Cool off???

[Chick15]

It is very hot today, like 90 degree hot and my 12 week old chicks(i still call them my babies) are boiling! They have their mouths wide open and are barely peeping at all, barely moving due to heat. What can I do to keep them cool? They have water and everything and the coop is fully insulated, but I feel bad and really want to do something to help, have given them cool watermelon... any ideas?

 

[jaimepowell]

I have been freezing a milk jug filled with water at night and leaving it in the coop and pen during the day--they seem to enjoy it

 

[jjthink]

Racing at work so for now will just mention there's a bazillion threads on this - try the "Search" tab above and you'll get a wealth of info. Do make sure they have access to a fan in the shade if you possibly can.
JJ

 

[suzeqf]

it's 98 with a 115 heat index and i have a fan on super high and my kids are still panting they don't seem to like the cold water bottles so i just try to keep their water filled and i have a small waterer with save a chick in it

 

[pwog]

Ok, I have a fan where I am keeping my brooder. We are going through a heat spell. The temp in the brooder is 90. The chicks are 3 weeks old. Is it ok to have the fan blowing directly on the chicks?

 

[jeanniejayne]

We are lucky to have a large coop (the back 8 feet of a 16 foot shed, with a cement floor) that has shade on 2 sides, and a double-hung window in one wall with a fan. It seems to work best if I turn the fan off in the AM ( the hens go out in the shaded back yard ) and turn it back on around sundown. It stays cooler if I do this. But they still pant in the early evening until it cools down a bit. I have been giving them a cup or so of cool yogurt mixed with oatmeal, which they go absolutely nuts over.

FYI-- it is super easy to make cheap yogurt. Just heat regular milk just to boiling to kill off any yeast etc. that may have gotten into it from the air, cool until you can just keep your finger in it without it being uncomfortable, but is still quite warm, and add your "innoculant" -- a couple of tablespoons of plain yogurt. Still well and place in a warm dark place, covered, cover with some heavy cloth for insulation(I use a couple of old clean tee shirts) and put in a warm place. i just put the pot I boil the milk in over the warmest spot on my hot water heater, cover it up with my old tee shirts, and voila! Eight or so hours (overnight) and the yogurt is done! I give it warm, too, which they love, but the coolness seems to be really welcome now. This way they get some good flora for the gut, calcium, protein, and moisture. I add a clove of crushed raw garlic for a few days evey month because some folks believe it helps to rid them of worms. It can't hurt, I figure! I like to introduce yogurt to chicks at a few weeks old, before they go outside figuring it gives their gut some protection by introducti themng to some good bacteria before they go into the world.

 

[RedDrgn]

Do you have a cool place you could put them during the hottest hours of the day? Like a garage or even a temporary enclosure in a laundry room or something like that?

 

[Nicole01]

I have a lot of shade in my run, but I still feel it's not enough. Luckily, it's sandy in there, so I wet down the sand and make it muddy. I hose off the run every hour entirely and at one end I set a sprinkler. I have a box fan in the coop, the girls like to sit in front. I bring out a big bowl of ice and put ice in the waterer. If it's over 100 temp wise or heat index, in the house they come. I have two extra large dog kennels side by side set up for them during the hottest hours and often over night if the coop is still 90 at 9-10pm. I'm not taking any chances of losing my girls.

 

[pwog]

I ended up moving the girls to their coop. The coop has a shaded run attached to it. So far, it's been better than the garage.

 

[BoltonChicken]

try the "Search" tab above and you'll get a wealth of info.

Good advice.

Also know that chickens open their beaks and hold their wings out to disperse heat. This is normal. You can see birds in the wild doing this. It is like a human sweating. It is NOT a sign of heat stroke or distress.

Do not be lulled into thinking that what would make you cooler would work for a chicken. Many make this mistake, not understanding that chicken physiology is very different from ours. Some wild birds like to splash in water to cool off, but most chickens would rather take dirt baths. Chickens in high heat need to be out of the sun completely, have dirt under them, lots of ventilation and water availability. They can survive almost any high temperature on this planet if they have those four items. Other actions are just to make you feel better about yourself.​