Consolidated Kansas

[sharol]

here are a couple of pictures of my cooling setup. it worked last summer when the temps were in the 110's, so this summer has been easy so far.


This is the people's eye view. The corner isn't a 90 degree angle. I draped the shade cloth over the bird netting and fastened it to the fencing with zip ties. this is the wide shade cloth, and there are two rows of it. You can see the cobra mister toward the front edge of the shade. The mist also drifts with the breeze so it cools other areas, too.


THis is the chicken's eye view. You can see the hose mister (tiny hose with little nozzles about every foot or so) draped across the opening at the top. This mister mostly dampens the shade cloth, but it, too, allows for drift. It has the added benefit of keeping the ground a little damp and the grass stays green. That is a volunteer sunflower inside the run in the foreground.



The tree works to help for part of the day, but there just wasn't enough shade IN the run when I set this up 3 years ago. I take off the front panel of shade cloth the end of September so that they will benefit from sunshine during the winter.

misters and shade

edited to add:
I just realized how abrupt that sounded. I used shade cloth over a corner of the run and I have a mister set up so that it sprays some of the water on the shade cloth. It acts like one of the old swamp coolers and the whole corner of the pen is 10 degrees cooler' I'll post a picture when it gets light out.

 

[chicken danz]

oh yeah it was yucky out today..whats the best way to keep chicks cool (almost 6 weeks) or just chickens in general?

I use fans in my coops, shade cloth or whatever I can find to cover a part of the pen. I use shallow pans of water for them to stand in as well. I had misters last year all summer. Haven't set them up this year. I have also cut additional ventilation where ever I can. I save the piece of wood I cut out, put hardware cloth over the opening and then make crude wooden latches to hold it in place. I put the same piece of wood back in the hole in winter and latch it shut. None of my coops are ever completely shut up regardless of weather.
Posted by sharol

Glad to hear they integrated so well. Won't be long before you have some new ones too.
I bought a few sets of misters with really long tubes and lots of heads last fall and I still haven't found them. I have my old ones but hate to tie up the hoses with them. I may have to dig deeper in view of the forecast for the next week. Sounds nothing short of miserable.
Trish, I had one of my fans quit yesterday as well. I try to blow them out now and then or squirt a little oil in them but you just can't seem to escape that chick dust in the end. I try to stock up on the cheap ones at the end of summer for under $10. I doubt if I can afford to this year. I try to rebuild anything that has a hum left in the motor. If there is no sound they get trashed for good. If I ever get the trailer set up or some other kind of poultry building I plan to buy one of those big ole barn fans. They are made to last in that kind of environment.

I am in a world of hurt. Yesterday was a very busy hard working day. I sure feel the effects. I still wanted to get the geese DNA done but just ran out of time. DH was talking about running to Ottawa this AM. He has to go back on night tonight so I doubt it will get done. I really do need to sell a few more geese.
The pen is ready and I can move the white Orpingtons to their new digs in a little bit. I let all the other free rangers out earlier. I sure wish there was some grass in that pen but I am sure they'll be okay. There is only one hen and two roosters. I have another girl that is almost old enough to join them. I'll give her a few more weeks so she doesn't get raped too early.
If I had a suitable place to keep him I'd put one of the roos elsewhere but I don't want to chance him getting beaten up by other boys. These are very expensive birds. They are all used to being together anyway so they should be fine.
I need to empty the hatcher again and see what all I hatched during the night.

 

[ashncarson]

OK..so my chicken drama / first time chicken owner continues

I have tried putting Apple Jack my rooster back into with the other 4 yesterday and today. Today I thought it was going to work, and it did for about 10 minutes but then they (1 chases him around the most and the rest follow) started to go after him again. Grabbing his feathers and pecking his head.

He is scared of them and runs to me everytime hiding under me, he will keep trying to go backa and join them and they chase him off again. He now follows me around the yard wherever I go like a puppy dog.

Here are pictures of the toy that are picking on them the most, I believe they are roosters as well:


The 2 others (which I believe are girls) chase him around to and try to peck him.....I don't know what to do and its driving me crazy :/ They will soon be going into the coop/run

 

[chicken danz]

I don't remember. Are they all the same breed? Sometimes that makes a difference too.

 

[22qZoo]

Ashncarson- first let me say I'm no expert but I had a couple ideas. Maybe they are having a growth spurt and could use a little protein like say, a scrambled egg or some yogurt so they don't try to canibalize the weekest one.(sounds harsh but they can be little monsters sometimes) Or maybe they need some things to keep them busy,when mine were little and stuck in the brooder tank I would put a tree branch in there for them to climb on and some scrap corn on the cob for them to pick at or an old apple cut in half(seeds taken out). Sort of like small children and puppies ,if they are hungry or bored or both they can get into mischief ; )
Just a thought .

 

[Trish44]

Chicks do tend to pick on the weakest one. I had two lavender Ameraucanas hatch today & have some chicks in the brooder waiting for someone to pick them up tomorrow that are about 5 days old & they have been picking on the two new ones today. I have had to go in several times & turn the babies back over because they get knocked on their backs & then don't know how to get up yet. They can be pretty ornery to each other, I have seen them even picking on each other too.

Today has been too hot to really work on anything. I did get what I need to finish the duck pen, but it will wait till tomorrow now. I wish this heat would go away again, I'm not liking it one bit & neither are the birds & animals.

 

[cherwill]

Chicks do tend to pick on the weakest one.

