Excessive heat days in Arizona

[pjstar]

Ok, so I've had chickens for about four years now in this Phoenix Arizona heat. The second year, I had one die, most likely summer heat or suffocation. Temps were over 100 as usual. And it seemed like the other RIR girls liked to pile on her ? Americauna? since she was the biggest one. Fast forward to today at 117F, I had two die, RIR and RedX. My guy said I shouldn't have had the fan blowing because it's just blowing hot air. They had plenty of fresh water, full shade and a fan but the 117F seemed too much. I heard misters are bad because chicks should not be wet all the time. However, now I am misting them and have a fan blowing and they look good even if it's going to top 120F, Buff Orp and RedX left. So my question is Am I better off taking the chance with disease due to constant wetness from misters or should I be only using the fan in this dry heat? Thanks in advance.

 

[SonoranChick]

I'm so sorry to year that you lost some chickens, I am just north of Tucson and today is downright brutal. I would suggest some frozen 2-liter water bottles or a sheet pan filled with ice cubes for drinking and feet-dipping. I would assume the mister would be a better option than not- I'd rather have a wet chicken than a chicken with heat stroke. If they get too wet they should be able to dry off within minutes in this wretched heat If you can keep their drinking water cool (with ice) it will cool their inside down when they drink it, which could help. Hang in there

 

[kat66]

I'm in southern Utah . it's supposed to be 112 today . I've been soaking areas in the shade and running a mister. I put a frozen bottle out but they won't go near it. I think a fan would only work if it was humid. Feeding frozen fruit helps too.

 

[SonoranChick]

I've heard from other members that sometimes the fan scares the chickens, so they pile up on top of one another in an effort to get away from the scary fan monster...I think the best option is to try to keep them cool from the inside out with icy treats. Even a mister is a decent option in this heat- chickens that stay wet for a long period of time and cannot dry off are at risk for disease but a little water here and there, especially in a heat wave, is a welcome relief.

 

[SonoranDesertChicks]

We're in Tucson too and it has been brutal. Misting isn't something we can do because our chickens don't like water but if yours dont mind water they'd dry so fast I can't imagine too much of a problem. Our girls like the frozen juice/soda bottles a lot. We also ice their water and mist down the shady sand in the run. We're trying frozen corn cobs today to see if they like those.

 

[mistymac]

New Mexico here and today should hit 104 and tomorrow 107 I've been misting the girls down in the afternoon but they seem to want to stay in the coop. Hoping we don't lose any... and go figure I have a broody setting and two others decide to catch the broody bug today I'm going to fix up some icy treats in a muffin tin and see how they like it!

 

[Lazy Farmer]

our consistant rain has helped cool us down in Fl. hope you figure it out. WE use a fan sometimes at the end of the big house. nothing big or fancy. Took them awhile to get use to it though. Our have a huge semi shaded run as well. They lurk in the shadows and move around as the day progresses. good luck

 

[SonoranChick]

We're in Tucson too and it has been brutal. Misting isn't something we can do because our chickens don't like water but if yours dont mind water they'd dry so fast I can't imagine too much of a problem. Our girls like the frozen juice/soda bottles a lot. We also ice their water and mist down the shady sand in the run. We're trying frozen corn cobs today to see if they like those.

Great idea!...Geeze it's so hot here in Southern AZ... frozen corn cobs actually sound good for a human treat

 

[Charlynn]

I'm in Tucson and this is my first summer with chickens- they are 15 weeks. I have a mister going, a fan, and we take out a shallow container full of ice water. Once they have had their fill drinking out of it they stand in it to cool down. I can't tell you how much they love the ice water. I also use the 2 liter frozen bottles and today have sprayed their coop down so it's muddy and cooler. Feeding cold watermelon soon.

 

[Lazy Farmer]

I would use a Vitamin & Electrolytes supplement in their water such as this.....
View media item 7892841This is an all stock concentrated mix. Well worth $2.99.
I would not recommend anything we don't use. I just mixed this one up. A pack per 1 gallon of water. Then 1 oz of the mixture to a gallon of water. Makes 100 gallons. Great for heat, stress, illnesses. Tractor Supply Co. Etc.
Good luck.