Chickens Panting. A lot.

[azygous]

This only works where the air is dry(low humidity)...when it's 90 here it's usually also 90% humidity...no evaporative relief.

I was tailoring my response to the OP's geographic location which is N. Calif, not especially troubled with extreme humidity.

The OP hasn't returned to the thread so the heat wave is probably over.

 

[annelions]

For those that live in a hot climate, you can buy personal misters that attach to a hose. Put this in a shady location and leave it running all day. My chickens weren't impressed with ice or cooling veggies, but they LOVED the mister when it was over 100 last year.

 

[aart]

Quote:

I was tailoring my response to the OP's geographic location which is N. Calif, not especially troubled with extreme humidity.

The OP hasn't returned to the thread so the heat wave is probably over.
I was just stating that for folks who DO live in a humid area...so they won't be disappointed that it doesn't work.

 

[newchickmomma4]

I'm in central CA and our heat wave will be mostly over today. High 90s today, mid-high 80s tomorrow and low 80s for the next several days. I am very interested in a personal mister, but will have to find out how much water it uses. We are in the most severe draught that our area has ever seen and because we grow 70-90% of the world's food here we are being asked to conserve as much as possible so that the farmers have enough water (which they won't). But our family is doing everything that we can to conserve as much water as possible.

I saw a suggestion in another thread to get a large shallow pan or bowl and put COLD water, ice and frozen pieces of fruit/veg or herbs in it so that the chickens will cool off and drink some of the cold water while diving for the treats. I just did this (because they won't drink the ice water from their waterer) and it was so much fun watching them fish for the watermelon cubes from the ice water and saw a couple of them take swallows of the ice water. .

 

[newchickmomma4]

I found this article and thought it might be helpful. http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/04/beat-heat-how-to-help-chickens-survive.html?m=1

 

[annelions]

I've used portable misters that last for about 30 minutes a pump and use MAYBE quart of water every few hours. Honestly, I don't remember it using that much. I also have a mister that hooks up to the hose and uses about the same. I don't have to keep pumping it up, I just need to remember to turn it on and off. Maybe get one and just turn it on from 3-4pm or so, during the hottest part of the day, if you can. I saw hose timers last year at Target, so you can do timed "watering" of your chickens.

 

[kbrown927]

Any reason not to give Gatorade? My 3mo old pullers were panting.... I filled their chick size waterer with Gatorade and ice. They loved it and all but one stopped panting almost immediately....

 

[azygous]

Of course they adore Gatoraid because it's full of sugar, and that's why it's not good for them in large quantities. Sugar encourages yeast infections in the crop. A better alternative is getting some powdered vitamins and electrolytes from the feed store and mixing it into ice water.

 

[centrarchid]

Make so electrolytes are dilute. Birds in general are very good about not loosing salts as a function of keeping cool. Exception usually involves damage to digestive tract.

 

[newandjustafew]

I'm curious if the 104+ heat here in my parts of CA would stop my hen from laying? One hen (Japanese) & one rooster (same breed)? Thnx