Do you help your birds keep cool?

[Trux]

My bigger birds learned about the delights of wading in water to cool off but my younger birds are staying under the low, bushy palms when temps hit 95 degrees.

I just ordered this mister and I'm going to set it up over that palm.
Have you tried a mister or do you have any other techniques for keeping your birds cool?

I live in SoCal where we get temps over 100 quite often from late June through August. Last year I got misters, after one of my birds succumbed to the heat, and installed them the entire way around my run. Didn't lose a bird after and had plenty over 100 days of heat. They work great!

 

[Ra_]

Last year I got misters. They work great!

Just got mine. It's junk.
I've been fiddling with the nozzles. Got a few to work.
Maybe you got a better system?
I've already processed the return.

I also put a sprinkler in with my comfrey patch and I have it adjusted for overspray so it is moistening the shaded area under some of the trees they like to lay under.

I've got Big Mama in an all wire nesting box with a fan on her and now i'm placing a jug of frozen water behind the fan. These 12 pound hens get hot.
I yank her out of the nest a couple of times a day and plop her in a small tub.
She chills for a few minutes, then runs down to the wading pond, chirping all the way.

 

[Trux]

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07D8XRMCZ/?tag=backy-20
This is what I got and I attached it to the run walls with zip ties. I use 2, 5x10 kennel runs put together to make one 10x20 run, got them at TSC

 

[aart]

I think @aart idea would work too with the ice block, I know some people use cinderblock slaps. I never tried it

I am totally sold on the ice blocks, a lot of heat transfer happens in their feet...
...and a weekly dose of Sav-A Chick electrolytes/vitamins after they saved a heat stroked hen.

It's not real hot here, at least not continuously, but the humidity makes me suffer and I've noticed the heat bothers the birds more when it's humid. 85°F and 80% is miserable. Evaporation cooling(mister systems) doesn't work well(if at all) when it's humid...and maybe even less so with birds as they don't have much skin exposed.
I've spent enough time in the desert, and felt the wonders of misters, to pine with desire during our hot and humid heat waves.

 

[Ra_]

It was 96 degrees here today at 7pm.
I'm so glad Big Mama only has three days to go on her eggs.
I don't need more chicks. I just wanted to let her have the experience.

I carved some corn off the cob and enticed a bunch of the birds into the overspray area from the Comfrey sprinkler. I've got it on a very fine spray setting and it doesn't seem to bother them. I even found a few birds wandering around under the spray long after all the corn was gone. I'm hoping they will develop a liking for it.
I've already got the hose running to their palm tree now, so I think I'll mount another sprinkler over the palm that I can turn on intermittently, just to wet the leaves and ground and any birds brave enough to stay there when I turn it on.

 

[Ra_]

Never saw a May this hot but I mounted the sprinkler above the palm and set it for fine spray. I tossed some corn and crumble under there and the birds are loving it.

 

[aart]

Never saw a May this hot but I mounted the sprinkler above the palm and set it for fine spray. I tossed some corn and crumble under there and the birds are loving it.
View attachment 1790343

UHG!!
What's the humidity?

 

[Ra_]

UHG!!
What's the humidity?

It's only about 38%.
We're having a dry spell.

 

[0819BrandNewFlock]

My bigger birds learned about the delights of wading in water to cool off but my younger birds are staying under the low, bushy palms when temps hit 95 degrees.

I just ordered this mister and I'm going to set it up over that palm.
Have you tried a mister or do you have any other techniques for keeping your birds cool?

I live in Florida and give them frozen fruit and frozen water plus add an electrolyte mix in their water on especially hot days.

 

[getaclue]

I went out twice, and hosed down the roof of the coop, made nice wet spots for them, and misted them. They have fans too, but they were just blowing warm air around, until I cooled things off.