Yeah, they do.

Ash, it's also how they determine their place in the flock. It can be vicious and hard to see, but it's how chickens are wired. Your flock has spotted a weakness and they're all jockeying for position or to improve their position. Mine have their little spats, but usually one gives up before anything too serious happens. Unfortunately, your guy has an injury that will trigger the others to pick on him more. When this was happening with some of my niece's ducks, the blue dye worked really well. I'm not sure what else you can do, besides keeping them separated until he's healed. I don't know this from experience, but I've heard that interfering in the flock's determination of pecking order can make things worse.

 

[chicken danz]

It's sure been quiet the last couple days. So what do normal people do when it's too hot to work outside? I've never been normal!!

I could clean house but that just wouldn't be any fun at all. My DH is working nights so I don't want to run the vacuum and wake him up. That's my excuse!
Yesterday I went to the basement and dug through some stuff looking for some clear Christmas ornaments I've had for a few years. I bought them on clearance a long time ago. I am wanting to have a peacock themed Christmas tree this year so I decided I could use them to make some custom ornaments. But of course I didn't find them. I have stuff stored in bins but have too many bins and then can't find the ones I want.
I have a turkey hen that keeps disappearing on me and I can't find her to get her pen at night. Grrrr! We've searched every where for her. I think I am going to band her leg and make her stay in the pen for a few days. It is so hot I really hate to do that because the turkey just don't deal with heat well. I am so afraid wherever she is nesting or whatever that something will get her. She usually shows up in the morning to eat. I already have one hen that is nesting but she is in a fairly safe place.
I went out last evening and worked on the metal junk pile some more. I'd sure like to get that area cleaned up and start building the new turkey pen. I also need to get busy working on dividing my bigger hen house pen so I can get the red stars started. I am already behind on them.
I hate to say that I am ready for fall cause I really really hate cold weather. But without getting acclimated to the heat this summer like normal I can't stand this weather.

 

[Trish44]

It's sure been quiet the last couple days. So what do normal people do when it's too hot to work outside? I've never been normal!!

I could clean house but that just wouldn't be any fun at all. My DH is working nights so I don't want to run the vacuum and wake him up. That's my excuse!
Yesterday I went to the basement and dug through some stuff looking for some clear Christmas ornaments I've had for a few years. I bought them on clearance a long time ago. I am wanting to have a peacock themed Christmas tree this year so I decided I could use them to make some custom ornaments. But of course I didn't find them. I have stuff stored in bins but have too many bins and then can't find the ones I want.
I have a turkey hen that keeps disappearing on me and I can't find her to get her pen at night. Grrrr! We've searched every where for her. I think I am going to band her leg and make her stay in the pen for a few days. It is so hot I really hate to do that because the turkey just don't deal with heat well. I am so afraid wherever she is nesting or whatever that something will get her. She usually shows up in the morning to eat. I already have one hen that is nesting but she is in a fairly safe place.
I went out last evening and worked on the metal junk pile some more. I'd sure like to get that area cleaned up and start building the new turkey pen. I also need to get busy working on dividing my bigger hen house pen so I can get the red stars started. I am already behind on them.
I hate to say that I am ready for fall cause I really really hate cold weather. But without getting acclimated to the heat this summer like normal I can't stand this weather.

Your turkey sounds just like mine, but I finally broke her by making her stay in the pen for a couple of weeks. I have been rotating letting the young ones out & then the older ones so I don't have 4 to get back in each night but if it gets hotter I may have to let them all out. It's just so hard to get them back in if I do that.

You sound like me Danz, I have so much Christmas stuff I can't even use it all. I used to have it all up in the attic but then I couldn't get it down & had to wait for my DH to get it down for me & he just didn't care. I haven't even put up my big tree for a couple of years. Since my son moved away I just don't care as much any more about decorating. I used to go all out with a victorian tree that I have all of these ornaments for & it took me hours to decorate.

 

[chicken danz]

I didn't put up a tree at all last year and the last few years I have only put up some small insignificant thing. I am hoping to have Christmas here on Christmas day for a change. With the kids, their families, and DH's messed up schedule it's just close to impossible. The kids rotate holidays with their other halves every other year but it seems like DH is never off on the years they are supposed to be here. He was scheduled to be off this Christmas but got moved to a different squad at the first of the year. I gave up Christmas last year so we could have a Christmas at home on Christmas day but now he is scheduled to work. I told him to request it off but I doubt he ever did. It just really upsets me. I want to be with my family on Christmas because most of the time my kids were little I was working on Christmas day. I missed so many real Christmases with them. We always celebrated another day but I still feel kind of cheated.
I have more Christmas and for that matter, decorations for all holidays than most people even see in a lifetime.

When I had my big Victorian house in town decorating was first priority regardless of the holiday. Now I'm out here where no one sees it, where I don't have the big porches or multiple peaks outside, or the excess room inside. But I still keep my stuff hoping some day I can find a way to display it.
If we'd ever get our porches and additions I want added it would sure help. I am giving up hope on that. I bought my place for location and the land..not for the house. I always thought I would be able to get more done to the house. I just keep hoping a miracle happens and I can make it reality some day.
I wish I had one of those big barn fans now I could put on the turkeys and make them stay in. But they get out and eat bugs and stuff all day long and seem so happy. It is getting harder and harder to get them in. I had to carry 4 of them back to the pen last night. Not an easy task.