decide to hang out.
For next summer I'm going to build them their own deck that will extend off the back of the coop and inside the fencing. It'll be on the north side where there's some shade, but in this heat shade isn't enough to keep them safe. They need a deep, cooling shade.
How are your chickens doing in this heat? I think even when we give them cooling shade, they can still succumb to heat stroke. Do you give them special treats and supplements?
The hen house cools off just enough at night to not be a problem for them, but something else I intend to do is rebuild the roof (the coop is a converted shed) with a larger overhang. I've come across some roofing designs that may help decrease the heat during the day.
Any suggestions on roofing designs? Thank you.
I just came across an Instagram post by a woman whose hen may succumb to heat stress. She's doing everything she can: cool dips in a bucket, food soaked in water, a wet towel wrapped around the hen and then draped over a crate, cooling veggies, electrolytes. But the hen may not survive.
My little flock seems to be doing okay. I have five Welsummer hens and a Wellie rooster, and five month-old chicks. The mistake I made as a newbie to hatching out chicks was letting Gertrude sit on eggs during summer. Mid-May should have been my cutoff.
But the chicks are thriving. I do see them panting, but not as much as the full grown chickens. I don't feel my chickens would be doing so well had I kept them locked up in their yard all day, though. The key for their comfort is letting them spend the day under the back deck. It's about two feet tall underneath, with enough room for Henry to stand up and crow. The earth and gravel under there is very cooling, and everyone, including the cats, come out feeling cool to the touch on their undersides, like they're living inside a refrigerator.
Something else I do is water down the deck twice a day when the temperatures exceed 100°. It cleans it off and radiates cooling air so I'm comfortable, too. We don't have air conditioning, if you can believe that. It also breaks down their droppings quickly and minimizes flies. And it increases the natural air conditioning underneath.
We are so minimal on water usage and other resources that we can spare the extra water. It's a life saver and necessary. At the end of the day, around 4pm, I'll water down the hen house and yard for the chickens that wander over there and decide to hang out.
For next summer I'm going to build them their own deck that will extend off the back of the coop and inside the fencing. It'll be on the north side where there's some shade, but in this heat shade isn't enough to keep them safe. They need a deep, cooling shade.
How are your chickens doing in this heat? I think even when we give them cooling shade, they can still succumb to heat stroke. Do you give them special treats and supplements?
The hen house cools off just enough at night to not be a problem for them, but something else I intend to do is rebuild the roof (the coop is a converted shed) with a larger overhang. I've come across some roofing designs that may help decrease the heat during the day.
Any suggestions on roofing designs? Thank you.