Desert chickens, will need coolness!

[mightyspeedbump]

Hello!

I am wondering if anyone has any tips on how to keep chickens cool in the hot summers of the Mojave Desert. My wife and I are going to get chickens in the fall, but I'd like to prepare for it in our coop for when the summer heat comes back around. Thanks in advance!

 

[alibabba]

Wow...that's will be karazy hot right? What is the mid day high?

Shade.
A heat tolerant breed.
Pans of water for them to wade in. (I read it here on BYC, and my chickens like it, cours they poop in it too, so it makes extra work.

In my "hot days" I put a fan on the laying boxes. There were 2 broodies sitting in there 23/7. They lived fine and the chicks all hatched. Max in the coop was just over 90 degrees with the fan with out it was hotter that outside 93, 94. I'm in PA. very humid also. But not Mohave hot, oh my.

 

[mightyspeedbump]

Yeah, it can and does get over 100 here on the bad days. I though about maybe a mist-we system but figured too much moisture is bad. I think I might put in a fan

 

[Snowkitten714]

There are plenty of great responses on here in regards to high heat. I live in Kern County, CA... I'd like to say it's also as hot as the surface of the sun. Summer outside temps usually hover at 100-110 during the summer. I have an outdoor thermometer in their coop to monitor conditions closely, and it usually runs about a degree or two higher then outside temps. Chickens panting is pretty typical for me, but several things I do to try and help... provide a clean and cool drinking water source daily (something they can't soil), provide cool water in bowls of some sort they can stand in or on the edge of (these will get filthy, so be prepared to clean daily or several times daily if you can). I have a mister in my run I turn on for days over 105. This gives cooler dirt for them to lay in. If not a mister all day, then I will hose down certain shady areas in their run for the same purpose. They get cooler snacks such as frozen watermelon, cold grapes. I have a small fan inside the coop pointed toward the nesting box for any layers. The heat usually zaps my egg production, and I don't blame the ladies, I don't want to do anything either when it's 105 outside. You can try frozen water bottles in the nesting boxes to help the girls out. I also have a fan in the run to give them some air circulation on those days that are stiflingly still. My humidity is typically low, I think it averages between 10-20% (yes, I also have a humidity meter in my run), so the mister doesn't really have a big impact on humidity. It's one of those S shaped ones that sits on the ground. And of course, a somewhat heat tolerant bird is a must.

If all else fails and they give me the sad eye, I open the back garage door and let them chill in my garage for the day (which is ducted with the house swamp cooler)... although it leaves a very LARGE mess in my garage. Then they get booted back out after the heat of the day. But I do have to work, so they don't get this luxury all the time.

 

[alibabba]

There are plenty of great responses on here in regards to high heat. I live in Kern County, CA... I'd like to say it's also as hot as the surface of the sun. Summer outside temps usually hover at 100-110 during the summer. I have an outdoor thermometer in their coop to monitor conditions closely, and it usually runs about a degree or two higher then outside temps. Chickens panting is pretty typical for me, but several things I do to try and help... provide a clean and cool drinking water source daily (something they can't soil), provide cool water in bowls of some sort they can stand in or on the edge of (these will get filthy, so be prepared to clean daily or several times daily if you can). I have a mister in my run I turn on for days over 105. This gives cooler dirt for them to lay in. If not a mister all day, then I will hose down certain shady areas in their run for the same purpose. They get cooler snacks such as frozen watermelon, cold grapes. I have a small fan inside the coop pointed toward the nesting box for any layers. The heat usually zaps my egg production, and I don't blame the ladies, I don't want to do anything either when it's 105 outside. You can try frozen water bottles in the nesting boxes to help the girls out. I also have a fan in the run to give them some air circulotation on those days that are stiflingly still. My humidity is typically low, I think it averages between 10-20% (yes, I also have a humidity meter in my run), so the mister doesn't really have a big impact on humidity. It's one of those S shaped ones that sits on the ground. And of course, a somewhat heat tolerant bird is a must.

If all else fails and they give me the sad eye, I open the back garage door and let them chill in my garage for the day (which is ducted with the house swamp cooler)... although it leaves a very LARGE mess in my garage. Then they get booted back out after the heat of the day. But I do have to work, so they don't get this luxury all the time.

I remember being in Vegas and thinking we would just walk a couple blocks downtown...yeah, I thought I was going to die.Humidity or not I was not prepared for that. We did not walk back lol. And freezing after getting out of the pool because the evaporation was so rapid. We are used to perspiring and having it do nothing because its so humid...

I love the ideas! I spritzed the grass for them to walk through. I would let mine hang in the garage....if it got really bad. What breeds do you keep?

 

[mightyspeedbump]

Snowkitten714 thanks for all the great ideas! I wish I could let them into my garage but it's hotter in there then the coop will be lost if the time haha. But still all great ideas!

 

[JayJo]

I added shade cloth to one side of my run after last week's heat wave and it made a big difference. Air still blows through but it blocks out a lot of the sun.

 

[aart]

Yeah, it can and does get over 100 here on the bad days. I though about maybe a mist-we system but figured too much moisture is bad. I think I might put in a fan

If the ambient humidity is low, a mist system will be great out in the run under some shade.
Fan in the coop can help.

 

[Snowkitten714]

I remember being in Vegas and thinking we would just walk a couple blocks downtown...yeah, I thought I was going to die.Humidity or not I was not prepared for that. We did not walk back lol. And freezing after getting out of the pool because the evaporation was so rapid. We are used to perspiring and having it do nothing because its so humid...

I love the ideas! I spritzed the grass for them to walk through. I would let mine hang in the garage....if it got really bad. What breeds do you keep?

I've got a handful of mutts. Five easter eggers and two red sex linked/red star/red ones... whatever people want to call them (they aren't RIRs).

My garage isn't insulated, so I'm not sure why the previous owners ducted the garage with the cooler, not exactly energy efficient, however, it does keep the garage slightly cooler. Depending on outside temps, its stays in the 80s and 90s in the garage when it's 90s and 100s outside. And the concrete is cooler for the gals to lay on. I used to try and boot them out, but I was always tasking between the backyard and garage and the door was always open and they would let themselves in. I finally gave in and provide food and water in there. It really is a lot of cleaning now though. If you're not ready for the amount of chicken poo in your garage, keep them out. haha

 

[rides2far]

Hey Snowkitten714, I'm in Bakersfield, where r u? I do most of the strategies u do, but I put my misters on at about 95 degrees. I have 2 fans in the coop & a big box fan on the ground outside the run. I give them cold/frozen treats, & spray down the area when needed. Mine just started laying, so I'll be putting frozen water bottles in the nesting boxes.