Coop Temps in the summer??????

[Wildsky]

Yes normal. And winter we'll be down to -25 at the coldest.

Its pretty extream from one side to the other, not long with the HIGH's like that, most of summer is in the high 80's - 90's just a few weeks going into triple digits.

 

[LovinMyChickies]

We chicken owners are so silly.

(myself included)

What would our ancestors think? Chickens have been around for a very long time and have survived just fine. Here we all are worried about our sweet little chickens overheating.

 

[cajunlizz]

YES we are lol


BUT years ago when I was in school , I can still remember within 2 weeks of returning to school after summer vacation , WE had to wear long sleeve shirts and sweaters . NOT like that anymore . WE LUCKY if the weather cools off in the month of OCT. ALSO , we did NOT have these stiffling temps as we do today .

 

[1WildHairL8tr]

I'm so glad you're all talking about this.
I'm in DFW area -- it's been 100F to 107F here.
My big girls and boys are doing okay with the sprinkler, cold water, cold treats, fans and shade.
BUT, I have a broody hen who is laying on about 8 eggs.
I haven't made a big deal about it before now because my girls have "teased" me before -- acting broody for a few days and then leaving the nest alone.
BUT this little lady has been on this nest for 2 weeks now.
SOOOOO, I guess I need to start preparing for some babies (hopefully)!!
My DH and I are going to enclose a run next to the existing coop and make a shelter for the hen and chicks.

I am assuming I do not need a heat lamp at night (it stays in the 90's)?

But, will they tolerate 107+ during the day?

I guess my question is:
Should I move the chicks into a brooder inside because of the heat? OR
Should I use the same measures I'm already using for the big ones and leave the chicks outside with their "mom"?

 

[Jenski]

Good thread here ~ and thanks to everyone for sharing your local weather conditions and hot-weather chicken solutions.

Here in Mid-TN we are getting to the 95-100 mark this week.

According the Gail Damerow Chicken Health Handbook, chickens begin to pant at 85 F (which I have found true with mine), and there is danger of death from overheating past 104 F. However, Mahonri and a couple of others in the Southwest indicate their hens are doing fine up to 112. Good to know.

Although my girls have a 40% tinted roof on their weekday run, this week we covered part of the roof in a Cabela's camo hunting gear cover, and the rest (including coop roof) with old military tarps for some extra shade. When I went home at lunch to check, the coop internal temp was 94 ~ but after sliding two 1-gal. frozen juice bottles in the coop near the nest boxes, the temp quickly started dropping. It was pretty comfy near the ground of the run where the chooks were; the extra shade is working.

I also put out a heavy Pyrex baking dish full of ice, and a flatter-shaped frozen juice bottle in the run. The girls play around with the tray-ice as it melts, and then they have a nice cool extra water source to play in until I get home (when I left, my kooky girl was walking back and forth over the tray of ice). Sometimes they stand or perch on the frozen bottle.

If I know there will be no rain, I put out a huge fan to blow at an angle so the hens can stand near it if they want, but step away from it if they don't like it.

Iced down fruit and cucumbers are also a nice treat when it's hot. A good, deep crater of cool, loose dirt is appreciated, too!

Hope everyone stays cool as we get into the really hot days of late summer.

 

[Wildsky]

Quote:
No - leave the chicks with mom - and no need to add heat, thats what mom is for - she will probably also be able to protect her babies from the rest of the flock - so no need to separate her and her babies (Unless you have a mean roo or aggresive hens) With the heat as it is, my hen that has a baby sleeps next to her baby - the baby doesn't climb under mom (unless that happens when its early hours and I don't see it)

 

[MamaDragon]

Greetings All!

The big difference in all the weather conditions her lately is that the south is MUCH more Humid than up north or out west. I've live on the deserts of California, and in Illinois, and now in South Arkansas. I could take 110 deg temps in the desert right in stride, but there was no humidity to speak of. In Illinois the humidity wasn't too bad but was a noticible change, and made it seem warmer than what the thermometer said. Now that I'm in Arkansas, and 80 degree day with 85+ % humidity makes it more miserable than those 110 days in California.

My chickens run loose in the daytime, and spend most of the day either under a neighbor's mobile home or strolling around in the shade. I've got a water pan out for the dogs that fills from the water run-off of our air conditioner (checked with the vet, the water is fins for drinking), and the runoff creates a mud puddle that the chickens just love to "go play in". They put themselves to bed at night, and we just have to remember to latch the gate.

 

[1WildHairL8tr]

Wildsky~
Too late! My DH put up the roof of the new coop today. He's going on a fly-fishing trip this weekend and didn't want them to hatch out before he could get their enclosure built. So he started building it tonight. So sweet!!
I think it will be for the best because I do have a couple aggressive hens that pick on my two english game bantams relentlessly.
I won't worry too much about the nighttime, but I have already filled up a bunch of empty 2-liters and put them in the freezer to be prepared for the daytime.
Thanks!
Cathi