Cooling chicken coop in HOT weather?

[VettekLisa]

I have one of the small misting systems attached to the top of the
run. We paid $15 for it at Walmart. It will cool the temps down
quite a bit, and since it's 6 feet from the ground, the chickens
won't get so wet.

 

[Tonopah Pati]

I live in AZ. and the portable water coolers work great. When it is humid I just run the fan. Not sure how a mister will work in TX. when it is humid. I sure would put shade cloth up or what I did was buy a camo netting from an Arny Surplus store and then added shade cloth to the top and south side where the netting wouldn't reach. I hose the pen down 2x a day, and will be putting the mist system up. I don't think I would close them up with a tin roof, they will get to hot, I had some old window screens that I put on my south east corner and they create some nice shade.

Hope you get your flock some shade.

 

[SimplyForties]

Another hot Texas flock here! As I'm pondering, I'm also remembering that people have been keeping chickens in this hot country since long before there was electricity for fans and a/c's, misters and ice. I'm not sure what the answer is and I'm trying to balance the intervention factor with letting nature take it's course. Just a thought.

 

[calgal98]

I suspect *back then* most chickens free ranged and could find a spot that would cool them down. Our artificial homes for chickens aren't necessarily what nature intended. That may be why we feel the need to see to their comfort. Just a thought.

 

[TXmom]

Another hot and humid Texan here. I have been misting the run and top/outside of the coop with my hose sprayer for the last week...as well as putting ice in their water and putting frozen bottles in the coop. Today, I went to Walmart and bought a 12'x20' tarp and attached it to the top of the run. It was only $20 and I think that will help a LOT. It already seemed better this afternoon. I'm seriously considering that window unit A/C! I just hate to see my poor chickies panting like that.

I do let them free range around the yard, and they have a shady bush they like to sit under sometimes, but during the hottest part of the day, they still retreat to the coop. It's 3 sided (front is open) so heat doesn't build up inside...but it's still over 95 degrees in there (same as outside). I hope the new tarp over the top helps.

 

[Pitchfork]

Lived in Houston for 11 years, didn't have chickens, but did have kids and dogs. LOL Misters work great. Set up some shade using a tarp, or as someone suggested, a lean too and put a mister on it. Even in high humidity it will drop the temp a lot. We had temps in the 100's last year here in Oklahoma and I had my chickens in a playhouse style coop/run with a metal roof. Under the roof I used Astrofoil bubble style insulation and it dropped the temps enough that the chickens had no troubles. I had the mister ready to go, but didn't need it.

 

[Mahonri]

One of the COOLest Junes on record here in Phoenix.

Ice in the water, fan in the coop to keep air moving.... mine made it through a couple of days last year when the highs were over 115 and the lows were in the mid 90s.

If I were wealthy, I'd have put in insulation and a window AC unit.

 

[guesswhatchickenbutt]

Florida here. 99 degrees today in the shade. It's a 110 degree heat index with super high humidity. I can't get a fan out to where the chickens are and we don't have a mister.

They have a hoop-run with 1/2 shade by a doubled-up tarp attached to it. I've got ice in their water and I've put a plastic box on it's side with some bags of ice in it...but they are panting like mad.

I'm stressed for them, but without the ability to get a fan out to where they are and with no mister, I wonder what else I can do??

 

[Punk-Rock_Chicken]

Florida here too.... I took 5 milk jugs and 6 two liter coke bottles and froze them. I made a red-neck A/C with a shop fan and 2 froxen bottles at a time. I found that putting the bottles in BACK of the fan works ok (albiet not as well as in front) and does not melt the ice as fast. They last about twice as long. In front of the fan they melted in about 45 min. to an hour.

 

[SimplyForties]

Quote:
It will also melt the ice faster. It's what you put on your sidewalks when they freeze up in winter. If you do it, make sure it's no where the chickens can jump onto it and get at the rock salt.