Georgia heat - worried

[Eggofarms]

Hey y'all.

We are in central Georgia where it's already getting hot. We got our birds (RIR and Blue Delawares) last August. This is their first spring as adults.

We let them free range our spacious but fenced in yard daily. However, I am getting concerned with them in the roost. I have noticed them panting in the coop tonight. It was 88 degrees today but currently 75.

We built our coop with ventilation in mind because we have mild winters. I will attach a picture of the inside of the coop but will describe it as well.

We have the entire backside (where the doors are) open and protected by hardware cloth. We then have four 1ftx1ft windows on each side (2 on each side) and then two 2ftx1ft on the front which connects to the run which is all open with hardware cloth. The coop area is 6x4.

I'm just worried about ventilation. We haven't had any problem during last summer, fall, or winter, but they were still small.

Am I just being overly worried or should we be reconsidering our setup? We built our coop based off the carolina coop design but it's not all flashy and finished. The bones are the same though.

Attached is a picture. I'm just worried and I know heat is a lot worse than cold for chickens.

Thanks for any advice!

 

[springvalley123]

Hi,
Do you know what is the temperature inside the coop? I do see a lot of ventilation, but I think I counted 9 birds although there's technically enough space for 6 (4 sq ft per bird max). If the air is not moving through the ventilation, a fan could help provide circulation and move out some of the hot air generated by the birds. I don't suppose enlarging the coop is an option? Having fewer birds per sq ft would help them cool off. I'm in the desert where it's a dry heat, and many people give the birds much more than the 4 sq ft each so they have space to cool off.

 

[Eggofarms]

Thanks for the reply.

We do indeed have 9 birds. I bought them figuring a few may not make it but knock on wood, they have thrived.

I am going to look for a thermometer to keep track of the temps. It cools down some this week so they should be ok.

I don't think expanding is an option but a fan to circulate air should be. There is no power out there (the camera is POE and was not fun to trench!). Summer will be much worse with 90-103 days and a dreadful humidity.

For some reason I thought 6x4 roost area would be enough space. The run is 12x6 but they are rarely confined. There is so much information out there I'm not sure where I came across that.

 

[3KillerBs]

I can't tell from the photograph, but is the ventilation at the VERY TOP of the roof peak?

If not, it's trapping hot air (and ammonia too).

My test for whether or not I need more ventilation is to put my head and shoulders in on a warm, sunny day. If it's hotter in than out I need more ventilation.

Also, everyone, animal or human, has more difficulty coping with the sudden onset of heat than with a gradual warming. Offering another waterer with electrolytes in it would help. Based on recommendations from experienced people here I used Sav-A-Chick once a week in warm weather last year.

 

[orrpeople]

I agree that any abrupt change in temperature is hard on them. So a spring heat spike can really cause problems, but consistent summer temps don't seem to be as much of an issue. I also think a fan is a great option when you're a little tight on space. We live where it gets very hot in summer (although not humid, thankfully), so we ended up putting in an evaporative cooler. However, the fan function is used most often, just to get air circulating.

I'm always amazed at how they adapt to each season (although sometimes the transitions can be a bit bumpy!)

 

[3KillerBs]

A note in re: fans,

Be sure to use one that is rated for outdoor and agricultural use.

Best case for an indoor fan would be that it simply stops working due to the dust clogging it up. Worst case is a fire -- feather dander and dust from the bedding is flammable.

 

[orrpeople]

A note in re: fans,

Be sure to use one that is rated for outdoor and agricultural use.

Best case for an indoor fan would be that it simply stops working due to the dust clogging it up. Worst case is a fire -- feather dander and dust from the bedding is flammable.

Yes! And even the 'good' ones need regular maintenance to keep them clean (coops are pretty dusty places)!

 

[Eggofarms]

I can't tell from the photograph, but is the ventilation at the VERY TOP of the roof peak?

If not, it's trapping hot air (and ammonia too).

My test for whether or not I need more ventilation is to put my head and shoulders in on a warm, sunny day. If it's hotter in than out I need more ventilation.

Also, everyone, animal or human, has more difficulty coping with the sudden onset of heat than with a gradual warming. Offering another waterer with electrolytes in it would help. Based on recommendations from experienced people here I used Sav-A-Chick once a week in warm weather last year.

Here are two more pictures that show the actual coop. The roof is metal and has a gap where each panel meets with a cap that runs along the length of it. Similar to a ridge rent. The windows are as high as they can go but we could add some holes to the gable pretty easy.

I don't have any newer pics so it was fun going down memory lane seeing how small the ladies were!

I am definitely getting a thermometer and will monitor the temps and go from there. Since there is no power out there I may rig up some sort of solar battery/fan. We just switched to hemp bedding so hopefully that helps keep dist down as well, but yeah, definitely want to make sure can is rated properly.

 

[3KillerBs]

Ridge venting is good!

If the coop persistently stays warmer than the outside air you could take the siding off the inner wall completely to turn it into an Open Air coop setup -- making sure that the run is predator-hardened for safety.

Does the coop have shade during the hottest parts of the day?

If not, can you add shade? I actually have my Little Monitor Coop under a cheap picnic fly due to the lack of shade in it's current location.

 

[Eggofarms]

Yeah it's back in our wooded area of the backyard. It's gets morning sun but not so much the rest of the day. We put it there with more shade in mind. The only time they are in the run really is if it's raining hard or they are eating/drinking They have an automatic timed door to open and close to let them out of the roost. Then we let them out of the run in the mornings to free range. They also have access to 2 other water sources throughout the yard where they spend most of their time.

The temps did spike yesterday and we felt it to. We are getting our raised vegetable beds ready and we got sunburned lol. I think before any modifications a thermometer is the way to go for now. That will tell us a lot to start with.