Heat Index 110 :O

[spotstealer]

Mine seem to avoid the frozen bottles as well as the wading tub I put out other than drinking out of it. The run and thier coop is 100% shaded from 9 am. They seem to enjoy clucking around with their wings spread more than anything.

 

[6chick*start]

Yes, mine also just drank the wading pool.
Keep trying with frozen bottles. Took mine about a week to go near them.
Now they lay right next to them under the coop and walk/skate on the giant icecubes.

 

[daver]

We have the frozen milk jugs on stand by. But haven't used them yet.

Our chicks have lots of shade and they will move to a cooler shadier spot when needed.

I keep a fan blowing under the coop 24/7, at the hottest time of the day they will be hunkered down on front of the fan. One night last week during a really hot spell, I put the fan up to the window for them. I keep a thermometer in the coop to monitor. At nine pm it was still 95 degrees.

In the early evening, which seems to be the hottest time, with direct sunlight into their run, I let them free range until they are ready for bed. We have lots of shady spots.

The only other thing I do is give them chilled watermelon, they love it. And of course keep their waterer maxed out.

DW and I are truly amzed that the temp got to 100 in Gaylord, DW is a Lansing girl.

And besides, I'll be freaking out if we get your winter time temps!!!

Dave

 

[savingpurple]

This is new to me. Great post ! So worried about my ladies while I am at work. I have frozen milk jugs, but they don't get the idea to lay next to them. They peck off the moisture as it melts. I figure they are standing next to them, feeling the cool air, so maybe they wil catch on???

The coop is so hot....

I bought the sav-a-chick tonight at work, and gave it to them. They did respond after a short time. Temp dropping, or that helping?? No clue.

Good luck to us all in this heat wave!!

 

[pjknust]

I have a fan in the hen house, but they are only in there to lay and roost. I have 5 three yr old hens that free range all day in the back yard, and 7 seven week old chicks still penned up. I wet down the big honeysuckle bush off and on all day and they lay under it. I have litter boxes all around the yard. The 7 wk old chicks do wade in their flower pot saucer. It took the chicks over 2 wk to start snuggling up to the frozen bottles. Now they lay on top of it. I put ice blocks out at noon, 2 and 4 for the chicks. The big frozen jug goes out about 5pm til bedtime. I also move the chicks from their little pen out to big green grass pen twice a day. Its in the shade morning, and late evening, so its cooler out there than in their pen up by the house.
I will be doing this til Oct because it will be too hot to lock them in the hen house 24/7 for a week to acclimate them. Boy do I have my work cut out for me. When these 7 chicks start laying, they will be million dollar eggs because of all the work I have put into keeping them cool since June!! Never again get chicks in the summer......

pam in TX

 

[grauerholzfarm]

I loved gettting my chicks this summer! I do agree with the timing of putting them in the coop. I'm in Kansas so A little cooler then down in Tx but I have my chicks in our shop garage! In a cage. At night I was turning on the heat lamp for the first week but then temp was higher so I let them be. Right now I've put a fan next to them and an ice pack goes under the cage in a certain spot to keep cool plus I can move the cage around to keep in the shade!

 

[Gifa]

Kansas City has been getting hammered with 95 - 105 degree heat for the last 4 weeks with very very little breeze and very very very little rain...

Our coop will be finished tomorrow... or the day after... We finished their run today, and decided to let them play in it for a little bit. Their coop and run are in the shade all day, so there is that... but they were panting and holding their wings out as any hot chicken does within minutes. It was only 98 degrees today with a heat index of 103... and it's been so dry their run is basically a giant dust bath. To the delight of one of my SLWs.

My chicks will be 6 weeks old on wednesday. I am planning to move them out as soon as the coop is ready to go... The forecast is calling for a 108 degree with a heat index of 118 in the coming week, which is outrageous. We are normally just hitting the 90's at this time here... So, I am disgusted and I am concerned about how they will fair in the heat as they are accustomed to a nice 75-80 in their ever shrinking brooder box in the guest room of our house. So I am having reservations.

Anyway, since the run is done... and they are safe and secure in there, we are going to start having them spend more and more time out there while we are working until the coop is done in the hopes that it helps them acclimate. We only need to sheet the interior, cut out the chicken door, and build the front window/human access. Then it's all furniture... roosts, Feeders, waterers, litter, straw, Stall Dry, and a poop board until I can get a poop hammock sewn and hung up for them/me.

What are the warning signs that the heat is too much for them?