helping chickens in high temps

[mama dixie]

we are getting some hot weather and we usaly do not get hot weather like this or at least not for a long time. my birds seem very stressed. I am keeping water full and wondering is there anything elese I can do to help them in this heat?

 

[RLipinski10]

http://www.fresh-eggs-daily.blogspot.com/2012/07/hot-weather-acidosis-and-homemade.html

http://www.fresh-eggs-daily.blogspot.com/2012/06/frozen-ice-pops-mint-helps-beat-heat.html


Here are two links I believe to be pretty helpful. Ours seemed to be more than happy to just have a few wading pools or bowls and we kept a fan on inside their coop. I've also read having a sprinkler inside their run helps a lot. Our girls also really seemed to enjoy frozen watermelon. Hope this helps and good luck!

 

[chfite]

Water, shade, and ventilation is what it takes here in South Carolina.

Chris

 

[galanie]

What he said. Water, shade, and ventilation. Lots of water. Water in the shade, where they hang out. All the places they hang out. Layers of shade also is better than just shade. For instance, a tarp over an area that is already shaded by a tree.

And plenty of ventilation. Sure, chickens don't sweat so a breeze doesn't cool them the way it does us, but it does carry away warmer air and humidity, hopefully. If you have a fan going and it isn't doing that, then you may as well turn it off. Many of us in the south have coops with at least one completely open wall as well. The south wall is the one to leave open, though you do cover it with hardware cloth or welded wire. But even better, the south and the east walls open. Prevailing summer breezes are from the south and east in the USA and the winter, bitter cold ones are from the north and west. If you live in the city, you might have houses too close together or solid fences that will mess up air circulation. I'm lucky enough to have a good sized city lot with that "hurricane" type wire fencing so get plenty breezes.

People suggest freezing water in soda bottles and milk jugs to put out but I dont' do that. I have a shallow 3" pan that is a few feet long and wide that I fill with about 2" of water for them to wade in. This is set in the shade and they really do cool off in that thing.

My fluffy birds have survived temperatures and high humidity that has killed many a bird in my area, close the the Gulf Coast in Texas. Summers are normally around 100 degrees in August and humidity around 70%. But last year we were more often at 110. So far, not a one lost to the heat.

 

[bellanonna]

This information on wading is new to me (heck, my chickens are just 8 weeks old and I haven't had any for a long time, so everything is new) What would be the purpose for the frozen water in milk jugs or pop bottles? Do they lay next to it or what?

I think putting the water for wading sounds viable, but do you change it often as that little amount of water would get very warm here also?

 

[galanie]

This information on wading is new to me (heck, my chickens are just 8 weeks old and I haven't had any for a long time, so everything is new) What would be the purpose for the frozen water in milk jugs or pop bottles? Do they lay next to it or what?

I think putting the water for wading sounds viable, but do you change it often as that little amount of water would get very warm here also?

There is enough shade that mine doesn't get warm but I do change it out because it gets dirty. The ones that freeze milk jugs either put the milk jugs in their water or lay them in the coop or something. Evidently some of their birds learn to sit by them or on them and cool off. I've never personally done that.

By all means, if it does get warm, change it out. Here's how mine is. I'm just lucky to have that old tree: