HEAT WAVE HELP

[newgoatgirl]

Not sure if this is the correct thread...

Our area is expecting a heat wave, upwards of 40 C (104 F) this weekend. I am away and have house sitters. Do you have any suggestions to keep my little flock from overheating? The five full grown chickens have a large run with large shady trees but I have 5 week olds in a run with plywood on the top for shade and 3 week olds in the maternity run which is a little uninsulated coop with a small chicken porch (they just moved from brooder). their little coop has no natural shade over it and although there are holes drilled and carved into it for air flow, the way it is positioned means that the wind doesn't whistle through it or anything.

First of all, should I move the little guys to the shady back yard in small dog crates where they will have less room but likely be cooler?

Here are my ideas:

-ice cubes in the water
-frozen grapes/fruit/compost to peck at
-find a battery powered fan
-ice packs in run


Any other ideas (or letting me know if mine are no good ) would be greatly appreciated!!!

 

[StoneHens]

We are having a similar situation here in southern Arizona--hotter than usual, even for June! Our enclosed run is shaded by trees, but also covered with shade cloth and thin bamboo fencing. In the heat of the day we spray water on the cloth, which creates an evaporative cooling zone in a limited area. You don't say where you are, but this works as long as the humidity isn't too high. We also add peat to the run, which they like to dig in and have their naps in the resulting hole. We wet that down as well. Last year when we had young chicks we would put frozen water bottles in the run--they would lay right on top of the bottles, which helped a lot.
Good luck!

 

[allpeepedout]

I wouldn't confine anybody, especially multiple animals together, to a dog crate unless it's the kind made of open welded wire, with full air circulation.

If you can contrive an extra layer of shade over existing facilities, that will help. For example, get some inexpensive plastic tarps and steel fence posts to make shade sails over coops and runs. Spraying the runs with water, as previous poster mentioned, greatly helps with evaporative cooling. If you're gone all day, you might turn on a sprinkler to thoroughly soak runs before you leave in a.m.

You can pick up a fairly inexpensive misting attachment to go on your garden hose at a place like Walmart, to leave a mister on.

Can you set up any fans? I have a fan setup on thermostat that I run in my coop and also soak down their run when it's super hot. They appreciate the puddles to cool off in. Lots of cool water, watermelon, etc.

 

[prostar]

Melons are a good treat, ice water, shade shade shade. Cucumbers...avoid the corn though I've heard that heats em up. (Course that's Facebook that told me that but...)

 

[newgoatgirl]

Thanks for the suggestions!

I ve managed to convert my rabbit run into a suitable chick run (it is in the cool backyard and all wire on the sides allowing a nice breeze) and I will pick up a mister and some shade cloth for the 5 week olds.

I am up in Kaleden, Canada. It is dry here so I think that will help a lot.

Thank you