CURE: beat the heat!! 2 great ideas!!

[ValerieLovesChickens]

While trying to figure out ways to keep my flock cool this year in this awful heat, I decided to search on youtube. Here are 2 great ideas that I found, you can search also, watch the videos and design a system to meet your needs and budget.

1. Misting System
2. Evaporative Air Cooler

We went with both, and got a misting system installed in their run. It was 96 degrees here yesterday and it dropped the temp down to 78 after only 30 minutes!!!! This is awesome!! You will have to play with the jets and adjust them towards the ground. You only want to run it 15 to 30 minutes at a time. Once the ground is cool and damp, your chickens will be on it with their feet, which will then keep them cool as well.

We are building an evap cooler today out of: styrofoam cooler, an old personal fan, two 2" PVC pipes and 2" PVC elbows, then add lots of ice. If you're going to run a fan anyway, you might as well make it so that it blows the coolest air possible for your chickens. We are also considering buying a small solar panel, to make this more economical to use. We live in Texas and summer has just begun. Also, this can be moved around, located just outside the run during the day, then blowing into the coop in the evening to drop the temp down before locking them up at night.

Hope these ideas help, to cool those chickens down!!

 

[darkbaysfordays]

Great hints! You should post some pics!

 

[ValerieLovesChickens]

Great hints! You should post some pics!

Okay I will do that as soon as we get the evap cooler put together, set up and running, with temperature results before and after. Great idea.

 

[neo71665]

Work great if you are in a low humidity area.

 

[ValerieLovesChickens]

In the meanwhile, here is the link to the evap cooler we are making today. I have to drive into town to purchase the Pvc pipe and elbows, so we can get started.

 

[ValerieLovesChickens]

Work great if you are in a low humidity area.

Actually, from all my research that I have done in the last 24 hours, it will work in any climate. Of course it will work better in drier climates, but it will still cool things down even in humidity. Trust me, it was very humid here yesterday. Even I was having issues breathing the air was so thick, no wonder our chickies are panting. The mister system stopped that in its tracks.

 

[neo71665]

Tried a swamp cooler in my shop one summer. Here in arkansas with the high humidity it made it miserable. I've seen where companies claim they work in any climate but I'll tell ya from first hand experience they don't work here. They are simple to make a DIY one to try, so try it first YMMV.

They both will make anything rust that can rust seems right before your eyes.

 

[Rooapalooza]

Where about in Texas do you live? I'm a bit west of Austin and it's really the humidity that's the killer. It just never cools down. Honestly I think me and my animals would be fine with the 100F weather if it weren't for the nighttime 85% humidity.

 

[ValerieLovesChickens]

Where about in Texas do you live? I'm a bit west of Austin and it's really the humidity that's the killer. It just never cools down. Honestly I think me and my animals would be fine with the 100F weather if it weren't for the nighttime 85% humidity.

I live about 45 minutes south of Ft Worth. Yeah I agree, once it's hot here, it stays hot until fall arrives.

 

[ValerieLovesChickens]

Tried a swamp cooler in my shop one summer. Here in arkansas with the high humidity it made it miserable. I've seen where companies claim they work in any climate but I'll tell ya from first hand experience they don't work here. They are simple to make a DIY one to try, so try it first YMMV.

They both will make anything rust that can rust seems right before your eyes.

Oh wow, sorry to hear that. Yeah I'm not using mine in an enclosed space. This is all outdoors. So maybe that makes a difference. I just know the misting system dropped the temp in our run from 96 to 78 in 30 minutes. So it was well worth the $18 we spent and the time to install it.