cooling off your chickens

[sayccrn]

I offer frozen fruits and vegetables. It's like little birdie popsicles.

They now love blueberries and watermelon and corn. they still won't touch raspberries, or watermelon rind.

 

[SE WA Guy]

My birds are hilarious in how much they love watermelon. The only thing I can equate it to is the old Eddie Murphy bit about kids chasing the ice cream truck. Watch that bit, and that's how my flock responds to us walking out the door with melon wedges in hand. I love it.

 

[Fat Roost]

I feed mine cold cottage cheese. They gobble it up like ice cream. It helps to cool them off.

Be careful with that, chickens produce a very small amount of enzymes. That means they could digest a small amount of dairy but not too much. So try gives each about a tsp or tbsp

 

[sayccrn]

My birds are hilarious in how much they love watermelon. The only thing I can equate it to is the old Eddie Murphy bit about kids chasing the ice cream truck. Watch that bit, and that's how my flock responds to us walking out the door with melon wedges in hand. I love it.

well, so far they don't touch the wedges, but love the icecubes that turn into slushies.

 

[sayccrn]

Be careful with that, chickens produce a very small amount of enzymes. That means they could digest a small amount of dairy but not too much. So try gives each about a tsp or tbsp

Good to know, thank you!

 

[NatJ]

Well, thank you for all your wonderful suggestions, But I am not made of money. I do the best I can with what I have.

Sounds like a lot of us
I was listing a bunch of ideas because one person's "expensive" thing is often someone else's "junk," and I don't know what you personally have available. (Or what's sitting unwanted in your neighbor's yard, or free/cheap on craigslist.)

Maybe stretch an old bedsheet from the side of the house, and put the chicken pen underneath. That would give an extra layer of shade.

Bedsheet, tarp, shade cloth--anything that blocks some sun. Even a tarp that has holes and leaks water would work, because it doesn't need to block water. Or if someone's going to throw away a tent because it leaks, the tent fabric could be used to make shade.

 

[sayccrn]

I have a sheet was thinking of wetting that and laying it over instead. It may work better than a hot tarp, what do you think? It's 11 and already 89 air temp, not including humiture.

 

[springvalley123]

Well, thank you for all your wonderful suggestions, But I am not made of money. I do the best I can with what I have. I am seriously thinking of charging an enclosure, and putting the tarp I have now over the sunny side, putting the fan I have out there too. then at least they will also have the run under the coop for additional shade, and the tarp will be up about 7 feet, so lots of air going through too. That is looking more and more like the best thing to do for them and for me.

If you can, get shade cloth instead of tarp, tarp can really trap some heat. best of luck!

 

[springvalley123]

I have a sheet was thinking of wetting that and laying it over instead. It may work better than a hot tarp, what do you think? It's 11 and already 89 air temp, not including humiture.

yes, give it a try!

 

[NatJ]

I would try to get either the sheet or the tarp UP higher, so the one keeps the sun off the other. Maybe put the wet sheet where the tarp now is, and the tarp higher up so the sun isn't shining right on the sheet. You'd want enough space between them that the tarp (which gets hot) doesn't just spread the heat right to the sheet below.