Heat management thread.

[KenK]

My chickens are in as cool of a place as I can put them without bringing them in the house. They have an open air coop and run that is shaded by a large pecan tree. I've been refilling their waterer with cool well water twice a day.

It hit 99 degrees here today and they are flat suffering. It's predicted to get even hotter the next couple of days and no rain in sight.

 

[daver]

Ours are outside in the pen. Yesterday was the worst so far. Over 100F at the chick pen.

Earlier this week I put a box fan on the shadier side of the pen and ran it til dark. And DW periodically checked on them and kept ice in their waterer.

Less humid today. But still pretty hot.

Dave

 

[Rockin' Reds]

It's been unseasonably warm here too over the last few days. I freeze water in old 2 liter soda bottles and place them in their water containers to keep the water nice and cool. These seem to last a lot longer than just putting ice in the water. I have several I rotate so I have some frozen all the time. I also fill old milk jugs with water and freeze them as well, as they will cozy up to them when it's blistering hot. Also, cool treats like watermelon and frozen veggies help. I'm sure others will chime in with more suggestions for you!! Here's wishing for some cooler temps in the meantime!

 

[ronikins]

Ugh yeah. I hate this time of year. Today was probably the worst SO FAR. I took a box fan out to the coop. The coop and run are in shade. They all free-range so I try and keep fresh cool water in a few places for them. Other than while they're laying, they seem to be doin ok.

Heat + cicadas = MADNESS!

The sounds outside make it seem like you're in an alien world

 

[bzbrown]

I've started to put our bigger chicks out in their coop with attached run during the day. It's getting super hot here in the desert. I have been making a huge ice brick every evening and putting it in a separate container from their water during the day. They seem to like standing on it and pecking at it and haven't been panting like they did before I put the ice out.

I ordered a solar powered fan to install inside the coop.

I read on another thread about putting out a mister of some sort. I tried misting them and they freaked out. LOL I'm assuming some chickens like misting and some don't? Or does it take some getting used to? I hate to be "torturing" them, just trying to make their outside time more comfortable.

Just curious before I invest an any sort of timer and more advanced misting system.

Thanks in advance..

 

[maclady]

Mine BOs hate getting wet. I tried misting for them also and you would have thought it was acid the way the carried on. I just wet down the whole run after I rake it in the morning now. I also have a shallow pan that I keep water in for them to stand in. I have tried the frozen bottles but they are not to taken with them. I may try using just a chunk of ice now since I read this thread. It has been in the high 90s for over a week so far and finally tonight the humidity broke some. It is still warm outside at 8:48pm but seems a lot cooler than the last couple nights.

 

[ChicKat]

Hi KenK

sounds just like our weather.

Deep deep shade seems to help--not just mottled sunlight shade.

I notice that one of mine likes to wade...she likes getting her feet wet.

They like to stir up the ground...and nestle down where it is damp if they dig deep enough and I have wet it. I move my coop/run at least daily sometimes more----so they really don't get the advantage of deep holes to revisit. They kind of clear a place and then get all the body/wing parts that they can spread out where there is some slight dampness where they dug.

Today I put a frozen gallon milk jug in a shallow plant saucer. (Just set jug in shallow saucer of water--about 2" deep) They really loved the cool water...and I think that brought their heads and combs in close proximity to the cool air coming off the frozen milk jug.

Last -- dust bathing seems to also have a cooling effect....

Glad you started this thread....looking forward to everyone's cooling contributions.

 

[Capvin]

We are hot here in Central Florida and it will remain hot through Sept. I do everything to keep them cool including having a ceiling fan in the run, fan in the coop, run is covered for shade and there are bamboo curtains on the sides to keep the shade, give them lots of watermelon and yogurt, freeze milk containers andput them in their water and around the run. All of that is good but the one thing that works continuosly is the misting system. Without it we would have baked chicken. Put it in a part of the run. Mine is in the front part and covers almost half of the run so they can go in it when they want and leave the mist when they want. In the beginning they would run from the mist but now they sit right in it during the hottest part of the day. I run it from mid morning until about 6 -7 PM. Best thing for the heat and reduces the temp in the run by at least 10 degrees.

 

[KenK]

I set a sprinkler on the run late yesterday afternoon to try to cool it off some. The birds had no interest in coming out into the "rain" but they did seem happy to scratch around in the wet grass when I turned it off.

When I was planning my coop I did some hand wringing over the orientation. I ended up putting it so it fit in best with the lay of the land (and keeping it in the shade) and ignored the conventional wisdom to have it facing South. I'm glad I did now. They will be a little colder this winter but if I had put the open side of the coop the other way I'd have baked chicken by now.

 

[ronikins]

I'm wondering if anyone has had any problems with chickens and saddles in the heat? I have about half my flock in saddles and I worry they're getting too hot. Buuuut if I remove them, it could be disastrous. The rooster has already mated them bald on the backs. Any further and we would have open wounds....