Cooling chicken coop in HOT weather?

[SimplyForties]

Quote:
I'm sure that's true too. Luckily the weather has broken some here and my chicks are getting some relief. I did put a frozen jug in their enclosure. They were scared by it and wouldn't lay down next to it but I'm hoping it lowered the temp a bit. Who knows? I do have a tarp over the enclosure so they are completely in the shade.

 

[country lady]

I wondered about this too. We have a chicken tractor and the ladies have shade under there, but it is in the upper 90s today. I go out a couple of times during the day and spray cold water around. I wonder if this creates humidity though. The tractor is in the shade in the afternoon. I've noticed that my buff orpington walks around with her wings away from her body. DH keeps reassuring me that they are okay, which I say: "Easy for you to say; you aren't wearing a feather coat."

 

[dixygirl]

an umbrella or shade sail maybe sit the coop under a tree.
Cut many vents.

 

[ecopepper]

I was reading a book about eco friendly stuff and they said to make a roof a planter of sorts. Just put sod on the tin roof...it will cool it down and give a different look....Just thought it would be fun too....but you would have to put a border around the side of top of roof to hold it all in....lots of work but oh well....had to put 2 cents in ya know...Good Luck!!

 

[SimplyForties]

There are a few threads on BYC about green roofs. I think it's a great idea for a coop!

 

[Punk-Rock_Chicken]

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.

 

[gway2008]

I put a pan of water in my coop yesterday and my chickens were terrified of it... They were panting hard and I felt so bad for them. It is really hot and dry here in this part of Texas with temps nearing 100* already. Uggghhhhh, this is going to be a scorcher of a summer.

 

[SweetMissDaisy]

Another HOT, panting Texan here.... and the chickens are hot and panting, too!

I've got some chickens who don't mind leaving the coop for the shady area of their yard -- for them, I put frozen bottles of water in the water jugs, and poor a couple gallons of cool water on the ground where they like to lay. They enjoy this immediately.

I also have some younger chicks who don't leave the coop with the older birds. 102 in there this afternoon even with several LARGE windows on three sides of the coop, AND insulation in the coop itself. They get water in their water jugs too, along with two large fans, one blowing into the coop, and the other blowing out. Still panting... so early this evening I put a large, low sided rubber storage container in the coop and added about an inch or so of cool (not icy) water to it. I dipped their feet and splashed a bit of water up under their wings. The silkies seemed to dislike the event itself, but really seemed to enjoy the cooling effect they got.

Next, they'll start demanding pina coladas poolside!

 

[morelcabin]

Here's an easy fix that I use. I run a soaker hose (the kind you use in gardens) over and around the roof and turn it on for a while when it gets too hot in the henhouse/rabbitpen, and it seems to do the trick fairly well.

 

[Big C]

Another Texan here,
Temps today were above 100.
Our coop is dirt floor. I just put coastal hay on the floor about 3-4 inches deep then wet it down in the morning and afternoons. They scratch around in the hay to get to the dirt which fluffs the hay. The evaporation cools them just like the old evaporative coolers. There is always some air circulation since the lower 4 ft walls of the coop are open but wired.
I also use some 4x4 limestone blocks placed around that draw the coolness of the wet dirt floor up and the stones stay cool.
Works very good.