Helping Beat The Summer Heat

[Izzymoon]

Hi,
Would love some suggestions on what to do in a heat wave. I put ice cubes in their water and some cool watermelon pieces, but they have to stay in the coop most of the day. Any suggestions?

 

[brahmabreeder]

Try frozen water bottles. Just place a few in the pen and the birds can lay near them. My birds also enjoy fans. Slate tiles will also keep them cool. I will say those get dirty real fast.If these are show birds I wouldn't really recommend the tiles.

 

[Izzymoon]

you just solved why the water kept getting tipped over, when before it wasn't, they must all be snuggling up to it Thanks for the tips, it's brutal out there. Poor chickys..

 

[chfite]

Water, shade, ventilation.

Chris

 

[flowerchic]

It's going to be 103 for the next 3 to 4 days then wow we will get a cold front of 98...it's sad when you start jokingly refer to 98 as a cold front. I too have been worrying about how to keep everyone cool. I tried one frozen jug yesterday, guess I will need to make more. I have been turning the sprinkler on during the hot hot parts of the day and letting it hit the roof and sides of the coop. It's funny when the hose and sprinkler was the bad thing in the yard and made everyone run. Now they slowly walk through it...not such a bad thing after all...silly chickens! I also have tried spraying the trees above the coop so it drops down and cools the area too, seems to cool the area down some. Off to fill jugs to freeze and water the garden.

 

[Elkie1]

I am having the same problem with the heat and my chicks. The frozen water bottle was new to me and I am going to implement it. Another suggestion I heard was to freeze goodies in the ice cubes for them to peck at and encourage drinking. And a friend of mine has her hose on a timer. It fills up a little depression in the ground where the chickens can lay and cool off their bellies. Just be careful the hose runs long enough to get all the hot water out and cool the "swimming hole" before it shuts off.


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[crchickens]

I have been going out and misting them with a water bottle every 30 minutes to every hour. It helps cool them down. I also added ice and electrolytes to their water. They are dust bathing like crazy. I am also giving them fresh fruits and veggies, just a bit, to help keep them hydrated.

 

[HouseCat]

On nights that aren't too humid, I'll fill up a 5 gallon bucket with the coldest spring h2o that comes out of my well (around 40-45 deg). Then I'll pick up each bird, one-by-one, and hold them over the bucket so that their feet dangle in it. I'll swish their feet back and forth for a few minutes until they start kicking. If they're still panting, I'll lower them in just enough to dip their "undercarriage" in the h2o. That definitely helps to suck the heat out of their little bodies.

 

[rosewolf22002]

Hubby just brought home a mister system and a timer so it goes off in the heat of the day! Thank you Hubby!

 

[wcarlock]

I put a small window fan in the back window of my coop for the hot nights. i bought a mist system from TSC for $9.95 that is 10 feet long. I strung it across the top of my chicken lot at a diagonal. It sprays a very fine mist and you can point the spray tips in different directions. My chickens really like it. Hope this helps.