Frozen water bottles in extreme summer heat?

[CalebtheChicken]

I've herd of everyone doing this and have two questions...
How much water do you put in the bottles?
~and~
How many birds per bottle?

Any advise is apreciated!

 

[pharmchickrnmom]

I filled up a gatorade bottle and a half gallon juice bottle, leaving about 2 inches of air in the top (for expansion during freezing). I tossed them in under my tractor for my 8 girls. They all laid around them during the day. Dont know how many chickens you have but a few bottles put out for a large number should be enough. Mine were still cold at the end of the evening so I put the cold water into their waterer. Of course I dont spoil my girls (hahahaha)! Frozen watermelon rinds, frozen fruit and dog bowls of water also help. I changed the water in the dog bowls every hour so they had fresh cold water to walk through and drink from as well. That helped a lot as I almost lost one of my girls on monday because of the heat. Good luck. Hopefully others will post what they did.

 

[noodleroo]

I put one out for my 21, 4 to 6 week olds. They just took turns. I don't have room in my freezer for more than that, and, DH was already squaking about the one!

 

[kannna]

Hi,

I have three girls 15 weeks. They have a shadey corner they like to hang out in. I take two 1 liter bottles and flatten them a bit before i freeze them and put them under about an 1" of shavings in there special corner so it's cool but they aren't directly on the ice. If the bottles are out in the open they are scared and won't go near them.

 

[Yay Chicks!]

Someone on here made a cooling box for their chickens by turning a large plastic waste basket on its side with ice bags in the back. I tried this, with frozen water bottles as well. They would stick their heads in, but they did lie up against the outside. Their coop was a bit hot at night, and they all clump together even though they are panting, so I just stuck a frozen bottle up there in their clump of bodies! Plus, extras in the coop.

 

[In His Service]

I put ice cubes in their homemade waterers about 3 times a day, and put something frozen (water bottle or just a big block of ice made by freezing water in plastic margarine-type tubs) in an aluminum pan with a bit of water in it for them to drink (or walk in). I gave them the watermelon and cantaloupe shells from fourth of july cookout, and the next day, I put ice blocks in the shells until they had picked the shell to nothing. Extra water, I pour on the ground around the run..they love to scratch in the damp softer dirt.

I like the idea of the frozen water bottle under the shavings...think I will try that too.

 

[mgw]

We put a frozen 1 gal fruit juice jug in today for the 1st time. they sat around it. After about an hour I laid it on its side and took the cap of of it the cold water was dripping out and they loved to drink it.Aftewr awhile I dont think even a drop hardly made it to the ground.

 

[Cocotte]

These are some great ideas!

 

[MaureenL128]

i put small gatroade bottles and polan spring bottles frozen in their water bins all around the yard especially in their fav shade spot...they love drinking the cool water

 

[okiechicken]

some good ideas...i never thought of ice bottles for chickens.