Colorado

[wattsjadajoe]

Welcome GonzoChicken!!

I'm with you wsmith....no shade...dry..and wind..wind...wind...you must be pretty close to me, sounds like you get the same weather!!

I'll try some of the ideas....but the only electric I have out there right now is a # 14 extention.....250 foot long!!!! I haven't got the water and electric barried yet! That takes more funds...of which I don't have!!

I'll use the hose tonight and do some experimenting!!
Thanks,

Joe

 

[wsmith]

Colorado chick,
Sorry about the chicks.

Joe- we are about 25 miles away from each otheras the crow flies. We are at about 5700 ft. and on a low ridge, so we get the wind and there isn't anything to stop it. When we built the wood fence, about every 3rd post we have an inner bracing post with a board at 45 degrees connecting them. Without that we would have lost fencing months ago.

When we were brooding the chicks in the garage, and it got hot a couple of weeks ago, we put a fan in there. Helped a little.

Our chickens are mostly Dominiques, which were bred to withstand the cold, and some heat, though not like some of the mediteranian breeds like leghorns. They are "close-feathered" not fluffy like cochins and the like. Not too heavy like the barred rocks, which can really have a bad time in the extreme heat. Good thing we don't have these temps for long. We have found that the Doms like to be ranging around in the pens from about 5 AM until around 10AM, then they spend their time in the shade under the coop until about 6:30 or 7 when it starts to cool down more. Then they are out and about until they go to roost at about 8:45 PM

When I get home I usually make sure they still have water (it helps to have a 5 gallon waterer in the shade).

 

[coloradogal]

It's also miserable out here in the Peyton/Falcon area. I used an old mastercool shop swamp cooler yesterday but it needs new pads and wasn't comfortable using it again today. So I dragged one of my portable evaporative coolers out of the house for their coop. I also opened the door from their coop area so they could go into the garage area. It is much cooler in the garage. Even with those changes, I still couldn't get temps down below 93 yesterday in their main section.

I just checked on them and the evaporative cooler hasn't made much of a dent. But there is less mouth breathing so that's good.

I use the fan at night to suck out the warm air but its just so hard during the day.

That said, inside my house is comfortable. It isn't cold or even cool like it would be with central air. But I'm at around 82 in the house, which doesn't seem very cool until you come in from outside.

 

[wattsjadajoe]

Yea, same here with the elevation....I think I'm one of the lowest in Colorado though 4400ft. Nothing to shade or stop the wind.
As far as the girls go...I have just about everything. We just got started last year since I just moved to this area 2 years ago....electrical supervisor at the chemical depot.

My adults are leghorns. I now have 17wo BR, RIR, Gold buff, Austrolorp, and then a varity of rare breeds. Then I have the young'ns... that I just put in their coop..Welsumers, Buff Orpingtons and Wydottes.

So we are just figuring out what is going to work best out here.

I will never get used to this wind!!!

Joe

 

[Rock Home Isle]

VERY dry! We frequently watch the storms go north of us and south of us, and give us nothing. And the wind blows. and blows. and blows. Did I mention the wind?

I watered the lawn last night. So today as the lawn evaporates and dries out the ground under the trees will be nice and cool. That is where the pullets and ducks like to hang out during the heat of the day. The ducks also like to make frequent trips to the water tubs and cool off splashing and playing...ocassionally a pullet will join them.

 

[wsmith]

At least the wind blows the moths away........

We have central air, and it is usually no warmer than 75 in the house. We use the fans inside to keep things circulated.

Joe, how are those fluffy orps doing in this heat?

 

[wsmith]

Just talked to my wife, and she says that since wetting down the ground under the coops this morning and last night, the chicks are much better, with less panting.

Next spring we plan on getting water and electricity out to the chickens and the (dry) garden spot.

 

[Minchi]

I took the tray from a flower pot yesterday and filled it with water to keep in the coop. Went out a few times throughout the day and dipped their feet in it...they seemed to like that! One little girl was standing in it quite a bit to keep cool. My husband is not that far off from MacGyver, and when he got home last night he made sort of a swamp cooler for them. We don't get much shade in our yard until about 4pm, so I hope it will help them on these extreme days!

Minchi, how did your girls do on their first day out?

Okay, I think they were ready to be in again. We have had some issues with the coop so I am putting them out during the day and bringing them in about sunset. I have been putting a frozen bottle of water under the water tray I put out for them and that seams to keep the water and them cool. I will try putting out a tray of cold water for them to cool there feet too, I think they have been doing that with there drinking water already but it is a great idea. I would love to know what your husband made and if it worked, we don't have much shade in our yard as well, I had to rig something up for them.

 

[wsmith]

I watered the lawn last night. So today as the lawn evaporates and dries out the ground under the trees will be nice and cool. That is where the pullets and ducks like to hang out during the heat of the day. The ducks also like to make frequent trips to the water tubs and cool off splashing and playing...ocassionally a pullet will join them.

What's a lawn.......

We can always tell a new resident in our area...they attempt to grow a lawn. Then they go bankrupt trying to water it...

Then there are the folks who insist on mowing the buffalo grass. (All the lots are between about 5-10 acres). Then they wonder why everything dies the next summer.... We did that too at first. What happens isin the winter, the grass catches the snow from blowing away. The grass uses the snow melt to get a start the next spring. The taller buffalo grass shades the newer growth, and protects it from the wind and the sun. When people mow, it looks nice for a week or so, but with no shade it burns up in the sun. It can't catch the snow, and so what is left dies. We learned the hard way. It's finally starting to grow back and look OK after being mowed 5 years ago. still kind of patchy though.

 

[wattsjadajoe]

They were panting quite a bit yesterday...will check again when I get home. The orps are only 7wo right now...so they don't have as many feathers as an adult.

And to the above post...yea...what's a lawn!!

Although the water here is at a good rate, I'm not going to try to grow a lawn...maybe a pasture. I have a section marked off for the girls next year, hope to get something to grow.

For me to use 60,000 gallons....costs.....sit down now......$80.80.

Yea.....I have a 6000sq ft garden, water every night, and I use 12,000 gal. These are monthly totals.


Joe