Chickens panting in coop

[Mulrich]

Hey all!

I am in Gainesville, FL and have four 8 week old pullets. They are thriving and doing very well!

Tonight is the first night I noticed them all panting in the coop. It is currently 84 degree at 8:45pm. It will drop this evening to mid 70s. Based on suggestions when building the coop from you all (thanks!) I created the coop with an entire open side for ventilation. I have minor ventilation at the top as well.

Do I need more? Should I put a small fan in the coop? Clearly I’m not sure what to do next, so any tips would be appreciated! Thanks

I attached some pics so you can see what the current set up is.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

It has a tin roof? Those can get hot and radiate heat. I know I have them too. In warmer weather we open up everything possible. So I'd add some ventilation to that solid wall so you can get some air flow through.

Panting can be normal. My birds will pant when it gets around 80 degrees.

 

[2Old2Crow]

Like us they get hot and pant. It gets hot out here with much less humidity. I put a little fan out there and they learn to love it.

 

[Mulrich]

Like us they get hot and pant. It gets hot out here with much less humidity. I put a little fan out there and they learn to love it.

Did you put the fan inside of the coop? I have a fan that runs throughout the day outside the coop but don't have one in the actual coop.

 

[2Old2Crow]

It's a fan 2-3 times larger than a SPAL fan. It's outside the coop, blowing thru the wire into the run, and in the shade below the coop floor.

 

[Mulrich]

So if I were to add ventilation, would these be the places to do it? I could add small vents on these two sides to let the air run through to supplement the open wall. Thoughts?

 

[Jackie-83]

Ok, adding on here. My girls arent panting, but they are holding their wings up (high 70s- low 80s) and I'm worried because its going to get significantly hotter (high 90s- to 100+) here in Alabama. During the day they sometimes do this when they are out in direct sunlight. At night they are locked in their coop to protect them from predators. When i went to lock up tonight i saw that they were holding their wings up. Do they just need more air flow, or a full on air conditioner? 8 andalusian hens. The coop is 6 feet long, 3 feet wide, 5 feet tall, and 3 feet off the ground. Plywood construction.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

@aart , can you advice?

 

[Urbanchicken62]

When I lived in Louisiana, I had to go back and add 4x8 sheets of foam insulation from Lowes in the ceiling below the roofing, as it radiated a ton of heat. The next coop I built I used the Poly roof panels and they were much cooler. You can't have too much ventilation.

 

[aart]

Deep all day shade is best but....

I give a dose of Sav-a-Chick electrolytes/vitamins about once a week during heat waves.
It really seems to help....started this after they saved a heat stroked hen once.
Can mix up a smaller amount, just wrap the packet tight and store in a dry cool place.
Always have plain water available too.

BIG(9x14x2") chunks of ice last all day for wading, sitting, and sipping.
Much more useful to the chickens than frozen foods and treats.

Make space in your freezer!