Don't laugh! Do my chickens need shade?

[beerguzzler]

Shade is not enough with this recent Texas heat. I lost a few birds 2 weeks ago and they were in the shade. I just bought a misting kit and need to pickup a timer and install it all. I think what got me was we had a day of 105 but with no breeze.

Everyday I get home the first thing I do is hose them all down. At first they were pretty mad at me. Now, about half of them love it. They will just walk up to me and wait for the water. The other half still run around like crazies as if I were spraying hot acid.

I also have a sun shade tarp they use at greenhouses on order to cover the whole coop/run. I get it in 2 weeks.

 

[mendogurl]

I just keep adding shade.

I have built shade cloth into the walls and ceiling of my run, and planted grape vines along the outside. And I water down the floor of the run every morning.
After reading this thread, I am considering a mister !

 

[crazy4eggsJulie]

When you guys say a mister, do you mean like a fan that blows mist or is there something else out there on the market? Who sells it?

 

[Renee]

Misters are 1/4 inch rubber hoses with brass fittings that you hook up to a spigot and turn on. They release a fine mist of water that cools the air. They can be purchased at most garden centers in stores like Target or Costco.

 

[crazy4eggsJulie]

Quote:
How old do they have to be before I can start hosing them down? Ours are around 6 1/2 weeks now, but some of my bantams are still really tiny. I was wondering about the wade pools, too. It still seems pretty risky to me at this young age. One of our baby bantams drowned in the waterer (the traditional clear plastic with red plastic base one, 32 oz.) when it was only a couple days old. I think it got knocked in by other chicks and just couldn't get out. It was at night while we were sleeping. It was so sad...and so preventable! We just didn't know!

 

[crazy4eggsJulie]

Quote:
Do your chickens voluntarily walk over and get misted? I think I would prefer to give them that option rather than hosing them down. I can just picture them running like crazy from the water!

 

[kcfuerst]

You want to hose down your chicks? Oh my.

 

[TXmom]

I have a mister in the run...the hard plastic kind that is free standing. A few of my chickens will voluntarily walk over to it to get misted. Also, when it's super hot out, I will start spraying the area with the hose. I have one of those gun-looking sprayers on the end of it, and when you press on it a little bit, the water comes out in a fine mist. I spray that up in the air and let it fall on the chickens. Some love it, some run away. Either way, I think it helps cool down the chickens, the ground, and even the air temp.

And yes...shade is extremely important. My chickens will only stand in the shade during the day. They might run from one shady spot to the next (under the tarp, under a bush, etc), but never walk around in full sun until evening hours when it's cooler.

 

[chuckzoo]

This is how I keep my chickens comfortable in the heat;

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=213810

 

[crazy4eggsJulie]

Quote:
I checked it out. You have a great setup! I love the fan cover, but my hubby would never build me one. I have to BEG for any upgrades to our coop! I'm still waiting on better roosts and a slanted roof on my nesting boxes! I love chicken NERDS and am proud to be one!